We need to talk about earrings

I had my ears pierced when I was 18 at a jewellers in York.   I still remember because I passed out probably from fear as the process was painless. I then had to bathe my lobes with salt water every night for a week or two and turn the studs every day.  I was terrified and when it finally came to taking the earrings out for the first time it took me hours to ease off the butterfly backs and remove the studs.  Even now if I don't wear earrings for a while the holes start to close, but I do try to put earrings in every day though they have to be taken out for sleep.

You can imagine over 50+ years I have amassed a good selection of earrings, quality and not great quality.   I just had a new year sort out, identified at least 12 pairs that can move on and wondered why I had so many many pairs of silver hoops and circles.

The ones above were a gift Mr FF brought me back from Chile and the ones below are Georg Jensen that I treated myself to from a lovely jewellery shop in town where I spend many happy hours with my nose pressed against the display window.  

I tell myself that at my age I should reduce my earring wardrobe to a few quality pieces but I know that is never going to happen.  I have a lovely pair of diamond studs that Mr FF bought me for my 50th birthday, I'd be surprised if I've worn them more than a dozen times I'm so worried about loosing one.  And yes I did have a lot of single earrings from loss, I've got rid of those too.  None of which is a great step forward but a step in the right direction.

Panic buying

I saw on the news last night that a company in Leeds is producing Brexit survival boxes, £300 worth of freeze dried food that is said to usable for 25 years, fire starting gel and water purifiers in case of shortages after Brexit.  Why would we not have clean water and power after we leave the EU, the whole situation is ridiculous scaremongering.   
However I have done a bit of panic buying myself.  I don't have much sock yarn here in Yorkshire, I have a lot in Italy, but the penthouse was rather deplete so I've made a purchase.
I ordered from Hobbii, a very nice Danish company that doesn't charge too much for shipping, despatches quickly and keeps you up to date on progress.  We'd expect no less from the Vikings and while I'm not contemplating a sock yarn shortage after Brexit it might be more difficult to buy from the EU.  Not a problem as I will be able to support our local West Yorkshire Spinners, my very favourite sock yarn, but I thought I'd give Denmark a last shot and pick up some cheap yarn.   
First of all I selected these 4 balls of (none EU) Siberia which was reduced from £7.99 to £3.90 per 100 g.

Then I opted for a lucky bag, 5 x 100 g balls of EU yarn for £25.  It's not quite the same not knowing what you are going to get, but I was more than pleased with the selection I was sent.  All the yarn is 75% wool 4 ply.

There was even a little heart shaped chocolate, how kind, they must be thinking we won't have treats any more after Brexit.

I've already stocked up on my toiletries for Italy as Boots were having a 3 for 2 plus a massively reduced price on the No 7 cleansers I use.   I was paying less for 3 bottles than I'd normally pay for 1 plus I get loyalty points. 
I think I've got my priorities right, wool and toiletries, and whatever happens after tonight's vote I won't be food hoarding, I'm not that crazy. 
Thank you for all the get well wishes I received, by phone, email and through comments.  I think I've turned the corner, I am now able to sleep laying down though still waking a few times coughing.  I am still snorting steroids but life feels more normal.

Medical update

Midweek I finally contacted the health centre who arranged for my doctor to phone me.  We had a discussion about my ailments, he said he had had the very same virus himself and was sympathetic.  He prescribed a steroid nasal spray to stop the mucus from my nose forming and collecting at the back of my throat causing irritation and thus coughing.  He said I should be feeling better within a week or so, he must have heard the disappointment in my voice because he revised that to possibly by the weekend.
The weekend is here and I am just the same, only now the bags under my watery and puffy eyes are bigger, I am worried that my 70 year old skin isn't going to bounce back from this, just as well I am fully stocked with face creams.
My appetite is small and limited, I cannot tolerate anything sweet like jam on my toast, I cannot drink a full cup of coffee, a lot of food seems tasteless, none of this helped by the sensation of having something stuck at the back of my throat.  
I am still sleeping sitting up not that I'm sleeping much.  Every night I am padding round the penthouse, making honey and lemon drinks or inhaling steam.  Sometimes I try to sleep on the sofa for a while to give Mr FF a break but that doesn't work so well and creeping back into the cold side of bed is horrible.  I could move into the spare bedroom but I have always hated having two bedrooms on the go.
So I am shooting steroids up my nose every day, which I guess could be affecting my taste buds and thus my appetite.  I've told Mr FF that if I get enough into me I shall be guaranteed a place in this years Tour de France.
Let's hope the coughing stops soon, its still the only symptom I have.  According to the doctor it could be any time now and not a minute too soon.  I don't pick up colds and germs very often but when I do I do it big style.

Mrs Flipflops is not completely fine

This is such a bad start to the year, we will laugh about this in the summer when its all a distant memory but for now I feel wretched.  I have the most 

debilitating dry cough that is worse in the night and allows me an average of two hours sleep.  Its 5.30 am and I have made tea and taken a pain killer

I have tried all sorts of remedies

Cough suppressant that does not do what it says on the bottle

Hot water with honey and lemon

A spoonful of honey

Hot water with grated ginger
Gargling with salt water which is awful for someone who never uses salt 
Throat soothers

Sleeping sitting up

Steam inhalation via bowls of water and the bathroom steam cabinet

I am drinking lots of water and fruit juice, no alcohol 

Some days I walk out for fresh air, it makes no difference, some days I just lay on the sofa and moan quietly

I have no appetite or enthusiasm

I checked on the NHS website which suggested if the symptoms persist for 3 weeks I should contact the doctor, Ive had this for 10 days, I might do so sooner though I hate taking antibiotics they really mess up my system.

I am the worlds worst patient, I need help.

So it goes

New years eve, you know I won't be doing any deep reflection on the past year or making any resolutions for the new one.  I will say that 2018 has been significant, from the point of view Mr FF and I both became 70, we are dealing with it, we heard of the deaths of two friends, one we'd known for over 50 years, one for 5, but both lost before their time and sadly missed.
More positively, we re-connected with friends we hadn't seen for 10 years and are currently arranging to meet up in Italy with Scottish friends who we haven't seen for about the same length of time.  
It pleases me that as people pass out of our lives others return and that even after such a long time we soon resume where we left off.  
In a couple of days we shall be welcoming a family from our Italian village to the penthouse.  After 15 years we have finally convinced someone that Yorkshire is worth a visit and we are hoping the sun will shine.
Mr FF and I solider on.  Yes we did the £5 Christmas stockings again, 50p charity books, candles, little glass dishes for me, books, toiletries and a pair of socks for him.   Just before Christmas we visited family and all attended church in the village where many generations of our family were born.  My nieces and their husbands, our grand nieces Amelia and Esme were all there and I met up with people I'd gone to school with.  
Fortunately there are no big plans for changes to the penthouse on the horizon, we still need more hall storage but that's easy, no ripping out and tearing down for 2019 I hope.  Still downsizing to do, after 4 years Mr FF still considers keeping a spare tv behind the sofa in the lounge is acceptable and don't get me started on the stacks of CDs that have never been played in this residence.
Of course plans for Italy are slightly hazy with Brexit.  Its frustrating for us not knowing what will happen, what hoops we will have to jump through to continue our life there, it must be infuriating for business.  Meantime we heard that our cat Grigio is fine at our house and we received photos of Crema at Mario's house. 
I hope your Christmas was happy and that 2019 is peaceful and settled,

Happy new year. 

Tis the season

for rubbish customer service.  Let me give you a few examples of December debacles.

I contacted a supplier because a parcel scheduled for local collection had not arrived, the day it was due or the following day.  The explanation was that my parcel had not been delivered because it was delayed.  No apology, no reason, nothing, I'd already worked out myself it was delayed thank you so much.
I received an email from another supplier saying my delivery was delayed because of a glitch with the courier.  I replied asking what they meant by a glitch, when I might expect the parcel and if it was delayed for some time could I have it redirected to the intended recipient.  I didn't receive any response to several emails so I googled glitch but was no wiser, I suspect it wasn't the couriers fault at all.
I have for the past four years been receiving mail from a building society for a tenant who lived in the penthouse at least five years ago.  I have dutifully sent back every letter marked to say the person no longer lives here, but still they come.  So I went to the local branch and explained the situation.  After much computer tapping, building societies have to do that, I was told because they didn't have any other address for the person and because they cannot have an account without an address, they kept using mine though they were aware I was sending the mail back.  I suggested they just made up an address because if any more post came to me I am putting it immediately into the bin.
Mr FF is also joining in the battle.  He had an issue with Microsoft, he phoned the help line with a problem and the person he spoke to ended up practically wrecking our computer.  Mr FF spent days rebuilding and reloading everything, he keeps asking Microsoft for their complaints procedure, they don't seem to have one, there is no phone number on their website and when by email you arrange a phone back, citing date and time, it never happens.  So he contacts them again, so far he has 5 different reference numbers, it goes on and the point blank refuse to apologise.  The last time they had not phoned at the arranged time because they were too busy, but obviously not busy sorting customer complaints.
On the bright side we are currently experiencing no problems with our energy suppliers, lets hope they don't read this and get ideas.

This notepad was a gift from Pam that I received last month, I told her the other day its almost full and I'm hoping to get it published.

Days of calm

Not calm before the storm because Christmas will be quiet here but now we are settled its very peaceful up in the penthouse.  We attended the inmates Christmas lunch last Sunday, we are reconnected with our fellow residents and our lovely view, its gorgeous.

We've been to visit my brother and sister in law and collected the various online orders I made from Italy, outdoor cushions and new solar lights for next year, Christmas presents and a rather indulgent Marks and Spencer beauty advent calendar for myself.  I know that's not what Christmas is about but my goodness am I enjoying opening those generously filled little boxes.

We are spoilt for choice with UK tv, far too much to watch so we've cancelled our Netflix subscription as we try to keep up with Mrs Wilson and The Little Drummer Girl.  How we missed the quality dramas we take for granted here.
Knitting too, this is Be Simple Variations by Carolyn Glauz-Todrank an asymmetrical triangular shawl that makes for easy in front of the telly knitting.

I'm using West Yorkshire Spinners sock yarn and size 11 needles, I think one 100g ball might be enough for a decent sized wrap but I have two just in case.  You cast on two stitches and keep increasing until its big enough then cast off, simple just as long as I can manage with straight needles, you know I hate those circular ones.  
More ugly scenes from Paris at the weekend and big Brexit events this coming week, lets just enjoy the peace for a while, sometimes you just want to shut it all out.