OK, I swore that when we moved into our new house I would not lift a finger, other than to unpack the boxes and point to where the various furniture items were to be positioned by the removal men, or do a single DIY job. I even went so far as to plan that all the boxes would be marked well in advance with the floor and room that each one had to be be placed in, including the garage that was to become our latest temporary store for unwanted or uncertain items.
However, what I had forgotten in all this meticulous planning was that I had to actually pack the boxes in the first place and then shift them around the three floors of our rented house ready for them to be collected on the day we moved. Of course This was a task that I undertook with typical gusto, fool that I am, until I reached a point where was nearly dropping. Why, because the one thing I had forgotten in all this planning was that I had not taken account of the ageing process and how it would take its toll on me with a vengeance, I am after all drawing my pension! Also, remember, this is the forth move in 18 months and don't I know it now!
Moving day arrived, everything was in its place with last minute sweeping (and mopping) around the house made to make sure that we had left nothing behind and then we waited for the magic hour when the three (yes three!) removal vans would arrive. As it happened they were only small vans so traffic disruption in Portsmouth was only minimal and no visits from irate neighbours or the police were forthcoming. With the loading completed by about 11:30 and with us having received a call from our solicitor to say we had completed on the purchase we set off to the new house ahead of the removers.
Unloading was happily speedy and once again we found ourselves surrounded by packing cases, suitcases and various furniture items either needing assembly or relocation to the to the fast filling garage.
Oh, I nearly forgot, a despairing Mrs H.... "where is it all going to fit" she wailed! Discretion overcame the temptation to say what I was really thinking at that precise moment but needless to say, after some tweaking, we are in now, largely unpacked with everything in its place. There have been several trips to the rubbish tip, several items have been consigned to the garage and the are two piles of "de-cluttered" clothes gone for recycling or the Charity shop. Just how many polo shirts can a man have I wondered as I added the next one to the growing pile at my feet.
My next series of jobs have included hanging pictures (what a nightmare this has proved to be), assembling a wardrobe, fitting some cubes to the wall for CD's and watching our new garden take shape as the gardeners rips things up and construct sheds, paths and patios. So there is no wonder I seem to have developed high blood pressure!
I never knew I had high blood pressure as the last time I had seen a doctor and had it checked it was remarkable low. So when I went to sign on at the new surgery and they said I would have to have a "medical assessment" I was not the least bothered. The day of the assessment arrived and I was duly weighed and measured and happily presented my arm when asked, to have my blood pressure taken. "oh, that's a little high twittered the nurse, but don't worry it's probably just that you are a bit nervous". So, off I went having been told to make another appointment to go back and be checked again a week later. Of course I blamed the equipment, the stress of moving so many times over the past 18 months and Mrs H (well only silently). I returned to the surgery a week later and surprise surprise, my BP was up higher than ever. This time I was told I had to wear a BP monitor for 24 hours which turned out to be one of those experiences I added to my list of things "never to do again before I die" things. Well, needless to say 2 months on I am still with high BP and taking medication that makes me actually feel that I have high blood pressure now and has given me so many side effects I think I was feel in better when living in blissful ignorance. I go back to my GP at the end of the month to see what effect this drugs have had on me.... lets hope my BP is down and I don't have an attack of "white coat syndrome" on arriving at the surgery for next check.
I can't talk about my blood pressure without mentioning aches and pains, yes unfortunately this is my medical corner blog this time for which I apologise in advance. Anyway, I want to know why is it that given the time I spend in bed asleep why is it when I wake up in the morning I feel as if I have run a marathon. Not that I know what it feels like to run a marathon but I do have a good idea how I may feel at the end of one. I have aches and pains in the oddest places to be honest. My fingers seem frozen in a sort of grasping clutching sort of way and my shoulders seem to have been gripped in a vice. I even started to think that Mrs H was pummeling me in my sleep or that some large gorilla was coming into the house in the night and throwing me around the room a few times. I think I have to admit that there is only one explanation for this degree of pain, age!
I just had a thought about my blood pressure then... perhaps it rose during mt supervised period of picture hanging in the house. That is a distinct possibility given the number of instructions and counter-instructions during the hanging process. "No, over a bit.. no, down a bit ... noooo up again" etc.
I had a pretty good idea that moving my Virgin Internet account from Cable to ADSL would be a fairly painless experience as the initial set up had been faultless and everything happened on time and the service worked perfectly. How wrong was I to be! The installation date arrived and I had not received any details of my userid or set up instructions or indeed any router or adsl adaptor but I was sure I was being charged from the set up date. I quick phone call proved me right, the account was active and the equipment arrived almost as I was making the call, "great" I thought. So I installed everything, switched on the PC and of course came to a dead stop. No one had sent me my log in details so as I knew what my account name and password was from the time I placed the order I tried to log in... no good. Several phone calls later it emerged that my userid was different that I had been told and that my password was indeed what I thought it to be. Perhaps my BP was on the up again .. hmmm, never thought about that. Well after a few calls everything was up and running perfectly and I was able to log in without any problems. On opening my new email not only did I find my log in instructions and userid and password but also an In Box stuffed full of over a 100 Spam mails! I am using my Google Mail account anyway so I am not that bothered but I am mystified why Virgin sent me my instructions to a mail address I wasn't able to access until AFTER I had read the mail? Ah well, all's well that end's well! I am happy with Virgin.
OK, shopping, what can it have been I was thinking about when I said I would write about it? I can only think that I can't face another shop for bedding, DIY stuff, bathroom fittings, furniture or lighting. But it's nearly done now and I am content to look forward to my daughters arrival with her new little boy at the end of the month. He seems to be getting bigger each time we see him and he is certainly got a quizzical look and a ready smile, he looks very thoughtful. We have sorted out our living arrangements now and can accommodate, everyone and have also hired a car so that we can all fit in. I only hope my daughter has her passport in time for the flight as her original one is now either blowing along an Ibiza beach or is on its way to Eastern Europe for some dubious end!
Next Blog? Let me see, garden progress and time to relax?
No comments:
Post a Comment