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I just took my hearing aids out because I’m trying to watch TV and the social club across the road from my home has just started to play host to live music. With my aids in, the TV and the music were an absolute jumble.
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Feet
My doctors have been in touch and I have an appointment with Scary Mary next week. So they will be looking at my feet.
The weird thing is that the podiatrist's poking at my big toe was completely painless. That is not a good sign.
The weird thing is that the podiatrist's poking at my big toe was completely painless. That is not a good sign.
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Feet
I had a visit from my chiropodist today, and she spotted a problem with my right big toe. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aunty_marion and I travelled hither and yon in North Wales during the last couple of weeks and it turned out I got a blister.
She wants me to take it either to the diabetic nurse, Scary Mary, or the local podiatrist service. So I’ve sent in an online request and await contact.
aunty_marion and I travelled hither and yon in North Wales during the last couple of weeks and it turned out I got a blister. She wants me to take it either to the diabetic nurse, Scary Mary, or the local podiatrist service. So I’ve sent in an online request and await contact.
Visiting castle
Today aunty_marion and I went to Caernarfon Castle, which was lovely, and we bought fudge, then we ransacked a couple of charity shops, where I bought knitting yarn and a cross stitch kit. We also saw some sweet dogs.
aunty_marion and I went to Caernarfon Castle, which was lovely, and we bought fudge, then we ransacked a couple of charity shops, where I bought knitting yarn and a cross stitch kit. We also saw some sweet dogs.Activities
aunty_marion an I have been having a holiday of sorts, travelling hither and yon around North Wales to see various sights. Yesterday we went up the Great Orme on a tramway and had hot chocolate and a hot dog at the top. Lovely views.On another day we went to a National Trust property called Plas Newydd in which is probably Rex Whistler’s finest work, a mural of a fantasy city on the dining room wall. It is so intricate that you could look at it for hours and still be finding new bits. It is fantastic, if you ever get a chance, do go and see it.
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Teeth
I called the Community Dental Services people this morning, and I have an appointment in July in Holyhead. I have never been to Holyhead, so this should be interesting.
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Dentist
I have finally received a letter telling me I can contact the Community Dental Services people for an assessment. Yippee! That will be the first thing I do on Monday.
Currently , I have three broken teeth, which take it in turns to hurt.
Currently , I have three broken teeth, which take it in turns to hurt.
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Dentist woes
I’m somewhat grumpy.
I was referred to the Community Dental Service in February last year. At the time, I’d been going to the dentist every six months for a couple of years, but my dentists decided that I was too heavy for their chairs. However, my teeth were in pretty decent nick.
Inside three months, I broke a back tooth. At the end of last year, I broke a second tooth. On Saturday I broke a third.
It has been well over a year, and I have heard nothing from the Community Dental Service. Not even when the dental specialist I saw about my hemicrania contacted them.
I called them this morning and while they were sympathetic they can’t increase my level of urgency, that has to be done by the referring dentist. So I called the referring dentist and they will call me back. We’ve been through this before and they said they couldn’t amend the referral. If I hear nothing, I will ring them again tomorrow and be annoyed.
I was referred to the Community Dental Service in February last year. At the time, I’d been going to the dentist every six months for a couple of years, but my dentists decided that I was too heavy for their chairs. However, my teeth were in pretty decent nick.
Inside three months, I broke a back tooth. At the end of last year, I broke a second tooth. On Saturday I broke a third.
It has been well over a year, and I have heard nothing from the Community Dental Service. Not even when the dental specialist I saw about my hemicrania contacted them.
I called them this morning and while they were sympathetic they can’t increase my level of urgency, that has to be done by the referring dentist. So I called the referring dentist and they will call me back. We’ve been through this before and they said they couldn’t amend the referral. If I hear nothing, I will ring them again tomorrow and be annoyed.
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Stories
There was one story I missed out about my hospital stay.
I think it was on the Friday, the quiet lady in the next bed was having seizures several times a day. They were not epileptic seizures - I didn’t know there were other types, but it seems there are.
She came out of a particularly bad one and her brother said something I didn’t catch. She started to cry. And when I say cry, we’re not talking quiet sobs, but loud howls of anguish which cut down to the soul. She went on to cry for two hours. I have never cried for two hours, even when my parents died. Maybe I’m just hard hearted.
Meanwhile, the five others in the bay, including me, were all on drips. IV lines run through a little machine which I think is both a pump and a measure. If the cannula gets blocked or the IV finishes the machine makes a burbling sound like a mobile phone to alert the nurse.
Just after the anguished lady started to cry and all the nurses were round her, every one of the machines started to burble their alarms. All five.
It was bedlam. I’ve never heard anything like it.
All five of us were looking at each other wondering if there was anything we could do, but obviously there wasn’t. So that was a stand-out moment. I still wonder what it was that the lady’s brother said that so upset her.
I think it was on the Friday, the quiet lady in the next bed was having seizures several times a day. They were not epileptic seizures - I didn’t know there were other types, but it seems there are.
She came out of a particularly bad one and her brother said something I didn’t catch. She started to cry. And when I say cry, we’re not talking quiet sobs, but loud howls of anguish which cut down to the soul. She went on to cry for two hours. I have never cried for two hours, even when my parents died. Maybe I’m just hard hearted.
Meanwhile, the five others in the bay, including me, were all on drips. IV lines run through a little machine which I think is both a pump and a measure. If the cannula gets blocked or the IV finishes the machine makes a burbling sound like a mobile phone to alert the nurse.
Just after the anguished lady started to cry and all the nurses were round her, every one of the machines started to burble their alarms. All five.
It was bedlam. I’ve never heard anything like it.
All five of us were looking at each other wondering if there was anything we could do, but obviously there wasn’t. So that was a stand-out moment. I still wonder what it was that the lady’s brother said that so upset her.
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Cat
I didn’t update with the outcome of Opal’s trip to the vet.
She’s been prescribed Gabapentin for three months, and she’s been taking it for a little over a week. It seems to work well, she’s not creating bald patches on her haunches. A move forward. It seems that the cause is pain from the injury she had when she came to me.
She’s been prescribed Gabapentin for three months, and she’s been taking it for a little over a week. It seems to work well, she’s not creating bald patches on her haunches. A move forward. It seems that the cause is pain from the injury she had when she came to me.
Gaming on the PS5
It turns out that Bethesda (the game company not the Welsh village) have brought out a remastered version of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Back in the day (2006) this was my favourite game. I still have a very soft spot for it.
They’ve changed some bits, specifically the way you go up levels and they have introduced a “quick access” circle thing which is baffling me. I found out how to put spells on it - once - and have now forgotten how it’s done. Very frustrating. Still, I will battle on against the daedra.
They’ve changed some bits, specifically the way you go up levels and they have introduced a “quick access” circle thing which is baffling me. I found out how to put spells on it - once - and have now forgotten how it’s done. Very frustrating. Still, I will battle on against the daedra.
Update
Opal (the tabby cat) is worrying me.
She has scabs on her rump, and on her leg, and more rough bits on her tummy. A footle through the internet makes me think it’s allergy to fleas, though there are other things it could be, some of them nasty.
I tried to get her a vet appointment today, but they are busy and offered me one tomorrow. So she’s going to the vet at Llandygai tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I will give her cuddles. Poor kitty, being itchy is horrible, as I know only too well.
Me
My injuries from the scalds are mostly healed except for the one on my tummy. That one is lingering like an unwanted guest.
She has scabs on her rump, and on her leg, and more rough bits on her tummy. A footle through the internet makes me think it’s allergy to fleas, though there are other things it could be, some of them nasty.
I tried to get her a vet appointment today, but they are busy and offered me one tomorrow. So she’s going to the vet at Llandygai tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I will give her cuddles. Poor kitty, being itchy is horrible, as I know only too well.
Me
My injuries from the scalds are mostly healed except for the one on my tummy. That one is lingering like an unwanted guest.
Plans
It is my birthday. I’m 63.
I would have liked to go to Eastercon, which is in Belfast, but I couldn’t afford it. Spit.
My plan for today, therefore, is to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on my PlayStation.
I’ve reached the Grymforge. In the Grymforge I have discovered an automaton called Grym. And, boy, does he live down to his name.
He only takes damage when he’s been standing in lava, and takes more bludgeoning damage than any other kind. In particular, magic attacks do not appear to have much success unless they are cold based. Which, of course, means that the heat from the lava is reduced that much quicker. I spent all yesterday evening on Grym and got nowhere.
My cunning plan, which I came up with overnight, is to load a previous save and go back to the Emerald Grove. There is a reliable vendor there and I will buy a bludgeoning weapon for my whole party. With those, we might make some progress.
On the Wiki for the game there’s a method of killing Grym with one blow but it involves more hand/eye coordination than I’m capable of.
Cats
I took Smokey (my black cat) to the vet for her annual check up. She’s in good condition, but had lost 800g, meaning she’s a bit skinny, and she has a small hernia. Nobody in their right mind would give a general anaesthetic to a 19 year old cat. So we keep a careful eye on her.
The same week, I had to take Opal (the tabby) to the vet because she was walking funny. You may recall that she came to me with a broken pelvis. Her walk was reminiscent of then. She was prescribed Gabapentin and Loxicom. She does seem much better when on the medication. Which is good, because the vet said that if the problem continued we might have to x-ray her, and perhaps refer her to a specialist vet in either Liverpool or Chester.
Opal hates being in her carrier and both Liverpool and Chester are a long way from here. Carrying her in her basket on a train would suck like a vacuum cleaner.
I would have liked to go to Eastercon, which is in Belfast, but I couldn’t afford it. Spit.
My plan for today, therefore, is to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on my PlayStation.
I’ve reached the Grymforge. In the Grymforge I have discovered an automaton called Grym. And, boy, does he live down to his name.
He only takes damage when he’s been standing in lava, and takes more bludgeoning damage than any other kind. In particular, magic attacks do not appear to have much success unless they are cold based. Which, of course, means that the heat from the lava is reduced that much quicker. I spent all yesterday evening on Grym and got nowhere.
My cunning plan, which I came up with overnight, is to load a previous save and go back to the Emerald Grove. There is a reliable vendor there and I will buy a bludgeoning weapon for my whole party. With those, we might make some progress.
On the Wiki for the game there’s a method of killing Grym with one blow but it involves more hand/eye coordination than I’m capable of.
Cats
I took Smokey (my black cat) to the vet for her annual check up. She’s in good condition, but had lost 800g, meaning she’s a bit skinny, and she has a small hernia. Nobody in their right mind would give a general anaesthetic to a 19 year old cat. So we keep a careful eye on her.
The same week, I had to take Opal (the tabby) to the vet because she was walking funny. You may recall that she came to me with a broken pelvis. Her walk was reminiscent of then. She was prescribed Gabapentin and Loxicom. She does seem much better when on the medication. Which is good, because the vet said that if the problem continued we might have to x-ray her, and perhaps refer her to a specialist vet in either Liverpool or Chester.
Opal hates being in her carrier and both Liverpool and Chester are a long way from here. Carrying her in her basket on a train would suck like a vacuum cleaner.
Update
A few weeks ago I managed to scald myself.
I made a nice fresh cup of tea, and was crossing the living room when I tripped over my cat, Opal, and tangled the teapot up in my cardigan. Result was some very nasty burns down my legs, plus one on my tummy.
I rang the non-emergency helpline NHS Wales 111. They said, “Go to Ysbyty Gwynedd.” They didn’t add ‘you muppet’ which they might as well have done. So I went and spent a couple of hours in A&E, leaving with bandaged legs around lunchtime.
Since then the burns are mostly healed except for the one on the back of my right leg, and the one on my tummy. Both of those still bleed and/or weep. Still, as the nurse said, a diabetic will take longer to heal.
In case you were wondering, Opal was unharmed. Though I screamed and she hid for a few hours. Had Opal been hurt, I would have taken her to the vet before taking myself to A&E.
I made a nice fresh cup of tea, and was crossing the living room when I tripped over my cat, Opal, and tangled the teapot up in my cardigan. Result was some very nasty burns down my legs, plus one on my tummy.
I rang the non-emergency helpline NHS Wales 111. They said, “Go to Ysbyty Gwynedd.” They didn’t add ‘you muppet’ which they might as well have done. So I went and spent a couple of hours in A&E, leaving with bandaged legs around lunchtime.
Since then the burns are mostly healed except for the one on the back of my right leg, and the one on my tummy. Both of those still bleed and/or weep. Still, as the nurse said, a diabetic will take longer to heal.
In case you were wondering, Opal was unharmed. Though I screamed and she hid for a few hours. Had Opal been hurt, I would have taken her to the vet before taking myself to A&E.
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BG3
I got quite a long way with one character, to the point where I had one boss battle to go, and then I couldn’t climb the brain stem to the battle.
So I’ve started again with a new Tev on a higher difficulty setting. We’ll see how long that lasts, as I usually play games on the easiest possible difficulty level. I’m happier with the look of this new Tev, too. My previous one I’d gone for a Legolas look and missed.
So I’ve started again with a new Tev on a higher difficulty setting. We’ll see how long that lasts, as I usually play games on the easiest possible difficulty level. I’m happier with the look of this new Tev, too. My previous one I’d gone for a Legolas look and missed.
Thoughts in the night
I had a really bad night last night. Massive stomach issues the whole night, and I got no sleep.
So I spent a lot of it wondering what the muskrat is up to disassembling the US computer systems. I’ve read in some places that he’s looking for fraud.
That can’t be true because if you’re looking for fraud you need to know be an expert in how the payments being made are calculated. Just jumping to a conclusion because you don’t like why the payments are made doesn’t constitute fraud. I’m sure there are lots of things I don’t like that the UK government spends money on, but they are not fraudulent on that basis.
I also can’t quite understand why the muskrat arriving with this acolytes and plugging in hard drives was allowed by the security people in the buildings. They should have been politely escorted out and told not to come back.
I was a union representative for someone who plugged his phone into a government computer, and who was sacked - literally escorted from the building with his stuff in a box. And there was no way the person in question could download anything from a government computer because the USB ports were all locked down. He was just charging his phone, but that was enough to get him booted.
And that’s before we come on to the orange shitgibbon suggesting that Egypt and Jordan might take the displaced people from Gaza. Someone needs to tell him that he can’t give away land he doesn’t own. He’s not world president, and his suggestion is illegal and appalling.
I hate both the muskrat and the orange shitgibbon from the bottom of my heart.
So I spent a lot of it wondering what the muskrat is up to disassembling the US computer systems. I’ve read in some places that he’s looking for fraud.
That can’t be true because if you’re looking for fraud you need to know be an expert in how the payments being made are calculated. Just jumping to a conclusion because you don’t like why the payments are made doesn’t constitute fraud. I’m sure there are lots of things I don’t like that the UK government spends money on, but they are not fraudulent on that basis.
I also can’t quite understand why the muskrat arriving with this acolytes and plugging in hard drives was allowed by the security people in the buildings. They should have been politely escorted out and told not to come back.
I was a union representative for someone who plugged his phone into a government computer, and who was sacked - literally escorted from the building with his stuff in a box. And there was no way the person in question could download anything from a government computer because the USB ports were all locked down. He was just charging his phone, but that was enough to get him booted.
And that’s before we come on to the orange shitgibbon suggesting that Egypt and Jordan might take the displaced people from Gaza. Someone needs to tell him that he can’t give away land he doesn’t own. He’s not world president, and his suggestion is illegal and appalling.
I hate both the muskrat and the orange shitgibbon from the bottom of my heart.
Entry tags:
BG3
I’m playing Baldur’s Gate 3, and I’m not sure whether to start again with a new character.
My current character accidentally blew up the fireworks shop, and was imprisoned. Result was that he lost most of his belongings. I can’t find them, they are not in any of the chests in the prisons. It’s very frustrating.
So, do I start again, or do I carry on with the current lack of resources? Any suggestions?
My current character accidentally blew up the fireworks shop, and was imprisoned. Result was that he lost most of his belongings. I can’t find them, they are not in any of the chests in the prisons. It’s very frustrating.
So, do I start again, or do I carry on with the current lack of resources? Any suggestions?
Update
The area I live in is covered by an “amber” warning for rain and wind. It’s not currently raining, but the wind is howling round the house, and whipping up the waves in the bay. Opal is cuddling up to me - I don’t think she likes the noise.
I would like to knit or play Baldur’s Gate 3, but Opal won’t tolerate me not cuddling her. Ho hum.
I would like to knit or play Baldur’s Gate 3, but Opal won’t tolerate me not cuddling her. Ho hum.
Update
The weather here is kind of odd. The tops of the mountains are covered with snow, but Bangor is close to sea level and if there is snow here it's not sitting, but I don't think there is. There might be sleet.
aunty_marion went home today after Christmas and New Year celebrated with me. We had a splendid time. The three bird roast was a bit dry, and I will try to get a chicken next year, and in June when she visits again.
aunty_marion went home today after Christmas and New Year celebrated with me. We had a splendid time. The three bird roast was a bit dry, and I will try to get a chicken next year, and in June when she visits again.New year
Well, the New Year is here.
Our dinner is in the oven, and I am playing Baldur’s Gate III.aunty_marion is helping with suggestions.
Our dinner is in the oven, and I am playing Baldur’s Gate III.
aunty_marion is helping with suggestions.