Tag Archives: early night

Friday 12th August 2016 – I MUST BE THE KISS OF DEATH.

This evening, I went out just for a change. To the Den Dreef Stadion here in Leuven as OH Leuven were at home to Union St Gilloise in the Belgian Second division tonight. I managed to find the home fans’ entrance too and had a grandstand seat right behind the goal.

OH Leuven played really well up and down the park and totally monopolised the first half. It was really good, exciting football for what it was, but it all fell apart in front of the goal. As for St Gilles, they weren’t able to leave their own half for the first 35 minutes, and then, as you might expect, in their first attack they roared up the field and scored the most unlikely of goals.

The second half started as the first half finished – with OH Leuven laying siege to the Union St Gilloise goal, and so after 5 minutes, St Gilles roared off up the other end and scored a second goal. That was their second attack.

After that, the heads of the OH Leuven players went down and even bringing on three substitutes couldn’t stimulate the team. The St Gilles players grew in stature – the two centre-halves were very impressive – and a third goal, which had been on the cards for 20 minutes, came with just 5 minutes to go.

From such a bright and energetic start, OH Leuven were a rather sorry group of players by the final whistle.

The walk out there, armed with a bag of chips from the fritkot, was very pleasant, and the walk back, in the cool evening air, was very relaxing. And I managed it all there and back at a brisk pace without any problems. I must be feeling better.

I had another bad night too. Although I was in bed reasonably early watching a film (and dozing off in the middle of it) I was wide awake again at 01:15. And I don’t remember going back to sleep after that, and it was so light by 06:15 that I went off and had breakfast.

The cleaner came round to do the room later on and that disturbed me. I went and had another coffee before going off to the supermarket on the corner for my baguette. My lunchtime butty was beautiful, and then I crashed out good and proper for about an hour and a half.

This evening I went off to watch the footy and collected a couple of phone numbers on the way. I’ll have to give them a ring this weekend to see if I can sort something out.

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Monday 8th August 2016 – THIS HAS GONE BEYOND A JOKE

So there I was, in bed at a reasonably early time and settled down for the night.

And I lay there mulling things over in my mind and not doing too much – then gradually the dawn chorus began, and it began to become light outside. When the 07:00 cacophony cracked off, I went upstairs and demolished about a pint of orange juice. I would have had breakfast too, but I wasn’t particularly hungry.

After that, I came back down here and went back to bed. I reckon that it was somewhere round about 09:00 when I finally went off to sleep – but it wasn’t for very long because I didn’t realise that there’s quite something of an impressive cacophony from the church bells at midday too – I hadn’t noticed that before.

It took me until about 15:30 before I felt up to very much, and then I went to the supermarket on the corner for a bit of bread and a tomato. That, together with some of my vegan cheese, gave me something to eat.

Liz was on line later and we had a bit of a chat – then I crashed out for an hour or so. I cant’t say that I’m surprised.

Tonight, I made a chick pea curry, with mixed veg and boulghour. I had half of that for tea with rice, and the other half will do for tea tomorrow.

But I’m thoroughly fed up with these sleeping issues. I wish that I could drop off at 23:00 and wake up at 07:30. I just don’t know what is the matter with me these days that I can’t seem to sleep.

But I have to have a good sleep tonight, because I have an appointment at 10:00 tomorrow. It’s not with a medical institution either but it’s quite important, so I can’t pass it up.

More about this tomorrow.

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Sunday 7th August 2016 – AND SO LAST NIGHT …

… I was in bed by 21:45. And by 22:00 I was well away in the arms of Morpheus. And at 23:00 I was back wide awake again, and that was how I stayed until long after 02:00. I’m becoming thoroughly fed up by my sleep issues right now. I just can’t seem to go off to sleep.

I imagine that we had the usual 07:00 cacophony from the church bells across the road but I knew absolutely nothing whatever about that. It was 09:00 when I surfaced, which, you have to admit, is not too bad for a Sunday. But going to sleep at 22:00 and staying asleep would have been so much nicer.

A little later I made it to the boulangerie down the road and bought my baguette for lunchtime. It seems as if my appetite is back, which is always a very good thing.

This evening, I went for a walk. I’d seen some furnished studio apartments to let on the way down to the football ground. Although the rooms are for students only, they are in a nice, clean modern building and are a reasonable price, so I’d like to be able to talk my way into there if I can. I needed the phone number so that I can contact the agents tomorrow.

It was a lovely walk in the cool evening breeze, and on the way back I stopped off for my Sunday pizza. And that reminds me- I’ll need to sort out some more vegan cheese sometime in the near future.

Apart from that I’ve not done too much else. I’m still recovering from my spell in hospital so I need to take it easy. But tomorrow I’ll have to sort myself out and start working again. I can’t keep on wasting time like this, even if I don’t quite feel up to doing anything much.

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Saturday 6th August 2016 – WELL, THAT DIDN’T TURN OUT …

… like it ought to have done, did it?

Despite planning on an early night, it was after 04:00 this morning and I was still awake, despite having had a full day awake yesterday. I really didn’t understand that at all.

The 07:00 cacophony woke me up of course but only for a couple of seconds and I was back in the arms of Morpheus quite quickly. It was 10:30 when I finally crawled out of bed, and just made it into the kitchen before the 11:00 cut-off time for breakfast.

What was interesting about last night was that I hadn’t had to leave the bed at any time either – quite a rare event these days – and I’d been on my travels too. It concerns three stick insects that I owned and which I was keeping in a plastic bag in the fridge. But then I found a plastic jar of some description and was busily enticing them into there. I had no idea how I was going to feed them or keep them sheltered, but that hadn’t bothered me for a minute.

I’ve had a relaxing day again, doing effectively nothing at all. I had a play with the 3D program that I used and I was following a couple of football results on the internet. I’d also (quite late on as it happened) been to the supermarket on the corner but instead of a baguette, I bought a ciabatta just to be different and that made a pleasant change for my butties.

It’s Saturday night too, so I went out at about 20:00 and bought myself a proper chick pea curry from the Asian take-away – and nice it was too. I quite look forward to this as much as I do for my pizza on Sundays.

But my splendid isolation is changing. For the last couple of days, it looked as if I was the only person staying here and it was nice and quiet. But today a few people have moved in and I can hear the television going off next door. That’s annoying but it can’t be helped. I reckon that I’ve just been lucky this last few days or so.

Anyway, in a minute, I’ll go off and do the washing up. Then I’ll see about an early night. I might be able to manage one today.

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Thursday 4th August 2016 – BACK IN MY LITTLE ROOM …

… I had a reasonably comfortable day.

I managed without any tea when I returned last night although I polished off a packet of Alison’s crisps. And then I was in bed reasonably early afterwards.

And comfortable the bed is too. I only had to leave it once, and I was well away for most of the night. 06:50 was when I eventually saw the light of day – which makes a change not to be awoken by the cacophony of bells across the road. It really was a pleasant, comfortable sleep.

There was no rush for breakfast. It was about 08:00 when I finally made it into the kitchen, having had a nice relaxing lie-in. And then you can guess what I did for the rest of the morning. That’s right – absolutely badger all. I didn’t do a tap and quite right too. I made the most of my comfortable chair here and that was that.

At about 13:00 I nudged myself into action and headed into town seeing as how there’s not a lot of food in
the place, and nothing whatever for lunch. I spent about €11:00 in the Delhaize stocking up and then €14:00 in the newsagents because my bus ticket is running out. Here in Leuven you can buy a 10-trip ticket for €14:00 – each ticket gives you up to one hours worth of travel on the De Lijn buses with as many connections as you care to make. It’s really good value.

After lunch, I had a chat with Liz and with someone else and then I … errr … went off with the fairies for a couple of hours. I’d had quite a brisk walk into town and back, the first time that I’ve been anywhere quite like that for a few weeks and it took it right out of me. I was absolutely stark out too, and for a couple of hours – you could have had an earthquake or something and nothing would have awoken me. I went off on my travels too during this particular period but you are probably eating your meal or something and I don’t want to put you off.

Despite my little sleep, I still wasn’t feeling up to much after I awoke, but I forced myself to go and make tea. Kidney beans, olives, mixed veg and boulghour, with pasta and tomato sauce. And there’s enough for tomorrow too. It’s the best that I could do without making too much effort. And it was then that I realised that I’d left behind in the hospital fridge the food that Alison had bought me. I’ll have to nip back for that tomorrow before someone else liberates it.

So now I’m going to have an early night and watch a film. I deserve a good relax tonight. And even though this place isn’t ideal by any means, it’s nice to be back. I missed my little room.

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Saturday 30th July 2016 – MORE OF THE SAME.

That’s the best way to describe last night. Almost exactly the same as every other night just recently – going to sleep quite late and being interrupted on regular occasions through the night. But at least I didn’t have to lie half-asleep listening to a room-mate snoring or talking to himself in his sleep. I enjoyed being on my own.

As usual, the best part of the sleep that I had was the bit between 06:00 and being awoken by the nurse at 07:40. I really was in a tremendously deep sleep just then and she had quite a task to wake me up.

And no surprise either. I’ve talked quite often about a girl whom I call “the one that got away” and she once more featured quite prominently in my little nocturnal ramble last night. And she didn’t get away last night – ohhh no, not ‘arf she didn’t! What was even more interesting is that I had to leave my bed to go to walk the parapet somewhere during the middle of this ramble, and when I returned to bed and went back to sleep, I found that I had stepped back right into the very position from where I had stepped out. This is something that’s happened to me quite a few times now – it’s not such a rare occurrence as you might think.

The irony of all of this is that after I had had breakfast, I switched on the laptop to find that I had been left a message by the afore-mentioned, and right almost at the time that she was appearing over here during the night. And it was something of a cry for help too. We ended up spending most of the morning having a lengthy chat. It seems that mine isn’t the only subconscious that’s pulling in the waves from 500 miles away. As you ought to know by now, I fully believe in the existence of the transmission and reception of human thought waves and over the years, I’ve had many interesting encounters and first-hand experiences with the phenomenon.

After lunch, I crashed out. And I was away with the fairies for a good couple of hours too. I did manage to awaken in time for tea, which I followed up with some of the strawberries that Alison had brought me the other day. And very delicious they were too.

So now, even though it’s early, I’m going to have an early night. I probably won’t be able to sleep very much but never mind – I can always catch up with my sleep during the day.

Yes, my life is rather upside-down right now, isn’t it?

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Friday 29th July 2016 – LAST NIGHT …

… was very much like the other nights just recently. Going to sleep fairly early and then waking up at regular intervals during the night. This is wearing me out and how I long for a really good sleep.

I did however fit in a little nocturnal ramble somewhere. I don’t remember too much about it except that it involved FC Pionsat St Hilaire, a shot at goal that hit the post and rebounded back into play and then the backspin on it that took it just over the bar and onto the roof of the net.

And I learnt something new about my room-mate – not only does he snore occasionally, he talks in his sleep too. But then I shan’t be troubled by any of that tonight because he left hospital this afternoon. I’m on my own tonight so I hope that I’ll be able to take advantage of it.

07:30 was when I awoke this morning, thoroughly exhausted, and it took me a good hour or so to come round. I had my breakfast much later than everyone else – apparently they wanted me to have a blood test this morning.

Hermione the doctor came to see me a little later on. The infection is going down now so they are going to keep me on the antibiotics until Monday. On Monday I can have yet another session of Mapthera and provided that there are no unpleasant side-effects, I can go back to my little room in town.

Talking of little rooms, the girl from Social Services came to see me a little later this morning. And she had quite a job because, as tired as I was, I was absolutely stark out. Well and truly crashed. She’s come up with another option of a place to stay. It’s further out from the centre where I want to be, but it seems to have private facilities (and kitchenette) and it’s slightly cheaper than where I am now. I shall follow that up in due course when I’m out of here.

I managed a good lunch, except for the diced swedes that were in a cheesy milk sauce and the soup which tasted of nothing but salt. I seem to be eating a little better now, which is good news.

This afternoon I had a chat with Liz and with Rosemary on the internet. Rosemary has invited me to England for a few days which is really nice of her. But I’ll need to be in good shape if I go. I don’t want to take a pile of microbes and viruses with me.

Later on after tea I crashed out again, only to be awoken by a nurse who wanted to take my temperature. This is what usually happens when I make myself comfortable – someone always comes along to spoil it. And I had a couple of attacks of nausea this evening. I don’t know why that was.

And so I’m on my own tonight. No room mate to distract me, keep me awake or to awaken me after I’ve dropped off. What this means in real terms is that there will be half a dozen nurses coming along to awaken me instead.

That’s what usually happens, isn’t it?

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Wednesday 27th July 2016 – WELL, I HAD …

… a pretty miserable night last night. Not as bad as some, I must admit, but I was still awake at 02:00, again at 04:00 and yet again at 06:00. And from there I dozed off into a beautiful, deep and comfortable sleep only to be awoken by the nursing staff at about 07:30. That was just so depressing

After breakfast, Doctor Hermione came to see me. The blood test that I had this morning shows that my blood count has gone down again. Not by a great deal apparently, but I really did think that I was starting to leave all of these problems behind me.

On top of that, the proteins are off again and my urine is jam-packed with them. No wonder my legs have started swelling again. It seems that they are starting to become concerned about this and they will in early course be involving the kidney department.

The infection that I have seems to be going down slowly although you wouldn’t think so given how I’m coughing and how my head is streaming.

All in all, the news is not so good and I’m becoming rather depressed by all of this. It’s not working out at all how I was hoping that it might.

To cheer myself up, I had a shower this morning. That made me feel a little (but not much) better. And then I went for my hour out of my room to the CAT scan, having been pumped up with about a litre of some kind of disgusting drink that is a “contrast” fluid to highlight what’s going on inside me for the benefit of the people interpreting the photos. They had a “Toshiba” scanner and I asked the man in charge. He told me that it was rubbish and they had only bought it on the insistence of a doctor there. If he had anything to do with anything, he would dump it and buy a Siemens – the hospital is big on Siemens stuff. We talked about the equipment of General Electric, one of my former employers, and he agreed that they were pretty good too.

One thing of note is that I explained that I didn’t speak Flemish too well. He replied “no problem” and pressed a switch on the dashboard that changed the automatic instructions to English. Could you imagine that in an British hospital – changing the default language to a foreign language to suit the patient. Britain First and the rest of its racist mates would have apoplexy, but it just goes to show how insular and narrow-minded most British people are.

So having had a nice little hour or so out, and a good chat, I came back here for lunch. And to my surprise, I managed to eat a good lunch too. Rice with string beans, spinach and leeks. First time that I’ve had a decent hot meal for well over a week.

This afternoon, I crashed out good and proper which is no surprise. What was a surprise is how hard the girl from Social Services found it to awaken me. It seems that Hermione the Doctor has been asking her about my living arrangements and so she came to interrogate me. I know that they are far from ideal but I really don’t have too many other options. I’m as dissatisfied as anyone else about them.

It’s still quite early at the moment but I don’t care. The bad night last night hasn’t done me much good at all and so I’m going to try to have an early night. I bet that I’ll drop off into a beautiful, deep sleep only to be awoken by some nurse wanting to take my temperature or something.

That’s not as bad as what happened to me when I was in hospital in 2003, where a nurse awoke me to make me take my sleeping pill.

I’m still trying to work that one out.

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Sunday 24th July 2016 – BLASTED CHURCH BELLS!

Yes, there I was, or rather, there I wasn’t. I was miles away, deep in the arms of Morpheus, when we had the 07:00 cacophony. On a flaming Sunday too, in a church that hasn’t been used for worship since 1968.

I was absolutely drenched in sweat too, rather like the Bohemian monk of the old story, and I’d been so far away on my travels that maybe it was a good idea that the church bells had rung because I couldn’t see how I would have been able to come back. I’d started off with the famous victory of Morton yesterday over Kilmarnock. Having released over half a team and signed no-one to replace them, they were playing away, with a team packed full of youth players, against a team from the Scottish Premier League and to everyone’s surprise, won 2-0 and at something of a canter too apparently. Of course, the after-match celebrations played a big part in whatever was going on through the night, and from there I went for a walk up the hill near to wherever I was living to look at the old fortifications and industrial buildings that were there.My route then took me into the village at the top of the hill where they were advertising the village fête. I had a wander around the village, looking for a couple of girls whom I knew because I was hoping to organise some kind of vehicle rally. However I couldn’t find these girls – it looked as if they were otherwise engaged and I was going to end up doing all of the work myself.

But despite the early start, I was in no hurry to leave my stinking pit. Breakfast these days isn’t until 10:00 and so I just lay vegetating in bed for quite a while, relaxing. So much so in fact that I ended up being … errr … rather later than 10:00 when I went for breakfast and so in order to avoid any complication, I fetched my breakfast down here and ate it in my room.

But I’ve had another miserable day. Coughing and spluttering all day, with a streaming head cold that just won’t subside and I’m feeling like death. So much so that by 17:00 I was back in bed crashing out. I just didn’t know what else to do.

Later on, I managed to stagger out for a pizza. Not that I was particularly hungry and I didn’t enjoy it either but I had a feeling that if I didn’t make it out tonight and eat something, I wouldn’t make it out of the door tomorrow and of course it’s hospital day tomorrow.

So now, even though it’s early, I’m going back to bed where I intend to sleep for ever and I don’t care at all even if I do.

I am just thoroughly fed up, thoroughly washed out, and thoroughly depressed. Apart from recovering from my operation at the end of January I don’t think that I’ve ever felt so bad as this.

I just want to die.

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Friday 22nd July 2016 – HAVING HAD THAT GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP …

… the other night, I paid for it last night, that’s for sure.

I was lying there all through the night and I remember every minute of it. It was the most uncomfortable night that I’ve had for quite a while. And when I finally stepped out of bed and had a good look in the mirror, I looked about 90 (instead of my usual 85). What a horrible sight.

Mind you, I must have dropped off at some point during the night because I was up on the Arctic Highway along the Mackenzie River in northern Canada, driving a top-of-the-range 4×4 vehicle heading north, with the odd car or two coming back the other way. But I wasn’t alone for there was a woman and her young daughter aged about 8 or 9 with me. The daughter was wearing a black shell suit with twin white stripes and a petrol blue tee-shirt. She had to change her tee shirt to a pink one and couldn’t manage to do it and so I had to help her, even though I was driving this expensive vehicle along some of these dreadful mud-and-gravel roads.

I had a late breakfast, and that was really the highlight of my day. I didn’t set foot for a minute outside the door of the building. In fact, as the afternoon wore on I started to feel worse and worse and this wasn’t helped by learning that someone whom I vaguely know and who is suffering from lymphoma died yesterday, quite suddenly, of unforeseen complications and another friend of mine lost his wife quite suddenly and unexpectedly. It’s as if the Hand of Death is slowly enveloping me and it’s a very uncomfortable feeling.

I was in bed by 17:00 and although I couldn’t really sleep it’s still the best way to deal with my issues right now and I’m glad that I’m in my own room where I can stay like this in a semi-vegetative state.

At midnight exactly we had the most astonishing thunderstorm followed by a torrential downpour. That woke me up and I couldn’t go back to sleep afterwards. For a good couple of hours I was wide awake and feeling a little better – to such an extent that I went into the bathroom at one point and washed some of my undies. Can’t have me going about all smelly now, can we … "well, it’s never bothered you before" – ed.

Yes, I am feeling a little better now so I hope that I can have a really good night’s sleep for what is left of the night. I deserve it.

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Thursday 21st July 2016 – SO HAVING CRASHED OUT …

… in mid-afternoon yesterday, the next thing that I remember was it being 08:00 the following morning. That’s a night’s sleep of … errr … 16 hours and it definitely goes to show you that things aren’t right at all around here at the moment.

I managed to have breakfast – with the heaving throngs in the dining room. It looks as if we are quite full again at the moment. But all the noise was doing my head in, that’s for sure.

For the rest of the morning I didn’t do very much – just sat around here and vegetated. I missed out on lunch too, but I wasn’t too bothered about that. I’m definitely not in the mood for eating right now.

It’s a Bank Holiday in Belgium today and so Alison and I had agreed to go for a little walk. We met up in the Botanical Gardens just down the road from here and had a good chat.

But I couldn’t even do that either. Half a lap around the garden and I was whacked. I had to sit down for 10 minutes to catch my breath and even that didn’t seem to help matters very much. So less than one hour after leaving my little room to go out, I was back and on the bed again.

And there I stayed, yet again.

I didn’t crash out, but I was certainly in no fit condition to move. So there I lay for the rest of the day and that was that.

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Sunday 17th July 2016 – I HAD A GOOD …

… night’s sleep for a change. I didn’t wake up too often, which is always a good thing, and slept right through until … errr … the alarm went off at 07:15. Yes, it’s Sunday and Brain of Britain forgot to switch the alarm off, didn’t he?

I’d been on my travels too. There was some kind of town meeting where young girls were paraded in wedding costumes that they would wear when they would married. any girl who did not have a wedding costume could still parade and it was up to the audience to buy her a costume from sets that were available at the parade. Just one girl didn’t have a costume – she was in an orange and white-striped summer frock – and I felt as a new arrival, that I ought to buy her the costume in order to integrate myself into the town but I couldn’t really afford it. And so I developed a cumming plan. I waited until someone else offered, and then I interjected that I was just about to offer too, so why didn’t we pay halves for the costume. This of course had an unexpected result – “was I inferring that the other person was a cheapskate and didn’t have all of the cash to buy the costume?” and so on like that? It seemed that I couldn’t do right for doing wrong, which seems to be the story of my life.

A little after awakening I went and, for once, had a full breakfast. There was another couple there at the breakfast table, and they seemed to have gathered all of the breakfast food around them for a mega-blow-out. I must admit that I haven’t seen anything like this for a long time.

Back here, still coughing and sneezing, I idled around on the laptop for most of the day. No lunch yet again as I’m still not up to it, and I also had a good shower and change of clothes seeing as how I’m off to the hospital tomorrow and I need to look (and smell) my best.

Just for a change, I managed some tea tonight. I went out (for the first time today) round the corner to the takeaway pizza place for the Sunday pizza. Really hot, which didn’t do my runny-nose situation very much good, and even though it was the first one that I’ve had for weeks that has been properly cooked, I didn’t enjoy it very much (but that’s more down to me, not the pizza).

An early night again, and a much quieter one too, saw me drifting in and out of sleep but eventually I was gone for good.

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Saturday 16th July 2016 – WELL THAT WAS A WASTE …

… of effort. OH Leuven had a match advertised tonight, playing at home against St Truiden. And even though I wasn’t feeling up to it, I decided to go anyway because it would do me good to get out and about for a while.

And so I set off and had a pleasant walk through the warm early evening down to the ground, only to find it locked up. The people in the fritkot on the car park knew absolutely nothing about it, which surprised me.

I had a walk around the stadium to see if I could see anything, or anyone who could tell me anything else but there seemed to be nothing happening. but at least I had an opportunity to look at some ruins that I had noticed last time that I was here.

The ring road around the city, in common with many ring roads around European cities, seems to be sited upon the line of the ancient fortifications of the city and I’m sure that I had noticed something that might have once been part of a water gate or even a mill over the river Dilje at one time.

The walk down to the football stadium wasn’t too bad but I struggled on the way back. I ended up having to sit for 20 minutes by the side of the river and relax, trying to recover some force but it didn’t really work.

In the end, I staggered back here and went off for an early night, totally played out.

And yes, the match had taken place, and OH Leuven had won 4-1. Kick-off was indeed at 19:30 and OH Leuven were definitely listed as the home team. So what happened there, I really do not know.

That wasn’t the only time that I had been out either. Round about lunchtime I’d gone into the town centre to buy some stuff for lunch. Not that I was feeling hungry right then, but there was always a possibility that I might do later in the day.

As it happens, I didn’t, but it wasn’t a wasted trip as I bumped into Melanie, one of my co-cottiers from the last place. We had quite a chat, which was very nice, and exchanged e-mail addresses.

Apart from that, I’d had a better sleep somewhat, and was awake reasonably early. At abut 10:00 I went to make some dry toast and orange juice because even when I’m being ill, I have to try my best to keep up some kind of calorie intake. Yes, you can tell when I’m ill when I’m off my food, and I’ve not had a coffee for a few days either.

One thing that has got on my wick, and quite seriously too, is that I’ve had not one person but two people come bursting into my room. I rather lost my temper with the second person who came in but it didn’t half annoy me. Good job I wasn’t dressing and adjusting my undercarriage like the time that I was burst in upon a day or two after I arrived here.

Liz was on the internet so we had a good chat too. She feels guilty about making me go running off to the Auvergne earlier in the week, but while it’s true that the trip down there didn’t help matters, it was something that had to be done and anyway I’m not going to abandon all of my life just because of this illness thing. I have to keep on going.

So having crashed out earlier, I drifted back awake a couple of times, the last time being someone who is intent upon entertaining his lady friend. As soon as they finish, we can all go back to sleep.

I mean – I did try to give them a round of applause, but you can’t clap with just one hand, can you?

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Friday 15th July 2016 – I WOKE UP THIS MORNING …

… feeling a little more like it. For a change, I’d managed to have something of a reasonable sleep too, although I put that down to the nice comfortable bed.

I wasn’t up to much, though, and I spent most of the morning loitering around doing not very much at all. I should have gone for a coffee with Hans Field who was on his way through the area, but I was obliged to decline. I’m not up to that kind of thing quite yet.

At about 10:00 I went up to the kitchen and made myself some dry toast and had some orange juice. That’s the kind of thing that will help settle my stomach, and it does need some settling after yesterday.

Round about lunchtime I went out – yes, actually set foot out of the building. I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry but I was sure that sooner or later during the course of the day I would be, and so I picked up a baguette and a tomato from the little supermarket on the corner.

A little later on, I made myself a cheese butty with some of the vegan cheese that I had around here. And to give you an idea of just how I’m feeling right now, I couldn’t eat all of it. Even going back for a nibble here and there later on, there was still quite a bit that I didn’t eat. yes, you can tell that I’m ill when I’m off my food.

I gave out round about 16:00 and went to bed. I tried to watch a couple of films on the laptop and although I only missed a little of the first, I had long gone before the second one finished.

Waking up at odd times during the evening didn’t help matters much but I’ll be trying to have another decent sleep tonight if I can. It’s a shame to have this nice comfortable bed and then miss out on it.

And so I wonder how I will be feeling tomorrow then?

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Friday 8th July 2016 – I’M MOVING!

I really am too!

But only for one night. They are busy here in the hostel place where I’m staying and someone want a room for a fortnight. They can do that for all of except one night – which is tomorrow – so they have asked me if I wouldn’t mind moving for one night. They’ve found me another place to stay for the night with facilities that are better than here apparently, and are providing the taxi to transport me there.

It’s a bit inconvenient but I need to keep a bit of goodwill in this place in case I need to extend my stay, and it’s not as if it’s going to be of earth-shattering importance to me. I’ve had worse, of course.

So last night, I had a really good sleep. I was up a couple of times of course, but it was 07:20 when I awoke. Somehow I’d missed the 07:00 cacophony and the early-morning clatter in the kitchen and I was pleased about that.

I’d been on my travels too. Not that I can remember too much about it, but I do remember standing on a rocky outcrop looking way down at a hairpin bend on a road right by a reservoir, and noticing that the steepness of the road was something of an optical illusion.

I’ve been on the blog again today although not very enthusiastically, it has to be said, and I’ve had a very lengthy chat with Liz on the internet. Apart from that, I’ve not done very much at all.

For tea, I cooked pasta, ratatouille (out of a tin) and mushrooms (ditto) and the smell was so enticing that it enticed a couple of girls out of the bedroom above the kitchen. There’s a music festival here this weekend, hence the place is really busy.

I’ll have an early night tonight and then pack up for moving. I can leave most of my stuff here in the storeroom while I go, seeing as it’s only for just one night. But this severe head-cold has now developed into a raging, streaming head-cold and it’s most uncomfortable.

I’m not having much luck right now, am I?

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