Thank you, Ing. I enjoy these little hobbies of mine [ call it an 'income'] and am glad more seem to be around the corner. Painting murals seems to be the only part of my profession left which can't be duplicated easily on the computer. So...here I am.

You're right.
There ought to be some way we can train loved ones to only sucumb to or cause medical emergencies from 9 to 5, Monday through Tuesdays..When they were younger, my girls were always deciding to run a dangerous fever or break into colorful rashes on Sunday night, for some reason!

I am sorry for what you have gone through with your folks, lately. They are lucky to have such an intuitive, caring child in you, though.They could've done worse.

Some good news at last! My son-in-law who is a doctor is currently a Senior House Office (SHO) and his present contract expires in February. Last week he got his exam results and had failed one part so needs to retake them in three months time - not good for jobseeking! Anyway, the good news is that he has just heard that he has a new job starting in February. It is quite a distance to travel but better than being a locum or unemployed.

Glad to hear it.
And not to worry, he will pass the exam next time!

I just added a counter to my blog, and I'm getting around 50 hits a day- I am amazed!

I had a counter on my main site for years, but didn't think to check on the others. I must be doing something right!

I dot a told.

Well, quick update with Dad. No change, he is still in pain. But he is managing the pain with painkillers. He is in good spirits, so a reasonable high. Also, all being well, we think my sister has sold her house, with a little bit of luck, she may be moving next door to me, and my parents, at the end of February maybe

Hoping the painkillers continue to be helpful. That is good news about your sister being able to live close to you.

High...my niece's first birthday is today!

I'm glad about your sister, too, Jane. There's nothing like having her close by when things really start to get tough.

I had a note from the local 'mayor', otherwise known as the Connetable, thanking me for making tea at the election. Nice to be appreciated.

Oh how I've missed the forums and all you wonderful people! I've started back at work after being off for an extended spell. I had to get back into the swing of working 12-hour shifts and it has thrown me for a loop. I've had about 6 hours sleep in the last 4 days so I'm a walking zombie (not that anyone would notice the difference )

Well I wondered where you were. Get some sleep girl - you're going to make yourself sick!

Thanks, Skunkee, I'm glad I was missed. Yes, I will get some shut-eye....in a few minutes, I have a few more threads to cheak out.

Another 0 on global. Why cannot scores of O, 1 and 2 be recognized and get all those points? I reckon I would be 'screaming' it in if you did and be at the top on the global and win the other tournaments from the other end. I think it takes talent to get these scores - constantly. Another trip to the therapist - lack of self esteem and depression has set in! At least it gives us something to talk about - other than what they want to discuss (that they think is important).

High or low, haven't quite worked out which: didn't get the job I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago and was fairly sure I had in the bag. But it seems it was not so much that they didn't think I was right for it, as they went outside the agency I'd been recommended by. Sneaky Public Service trick - the 'rules' are that you go through the agency the Department has decided to use, but of course that's a much more expensive way. But if you interview some people from the agency and find them 'unsuitable', then you're allowed to go 'outside' and employ your wife's cousin or whoever.

I wasn't really sure I was ready to go back to work anyway, so I guess I must not be just yet! But I'm certainly not feeling rejected, so I guess it's overall a good thing.

I copped a whole load of abuse from my father this afternoon (which was a low) and I was really surprised by how hard it hit me. I guess I've removed myself from it for so long that I'd forgotten what it was like to get that kind of sustained barrage. He's always been impossible to reason with, but of course his dementia hardly makes him more reasonable. I'm still not sure if I'm proud of myself for not crying, or worried that I didn't because I've become so hardened...Anyway, there was a bit of a high afterwards when I saw my uncle (they're in the same facility at the moment) and he asked me what I'd spoken to the old man about. Not much, I said, he just spent an hour telling me how stupid I am. Oh, and did you believe him? No of course not I said, and we laughed, and I immediately forgot everything pa had said. Then I thought about how easy it is to get caught up in the abuse cycle, but then how easy it sometimes is to get snapped out of it too.

How do we all forget all these pretty colours? Well, I just remembered! Quite a good high today, I saw a client last week who I gave an hour's hypnotherapy to give up smoking, and confidently expected it to work more likely than not in one session. I just got a call he'd not even thought about cigarettes since then, including a smoky party where he had no interest in joining in smoking, and felt a lot better physically. Getting a job done is normal, but cracking a habit in one session is special, and not only shows it can sometimes be done, but how the methods do usually work generally.

High and low
Loud and Mellow
Down and ups
Mugs and Cups

Well, you can't really say I'm on a high, or a low for a matter of fact. We've been packing to make a two hour move away, with my dad's job. We have donated 24 garbage bags FULL of clothes to charity. And it's hard for mum.

Oh low is me. I'm trying to use FT as even more of a distraction than usual, but it isn't working and I am about to have to retire in defeat. I have an infection in my eye which is apparently some form of conjunctivitis but I haven't been in this much pain since I had a filling put in without anaesthetic. It's a new kind of pain, too, which always seems to make it harder to deal with, the old unknown and all that. At the moment I am putting drops in every two hours but they certainly don't seem to be helping so far. Doc seems to think it will clear up in 4 or 5 days and I so hope he's right.

And now I must leave you my friends and hope to come back tomorrow in a better frame of mind, and certainly hope all of you are having a much better day than I am.

Oh dear ing, I hope it eases up for you really soon. Are you putting drops in it?
I seem to have succumbed to a cold - first one in months.
My throat feels like cut glass, my sinuses are full, and I have that annoying post-nasal drip that upsets my tummy.
I do not do sick gracefully - when my head is this full I have trouble thinking.

Oh dear both ing and skunkee. Having a 'told' is pretty miserable and as for an eye problem, wow that can be so sore. We all know how it irritates when we get a speck of dust in the eye.

Hope you are both feeling much better soon.

I went to my bank to pay my credit cards (ugh), draw cash and deposit my final sickness benefit cheque. They had a Christmas food hamper which looked very good, a prize in a free draw. Now with the sort of luck that I have had this year I decided to enter, well at worst I won't win and who knows, it could even be the start of better things for me if I do win, a turn of my luck. You had to write in less than 28 words as to why you deserve to win! I ran out of space before the 28 words and didn't even get round to mentioning the stroke, my mother's death and missing the funeral, my daughter's current health problems and her husband failing his exam! If anyone has had a worse year then they REALLY deserve to win it. It is drawn on 22nd, so watch this space. The annual 'bumper' lottery draw is soon too, the prize is worth about £375,000 - now I would be most happy to win that one.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you Sue.
Mmmm, pistachios!

Lets all keep our fingers crossed for Sue!

Of course you deserve to win Sue - we might be winning a huge teddy bear tomorrow too! Hope you get better soon too skunkee - and wallow in it I say, I've been anything but graceful the last couple of days!

I've been back to the doctor today and I'm in that lovely twilight where the codeine has taken the edge off the pain but not quite caused me to pass out yet...I have an unpronouncable infection of the tear duct, which has caused the entire right side of my face to swell up so I look like a living Photoshop effect! I get to deal with the side-effects of antibiotics too, but with any luck it'll only be one course...

The worst part is I missed my brother's graduation today. As I was kinda the inspiration behind his PhD thesis in the first place, I really wanted to be there. But it sounds like it all went well and I'll just have to hope some of the pictures turn out...the most important part was that he enjoyed it, and was apparently last seen receiving tasteful university-logoed gifts (which I am assured do exist!) from his Centre Colleagues and Supervisor.

Missing major events is hard, so hard. Do they have videos/dvd taken which you might order? I know I have copies of my childrens graduations so that I can watch them again should I wish.

Good luck with the medication, I hope it kicks in quickly.