Spring Day

The day has started sunny, but it is quite chilly outside. I think there may have been a slight frost. They (the television weather forecasters) are saying that this heatwave (if that is the right term, considering it's April) is going to end and we can expect rain. Typical, as we lead up to the Easter break. Carol has until the end of the week, when the school holiday begins. The Academy has different term dates to the rest of the schools in Milton Keynes, which broke up last Friday, which seems really unfair on the staff and kids.

Yesterday I got a call from the Fleet Manager at Milton Keynes Council and actually got an apology for the incident I reported on this blog last week. So at least that is resolved.

I went to have a blood test at the doctor's surgery yesterday morning, and again, no success. What happens now? This is getting really silly. Any suggestions, anyone?

Beautiful Spring Weather!

Well, Spring has arrived at last! Considering the awful winter, the endless rain and the problems we've had to endure with health, it's certainly good to get the sun out. The trees are slowly turning green and there are crocuses and daffodils blooming all over Milton Keynes. I don't think I've known such a late Spring, and we're well into April. The dogs are loving it, sitting out in the sunshine in the garden.

Noisy Neighbours

Our neighbours don't half make a noise. Not squabbling, shouting, loud music (although they do play a fair bit of music, but it's not loud.) children screaming and shouting or even dogs barking. (sorry to say, ours do their fair share of barking!) The noise is from drills, sanders and other D.I.Y. equipment. As I write this, there is a very loud droning sound coming from next door. It is so annoying that it's beginning to give me a headache. There were some odd clanking sounds coming through the walls the other day, and we were sitting in our lounge and watching television and trying to work out what it could be. We eventually came to the conclusion that they were putting in new central heating, and the clanking sound was the sound of the pipes and probably the radiators being fitted.

Council Van Drivers Intimidation

Yesterday morning I decided to go to Tesco's at Kingston, and go to Boot's The Chemist (which is in the same shopping complex as Tesco's) to get the Candesartan prescription made up. I have started buying a really good magazine for writers and have only seen it in Tesco's and W.H.Smith's in Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre. I was somewhat annoyed to find that it wasn't on the magazine shelves, so I went back to get my medications in Boots and then drove home. I came out of the car park and onto Chaffron Way. When I got to the large roundabout on Tongwell Street I had to wait to let quite a large amount of traffic filter through from the right. As I was waiting, there were quite a few vehicles building up behind me. I could see that one was a Milton Keynes lorry with workmen in. It shuffled forward, and then I got onto the roundabout when there was a safe space to do so. This vehicle was very close behind me, and it seemed as if it was attempting to make me go faster and faster. It was really close and I could see this in the rear-view mirror. As I drove along Chaffron Way, the driver was attempting more and more to make me drive faster, or to at least move out of the way. I managed to remember the vehicle registration number, even though it was in reverse in my mirror. The workmen in this vehicle seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was in a small car and they were driving a large vehicle. When I reached the roundabout at Marlborough Street, the Council vehicle turned off right towards the City centre, and continued on towards Eaglestone. I turned into the estate near the shops, and drew up at the side of the road to write the Council vehicle number down on a piece of paper before I got home. When I eventually got in I rang the Council offices and complained about their driver's attitude to me on the road and was given a verbal apology, and that I would be contacted by the Fleet Manager who was in charge of the workmen in that vehicle.

New Medications

I had  been for a Doctor's appointment on Monday. It took somewhere in the region of 40 minutes to get through to the surgery. You ring the number and the recorded voice says 'putting you through to the surgery' and then there's a pause . . .  That awful bland music really gets on your nerves. Why can't they play something different? Then you get told 'the surgery is experiencing a high level of calls. Please ring back later.' Then the thing hangs up, very unceremoniously, without any sort of apology and that's that. You just have to keep ringing and ringing until you get an answer. I got a 'call-back' eventually, then, when you DO get through (after being told you are being held in a queue!) you have to go through a menu, and work out what you want! By the time you do actually get through, you forget what you had rung for in the first place, as well as loosing the will to live!

I had made the appointment as I was concerned about the fact that the last time I had gone for a blood test the nurse couldn't  find a vein in my arm and gave up on the blood-taking. I was expecting to hear that she had sorted out some alternative to this, but as yet nothing. The doctor looked at my arm and said that he could see nothing wrong and that my veins were fine for taking blood. So I have made another appointment for this blood-test for this Monday morning. Let's hope that it's a little more successful than last time.

I haven't been able to sleep properly for around a month now. I wake up in the night and then can't get back to sleep. The doctor has put me on Citropram for this. I have started taking it. I also mentioned the fact that during my last medications review I was told I should be on a drug for my blood pressure (hypertension) and was given a prescription for Candesartan when I put in my last repeat prescription. I mistakenly thought it was a statin (which have caused many side-effects over the time I have been on heart medications) so didn't immediately have the prescription made up. The doctor told me I should resume taking it, so I have since had the prescription made up and began taking these tablets yesterday morning.