Waiting, another prompt from Esther.

Esther Chiltons weekly prompt is waiting. I remember my school holidays.

I was waiting and waiting for the summer holidays to come. I remember being about 11, we had recently moved house and I was at a new school. We had a real garden, trees to climb, a swing and seesaw that dad had put up and I wanted to explore the area. My new friends and I would find new places to visit, the local arboretum, canals and the far end of the Broadway where my uncle and aunt lived. I was getting old enough to walk a few miles, or cycle around country lanes to go to parks for picnics. Those few weeks were really worth waiting for, everything seemed more colourful, exciting adventures like jumping across the local brook, or trying to collect insects. As I tried to balance on walls or climb up into the laburnum tree I was learning about the environment. At the end of the holidays I decided to get more interested in nature and was made a tree warden at school. That holiday was worth waiting for.

Dawn branches

Dawns coming a little earlier everyday. It’s almost a month since the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere (getting dark slightly earlier in the South).

I only really feel the year has turned when there’s still a bit of light in the sky at 5pm. I remember work days when I would go to the work in the dark and home in the dark.  I’m just waiting, hoping for sunlight and warmth.

Waiting in

The original photo I used for a previous collage.

I’ve been dozing, waiting for a visitor. I’ll get there late she said, but I wasn’t sure if it would be this late. It’s a long drive through the countryside and the forecast was for fog, so I’m trying to be patient.

She’s driving alone. I haven’t called her but just sent a text. I want to sleep but I’m pushing myself to keep awake. Fingers crossed she will be here soon.

Comet waiting

The rain and clouds are stopping us seeing an evening comet in the west of the UK as the sun sets. Details can be found at http://www.spaceweather.com

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful and hopefully naked eye comet although as it moves away from the sun it will fade and rise higher in the sky. I’m not sure but I think it’s come in from the Oort cloud on a long trajectory. I want the clouds to clear, soon!

I’m back!

My Internet is temporarily fixed. I had a very helpful engineer round today. Turns out my cable outside my house might be damaged due to strong winds. So now I have a router that picks up WiFi and is integrated into my router attached to my landline

I’m not exactly sure how it works, but I’ve got another engineer books for next week to see if the cable needs fixing, then I should have my landline working.

I don’t know why I understand what the engineer was explaining? Maybe Osmosis after years of listening to people?

Old drawings

Years ago I could draw well and u think I had good skills but now? The real thing I regret about having Parkinsons disease is that my manual dexterity and hand eye coordination are getting worse. I don’t know what the prognosis is but the Parkinsons nurse I spoke to at my last appointment told me that the tablets I am taking do not necessarily calm down the, shaking and tremors I’m experiencing. I thank the Internet for spellchecker because I don’t know if my writing would be OK without it. I can still draw but it takes time and at least I can digitally erase my mistakes. If I draw normally the shakes on my left side mean the sketchbook I’m using jerks around all over the place. So it’s easier to use an easle. My right hand is a bit more controlled if I concentrate hard. But Art is my whole life, if I can’t do it what  will I do? I must learn to adapt, take the treatment I am given and hope. But there are other health problems I’m facing. I just have to have more tests…

CT scan

I had a CT scan today. I’m a bit scared of what they will find. But I was glad to have it done. I only had to wait a few weeks and because it was done on a bank Holiday Monday the hospital was quiet and my friend was able to find parking on the road near to the entrance (about a third of the normal cost).

We complain about the NHS but we don’t have to pay massive bills as you would have to in the USA. I’m not saying our system is the best, but we really appreciate it when it’s working well.

So anyway, I have to wait for the results. More worry and anxiety, but at least I might have an answer soon.

Diagnosis

I’m not saying what I’ve got, but I’ve been waiting for a follow up appointment for two years. So this isn’t a recent thing.

I was told last time that I didn’t have something, now I’m told I have. Basically my previous symptoms, we’re not bad enough for a decision and delays in appointments have meant it’s taken two years for a proper diagnosis. To be honest I felt relief because I can take tablets for it. Hopefully that will alleviate my symptoms.

Now I’m waiting for some other test results about something else. I feel like I’m playing illness top trumps! (a card game).

Two appointments

Sitting waiting for two housecalls. I booked them in my diary last week and got up to tidy up, did the washing up and put a load in the washing machine.

Now I’m sitting and waiting. I’ve tried to find the email address and phone numbers for the visitors but they are on a bit of paper ‘somewhere’ and I’ve tidied it away ‘somewhere’. To find it I think I’m going to have to go through all the papers I piled up in a big pile to get them out of the way.

When you make an appointment it would be good to let the person know if you are going to be delayed as a courtesy. I know I’m old fashioned. But I wish I knew what was going on!