What a week and it's only Tuesday! On Saturday morning my uncle was at our door at 8am asking for a spare key to his house. He told me he had been at his local men's club on Friday night, had a few cheeky drinks and took the wrong jacket home with him. There he was with no key, no money and no phone. Without a phone he couldn't call us to come over with a spare key. No taxis passed by for him to flag down and come over to our house. The club was now shut so he couldn't go back up there. He doesn't get on with his neighbour so he wasn't going to knock on her door at that time to use her phone. Instead he sat out on his doorstep all night and walked over to our house when it got light. He's decided to keep the phone in his trouser pocket from now on! Luckily for him, that storm came in later on Saturday or that could've been really bad. He seems ok though, which is a relief as it gave us a right scare.
Sunday. I decided to start on a new 3D puzzle from a different company. This one is 3D but involves using actual foam backed jigsaw pieces and it is the shops of Diagon Alley. I figured I'd de-stress with that and try not to worry about things. Oh man, that puzzle had me going round the bend!!! The instructions are pretty poorand there is no full length print of the finished item on the front of the vbox, just a smaller one on the back. I spent two hours just trying to find the pieces to construct the base! I had to rope in my dad to help me. Finally we got it done but it did nothing for my stress levels! I keep reminding myself how great the four boxed puzzles will be when they are completed and on display! It will be worth it! Still, I at least know how to do a base so the other bases should maybe be easier...
On Monday I went for my normal check up, which I get every four months from the doctor to be told she is retiring in two weeks. She's been my doctor since I was about 15 so that was sad. The other doctors at my GP centre are all nice so I can change to one of them but it's not quite the same. To make it worse, the one nurse who can get blood out of me retired in December and I had to put on an appointment for blood tests which had me so worried that I didn't sleep last night. I've had bad experiences with the nurses. One likes to go for the back of your hand and she made it swell up like a balloon for nearly three weeks! One nurse would try once than flap around if she was unsuccessful, wringing her hands and saying 'oh I don't know what to do now!' which hardly puts you at ease! The third is half blind!
On Monday I also ventured out to one of the supermarkets to get an extra supply of bottled water, toilet paper, chocolate and a few other essentials, now that our first case of coronavirus has hit Scotland. It's not anywhere near me but I am watching the news carefully. Amazon packages of rubbing alcohol, sterile wipes and powdered foods have been arriving too, along with a book for me as a treat! But as I was packing the stuff into our kitchen, I took a funny dizzy turn and had to sit down on the kitchen floor-a mixture of stress and maybe dehydration I think. That was fun! I get that sometimes-I call it my 'system overload' and it happens the odd time when things get me down. I'm ok though-it passes in about half an hour or an hour and I'm fine today. I'm keeping hydrated as a precaution.
I went down today (Tuesday) for the blood test to see a new nurse. She was pleasant, she took her time searching out the veins and wasn't too bad with the needle. But it seems that my veins were on strike and refused to give her any blood. None. Not a bloody drop. From FIVE attempts. Am I some kind of weird daylight walking vampire??? It wasn't her fault-she showed me the veins, they looked good...and yet produced nothing. I asked her if I might be clinically dead and she laughed and said maybe! I've checked and I do still have a hearbeat which is a positive thing. What a complete nightmare. The worst thing is that I now need to summon up the courage to go back in the next two weeks and go through the whole thing again!
I then had to come out from that appointment and go to Aldi for my pre-virus shopathon! I had so many plasters on my arm that I looked like a junkie. I basically stocked up on everything I might need so that IF a bad outbreak comes our way, we have everything we need in the house ready to hibernate! I did notice with interest that Aldi was out of all hand sanitiser and half the bottled water was gone. The food shelves were still well stocked and I got everything I was looking for. I also noticed the shocking profiteering from the internet companies for masks, sanitiser and liquid soap. Amazon wanted £18 for four bottles of liquid soap, which is £4.50 a bottle and I picked up the same stuff in Aldi today at 65p each for the same size of bottle. That is disgusting from Amazon!
Tomorrow is going to be a day of rest and I will read, blog and eat cake!!!
I knew you were a Daywalker! Haha. I HATE getting blood taken. I've actually walked out of an ER once because after 5 tries, the nurse was having no luck and refused to get someone else. I have spider veins so now I just bite the bullet and tell them to use the back of my hand. In the long run, it's better.
ReplyDeleteThe coronavirus thing is getting pretty scary. I guess we can all just be cautious and do what is recommended but it does make me want to stay inside away from people - oops, that's all the time. But you get my drift.
Those puzzles do look awesome and I can't wait to see the finished products!
Yes I must be a Daywalker! There's something wrong with me for sure! Now I'm dreading having to go back. Even the back of my hand was giving out nothing! Weird.
DeleteMy dad went out on a supply run on Friday to get in the last few things I wanted. It was mostly about getting treat things like chocolate as running out of that would be a disaster!!! The first puzzle is turning out to be tricky and a bit flimsy so I might just glue it together for stability! I'm going to piece together all the parts of the four puzzles and keep them in their boxes until I clear space to put the finished products. Then I'll glue them together!
I've already started seeing price increases on bottled water and hand sanitizer in some stores. It's cheaper in store but if I try and buy it online it's a lot more. Glad to hear your uncle is alright after that. My veins are the same way. Most times they have to take it out of my hand but a few times they've had to go above the bend in my arm and get it higher up which hurts a lot more.
ReplyDeleteThe stores shouldn't be putting up the prices like that-it's terrible! Luckily our supermarkets aren't doing that. I'm glad I already keep a fully stocked food cupboard. We are ready if the virus hits and if not, everything will be used before the use by date so there will be no wastage.
DeleteYou have had a week! Hopefully the rest of it will go much better...and be much less stressful. :)
ReplyDeleteThese weeks just seem to creep on me and shout GOTCHA! Ugh I can do without the stress! Still we just have to get on with it as best we can!
DeleteWow, your uncle must really hate his neighbors if he’d rather sit outside all night. I’ve only had blood taken a few times, and I’m very happy there have never been any issues. I wouldn’t want to get stabbed a bunch of times.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh he certainly does! I've told him to keep his phone and money inside his trouser pocket from now on so it never happens again. Honestly, my family!!!
Deletesorry to hear you had such a stressful week. i hope this one is better. i'm not surprised to hear about amazon. i don't think it will get any better
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
It makes me glad that I bought in a few boxes of masks, gloves and sanitiser last spring as it was impossible to get hold of when the media started predicting a pandemic! No way would I pay those prices!
DeleteOuch, I guess I'm not a vampire as they never have trouble getting blood from me.. The virus has me paying attention and I'm somewhat stocked up for it. I usually am anyway as it's a lot of the same stuff I'd need for hurricanes.
ReplyDeleteYes, where you live, you'd need to be ready for possible power cuts and other things with those storms. I hope everyone around these blogs has supplies in as we don't know if or when our local areas might be hit. My dad and I are done with supermarket shopping until this virus is done with but the local shops have the essentials and we'll play it by ear.
DeleteGoodness, you weren't kidding about it being that kind of week! Hopefully it settles down for you.
ReplyDeleteBookstooge.wordpress.com
It's been a bit mad for sure! I hope we can avoid an outbreak of coronavirus in our area. I'm not worried about supplies or being stuck indoors. I could just do without the stress!
DeleteYou poor dear! I struggle with blood tests too. They have to use a children's sized needed and withdraw from my hand. Those puzzle are really neat. Do you have a place to keep them all assembled? I bet they will look amazing together, when they are all done.
ReplyDeleteUsually the back of the hand works as a last resort but this time even that vein said no-it was weird! I hope we do better next time! I've got a shelf next to my bed that will be ideal for these new puzzles-I need to move a few things to new homes first and then I'll be set. I hope!!! I bet they take up more room than I think!
DeleteOh goodness! I hate giving blood so much!! I hope your next appointment goes very quickly!
ReplyDeleteYou'd think there would be an easier way to take blood! I mean, we do face transplants now so surely there is a better way to take blood!!!
DeleteThat's quite a week! You're not alone with tricky veins and blood tests! Every time I get a blood test at my GP, I come out covered in bruises and puncture marks... The nurse is bloody incompetent (and a miserable coo to boot!) and sits complaining at me over finding a vein while repeatedly stabbing me... I've had most of my blood tests over the past 6 months at the hospital and they never have a problem but tomorrow, I'm getting them done at the GP surgery so it'll be that nurse again. Grrr....
ReplyDeleteUgh, why do our veins have to be so bad? As for nurses a few at our GP are really bad! One freaks out when she can't find a vein in ten seconds and I always want to slap her for getting my stress levels up! I wish you good luck for your visit and hope it goes ok!
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