Diary Summary Week Ending 28 January 2023

[Caw1]

Thermals are a definite! I wear long sleeve tops over a vest then add a fleece or woollen jumper ontop… today I kept on the legging I wore for Pilates then added what I’d call indoor relaxing trousers ontop… and a fleece body warmer… it was really cold indoors although no wind.. don’t like to put our heating on all day as it’s an oil boiler.. especially as it’s dodgy at the moment. Log burner on in late afternoon though.. looking fwd to balmy weather on Wednesday all of 8deg!

Caroline

[DianaCanada]

No thermals here.  Wore thermal longjohns when I went cross country skiing in the subarctic over 40 years ago.
Enjoyed my coffee outing today, and I wore my new slip proof boots that I bought before Christmas.  It was pretty icy in spots, and the sideroads a bit messy.  Managed to back the SUV down our sloping driveway without ending up on the neighbour’s lawn.
Stopped in at the drugstore and several were nattering about how good it was to see snow again.  The trees do look lovely.
Tonight we watched the latest All Creatures Great and Small via the Buffalo NY outlet of PBS, which I believe helps fund some of the British imports.  I did spot something odd in the very nicely illustrated opening sequence of dales and stone walls - a blue jay.  As far as I know there are no blue jays in the UK, but correct me if I am wrong.
Not much else going on! 

[brigidmac]

I was glad of thermals for the choir practice it was in church rooms and everyone kept coats and hats on !

Nice group but I'm going to have to do some breathing exercises as I run out of breath at end of lines .

I was put with altos ..I prefer the deeper parts.

RTL in Leicester we have hospital hopper busses which are free to NHS staff and go a circular route between all the hospitals but I don't think they get dispensation on busses that would take them home or for carers who go to different locations. It should be free !
When I worked in carefor people with learning differences from  2004  the company paid our bus passes but from 2015 each family had to pay ..daily /weekly/ monthly passes were cheaper but then  we couldn't give every family the receipt so they could claim their expenses back .!

[Nova67]

Apologies if my brain is a bit foggy. RTL asked about my day at work.  No problems there, but a slight problem in the morning.  He on the right side of my avatar has gone from being a rescue kitten who needed top-ups after mum's breastfeeds to a big fluffy lad.  Possibly with some Norwegian Forest Cat ancestry??? I wish I knew what his Dad looked like.

Said lad has a party trick which is altering the time on my digital clock radio.  I wanted to get up at 4:30 am for 7am start.  Factor in a one hour walk to work. Have a shower, eat breakfast, and fix pet bowls (you do not want to see the ceramic on the bottom).

Had the shower, partially dressed, had wet hair, and went into the kitchen for brekkie and noticed that the oven, microwave, and wall clock said it was 3:48am.  Someone has been playing with the bedside clock again!

I suspected that despite Novocastrian meaning a native or resident of Newcastle Upon Tyne or Newcastle NSW I was doubtful it was used in the UK as it is here.  I am a girl with a North East (UK) heritage.  My great-great-grandparents emigrated to Newcastle, NSW from Blyth.  I know about the Geordies.

I saw the other wooden dolly you are talking about online, RTL. What a lovely tradition.  I always forget you are not a nurse but you keep the hours of one and would be very similar. My workplace is offering free car parking for nurses. RTL if you want to go for a 7 hour drive from where I live now, you will be in North Shields as well - the Australian one.

My late black Cat Alby had an abscess once with about 15 ml drained from the cheek and I was on annual leave I was doing regular saline washouts of the wound with a syringe.

Congratulations Mare.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Nova, all us "Cat staff" are complete suckers for a purr. We used to have a cat who would pull the wall-light cord above the bed, during the night, when HE decided we ought to wake up! Disconcerting, to say the least, but it certainly woke us up.
We had an ex-stray years back who came to us with an abscess habit - had several, but he was - even after neutering - a scrapper. This is a fairly staid elderly female, and she certainly has gone off me every time she sees me advancing to bathe the thing with salt water
TY

[River Tyne Lass]

That's good that things are quite good re Nurse's travel in Leicester Brigid and also that you were able to get free work travel in the past.  I have to pay for my own travel but the good thing is that I can use my pass for gadding about on days off too.
Nova, I knew there is a Newcastle where you are as I believe it is our twin town.  However, I didn't know there was a North Shields over there as well.
Glad to hear you had a good day; what a clever cat to be able to alter the alarm.🐈  Not so good for you getting woken up too early.  Good thing it wasn't changed to later, as you might have been late for work.
I'll probably try for an early night tonight as I'm on an early tomorrow and will also have to go to the station to buy another monthly pass from ticket machine.
It tends to be nice and peaceful walking there in the quiet, dark early morning.  I will then have to get a metro instead of my usual bus.  Usually, there are quite a few people about at the station so at least it's not isolated.
I am somewhat gutted on the subject of the wooden dolly showing as my avatar.  I asked about this, this morning at the local studies.
It turns out the removal had nothing to do with the revamping of the area.  It has gone because it was vandalised and someone also chopped the nose off.  The staff do not know when or even if this will return one day.  What a terrible thing has been done to this heritage scupture! 
On a brighter note the staff have told me that work is underway for a herring girl sculpture and it is hoped this will be erected on the fish quay when completed.
Congratulations Mare on your 50th Anniversary this week.💑

[Nova67]

All the best for the elderly Purr's recovery, I know how precious she is to you, TY.

RTL, I hope all goes well for you today and that work is not too tiring.

My Fluffy Lad stood on the snooze alarm at 4am and the radio came on. Rattled the pictures on the wall and then was banished, along with his mother, from the bedroom. After a while, they were pummeling the door, saying "Let us in".

I would love to do Mr Fluffy's DNA to determine breeds but I would feel a bit daft doing it. 

I am now in South Australia, so North Shields is here on Eyre Penisula and we also have a Blyth.  Many place names in Newcastle, NSW, and the surrounding Hunter areas reflect place names in County Durham and Northumberland.

I read about the Northumberland Square Wooden Dollys' vandalism after it had been restored.  I am sure the tradition of taking a piece of the wooden dolly for luck was not their intention.

[justmej]

On a brighter note the staff have told me that work is underway for a herring girl sculpture and it is hoped this will be erected on the fish quay when completed.

River Tyne Lass, there was an article last year about the herring girl sculpture in The Chronicle.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/fundraising-boost-north-shields-herring-23362003
This is presently in progress at the South Hetton workshop of Ray Lonsdale, who also made the very popular Eleven 'O' One (Tommy as he's nicknamed) in Seaham, as well as many other sculptures. There are pics and lists of his work on-line and where they can be found, as well as a few recent ones of the ongoing work to the herring girl herself.

justmej 

[Viktoria]

Hope everyone’s puss cats are well, it is hard -especially as they are much more free to roam than dogs, to know what us the trouble.

Well Flash Harry and his friend Ralphie are in trouble ,have lost some stars from the star chart !
The class were printing with potato cut outs, those two got a bit silly and printed on each other’s arms and faces!
FH is mortified as he had the most in the class.
They are for behaviour and kindness.

I am wearing my expensive house slippers on the wrong feet!
There is methid in the seeming madness.
I have a sharp left turn from my kitchen to the lounge ,I have started
to go over a little on my Rt foot. I have always had good feet, but can see I will be getting worse. The slipper heel is a bit unevenly worn ,so swap them over and I am on the level part and don’t go over,this you understand is a temporary measure ,I got new slippers but they are going back,too small.
I really think I would be better in a proper lace up shoe just for the house.
My Mum’s one extravagance was StartRite shoes.
I have no problems except vey occasionally gout, in Rt big toe and the joint.

Well cheese and onion pie for tea, have given up on cauliflower ,the last tasted horrible so broccoli instead.

Kitchen to clear then a cuppa and see what is on TV.
Son needs a break so I let him choose , then I come on my iPad .
Cheerio, nice to read of all the baking .
Look after yourselves and thanks for the puss cat stories and pictures .
Viktoria.