Shopping and Squirrels

I've finally started to feel better after that viral infection. I was at clinic yesterday and although it was a rather average report, I am pleased to have survived the past couple of weeks without IVs, which is an achievement in itself. I have been given another course of oral antibiotics to keep me ticking over, but otherwise they seemed happy enough with my progress.

Life has been pretty quiet of late and I haven't been able to get out as much. That being said, I still managed an essential trip to the opening of a new Debenhams store. They sent an invite - it would have been rude not to go. To make it even more appealing, I had also coincidentally been sent an offer for a 'free Clinique gift pack' when you bought any 2 Clinique products before a certain date. I like free things. I like Clinique. The fact Andrew had to take a half day from work to take me to this store opening so I could get my free stuff is besides the point. I'm sure he didn't really mind.

I had to take the wheelchair and oxygen as I was still very breathless. It felt a little weird approaching the makeup counter in a wheelchair, with oxygen tubing on my face. I almost felt a little vulnerable and certainly lacking my usual confidence - almost as if I shouldn't be interested in buying pretty makeup because I clearly have much bigger issues going on. The lack of confidence didn't stop me buying lots of products in order to get my free gift pack though (which incidentally, was worth making the trip for). The wheelchair was quite useful at the overcrowded cafe though, as the lady directing people to tables got us a nice big table with comfy seats, then brought everything over for us. See, these things have their perks ;-)

The only Seb story I have this week, is the tale in which he nearly caught a tail. A squirrels tail that is. The story started with a squirrel who climbed up my drainpipe and then couldn't get back down again. It was clinging to the eaves of the house for dear life, whilst crying rather loudly. Now, I am not a big squirrel fan (since they eat all the bird food) but I couldn't leave it crying up there, so Andrew and myself were trying to work out a strategy for helping it down. Fear not, because Seb will save the day. He comes haring out the house, barking and po-going at the wall. The squirrel is so surprised and startled that it simply falls off the wall! Andrew and myself watch helplessly as it hurtles towards the ground, where thankfully its fall is broken by the plastic recycling box, which is bounces of rather impressively. The bouncing squirrel is stunned for a moment, allowing Seb time to race over and nearly grab its tail. The poor dazed creature realises what is happening and sprints up the lawn, with Seb hot on its heels. I really did think he was going to catch it a few times, as he was literally centimetres from its tail. Thankfully it confused Seb by suddenly changing direction, and it managed to escape. I have no idea if Seb would really even try and catch it, or if he just enjoys the chase. I would rather not find out..

Some more bird pictures, for the less juvenile readers ;-)

Bullfinch

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

Chaffinch

I can't believe it. Not only has my chest continued to get worse despite the antibiotics, but yesterday morning I woke up with some kind of cold/viral thing. Obviously the virus just has to run its course, but I've also started another oral antibiotic to try and clear my chest up. I am keeping everything crossed that it does the trick as I just can't bear the thought of going back onto IVs just now. The doctor has also suggested a different regime for the antibiotics I take long term, in the hope that it gives me a bit longer between infections, so it will be interesting to see if that makes a difference.

Between starting to feel worse and getting a cold, I did manage another shopping trip with mum. Good to see I have all my priorities right eh? We took my wheelchair this time, which was an interesting experience. It did make things a lot easier, as I didn't have to worry about the breathlessness and getting exhausted, however it was also quite frustrating at times. It wasn't so much the idea of people looking at me or anything like that, but more the awkwardness of trying to look at things when you are a) at a lower level than most of the shelves/rails and b) your position is under the control of whoever is pushing the chair. It really was like a "Little Britain" sketch at times, with me shouting in a loud voice (and pointing) "Over there" and "I want that". I had to speak in a loud voice, since I had my back to mum and she couldn't hear me, but unfortunately it did make it seem like I either had a hearing problem or was just a bit rowdy. Poor mum was exhausted by the end of the afternoon after pushing me and carrying all the bags. She was a very good wheelchair driver though and only ran over one persons toes. It was a cramped aisle and I think the person had abnormally big feet...

I was going to leave you with some more photos, but since you were all so juvenile about the last ones, I don't think I will bother ;-)

It's a Dogs Life

Seb has recently taken to lying on top of his kennel in true Snoopy style. He doesn't sleep outside (in case anyone was going to call the RSPCA) - the kennel is just there in case he wants shade in the summer, although he has never really used it. Andrew moved it into the middle of the patio a few weeks ago, when he was cleaning the paving stones, and since then Seb has decided this is wonderful vantage point from which he can survey the garden and beyond. He lies up there for hours, just watching and listening to ensure all is well with his little kingdom. It's a hard life for such a small dog.

On the subject of Seb, I'm seriously thinking of setting up a video camera to see what he gets up to when I leave the house. When we are getting ready to leave the house and Seb realises he is not coming, he will just climb into his basket, look a little forlorn and then curl up as if going to sleep. When we return, he is at the front door, stretching himself as it just woken from slumber. So you would be led to believe he had been sleeping the entire time you were out. Not so. We keep all the doors shut to prevent Seb poking about in all the rooms, but a few months back the dining room door must not have been clicked shut and on my return I found small pawprints all over the dining room table. I took this as a once off fluke, where he had accidentally realised the door wasn't shut properly. However yesterday, I found the study door open on my return, then today I found my bedroom door open, with a tell tale slipper in the hallway. I can only conclude that Seb waits until we leave, then jumps out his basket and goes round all the doors one by one in the hope of finding one I haven't shut properly, then when he hears the key in the lock, returns to the hallway and pretends he has been there all the time. Genius.

Anyway, I am out of hospital and enjoying being back at home, in my own bed and with non-hospital food. Andrew has been on holiday this week, so we have managed to get out a bit. Mostly to the shops, and mostly so I can spend money. The first trip involved a new pair of curtains for the dining room, which now means I need to change the light fitting, rug and maybe paint the dado rail. I might also have to move the pictures, which wont go with my new 'theme'. Funny how these things just snowball. Or is that just me?

Unfortunately my week of good health hit a sticky patch last night and I started feeling off colour and had a fever again. I decided just to head straight up to the hospital today, instead of allowing another infection to take hold. The doctor felt it was probably a different type of bug this time, which can be treated with some oral antibiotics, so hopefully that will get me back on track again. This run of infections really does seem relentless at the moment, but I'm still convinced a good spell is in store so it's just a case of trying to keep on top of things, and trundling on as best I can.

Not wanting to leave on down note, I will leave you with some bird photos I took recently (this really is turning into one of my most random blog entries, so sorry about that):

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth

Well I think that may have been one of my longest gaps in blogging – sorry about that folks. I wish I could say it was because I was off doing something rather exciting, although sadly I’m just otherwise tied up in hospital. Well, not literally tied up. That would just be weird,

I had been feeling so much better after my last IVs and in fact, was just thinking about blogging to tell everyone about my new found energy and fervour for life, when I felt the niggling start of a cold. I decided to hold off on the blog, as telling everyone how well you feel is a sure fire way of jinxing the good fortune. Although the cold never did seem to amount to much, my chest was quite offended by even the thought of it, and I started to feel pretty bad, very quickly. Anyway, to cut a long story short I came into hospital about 10 days ago, felt pretty grim for most of that time, and at last now feel I have turned the corner and on the mend again. I am due to finish the IV antibiotic course on Monday, so they will hang onto me until then, when I will be given my release. I had secretly been hoping to get home for the weekend, but for once am just doing as I am told. I will however get some parole over Saturday and Sunday though, so can pop home for a while and escape these 4 walls (which, for those interested, are a rather insipid pale peach with unidentified splash marks on one wall).

Quite why I only managed a pathetic one week off IV antibiotics before this infection is a mystery (although that still beats the 2 days off the last lot). It may just be that the viral infection set everything off again, or that the steroids I was still in the process of reducing made me more susceptible to infection, or that it was just sheer bad luck. The doc says I probably don’t have as much reserve now, so the infections are taking a slightly different pattern, and in their initial stages hit me a bit harder than I was previously used to. In the past I could always predict the onset of an infection and head it off quickly, before I felt too unwell and needed hospital admission. Now I feel I can’t quite predict anything anymore but it may just have been a bad run and I am ever hopeful that I am now due a settled few months. I have also started some medication to try and stimulate my appetite, so if that works and I gain some weight, it might make all the difference.

While I have been firmly ensconced in hospital, Seb has been enjoying a 5* holiday at my mum and dads. He wasn’t talking to mum for the first few days as he had clearly decided that the fact she left the house with me, and then returned without me was a sure sign she was up to no good. He instead clung to dad like a wee limpet, following his every move, sitting on his knee every time he sat down and barking and crying whenever he left. Fortunately he has now settled down and is parading around as normal again (Seb that is, not my dad), spending much time lying up on the furniture (where he not allowed) or looking in the garden for the big ginger cat (which he is in fact scared of). He also had great fun one afternoon when someone left a kitchen chair out, and he got onto the work surface. He did knock a couple of sealed Tupperware boxes containing fairy cakes onto the floor, but fortunately they didn’t open. However the big pack of Lurpack butter wasn’t so lucky. They really should make those lids dog proof.

Incidentally, its Sebs 3^rd Birthday today. I don’t think he will be getting a cake, but mum did say he might get a scrambled egg if he is good. What are the chances of that?

Birthday Boy