At last it looks like the weather forecast is correct, for a change, and it will be one of those nice sunny days where temperatures climb and we are all complaining that it is too hot and uncomfortable. Even our local crow pair arrived on the roof opposite and stayed for a photo. Well one them did, the other one flew off. They are there regularly, seems to be their look-out. I only have my mobile phone camera handy and discovered that it is not so good for close ups. I have to go to my office to get my big DSLR camera for a close up and by the time I arrive at my lookout post at the kitchen window they have usually disappeared in the meanwhile. This time I was lucky and one remained so I shot a photo while the going was good – not perfect, but the best up to now.

The crow colony have always been here, something like the ravens at the tower of London, but no so well-known. Now and again they have a fly about all together, accompanied by their cackling choir recitals. Sometimes they might take a walk in the meadow opposite, but never stay long enough for a photo.

Otherwise it seems to be a normal calm morning, no visits to be organised to the dentist or arguments with the national telephone people. Today I want to have a nice relaxing day. Actually my visit to the dentist was one of the best visits I had ever had. I got an appointment in the afternoon at a sensible time to allow me to have my golden oldie sleep before going. It was just a small piece of the old filling cover that had decided to break off. I did not even need an injection. Of course you cannot void the drill, but that was only to shape the edges of the hole. Afterwards the filling, then the coating, polishing and all was done. In between I even had a conversation with my dentist and assistant. I have known the  assistant for years. I used to have the owner of the dentist surgery but he is now retired – we all get old together it seems. It is a very nice lady dentist I now have and we get on like a house/tooth on fire. Anyhow I survived, was out after an hour and now have a perfect front tooth without its bottomless pit behind it. I even paid the bill before I left – they have a card machine. That hurt most of all, but not as much as usual.

And now to plan my eventful day. Mr. Swiss will take me to the supermarket for a safari as the cupboard is almost bare and I am designing a few 5-star survival menus. The European football tournament continues, although I have not really been watching it. All I know is that somehow, by a football miracle, the Swiss team have qualified for the next round.

I will now proceed to the next round,  accompanied by my faithful and trusty vacuum cleaner. My alarm on my mobile phone did not go off this morning as I switched it off yesterday and forgot. Why does a golden oldie need an alarm? A question I have often asked myself, but somehow it brings organisation into the day.

Time to go for my next adventure.

Let’s keep it short because it is absolutely not a good morning. I have just spent the last hour talking to the Swiss com (Swiss telephone organisation), and my Post office account people and shaking my head thinking am in Disneyland. I will not go into details, but the post are having problems seeing the forest because there are too many trees in the way. I have now sorted it all, lost more than an hour of my blogging life and am only now eating breakfast and am feeling very hungry. One young lady at the post will definitely never forget me.

I am sorry, but I have no time left to visit all my blogging colleagues and read their posts. I hope to return this afternoon when I have digested the stupidity of beaurocratic organisation and something called data protection which is becoming an excuse for not doing the job properly.

See you around

I decided this photo (a close up of my garden snail ornament) fitted the mood of the day. Yesteday evening as I was thinking about moving to the horizontal position in bed I felt that something was different with a front tooth: probably a particle of food which is easily removed. I decided to make a closer examination and discovered a filing cover had to dislodge itself, leaving me with a crater behind the left front tooth. After a further examination I discovered the crater was actually much smaller, but things on teeth always seems bigger.

I had no toothache, so I eventually fell asleep with thoughts of organising a dental visit and trying to work out how to get there if my appointment would be in the morning and organising the shopping, although Mr. Swiss is very independent with shopping: it would be a matter of planning a food list and neither of us have a clue what we want to eat today. My oldest son is also at home on the feeding list, as at the moment he is working short time.

Luckily my dentist is open at 8.00 a.m. and so I was poised with my mobile phone to call. It seems the dentist still had the automatic telehone answering machine and I had to listen to the details of opening times first of all, still prodding around at the place where the tooth used to be complete. He said they were open at 8.00 a.m. and it was already 08.05. I tried again, was successful and spoke to his nurse and now have an appointment this afternoon at a sensible time. I can have my golden oldie afternoon sleep and afterwards go to the dentist. As said, no pain, just inconvenience and I am sure it will just be an hour’s work, with a little bit of drill carving, filling and a  cover afterwards. The only pain I will probably feel will be in my bank account. The dental surgery even has its own bank/postcard machine for immediate payment. This does not reduce the pain of paying, but you get a small reduction for immediate payment and it is done with.

Yesterday afternoon I had one of my brilliant ideas. I had clean windows in front of the computer. I threw a handful of bird seed outside within camera range and waited for them to arrive and they did. Not more than two at a time, but sparrows are always ready for food, they are not fussy. I took many photos, but was quite successful. There is always the first sparrow which can hardly believe his luck, and hops around the food to make sure no-one is watching. When he is certain he takes a peck, flies off and returns immediately realising he is still alive and there is more. Now sparrow No. 2 arrives for a free risk-free meal with no complications – and of course me sitting behind the window taking photos.

And now I have other things to do. It is Monday, a new beginning to the week, although every week seems to be the same since reaching the golden oldie status, with a few more doctor appointments in between. I will sharpen my walking cane, and venture into the unknown world of the supermarket. I must remember to buy washing powder, I have none left.

Be kind to your computers, and remember they also have feelings. If they do not do what you want them to do, a bad workman always blames his tools, although I am sure even Bill Gates would utter profanities now and again if a link did not work.

My bird friend returned again yesterday. She visits often and I always see her from my window when I am on the computer. I always leave a handful of birdfood on the porch for her, which disappears, although I never see her eating. In the meanwhile Mr. Swiss produced a small booklet, Birds in Garden and Park,  which has been in the family for years and we found her. It seems to be a phoenicurus ochruros, which in english would be the black redstart, although there is a similar bird known as phoenicurus phoenicurus which is the common redstart. They both look alike, but according to a photo where the chicks are being fed by the mother it looks like the black redstart. The male is more black and the female less colourful.  I even got a recording of their song on internet, although this example does more a subdued croak than sing. She is quite inconspicuous with her greyish feather and the red tail feathers. According to my research in internet, it is a younger version of the black redstart.

I am not an bird expert, but I like to know who visits my garden. She is quite timid and usually perches a distance away when she sees me, so I have to get my super DSLR camera with the zoom lens for a good photo. Growing up in London, I only really recognised sparrows and pigeons. Living in the country we get all sorts of visitors on wings and I like to be able to recognise them.

Sparrows are everywhere, the scavangers of the neighbourhood. You have to be careful where you spread the food as they are the first to arrive and grab it all for themselves.

Yesterday I ventured out on my first walk for a long time. I discovered my walking ability is now reduced considerably, but I took my time. I even manage to climb 70 steep steps on my own from the river bank to the top of the slope. Naturally I did it all with help from my new super walking cane with the jungle pattern. I could hold onto the banister with my left hand and support myself with the right hand and found it much easier. Before I realised my handicap, I would do it sideways, gripping with banister with both hands. The doc told me that exercise was good for me. I suppose he is right, but I am still thinking about it.

Today is Saturday, the day when I do what I want/should. Mr. Swiss has been organised to bring me a fresh supply of Twinings breakfast and Lady Grey  tea and an extra bread to be frozen. As I was falling asleep yesterday I remembered we had not bought any bread as we had cheese flans for tea and did not need bread. I need bread for breakfast, so crawled to the freezer after midnight and took out the frozen bread I had. We no longer have any frozen bread, so an extra loaf is now on the list. I do not go shopping on Saturday, Mr. Swiss does it all and combines it with a coffee somewhere in a café.

Am now off for my occupational therapy, with the support of the vacuum cleaner, mop and other such assisting devices. Have a good start to the week-end everyone, and if you are bored, then be happy, it is an honour to be bored. Spare a thought for the people working in the supermarkets or in the MacDonalds, they have no time to be bored.