Walking on ice

Winter dusk

This year the council have only been clearing snow from the main roads in our town, side roads and pavements are untouched and over the week with below zero temperatures and more snow fall it’s been difficult to get about. Schools and community centres have been closed, the bins have not been emptied, care workers struggle to attend, most people have stayed at home.

Our challenge is that we have to descend a fairly steep hill to reach services like shops, buses and this week my dentist.  I’d been out a couple of times with MrFF for some exercise, we’ve managed to stay upright with a few skids but it was not pleasant and at times bitterly cold.  These last couple of days as the temperature has risen above freezing, just, the surface of the snow and ice has melted in the sun leaving a skating rink or in our case a bob sleigh run.  I don’t have the confidence to walk by myself so on Thursday MrFF kindly accompanied me to my dental appointment, a 4 mile round trip. 

As an avid snow shifter when we lived in Scotland, I had my own personal snow shovel, I am surprised how few people have cleared their paths and drives, though I am pleased to see how little they’ve used their cars.  I know shops no longer clear the route to their door because of health and safety regulations, they could be responsible if there was an accident. That probably applies to offices and businesses generally but if residents cleared the pavement in front of their house it would help us all.

Temperatures are set to rise by Sunday which could make conditions worse before they get better.  Let’s hope the snow is gone quickly and no more arrives before my next dental appointment in about 10 days time.  My dentist is pleased with my progress so far though he too struggled to remove my temporary denture, commented it was still a snug fit and asked me to take it out.  He says I’ll be all sorted in another 11 weeks. The last 6 weeks with this temporary front tooth have felt like a lifetime but equally not wearing it and having a front gap isn’t comfortable either.  I am not miserable like I was at the end of last year but I am looking forward to April and hoping January won’t linger as long as it usually does.

These two obviously think otherwise, our littlest grand nieces up early on the first day of snow enjoying their first proper winter weather.

As expected

I was up several times in the night checking the forecast snowfall, it was quite gentle but persistent and by morning we had this.

Undeterred we walked the couple of miles to town and back collecting the Sunday papers and some fresh veg. Only the main roads had been cleared and we saw several cars stuck on side roads, the snow on the pavements was deep, rutted and becoming compacted, if it freezes it will be treacherous.  There were plenty of children out with their sledges and a lack of milk, bread and eggs in the shops as apparently deliveries had failed to arrive. 

A seasonal start to the new year, a year which I can only hope will be an improvement on the last.  We still think of Grigio often, Mario eventually reported that Vincenzo is fine at his house.  I am back at the dentist on Thursday.  6 weeks into the 4 month implant process I struggle every day with my temporary denture which I often remove to enjoy the various delicious treats we received for Christmas and always to sleep.  I should be fixed by the end of March, MrFF is talking of returning to Italy in early April.

We did it again

Well sort of.  MrFF had dropped a lot of hints that I’d be disappointed this year with my £5 stocking.  He forgets that he always spends the weeks before Christmas traipsing round the shops and travelling to other towns with his free bus pass only to bemoan the fact he cannot find anything suitable.

This year he underspent and I overspent so things balanced out.  Here’s what I received 

A couple of books and hand warmers which he says I can use when my feet are cold in bed as they often are these days, probably a circulation thing. Some eco bamboo clothes pegs which at first I said I’d take to Italy as we have no outdoor clothes line in Ilkley but which I might use when here  I put the washing out on the balcony on the airing stand, unofficially.  We are not supposed to dry washing outside which on a good day seems criminal, besides my laundry can hardly be seen as we are so high and behind a parapet, it’s not like Naples with sheets hanging from the windows.

MrFF got last years Private Eye annual 50p and brand new garden shears which at £2.99 were a charity shop bargain that will go to Italy so I can use them too.  Two Marks and Spencer Autograph supima cotton t shirts that look like new at £5 each.  First I bought just the green one but they were so nice and the budget blown I went back for the blue.  I also threw in a pair of hand knitted socks, extravagant or what.

Our gifts from friends and family were lovely, just right, and our day was mostly peaceful. After breakfast I took a walk on my own as MrFF was starting a cold which so far hasn’t affected me.  We had a nice meal and had settled down to watch tv when at 10 pm the fire alarm in our building went off.  We evacuated via the fire escape and waited outside until it was confirmed to be a false alarm.  It went off again this afternoon and we were on our way down the escape stair again when it stopped.  It has been turned off, I was a bit worried that whoever did that hadn’t  had time to check there definitely wasn’t a fire.  A lot of people hadn’t made any effort to leave the building, I wonder what will happen if it goes off in the middle of the night

Post edit - I also received a scented candle which I forgot to show you. I haven’t lit it yet, it did not trigger the fire alarm which went off again on Saturday. We were just descending the escape again someone turned it off.

All is calm all is bright

The build up to Christmas seems to have been even more manic this year.  I’ve seen supermarket trollies loaded with festive foods for weeks now, huge queues and extra large vegetable displays started happening weeks ago.  And let’s not mention the dreaded party food that has been available since well before anyone was thinking about a party.

On our way out yesterday we called at our lovely northern supermarket Booths for our Sunday paper.  At 10 am when the shop opened we had to queue for a parking space.  I dashed in for the paper, negotiated the overflowing trollies and was out again to find MrFF hadn’t moved an inch, we then had to queue to get out of the car park.

We were meeting my youngest niece, her husband and their two young daughters 3 and 5, for a visit to Cliffe Castle museum followed by a late lunch back at the penthouse.  The little ones had a lovely time, there was much to engage them particularly in the natural history section where the eldest chatted knowledgeably about fossils, dinosaurs and the solar system. We had a lovely few hours.

After lunch we were treated to a rerun of the eldest’s school nativity, Isla had learnt all the words to some specially written songs, Elodie joined in as best she could and then gave us her own rendition of jingle bells. There was a lot of dancing, running about, rearranging of cushions and in the end both girls were so hot they stripped down to their little vests and tights.  It was lovely to have them here and see Christmas through their young excited eyes, a good antidote to all news we've had on cards this year of failing health from friends.  

As a bonus they were able to bring all our presents from family, plus a lovely arrangement of greenery and fresh garden vegetables from my brother and his wife.  We sent them home with our gifts to family as they’ll all be together on Christmas Day,  so that’s all done and dusted. 

Nothing much to do tomorrow as today I’ve cleaned the house and done all the laundry including changing our bedding, I just need to find something for our Christmas dinner.  MrFF has already attended three turkey lunches so he won’t be missing out if we settle for a duck and if all else fails there’s a nice leg of lamb in the freezer and two boxes of mince pies, I may get more tomorrow.

I hope you are calm and bright, won’t be long now.  Happy Christmas 

 

Cat concerns

I was very appreciative of your comments when I posted that we’d had to have Grigio out to sleep before we left Italy.  Some kind words from Chris in particular inspired me to have this made for Grigio. We will fix it to the wall near the quiet spot where she is buried in the orchard when we return next year.  We don’t need anything tangible to remind us what a wonderful cat she was but her life deserves recognition and celebration.

Meantime on Sunday, against my wishes and without consultation, Mario took Vincenzo by car to his house, about 10 minutes walk away.  The day after Mario was back at our house calling him so we assumed the poor cat had run away and I was upset. Yesterday the man who looks after the house next door was looking into our garden from the road, possibly also looking for Vincenzo.  

So we got in touch with Mario who says Vincenzo is at his house and very happy. He attached a photograph of a cat sitting on a plastic sheet on what looks like an old exercise machine presumably in a store room.  We are not 100% sure it is Vincenzo. 

What a situation, we won’t be back in Italy for 4 months. We know Mario is not reliable, he dismisses all the concerns we have about our house and our animals and just tells us not to worry.  Giovanni was hoping to return to his house this week but had to cancel his trip when his hospital appointments were changed.  Now he plans to spend new year at his house with family, who all love cats. Vincenzo willingly goes to Giovanni when we are away, our only hope is that Giovanni can tell us what is happening.

Coping

I am not so miserable now and after 9 days I am managing better with my temporary tooth.  I read that it can take a couple of months to adjust to something so alien, great I hope I’ll be rid of mine and have my implant in place by March.  Achievements so far include no longer having to slice up a banana, not having to cut up my toast to the size of a postage stamp more the size of a business card and eating if not so much enjoying my first mince pie, which was cut up small.  I think the extraction site is now healed so I shouldn’t worry so much about keeping food away from that area but the sensation of eating with a plastic plate in my mouth doesn’t add much to the pleasure.  We were at friends for drinks and nibbles last week. I swerved the crisps and olives and doubted I could eat the lovely homemade salmon pate on hard little biscuits.  Our host kindly suggested I suck the pate off the biscuits but I did manage to nibble away slowly at three of them. Hey ho it’s not forever as I keep telling myself.

Mario has decided he is taking Vincenzo to his house while we are away, presumably to save himself going twice a week the short distance to fill the feeder although conversely he does say he’s at our house regularly to check everything is ok.  He’s been a few times and not seen Vincenzo though the food is being eaten.  We did suggest he waits until Giovanni has been, he planned to return for a week in December and arrives on Sunday,  Mario doesn’t listen and was at our house again this morning looking for Vincenzo.  I hope he doesn’t find him, if Vincenzo wants to live with Mario he’ll make his way there, but then I’ll worry Mario doesn’t keep the feeder topped up as he’s obviously not enthusiastic about doing so.  That’ll take my mind off my denture.

Still miserable

I was dreading my dental appointment on Tuesday. As it turned out the broken tooth under my wobbly crown came out easily, the denture was fitted straight away and it looked just fine.  I was beaming when I came out of the consulting room, MrFF who was there to drive me home said he hadn’t seen me so happy in a while.

I needed only one paracetamol that night, there was no bleeding and as instructed I slept with the denture in place which wasn’t exactly comfortable, I might have drooled a bit. 

Wednesday evening I decided to take the denture out for cleaning and to sleep without it.  Think again. I had been shown how to remove it, hook a finger nail at the top of the false tooth and pull down. I could only move it a fraction of an inch before it was stuck solid, after a few frustrating attempts I gave up.  I tried again this morning with the same result so I phoned the dentist and got an appointment this afternoon. 

Even my dentist had trouble removing the denture, eventually it pinged off towards the back of my tongue, I had to fish it out and hand it over.  He’s taken a little off the sides of the plate and it doesn’t feel so tight now, in fact maybe it’s a bit slack, goodness knows when I’ll be eating mince pies.  

Still, it’s not forever. In 4 months time we’ll laugh about this.  I misread the scales this morning thinking I’d put on a pound, in fact I’ve lost another which makes 12 pounds lost in total.  Don’t start calculating what I might weigh in 4 months time please, I am trying to be positive.