Sunday, December 21, 2008
On the up hopefully
Maybe it is passing.
I detect that I might feel a little stronger this evening.
It hasn't felt like that all day though.
I woke up determined that any shopping we needed for our stay in Wales, and maybe to have some stores in for when we got home, should be done today.
So we went first to Asda and then on to Lidl.
Neither shop was too crowded and we found no queues at the check out.
I was shattered when we got back and my digestion was still misbehaving badly.
I fell asleep on the sofa during the afternoon and enjoyed a deep sleep.
I felt confused when I woke up - the weather seemed to have turned very grey indeed.
It was, of course, actually almost dark on this shortest day of the year.
This has been the second year running when I felt cheated of doing anything much special for the Winter Solstice.
I was beginning to feel that the only difference between last year and this has been that I have been occupying a different bed. Though last year there was still much confusion about why I felt so ill, whilst this year it has seemed obvious that I have gone down with one of the bugs that have been rampaging through society.
Still, it reinforces the notion that my world will not implode if I don't do things that I think should be done because they have always been done.
Doing things because they have always been done is not reason enough to continue with an activity.
And my health on more than one occasion has shown that Christmas comes and goes and time continues with or without my input.
This evening I cooked - not quite the correct term - I heated 2 ready meals which were tasty.
You might wonder why I bother with meals when feeling so fragile. It is my way of trying to convince Bill that all is normal. He tends to fret and feel lost and lonely when I am ill - having so many memories of the very bad times.
But this time I have eaten and not had to rush to the loo within the hour.
We watched The Antiques Roadshow. Oh my! There can be good finds at car boot sales! A couple bought a plant, which they wanted, in a glass pot that they didn't like very much. The pot got slung up into their loft and they had planned to throw it away.
Was it really in ignorance that they decided to take it to the Roadshow?
It was a unique piece by Rene Lalique and valued at £25,000.
This was followed by Larkrise to Candleford - so gentle and slow and philosophical. I love it and I am glad a new series will begin.
On the assumption that I am going to be strong enough I shall be making my way to the shop tomorrow. It will feel good to be within my own real world.
I gather things have been quiet in the shop during the last week - but that is normal for the week before Christmas when people are in and out of the chain stores with a vengeance.
I will now copy some information that came my way today - learn something new each day they say and this was my new knowledge. You might have known already.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exh ortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
I detect that I might feel a little stronger this evening.
It hasn't felt like that all day though.
I woke up determined that any shopping we needed for our stay in Wales, and maybe to have some stores in for when we got home, should be done today.
So we went first to Asda and then on to Lidl.
Neither shop was too crowded and we found no queues at the check out.
I was shattered when we got back and my digestion was still misbehaving badly.
I fell asleep on the sofa during the afternoon and enjoyed a deep sleep.
I felt confused when I woke up - the weather seemed to have turned very grey indeed.
It was, of course, actually almost dark on this shortest day of the year.
This has been the second year running when I felt cheated of doing anything much special for the Winter Solstice.
I was beginning to feel that the only difference between last year and this has been that I have been occupying a different bed. Though last year there was still much confusion about why I felt so ill, whilst this year it has seemed obvious that I have gone down with one of the bugs that have been rampaging through society.
Still, it reinforces the notion that my world will not implode if I don't do things that I think should be done because they have always been done.
Doing things because they have always been done is not reason enough to continue with an activity.
And my health on more than one occasion has shown that Christmas comes and goes and time continues with or without my input.
This evening I cooked - not quite the correct term - I heated 2 ready meals which were tasty.
You might wonder why I bother with meals when feeling so fragile. It is my way of trying to convince Bill that all is normal. He tends to fret and feel lost and lonely when I am ill - having so many memories of the very bad times.
But this time I have eaten and not had to rush to the loo within the hour.
We watched The Antiques Roadshow. Oh my! There can be good finds at car boot sales! A couple bought a plant, which they wanted, in a glass pot that they didn't like very much. The pot got slung up into their loft and they had planned to throw it away.
Was it really in ignorance that they decided to take it to the Roadshow?
It was a unique piece by Rene Lalique and valued at £25,000.
This was followed by Larkrise to Candleford - so gentle and slow and philosophical. I love it and I am glad a new series will begin.
On the assumption that I am going to be strong enough I shall be making my way to the shop tomorrow. It will feel good to be within my own real world.
I gather things have been quiet in the shop during the last week - but that is normal for the week before Christmas when people are in and out of the chain stores with a vengeance.
I will now copy some information that came my way today - learn something new each day they say and this was my new knowledge. You might have known already.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exh ortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
