June 2014
The first week in June, which I also wrote a bit about in my last piece, was additionally enlivened by a visit to the Health Centre in Oxted to have my breathing tested. This was a complete fiasco. I had originally been scheduled to have the test a couple of weeks earlier, but it transpired that somebody was supposed to have ordered an item called a 'spacer' which is also used by people who have asthma - it's a fat plastic tube which is supposed to be used in conjunction with a Ventolin inhaler. The irritating thing is that I actually have one myself (I was told at one stage in Manchester that I might have asthma) so if somebody had thought about telling me, they wouldn't have needed to order one, I could have brought my own.
Anyway, at the next visit I took my own one and used it; the nurse who administered the test then told me the doctor would have to explain the test to me, and I had to make another appointment. At the next appointment, a week or so later, it turned out that the doctor couldn't understand the test printout, neither could another doctor she called in. They said it was a new machine which they didn't understand and they'd have to ask the nurse! The only thing I noticed was that the test said I had a lung age of 89, which was somewhat lowering.
The two doctors told me to make yet another appointment, this time to see my own doctor - it's a multi-doctor practice so you tend just to see whoever has a free appointment. So, after another week or ten days, I saw my own doctor, and he made no comment about the test result - he probably couldn't understand it either - so he said I needed an appointment with a chest specialist. More weeks of waiting - I didn't actually see the specialist until August.
Another activity in early June was connected with the London apartment. There are 130 other apartments in the development, and we had to sent out the service charge demands. Of course it's a mail merge, but the Estate Manager had little experience of that so a couple of us went up to help. There were a few complications - some arrears had to be added on to about 15 bills and interest calculated for them - but the longest job was checking the accuracy of the addresses of all 130 owners first as the existing database records were very poor indeed. Anyway, it was eventually done and the demands generated and sent, and at least the database records are now very much more accurate.
On June 18th I caught a train up to Edinburgh, partly to visit friend there, and also to accompany M, my Manchester daughter-in-law, who needed to visit the French Consulate to get a new French passport - she could get an appointment sooner in Edinburgh than in London. She stayed one night with my friend, and we had part of the day sightseeing in Edinburgh together after the passport appointment before catching a late train home to Manchester. As her time was short, and she hadn't been to Edinburgh before, we took a tour bus, which was interesting and even pointed out some landmarks with which I was unfamiliar, although I'm originally from Edinburgh and lived there for 5 years as a student. I didn't know which streets Burke and Hare used to frequent though! Unaccountable, I seem to have forgotten to take any photos, though it was a lovely sunny day and so hot that M and I couldn't sit in the uncovered part of the bus.
I did rather better afterwards, as my friend R. and I made some expeditions. The highlight of my trip was our visit to the Royal Highland Show. We watched in fascination as heavy horses were shoed by competing blacksmiths. It was very crowded though, and my photos are terrible; anyway, no photo could convey the atmosphere, with the heat of the forges, the clattering din of the shoes being made on the anvils, or the calm patience of the horses, sedately waiting for another hot shoe to be fitted.
As we had done in previous visits, we went into the Craft tent, to admire the many things that people more creative and deft than R and me make. Most were so professional it was hard to believe they were created by people as a hobby; and as usual, some were very weird.
These, believe it if not, were crocheted hats. I've never had the patience to crochet; my mother did it beautifully, but failed to inspire me to do the same, and anyway, I hate doing needlework. Even had I been keen though, I could never in my wildest dreams imagine making a hat like a mountain landscape (the one on the left) or an underwater scene (the one on the right). And I can't quite imagine a suitable occasion for wearing either of them...
We spent quite a while admiring the animals.
I think my favourite was probably this magnificent ram.
We also spent quite a while at the arena. There was a parade of heavy horses pulling traditional drays.
This was taken outside the arena as they left - my photos inside the arena, taken with the camera phone, were poor. We also spent time watching the show-jumping, though my photos of that aren't great either. As you can see, it was quite a dull day, though not particularly cold.
That was followed by the most amazing parade of all the animal winners from the show, about two thousand in all. The arena was completely filled with prize winning animals, from the most impressively huge beef cattle to tiny Shetland ponies and little sheep. Unfortunately, I was so stunned by the display, like nothing else I've ever seen in my life, I was too stunned to take any photos! Next year....
We were quite exhausted by the end of the day, but had enjoyed ourselves very much.
We also visited Leith, to have a look at the royal yacht Britannia.
Sadly, it wasn't a very nice day. The queues to get in were enormous, so we thought we'd go at some quieter time.
Leith has changed so much I didn't recognise any of it - mind you, I haven't been there since the 1960's, so that probably isn't surprising.
This is the best of a series of dull photos, but at least it shows the Forth Bridge in the background.
I enjoyed my time in Scotland, managing some retail therapy as well as sightseeing, and managing to squeeze in a visit to my friend who lives near Stirling. Then it was back home for yet another doctor's visit.
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