Staying Alive

 Dear Marmite

First of all, I was sad to hear that you are under the weather. Remember, my thoughts are with you. i could advise you to take it easy but then that is what you have always done. I have had a few problems myself. The scar on my neck is healing and this week I have started swimming again. The NHS were really good at sorting that out. 

Unfortunately, my wasp sting has caused far more NHS problems. I know my wasp sting is not life threatening but my allergies are an annoying  and permanent fixture in my life. I have been given two prescriptions that cannot be filled, I have tried to contact my clinic - online as that is the only way - but to no avail. Each time I fill in the webpage to contact my clinic I am adding to someone's workload. I am wasting my time. I am wasting NHS time. All this an inefficiency that costs money. This is annoying - very annoying.

My house has been full too. Diane and Jeremy are slowly getting back to UK life. Each day they set off to do bits to their house and then we see each other in the evenings. Ezra-Mae came for the day on Sunday. All was well - generally. I built a tent out of a sheet and chairs. She climbed on it and the chairs fell on her - oops. There was that and other bumps too numerous to recall - as is the way with toddlers.

I have always believed that children need to be treated like dogs - lots of exercise to tire them out. So with that in mind, Shadow, Ezra-Mae and set off for the playground down the road. She climbed up things, had goes on swings and particularly loved the see-saw. She is a wonderful little whirlwind.

When it came to bedtime, I gave her a shower, put her jimjams on and then it struck her that this was going to be horrible. This was the first time she had gone to bed without Mum or Dad. Her eye welled up and she silently cried. It was heart-breaking. My resolve was tough though - the rubber mallet came out and eventually she succumbed. All this time Shadow sat in the shadows and watched quietly.

The best thing this week is that Britain is on a high - the football for starters. This is the biggest thing since 1966 and it took women to do it. It is fitting that we beat Germany but now we'll need to add words to the old non-PC football song - doo dah, doo dah... I also watched the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It brought out the nationalist side of me and warmed the cockles of my heart. It was so nice to see so many people gathered together with thighs as large as mine!!! I belong!!!

So that is about all my news. Take care my lovely old man... You are loved by so many.

Love

XXX