The Aches and Pains of this Boring Old Fart!

Will the aches and pains of old age ever go away? 

This is a question I have been constantly asking myself of late.
Over the past year I have had skin cancer (Bowen's disease) return and hopefully dealt with once again? I have had the angina dealt with by way of a bypass operation but it is the smaller niggles that are the troubling ones.
Over a year ago now it must be since I first noticed that my right shoulder was starting to give me jipp when I tried to scratch my back and it has not got better.
It seemed to get a lot worse very quickly when I had my stay in Derriford, whether it was due to rough handling during the op or just because I was rested up for a long time, who knows?
Anyway to cut a long story short for the past 3 months or so it has got so bad that it has been waking me up at night if I roll over onto that side. Well with the pandemic and how busy they have been I was hoping that it would just go away, WRONG! When it seemed to start causing problems in the region of my neck, possibly pinching a nerve or muscle I thought that it was perhaps time to act?
I finally got around to filling in the laborious form online and got a ring back from Marcus who is a nurse practitioner, whatever that is? I presume a nurse with further training anyhow he told me he to take more pain killers for a week to see if it would improve and he would ring me again then. What that was going to do if it has been bad for a year is anyone's guess?
In the meantime I had a call from the Dr's as they wanted to catch up with blood tests that should have been done over the past 3 month and had been missed. I duly went for those yesterday and was intercepted by a man called Peter, another nurse practitioner (they seem to be coming out of the woodwork) who was supposed to ring me yesterday morning but saw I was coming in for bloods and thought he could perhaps examine my shoulder while I was there!
He thinks that there is a protrusion that has developed over time and wants me to ring today and arrange an x-ray so that they can see what is going on and take it from there!

Janet is Home!

As a post script to The story of Janet in Lockdown Janet arrived home about 2230, tired, safe and well Praise God and a real answer to all our prayers over the past weeks/months!

Janet's plane approaching Bristol seemingly on time.

We went in Thursday morning to give the bungalow a final spit and polish. We being myself, Rosemarie Lane, Rosemary Hodgson and Jane Gunner (who cooked meals to leave).  There were also contributions of flowers, fruit, milk, bread, bacon, chocolate cake among other things including some cards from those above. Janey Fisher popped in to leave some flap jack.

I texted Janet this morning welcoming her back and got this lovely reply and I quote (copy and paste)

You must be psychic (only joking!!)  I've just had a delicious breakfast and picked up the phone to text you 🤣   THANK  YOU  is so inadequate but it's all I've got - I am feeling surrounded by love and friendship and I can't thank everyone enough for everything you've all done for me. Praise God for you all and I am so grateful that He led me to you all at the Bridge.  I'm actually feeling OK at the moment; my sister is coming over this morning and then Jon is bringing my car back. I'll possibly then try and sort out my three and a half months worth of post 😱. Please feel free to come over for a ☕🍰 if you'd feel like it.  I will be out walking at least once a day so maybe call first.  Thank you all again, God bless you ❤️🤗xx

Sue and I are planning to pop over to see her sometime tomorrow (Saturday) and it will be lovely to see her I am sure? Also hoping of course that Janet still has some of the chocolate cake left?

A Swarm of Bees arrive at Dowr Close!

About 1630 I looked out of the flat window to see bees swarming in the garden! Sue guessed Andy upstairs would be having his nap so she rang to get him to close his window.
We continued to watch them and they seemed to settle in the Acer tree on the centre plot.
I contacted Roger and Rosemarie Lane to give them a heads up in case our neighbour Denis was unavailable but also knowing they did not really need them.
After they settled I got Richard to contact Denis next door to come and deal with them and went out to take some pictures. (Click to enlarge).

Swarm in Acer.

Denis waiting.

Denis still waiting.

The receptacle the bees were loaded into.

It was quite amusing to watch and a good reminder of how it was done.
I had not seen this done since I lived in Trowbridge when the children were small and the process does not seem to have changed one iota.
Thank you Denis who is still sprightly at 90 years young and by 1830 he was all packed up with the bees on the back seat of his car and gone!

Another view.