I drifted in and out of sleep in the early hours…and awoke with a gritty eye – dust in it suppose. However it felt like a large speck of dust and was very uncomfortable, verging on painful.
Now, previous experience tells me that irrigating (as if in the shower) the eye or dunking it in an eye bath helps.
I also felt very tired (all day) and I could tell today would involve a battle with the eyelids. Gritty or not.
I tried dunking it in a ramekin, this bring the nearest thing to an eye bath, in my possession. Now somehow, and somewhat sneakily, this ramekin, which probably once contained salt, must have found itself, unwashed, back into the kitchen cupboard. The result being, that when I filled it with water, and put my eye in it, the pain sent me leaping towards the ceiling. The eye was hastily withdrawn and the grit remained.
Next step, take it swimming. In the face of all those chlorinated waves, the grit would not stand a chance. By now, around 06.30, my eye was very painful, red and streaming. So the car and I took it to Didcot, through yet more heavy rain and flooded roads, where I introduced my eye to the swimming pool, leaving the goggles off.
Oh boy, the eye did not like it one bit. I could feel the viciousness if the chlorine as it ate away at my eye ball. The choice: get out or have a go at swimming with goggles.
The pain was defeated by the goggles and a new discomfort, a new distraction, reared its ugly head. My right nostril, which was blocked. Normally swimming relieves nasal blockages, but not today. So using only my left eye and my left nostril, I completed my swim. Taking off my goggles, all was still not well. So I consoled myself by telling myself to give the naughty pair time. And we made it home.
I had been hoping to exercise H before Slimming World, but the rain was still bucketing down and it was windy and cold. I walked her up the road, but perform? On no!
So I thought I would exercise her in the car instead -we arrived at SW, where I had gained 11/2 lb. That was not supposed to happen! In high dudgeon, I marched out and went to Waitrose where I purchased ingredients for a birthday cake.
Next, we drove to Cholsey where I did manage a smart march with H in the rain. And then went to the surgery in Goring to pick up tablets from their special dispensing machine.
I noticed the Thames is misbehaving again and is in the wrong place, trespassing even. … At the Swan, the Coppa Club lower dining area is available for wild water swimming as is the Thames Path. George Michael’s swimming pool is probably overwhelmed again. Or the one that was once owned by George Michael probably is. When will it ever stop?
At home, I dealt with the bins, unloaded and unpacked the shopping and turned my attention to making a coffee and walnut cake. For Ali’s birthday.
I can’t remember when I last made a cake. About 5 years ago, probably, in Crete.
Well the cake had to be made today, due to an early start tomorrow, and so it came to pass, with lots of dirty dishes and a lovely baking aroma. Cooled and clumsily iced, it now sits in a special cake container. Looking not very attractive. Fleur ices things beautifully. I do not. But I do try. Well I can make icing but cannot manage to organise it in an attractive way. Fingers crossed it tastes alright.
At least Alfreda stayed away.
When Ali was 40, I paid an exorbitant amount of money and commissioned a cake to be made. It looked fantastic, but tasted awful- really dry like sawdust. I should have complained.
At last I could take my aches and pains for a sit down, which you probably know is a bit of a euphemism for a doze. After a very short time, Pen was on the phone and H and the door camera were alert to strange goings on outside.
A strange car was squatting in the drive, the owner was just sitting inside it, having reorganised my bins to her satisfaction so she could park on my drive.
Her presence (which was a mistake) had interrupted the phone call and my sit down. She eventually realised she was in the wrong place and took herself away. Doh! I expect she felt silly. I hope she did.
I may have resumed my doze. Ali rang briefly. We are having our grand pottery throw down tomorrow. H will go to Minnie’s after a quick dash round Streatley Rec.
Thought for the Day
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