Oh... Joy!

Yesterday was a pretty crappy day - on a scale of crapability it was about a 7. BUT, in amongst all the crap there was some joy! The temperature dropped at least 20 degrees as some beautiful grey clouds rolled in over the mountains - Heaven!- the clouds looked like rain - smelled like rain - felt like rain - but although it didn't rain it was wonderful. Some REAL rain is forecast for this weekend and I can hardly wait - I shall dance in it!

Most of the day was spent trying to alleviate Mr. Indi's pain. We have started to keep a log as we were getting confused as to when he took what! Or... What he took when! We have about 5 different types of pain relief from plain old analgesic to full blown morphine and we are hoping to be able to find a good combination that will keep him comfortable for most of the day - without turning him into a zombie! Especially on Halloween! So far it looks as though he can manage with 30 mg of morphine every 12 hours plus 7.5 mg Vicodin 2 or 3 times a day. It sounds like a lot of drugs but he is a big chap and it takes a lot to make the pain go away. I hate to see him in pain.

I went back to see Dr. I for a check up. She is pleased that my blood pressure has come down a bit and wants me to continue with my meds. I go back to see her in January. I do feel much better than I did a couple of weeks ago - and I'm more able to concentrate on helping his Lordship - I'm happy for that.

Today is Halloween and I've forgotten to get some candy for the little horrors -oh.... err - I mean darlings that will be coming around later so I must dive down to the shops this morning. I'm hoping that the store has marked it all as clearance to get rid of it. I shall buy all MY faves and hope that the kids don't show! More for me!

Today's picture is one from earlier in the summer. It's my strawberry pot full of impatiens - It doesn't look like that any more!

Autumn Leaves!

We finally got a phone call from Dina at about 2:00 p.m. There is nothing unusual on the X-rays and the radiologist recommends a bone scan because he suspects bone cancer. Hmmm! We already know Mr. Indi has bone cancer. This must mean that it is getting deeper and/or more wide spread. He had a bone scan last April and Dina doesn't want to order another one until she discusses the situation with Dr. J. Unfortunately, Dr. J is on vacation - gallivanting around in a foreign country - until November 10! How RUDE! I do think these doctors have a lot of nerve. Fancy going on vacation like that!

So, I spent part of yesterday afternoon going to the clinic to pick up the prescription and dropping it off with Larry while I ran to the market and got some gourmet food for dinner (Fish sticks, chips and peas!) Cor! It was still as hot as ever - over 100F. I swear, that weatherman is going to you know where for lying!

The new meds seem to be helping his Lordship but he is staying home from work for the rest of this week. He is hooked up to the heating pad for most of the day and he would look silly going to work in grey trousers and a white shirt with a blue heating pad wrapped round his waist! It wouldn't match!

I took the picture yesterday to show people that we do have autumn in California! Yes - I have an apricot tree with leaves that are turning gold! I know it doesn't compete with autumn in New York but it's better than nothing! Isn't it?

A Glass of Wine - or Two!

The X-ray adventure went quite smoothly. I didn't go because me and him had had a marital discussion (argument) about where the X-ray clinic was located. I told him he was wrong and could go by himself and get lost for all I cared! So - he went by himself and he was correct and didn't get lost and came back home an hour later with a smarmy grin plastered on his ugly mush! Grrr! I hate it when I'm wrong!

The X-ray tech had said that they would fax a report over to the docs office within a few hours, but as of yesterday afternoon, we had not heard a word. If we don't hear anything by noon today, I shall call Dina's office. His Lordship has gone to work this morning but will only do about 4 hours - that is about the limit of his being in a sitting position. Any longer than that and he needs to lie down flat for a while.

If this heat doesn't break soon, I shall go bonkers. It has been over 100F in my back garden every afternoon this week. Every day the weather man says that it will be a little bit cooler and every day HE LIES! I would kill for rain and so would my poor brown lawn. The new pansies don't stand much of a chance unless it cools down.

I took the picture yesterday outside a winery that is about 6 miles from the house. I don't do much wine - I like beer - but this winery has a lovely shop with lots of very unique gifts for wine lovers - Now, if I could just find some wine lovers!

Eat Your Veggies!

We managed to get an appt to see Dina at 11:45 - well, that turned out to be 12:30! Grr! She gave Mr. Indi's back a good looking over and a bit of a pummel but didn't see anything out of the ordinary - SO - he has to go today and get a series of X-rays of his spine and right rib cage. The X-ray clinic does not take appointments and works on a first come - first served basis. I suppose we will try to get there at 8:00 a.m. and hope for the best. I expect I shall get a lot of knitting done today!

On Sunday, I made a really delicious roast loin of pork with all the trimmings and there was plenty left over and so yesterday we had cold roast pork but I couldn't decide what to fix with it. As I wandered round the supermarket, I spotted a lovely little cauliflower - Ah Ah! cauliflower cheese - delish! Mr. Indi doesn't like it much - but sometimes he has to put up with my vegetable choices - either that or go without! As I was fixing the cheese sauce, I remembered that I needed to take my arthritis meds - and THAT got me composing a poem!

Cauliflower cheese is good for the knees

It's better than turnips, it's better than peas

It's better than beans and it's better than rice

Serve it with pork and it's twice as nice!

Today's picture is one I took of an alley in Riverside - I like the shadows.

Romany Roots

Today's picture was taken by my dear friend, Lexi. She and I share a common interest in genealogy and she knows that I have some Romany roots and therefore would just love the fabulous pictures of a gypsy caravan that she took in Rhode Island. This particular caravan, or wardos, was awarded 1st prize at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It was the living wagon of Thomas Stanley, King of the New England Gypsies.

My gypsies were brush makers from Westbury in Wiltshire but, in the early 1800s, they settled down and moved to Bristol, Somerset. From there, they migrated to London where my grandfather was born in Tower Hamlets - within the sound of Bow Bells - a true Cockney! But at age 2, his family moved to Birmingham and remained there until the current generation began, once again, to wander! I don't think there are any of us left in Brum - sad innit?

Yesterday, we got Mr. Indi a back brace from the drug store - cor, struth - it weren't 'alf expensive - still, he's worth it. It is helping his back tremendously and has allowed him to go to work today. He will be coming home early, however, as he wants to try and get an appt to see Dr. J or Dina to try and find out why his back has suddenly become so painful - Is it the bone cancer? Or something else at work?

When Paul Newman died, a couple of weeks ago, we went to the DVD store and picked up a few of his films - cheap! Yesterday, we watched The Color of Money with Paul and Tom Cruise. I thought it was very good but that may be because I love pool and I love to watch people who know how to play pool, play pool! Tom Cruise was very good even though I don't like him much. Not a great flick - but a good flick!

Oh...His Aching...!

Mr. Indi's back is causing him no end of problems and it's a good thing that we didn't go very far yesterday. We only ventured out to the DIY store and a quick trip to "King's Fish House" for lunch.

I needed to go to the garden center at the DIY store to get a few plants to put in the front garden. The vinca in the front flower bed have all got a dose of the wilt and have shrivelled up and keeled over. Hmmmm! I don't understand what happens to them - one day they are happy as larks - well, actually not larks -more like flowers - but the next day PFFFT! I think there is some dreaded lurgi hiding in the soil. Anywhoooo, I got a couple of dozen lovely bronze colored pansies to replace the vinca. I shall try and get them planted today.

I don't know how some of the restaurants that we frequent are staying in business. King's only had about 6 people in the dining room yesterday at lunch time. There were more waiters than customers. I expect we shall see some of these places closing down before long - which would be a shame because King's has the BEST fried oysters in the world. Mr. Indi enjoyed his lunch - a tuna salad sarnie on sour dough bread - even though he could hardly lift his food up to his mouth because of the back pain - grrrr!

We were going to watch a movie after we had a little apres lunch nap BUT - his Lordship's back got much worse and he couldn't get off the bed! Thank goodness he was on the bed because if he had been anywhere else, he would have been stuck! I am the original 98lb weakling (actually 112lb) and he tips the scale at 245lbs! I couldn't move him even if I wanted to! So, the poor old sod was confined to bed for the rest of the day! He is a little better this morning but we shall not be cavorting on the beach today, as previously planned!

I am so happy that there are some things in life that make me laugh - AND - one of them is the blog called Cake Wrecks -

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Yesterday's blog entries made me laugh so hard that I almost hurt myself! If you know "Dr. Who" and are familiar with the Daleks, have yourself a good giggle at the Dalek cakes - hysterical!

The sunflower was on a table at an eatery in Temecula - I think!

Another Week Down the Drain!

Mr. Indi still didn't feel well enough to go to work yesterday. He also needed to find out if his Lupron dose had been delivered to the clinic and, if so, he needed to get shot in the bum with a very sharp needle. So, I spent a good part of the day driving - I think I did at least 50 miles but never was more than 10 miles from the house!

The Lupron did make it to the clinic - I don't know why it has to be ordered from a pharmacy in Florida and shipped 3000 miles. Some kind of health insurance red tape , I s'pose! But, it was there and Gloria called to tell his Lordship to get his bum down to the clinic and bend over! While out and about, we made 2 trips to the drug store ( I think we keep Larry, the chemist, in business.) We also stopped at the book shop - Mr. Indi had finished the haul from last month. I picked up Ken Follett's latest -World Without End - a 1014 page epic set in 14th century England. I can't wait to finish my current read so that I can get going on it!

At lunchtime, we stopped at Chili's and were pleased to see some of our waitress friends who were happy to show us their latest baby pictures - Ahhhhh! Lunch was good but not as good as dinner. I lit the BBQ and made a piece of top sirloin steak - called London Broil, here in Umerica! It was, without a doubt, the tenderest slab of meat that I have had in a long, long time - melt in your mouth tender. I think the butcher made a mistake and stuck a lump of Kobe beef in the package by mistake. It was fabulous. I also made baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, baby peas in butter and fresh tomatoes in balsamic. It was all very scrummy!

Unfortunately, just after we had finished our dinner, Mr. Indi had one of his spells with low blood pressure. Scared me to death! So, that was that! He managed to make it to his bed and I started to pump him full of Gatorade to bring up his electrolytes. After about an hour of extreme light-headedness and nausea, he started to feel better and dozed off to sleep. I went to bed early and lay awake and listened to him snore - a good sign!

We were going to go to San Clemente today but now I don't know. I get nervous being too far from the house if he has another nasty turn. I think we should stay home.

The pink hibiscus was growing at the Mission in San Diego

Full of Bull!

When people tell me that I'm full of bull - they are indeed correct! My great-grandfather, on Dad's side, was a George Bull and my current mission is to try and figure out where George came from. On the 1841 census, George says that he was born "in the county"- the county being Warwickshire. However, he and his wife, Mary Pimley, were married in Handsworth - which at that time was in Staffordshire. There was a lot of mucking about with the county boundaries in those day which makes genealogy challenging. I do hope I can trace George - I like having a bit of Bull in me!

Mr. Indi spoke to Dina and she gave the OK for him to take two Dilaudid plus one Flexeril tablet very 4-6 hours for his pain. So far so good. The formula seems to be working and, while the pain is still there in the middle of his back, he is able to move about and more or less function.

I got a lovely email yesterday from my nephew and with it was a photo of the new baby and he was covered by "The Blanket!" Ahhhhhh - bless! He's a beautiful little boy - takes after great-auntie!

The picture of the steer skull was one that I took in the little museum at the Mission in San Diego. It was this picture that reminded me of George Bull!

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

At ten minutes to two, I finally conceded defeat and moved from my bedroom into the living room where I set up my pillow and blankie on the couch in the hopes of getting at least a few minutes of kip! I had just gone 15 rounds with a mosquito who had the constitution of Rocky Marciano - I swear I had killed it several times over - but the thing had more lives than our dear old long dead cat! I finally locked it in the bedroom and hoped it would fly round and round in ever decreasing circles and disappear - erm - well, you know where!

I had been lying on the couch for about 15 minutes when I heard his Lordship come out of his room and plod down the hallway into the kitchen. I recognized the rattling of teacups and so got off the couch and stuck my head round the kitchen door. "Oy!" I said. "Make me a cuppa." Mr. Indi jumped out of his skin - spilt a spoonful of sugar all over the counter and nearly did a naughty in his jammies! Needless to say, neither of us have had a very good night.

Yesterday was spent trying to find a painkiller - or combination thereof - that would help Mr. Indi with his back. He found that if he took 2 Vicodin plus a Tylenol, he could get the pain under control but when I finally managed to talk to Dina on the phone, she said, "NO, NO, NO! Too much acetaminophen - that will damage his liver." Grrr! So, she told me to come down to the clinic and pick up a new prescription - this one is for Dilaudid, a morphine based pain killer. He took it last night and it seems to work but only for a couple of hours. I think he needs a stronger dose so I will be calling Dina again today.

My meds are working - slowly. My feet are looking quite normal and my hands and elbows are much less painful. I might even be able to get in the garden this weekend and work on my pots.

The picture is a Sweet William that was growing at the Mission in San Diego. Love the color!

Eagles and Racehorses!

Mrs. Banjo (and others) will be pleased to learn that I finally got a Dr. Appt to see about my arthritis, swollen feet, knitted brow, chipped toenail, saggy boobs, and pimple on me bum! I went to see Dr. I yesterday afternoon. She didn't have any remedies for the last 4 ailments which she put down to me being a decrepit old bag - BUT - she did give me meds for my arthritis and the swelling in my joints. She said that part of my problem stems from my blood pressure which has shot up into the stratosphere and is causing some fluid retention - and for that she has prescribed BP meds and Lasix. Now, they give Lasix to racehorses to improve their performance! However, don't expect to see me galloping around the track at Santa Anita any time soon; this old nag crossed the finish line long ago!

I have to go back to see Dr. I next Thursday. I had never seen her before and she was very kind and very thorough so I am happy to be in her care.

Mr. Indi went to work this morning but just called to say he will be coming back home very soon. He is having lots of problems with his back and can't seem to find a drug or combination of drugs that give him much relief. Yesterday, he used the heating pad and that did help a bit. Anyway, he's going to call Dina and see if she has anything else in her bag of tricks. There is nothing worse than having toothache in your back!

Today, the Santa Ana winds will be back - although not as strong as last week. We shall all be on alert for wild fires. This is always such a scary time of the year. With the winds will come the heat - tis forecast to be 97F this afternoon. Where is autumn?

The picture is of a lovely statue of an eagle that is to be found at Seaport Village. In 'e nice?

Flutterby!

I dropped him off at 9:00 am, as usual. He was all loaded up with magazines, his book, 2 egg sarnies, half a dozen crackers with cheese, 2 little cups of peach bits, and 4 bottles of water. Just enough to keep him going till dinner time.

I, in the meantime, came back to the house and attacked the mountain of laundry that had appeared in the basket. Mr. Indi is having some coordination problems and can't seem to get his food in his mouth, and therefore, I needed to wash several shirts with various remnants of multi-ethnic cuisine droppings down the front! Grrrr!

He called me to say that he would be finished with chemo at 4:30 p.m. I drove down to the clinic and sat in the car doing a few rows of bodging and I waited - and waited. Grrr! He emerged at 4:55. Still, mustn't complain - he looked quite good - not too pale and was eager to get home and have his dinner. I had already got most of the meal prepared so it didn't take me long to finish off the delish liver, bacon, mash and veg. Yum!

The picture is a pretty Monarch that I snapped at the mission in San Diego.

More San Diego!

While we were down at the Embarcadero, we saw a couple of cruise ships waiting to leave the harbor. I really like this one - although I've never much fancied being stuck on a boat with perfect strangers and catching some bug that causes me to spend 3 days in the loo - but some folks like cruising! She is called the Oosterdam and is part of the Holland America Line. I looked them up on the internet and found that she sails regularly from SD to the Mexican Riviera for 6 days 7 nights. I couldn't believe how cheap it is. Hmmmmm. I may have to rethink my position on cruising!

I took this picture from the rooftop garden at the St. James. You can see a plane - I think it's American Airlines - coming in to land at Lindbergh Field - San Diego's answer to LAX! Mr. Indi didn't much care for the roof. It got his vertigo in an uproar! The hotel fire escape leads from the rooftop down to the street on the outside of the building. Mr. Indi said that in event of fire, he would wait on the roof for a helicopter to rescue him!

Seaport Village is a great place to people watch - and you do see some things! I thought this wedding was pretty but - Oh Boy! - those kids look so young! I didn't know you could get married at 12! The old chap driving the wedding coach looked like he was bored out of his mind! I think he was catching a few zzzzzzzz!

Oy - somebody took a picture of me and him! And - we are playing squeezy bums! Naughty!

We had a nice quiet drive home - here is a shot from near Temecula - you can see the vineyards. We stopped and had a bite to eat and were glad to be back at the house by about 2 p.m. We had an early night and - I don't care what you say about vacation - there is nothing like yer own bed! So, here we are back to reality - and Mr. Indi has chemo today - Pffft!

St. James and More!

Our stay at the "Historic" Hotel St. James has been a mixed bag! On the up side, we spent a pleasant hour at the roof top garden and meet some very nice people from Maryland who were enjoying their first ever trip to Califoria. On the downside, the couple in the room next door must be operating on a different clock from the rest of us - it seems their day began at 1 a.m. I think the lady must have really liked the man because she kept oooooooooohing and ahhhhhhhhhhing. I also think he was tickling her (fancy) because she was giggling a lot - AND I think they should tell the hotel management about the squeaky bed. I don't know why it was sqeaking but it probably needs a drop of WD40.

My friend, who lives down here in this lovely city, came to see us and was kind enough to drive us around. Our first stop was the Embarcadero and Tuna Harbor Park. That is where I took the photo of this wonderful statue that was copied from a very famous photograph that was taken on VJ Day in 1945 in Times Square, New York. I'm so glad that I got some children in the photo - it gives some perspective. In the background is the aircraft carrier USS Midway - now a museum.

In the same area as the huge statue is a wonderful arrangement of life sized statues depicting a tribute to Bob Hope for all the work he did for the troops over so many years.

Our next stop was Seaport Village - a very touristy area a little further down the bay. We hadn't been there in several years but I think the same tourists were still hanging out there! Or maybe they just all look the same! Mr. Indi was looking at birds through the telescope. I'm so glad he chose the gold handbag! It matches his ensemble!

We ended up at a nice little watering hole where we munched and drank and watched the world go by. Thank you, dear friend, for a lovely time. We love San Diego.

Mission San Diego de Alcala

We had a lovely time at the mission even though it was terribly hot - what happened to the sea breeze? I made the mistake of parking in the lower level which meant that we had to walk up a very steep staircase to reach the entrance. Cor struth -me lungs were begging for mercy by the time I reached the top. The bell tower is one of the prettiest that we've seen in all of our mission ambles. The picture above is taken from inside the mission grounds looking out.

As always, there is bougainvillea growing everywhere. I love this beautiful pink one that has been shaped into a tree. The mission doesn't really have much in the way of gardens and we didn't see a cemetery but I did get a few pictures of flowers and a good one of a flutterby which I will post in the future.

The mission is a working parish and the church was open and I was happy to see that photos are allowed. The church itself is quite austere and not nearly as ornate as some of the the other mission churches. As the first of the California missions - dedicated in 1769 - it is a very important part of California history.

Among the interesting artifacts at the mission are the mosaic interpretations of the Stations of the Cross. I'm afraid that I didn't read up on them so I don't know who made them - or when - but they sure are interesting - and quite beautiful.

This very large fountain is in the middle of the mission compound and by the time we got through hiking around in 90+ degree heat, I was ready to rip off my clothes and dive in - but Mr. Indi thought that would be rather uncouth! So, we drove down the road and stopped at a really nice place called McGreggor's. It's a really cool sports bar located near the stadium. The beer was icy cold and I was glad to give me plates a rest! I then fought my way downtown in the rush hour traffic and found our "Historic" hotel. It's quite quaint in a way! More about that next time.

I've Been Framed!

Mr. Indi's doctor appt went well. His numbers are better than they were 3 weeks ago - which is good news. His PSA is down to 72 from 86. His alkaline phosphatase is down to 232 from 265. But, his red cell count took a hit with the last chemo session but is now at 28.4 and should be good enough for more chemo next Monday once he has stabbed himself with a very sharp needle today (Procrit)

So, yes, it's more flippin chemo next Monday - Grrrrr! I'm sure Mr. Indi feels even more Grrrr than I do! Dr. Dina, the little tiny charm bracelet lady, says that as long as the numbers are moving in the right direction they will continue with chemo every 3 weeks. I believe that the session on Monday will be his 9th in the series - almost 6 months on chemo - Yikes! His back pain wasn't getting any better so Dina has prescribed Flexeril - a muscle relaxant - and that seems to be helping as he had a fairly good night last night.

We are off on our get-away weekend today. It seems as though the weather will be super in San Diego and that is a good thing - it will be lovely to get out of the heat which returned yesterday! Our first stop will be the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. It's on our way down to SD and we shall stop and have lunch in the area and take some pics - watch for it!

I became a great-auntie for the 8th time yesterday - Ahhhhhhh! Bless! Welcome to little Lincoln and best wishes to his lovely mommy and daddy! xxxxx

Today's picture is me playing around with picture frames! Not very well, either!

Morning Sky

This blog will be in shorthand as I am in a big hurry - trying to get things done before Mr. Indi's doc appt at 9:am. I have the feeling the appt will not be good! Grrr!

My doc appt was good - no sign of tumor but still lots of swelling from the crispy frier! Got a double dose of hugs from Sharon who is the most huggable receptionist in the world. I don't go back till Jan.

Have our reservations for the weekend - we shall be at a very old - "Historic" hotel in downtown San Diego. (Tis probably a flea bag full of drunks and derelicts! We shall fit right in!)

Wind has all gone and it was lovely to lie in the bed last night with no noise - no wind - no freeway - no barking dogs - Heaven!

I took the picture about a half an hour ago - I noticed the pretty sunrise from the kitchen window so I was out on the front lawn in my jammies!

p.s. Thanks to all the kind people who told me that the pretty flower is Lantana - also thanks to Granny Williams for the Crotch Pot recipes - I shall be making the Texas Chili very soon xxxxxx

Added - The stinkin' Dodgers lost and have been knocked out of the playoffs - Whaaa - whaaaa - sob! See, I told you I should have got a dreadlocks hat! Pffft!

What to Make?

Yesterday was a very busy day and, as we are both hobbling around like a pair of decrepit old buggers, it seemed to go on forever!

We went to that famous upscale French department store - Target - and I bought a Crotch pot (as my daughter called it when she was little - she would say, "Hey Mom, what's in the crotch pot?") I've been thinking about getting one for quite a while and I think it will come in handy this winter. I shall be able to assemble the stuff for a stew or soup early in the morning when I have a modicum of energy - and I shall be able to serve it up in the evening when I have just enough strength to ladle a spoonful onto a plate! OR - we can just eat it out of the pot and do away with dishes altogether! Now all I need is Crotch Pot recipes.

Since I had my car fixed a few weeks ago, every time I start it up, a belt squeals like a cat in heat for about 10 minutes until the car gets warmed up - Grrr! I wouldn't mind but all the neighbors for 3 blocks in any direction now know when I'm leaving the house - especially that nosey old hag - err, I mean lady - who lives next door. So, yesterday we took it to Ryan, our new found mechanic. Ryan was happy to fix it and we were only there for an hour. Cost: $130. Ryan likes us!

The wind has died down and now I have to set about the job of sweeping up several tons of dust that has settled on both the front and side porch. The wind has done my beautiful impatiens in and they are now drooped over the sides of the pots with their little heads bashed in - everso sad!

Still can't decide where to stay in San Diego - I would like to be downtown in the Gaslamp district but most of the hotels are a bit 'spensive AND charge $30 a day for parking on top of the cost of the room. Cor! - a bit rich, ain't it? I shall have to break open my piggy bank and count my change. I might be able to scrape enough together.

The picture is of the beach at San Clemente taken last year.

Blazin'

Well, "Arthur" is still hanging around but I won't let the bastard take over my life! I shall ignore him - he might go away!

We are back in the wild fire season again with winds gusting to 50-60 miles an hour. There are at least 3 large fires burning in the Los Angeles area but luckily none of them near us - although we did have a bit of a scare yesterday afternoon. We had been down the road to grab a bite to eat at lunch time and as I drove back toward the house, I could see smoke rising from near the river bed. As I got to within a couple of hundred yards of the bridge over the river, the police blocked off the road! Grr! I had to drive about 6 miles out of my way to get back home. Thank goodness they put the fire out very quickly. With any luck, those devil Santa Ana winds will die down today and no more homes will be lost.

Mr. Indi is off work all of this week. He has a combination of blood tests, a doc appt and a couple of vacation days. I also have a doc appt (on Wednesday) to see Dr. K for a check-up on my throat. I will have all my fingers and toes crossed. Poor Mr. Indi is suffering with his back - the pain is getting more difficult to control - he has tried several pain killers but none seem to work very well although yesterday he took some Darvocet that I had left over from my throat surgery and that seemed to dull the pain better than the Vicodin. He will be mentioning that to Dr. Dina on Thursday.

Well, if the Dodgers don't beat the Phillys tonight, they will be knocked out of the playoffs! Boo Hoo! They are down 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. I'm sure that this unlucky streak has something to do with the fact that I can't find a Dodgers cap with dreadlocks attached - if I was wearing one - we would be winning!

Over the weekend, we ate at the BEST BBQ place that I have ever been to. It's called Famous Dave's BBQ and the food is bloody luverly! The place was packed at 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon and we had to wait almost an hour for a table - BUT it was worth the wait. The cole slaw is heavenly, the corn bread is delish, the ribs as tender as can be - we shall return!

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I have finished the most depressing book I ever read! Actually, in the end, it was very uplifting. It is called The Outcast by British author, Sadie Jones. At times, I wanted to throw the book away but there is something that is riveting about it and I had to keep going in order to find out what happened to this poor damaged soul. Great stuff!

The picture is one I took earlier in the summer in San Clemente. Unknown flowers - as usual!

p.s. thank you G A R and Mrs. Banjo for your messages xxxxxxx

Blogging Orf!

No blog for a couple of days, methinks. Hands hurt too much and brain is empty. Be back soon!

Be Happy!

Well, there is not a lot to be happy about but I am going to ignore all the gloom and doom and talk about some happy stuff!

Mr. Indi works with a very nice Irish chap named Daniel. Daniel comes from a very large family and someone is always getting hatched, matched or dispatched and so Daniel flies home to Ireland about 4-5 times a year. Daniel always comes back with a present for ME! Sometimes, if it is near the first of the year, I get a beautiful calendar of wonderful pictures of the beautiful Irish countryside. At other times, I get Irish tea bags or fabulous biscuits (cookies) and after a recent trip, Daniel bought me some Butler's Chocolates. Now, I had never heard of Butler's Chocolates but let me tell you - they are, without a doubt - some of the very best chocs I have ever eaten for breakfast. Yes, I had a couple for brekkies yesterday and they set me right for the rest of the day. Butler's Chocolates are made in Dublin and can be ordered over the net:

http://www.butlerschocolates.com/

More happy stuff! We have a wood pile down at the side of the garden along the cinder block wall. We used to burn wood in the fireplace most winters but for the past few years the pile has become home to various and sundry animals - possums - skunks - and kitties! Yesterday morning when I went out to water the back garden, I spied Mama Kitty and 4 tiny kittens rolling in the grass. She had laid her kitty eggs in the wood pile and, judging by the size of the babies, they had hatched about 4-5 weeks ago. Ahhhhhh!

We went down to the Lamppost Pizza and visited with Brian for a little while - the conversation took a turn to "What ever happened to so and so?" I asked him about D and A - the last time we saw them A had just given birth to a lovely little boy named Austin. Well, ehem! Austin is a star athlete in high school and has just been awarded a scholarship to university! Yikes - I thought he was only about 6! Where did those 17 years go?

While at Brian's, Mr. Indi tried one of the beers from the micro-brewery - the Oktoberfest Ale. He really enjoyed it and I must say it was very good - almost like a Newcastle Brown Ale. And - while visiting with Brian and drinking good beer - we all decided that we are not going to look at the stock market again this week! We are going to drink beer and be happy!

The picture is of the cactus garden at the Mission San Gabriel. The cactus flower was growing about 30 feet in the air!

Another Day at the Coal Face!

Life doesn't get any easier, do it?

So, as I mentioned in the last blog, his Lordship left for work very early and I knew that he would be home later than usual as he had to attend an important staff meeting and they always drone on and on and ON! So, I wasn't surprised when he called at a little after noon to say he was on his way home. (He usually calls at about 11:00 a.m.)

We chatted about his meeting and how the economic crisis is now affecting their business. It looks as though they may lose some of their contracts - business is definitely slowing down. We chewed the fat about this and that, with Mr. Indi speaking legally on his hand-free telephonic device that will prevent him from having an accident, when he suddenly said, "Oh Oh !What's that? Hmmmm! There is a strange light flashing on the dashboard." Seems the light was telling him that his water was low and his temperature was going up! Yikes!

The long and short of it was that, in 105F degree heat, Mr. Indi had to park at the side of a freeway off-ramp - call the Auto club - wait for 1/2 hour for a tow truck and get towed to a strange mechanic in Ontario. I drove over to pick him up while the car got fixed - blown up hose on radiator. We had two hours to wait for the repairs so went to Juancho's for some lunch and a cold beer. I took him back to the mechanic to get the car and we both arrived back home at 4:00 p.m. - $157 poorer and very tired and sweaty! Grr! I hate cars.

Poor Mr. Indi spent 13 hours away from home and missed his afternoon dose of meds. He took a nice shower and was in bed by 7:00 p.m. and snoring his head off by 7:15!

The picture is of a lovely hanging thingy that was growing in Temecula

The freeway is only about a quarter of a mile from our house but when they built the 6 lane highway through the middle of town, they dug a culvert and therefore the traffic flows along the road several feet below the level of the town and because of this design, we seldom, if ever, notice the noise of the traffic EXCEPT when the atmospherics are conducive to noise emission AND then the freeway sounds like a great fire-eating dragon coming into my bedroom! Arggggg! And so it was at 3:15 this morning when his Lordship left for work. No peace for the wicked!

Summer is still here although it may be starting to breathe its last gasp - yesterday was 108F at 3:00 p.m. and today will be the same but by the weekend it will drop by 30 degrees. Both me and him are thankful for cooler weather - the heat does not help either of us. Roll on January!

We watched part the the debate last night but it was so boring that I finally went and sat on the back patio and watched the sun set - much more interesting than those two jaw flappers!

The picture was taken last month at Santa Barbara.

Black and Blue!

Mr. Indi was back at work yesterday and feeling quite well. His only real problem at the moment is a rather nasty bruise at the site of his port-a-cath. The port-a-cath is a device that is implanted in his upper chest and is used to administer chemo fluids. The device was implanted last year when the veins in his arms became so damaged as to be unusable for an IV.

I think that during his last chemo session, JoAnne got a bit carried away and stabbed him with great gusto in his port! Hence the nasty bruise. Still, I am keeping my eye on it to make sure that it isn't infected.

We went to the wings place for lunch - we haven't been there for ages and it was good to see Roxie and Juan - in fact it was wonderful to see them as they paid for our lunch! His Lordship had the cheeseburger sliders and I had a fish sandwich - it was all very yummy! But - I always have the same problem with the wings place - it's too bloody cold in there - brrrrr! By the time we had finished our food, I was a nice shade of blue!

Mr. Indi wants to go away for a weekend before he has to have any more chemo and so I will be looking for a good deal on the internet. I think that this time we shall go down to San Diego - there is so much to see and October is a great time of the year for visiting the ocean. So - LOOK OUT down south!

The picture was taken on the grounds of the Mission Inn in Riverside.

Dear Elizabeth - I Hold You in my Heart.

It was great sadness that I read of the death of the youngest son of Elizabeth. She is a very nice lady who frequents one of the genealogy boards that I like. She is a lovely woman who adores her family.

The loss of a child is almost too painful to bear. I lost my daughter 11 years ago. My dear friend Val lost her son when he was only 17. My Internet friend, Annie, like Elizabeth, lost her dear son to an automobile accident. We are not supposed to see our children die.

The hole in Elizabeth's heart will never heal - the pain will never go away.

Today, I cry for her - and for all of us who have lost our beloved children.

Mystery Trip!

Mr. Indi is starting to feel a little better - at least his taste buds have started to work again and food has started to become enjoyable once more. However, he is still very tired and needs to get off his feet two or three times a day.

We went to "King's Fish House" for lunch because his Lordship was craving their wonderful tuna salad - which he scarfed - and I fancied some fried oysters - which were delicious. After lunch we went for a drive and took a route we have never taken before by driving east on Temescal Canyon Rd. Wow - I had always wondered where Lake Matthews was (I've seen it on maps but could never find it!) and after we climbed a rather steep hill - Viola - there it was! It's a very pretty lake but is a Water District reservoir and there is no recreational access. The road wound round the lake for a few miles and finally ended up in a very familiar part of Riverside and from there we were only about 10 miles from home. What a nice little trip it was.

The picture is one I took at Lake Arrowhead a couple of months ago.

Was it Worth it?

We didn't go very far - just down to Lake Elsinore - a funny little town about 20 miles from here. The lake at Lake Elsinore is a man made lake that is concrete lined. It's quite a large lake and we have been there a couple of times camping with the kids but it can be pretty miserable in the middle of summer when the temperature can reach 110F and the lake turns upside down and all the algae comes to the top! Grr! We went once when the lake had gone nuts and thousands of fish had died and were lying along the shore! Argghhh! Twas a pong!

Yesterday, the weather was very nice for our drive and the lake was looking quite blue and pretty and there was not a dead fish to be seen! The only attraction in Elsinore, apart from the lake, is the few junk - err um - I mean antique shops along the old main street that just happens to be named Main Street! They all have the usual load of old clobber that nobody wants and nobody is going to buy but I fell prey to the lure of some of the junk yesterday - I just couldn't help it!

While poking about in one of the shops, I saw this cute (hokey) little plate - see picture. It's about 5 inches across and quite sweet (hokey.) I picked it up and looked at it - it is stamped Made in England on the back. I put it down and walked around the rest of the shop but the damned plate wouldn't shut up! It kept calling out - "Please, please, take me home, please." Well, what could I do? I couldn't leave the little plate there, could I? It was so lonely! I looked at the price - $2:50 (about one pound fifty sterling) I scrounged at the bottom of my purse and found just enough change to pay for it - fate was at work! So, I am now the owner of a little pretty (hokey) plate and she is happy to be sitting on my mantle next to another pretty (hokey) little plate that I bought in Hereford, England a few years ago. They look very happy together so I think my $2:50 investment was worth it!

It was cloudy and cool all day and we did have a few sprinkles in the afternoon - not enough to do the garden any good but enough to cool everything down. It was perfect weather for the beef stew that I made and that Mr. Indi really enjoyed. More cool weather is forcast for today!

Brolly at the Ready!

Mr. Indi decided to take Friday off. There was nothing of any importance going on at work and as he was still feeling a bit wobbly round the edges, he thought it best not to be playing dodge 'em cars on the freeway. So, apart from him doing his "stab myself in the guts with a dull needle" routine, our day was spent quietly - he working on some meeting minutes and me plodding along with my knitting and my book - a book that now includes arson! Yikes, will the misery never end?

There is definitely a little coolness in the air this morning - and we are both very happy for that. I think we shall go for a drive - but where? There is rain in the forcast and I'm not big on driving in the rain - mainly because the people in Southern California don't know how to drive in the rain and scare the heck out of me! So, wherever we go, it won't be too far away but I will take my camera and a brolly.

The picture is of a hibiscus that was growing at the Mission San Gabriel - I love the color.

Added: I just realized that I have posted this picture before - Haha! OK - Well, I like it and it's my blog - so there!

Stress is Good for You!

Mr. Indi went off to work at 3:30 yesterday morning but at 6:00 a.m. called me to say that he had had a very nasty turn and was coming home. Oh crap! Anyone who knows the Los Angles freeway system knows how you need to keep your wits about you to dodge all the terrible drivers out there. It is difficult enough to negotiate those 6, 8 or even 10 lane highways when you are feeling fit and here he was feeling woosie at 70mph! I was worried sick but he was able to get home without incident and within 5 minutes was stripped off and passed out in bed.

Some days I don't think that my nerves will take the stress of living with this time bomb but thank goodness I can find a few diversions. Yesterday it was my day to go to the beauty shop and get a do over - and boy did I need it! My hairdresser is a very sweet lady who has just learned how to knit and she is very excited about making a little hat for her new baby granddaughter - Ahhh! She has learned how to do the knit stitch but can't quite master the purl - I was happy to show her how I do it and she was pleased for the help. We had a nice natter re babies and bodging and after an hour or so my head was looking much more presentable! Now, if I can just do something with the rest of me!

As if life isn't sucky enough - I am now reading the most depressing book that I have ever read in my life. Ok - so why don't you stop reading it - you ask! Well, to tell the truth - I can't stop reading it because I have to find out what happens in the end. This book covers the whole morbid spectrum from a mother who accidentally drowns to a father who is a sadist to a child who self mutilates! It is set in 1950s England and the weather is cold and rainy and the people are snooty and selfish! Just the job to cheer me up! I'll tell you what it's called when I finish it.

By the time I had fixed the dinner, his Lordship was feeling much improved, although still a bit wobbly. He really enjoyed the liver and bacon with mash and spinach and lots of gravy. That should give his red cells a bit of a boost and put hair on his chest!

After dinner, we watched the debate between Mrs. Palin and Mr. Biden. I just can't bring myself to like that Palin woman - AND - when she winked at the camera I thought I was going to choke! WINK! Huh! She's a dip stick par excellence! Mr. Biden is a real pro at politics and it shows - not that that makes him a good guy - but at least he didn't wink!

The picture is of the little miniature rose that is growing in a pot on the patio. The picture was taken a few months ago - the rose is now shrivelled up and hanging on to life by a thread!

I'm Melting!

Yesterday was yet another terrible hot day and I was unable to get much of anything done. The temperature reached 110F at 3:00 p.m. and the sun blazed like a furnace - Phew! But, the sea breeze is supposed to reach the valley by Saturday and temperatures are expected to nose-dive down to 65F. Yea! I shall sit outside and shiver - I hope!

Mr. Indi had a successful meeting and was able to get away from work fairly early - he was home by noon and we went down to Chilis for lunch - ho hum - nothing special. Unfortunately, his Lordship is having a great deal of pain in his back and he's having to experiment with various painkillers to try and get some relief. The pain is probably from the bone cancer that has been detected in his ribcage and his pelvic area although he says it feels more like pulled muscles. Either way, the pain is keeping him awake at night and is not a good sign.

The picture is of a little old church in Murrieta that I caught in the shadows.

Drink Some Asparagus!

Mr. Indi stayed home from work yesterday and tried to work off some of his steroid energy by helping me with some housework - which was very welcome as my elbows and knuckles are as sore as boils! Grr!. He swabbed the kitchen floor while I worked on changing the beds. We went down to Juanchos for a bite to eat at lunch time and then his Lordship was able to sleep for a little while.

He is back at work today because he needs to chair an important engineering meeting but I hope he will be home early. He sent me an email that had been forwarded to him by a kind soul at his work - it is to do with the benefits of asparagus for cancer sufferers. The email cites an article in a cancer journal from a few years ago and talks about a daily regimen of pureed asparagus. Sounds interesting. If anyone is interested - email me and I will forward the article to you.

Am I the only person on the planet who thinks that "Dancing With The Stars" is the biggest load of codswallop under the sun? Boy, I can't stand that show - so I don't watch it - but every morning the TV channel that I watch for the morning news shows replays of the stupid program. Grrr! Who wants to watch some big clumsy football player clumping about like a blind rhinoceros? When I lived in England, about 100 years ago, they had a wonderful dancing show on the tele - called "Come Dancing" - with real dancers in a real competion - it was marvelous.

The weather is getting worse instead of better. Yesterday, the temperature reached 112F at 2:00 p.m. in my back garden! Phew! I think we shall need to go to the beach this weekend and breath in some sea air - and drink up some cold drinks!

The picture is a red hibiscus that was growing at Ventura Harbour.