There were a few sunny spells yesterday, including a few in the afternoon when none were originally forecast. Even when there was no sun, the clouds were usually white clouds and that made more of the day feel bright. For all that it waqs a cold day. The temperature was forecast to reach 16° C, but I am not sure if it went above 15° C.
       

  The weather Gods are doing their best to punish up for reasons known only to them. Part of that punishment is to tease us with bright sunshine in the morning, and then turn the weather really crap from late morning onwards. Today that includes almost black skies, and copious rain from early evening. From 10am to 5pm it will range from dull to very dull, and once again the temperature will struggle to reach a very poor 16° C. Tomorrow afternoon will probably be wet, but just how wet is currently unknown. It will be a little warmer though. The Met Office say the temperature could reach 18° C

   Yesterday was a good day up until the time it wasn't, and I take full responsibility for the worst of it, even I don't really understand exactly what was wrong. The day seemed to get off to a great start when a couple of boxes of I ordered were delivered quite early in the morning. (I'll overlook the annoyance of the couriers arrival just as I was sitting on the toilet).

  After that early delivery I had plenty of time to have a short rest after I finished writing. Once suitably rested I washed my hair and had a shower. I guess I was still feeling a bit rushed because I didn't have a shave. To help cool off a bit from the hot shower, and hair dryer, I took my time getting dressed to go out. One important thing I did during that cooling off period was to phone the hospital about my CT Scan appointment early on Sunday morning.

  I wanted to find some directions more specific than the vague "Imaging department" on my appointment letter. I have never seen, or at least I cannot recall, seeing signs to "the imaging department", and I wanted to know where to go before I arrive at the hospital early on Sunday morning. I got through to someone quite quickly using the telephone number on the letter. It soon seemed obvious that the man I spoke to was part making it up as he went along. He suggested reporting to the radiology department reception on the 1st floor near the cardiology department. I know where that is. I just hope they know where to send me.

  I left home in good time to get my usual 12:34 train to take me, and my two copies of The Metro newspaper to Ladywell, and then on to the pub. I initially started out walking at top speed, but then slowed myself down, but only a little. I was trying to get to the station in time, but not so fast as to trigger and early angina pains. I was basically fine when I arrived at the station, but as is now normal, crossing the footbridge left me feeling fairly uncomfortable.
  As usual, while I was waiting on the platform I did some limited train photography, and yesterday that bagged me two useful photos. The picture above was actually taken on my way home. It shows train 707001, and there were two new features on it. On the side it had been named as Ukraine Pride, although it looked like someone had tried to change it to "UK Rain pride". It was only a stick on vinyl rather than a proper cast name plate.

  The other feature is the mystery box type thing on the front of the train (although here the train is departing so it is more accurately the rear of the train - it is possible the other end had one too). I can't think what that box is for. The two apertures in it could contain cameras or lights, but I then have no idea their purposes may be. Anyway it was a new picture to add to my spreadsheet listing the train numbers and photos.
  This picture of 707016 is not an entirely new train for my spreadsheet, but the last picture I had of it was over in the South West Region, and it was painted in their red livery. If Wikipedia can be trusted it would seem that South Western Railway now only retain 2 of these class 707 trains. It was they who originally ordered them, but decided they didn't like them, and sold them to Southeastern. Note there is no mystery box on the front of this train.

  I walked non stop, and at a reasonable pace, from Ladywell to the pub, and I was only getting the first angina pains as I reached the pub. Sometimes it feels like the speed of walking, and the distance walked, do not directly equate to when the first angina pains start.  The odd thing here is that the walk from the station starts with going up a long staircase to the road, and then going over a bit of the hump of the road bridge across the railway. From then on it is generally downhill.

  One of the things about yesterday's lunchtime drink was to meet Dik, and offer him one of my old cameras which he could pass to his niece who at the tender age of 10 wants to be a photographer. The camera was my Canon SX40. It is a bridge camera - halfway between a point and click, and a full DSLR camera. In fact the only significant thing the makes it different to a DSLR camera is that it has a fixed zoom lens. It still offers all the manual controls, as well as full auto mode that DSLR cameras offer.

  I got to the pub about 15 minutes before 1pm, and Dik probably got there at about 1.20pm. That gave me lots of time to almost complete the quick crossword in The Metro. Unless I am mistaken, I think I made my first pint of Guinness last until Dik arrived, and he bought the next round. After chatting about music stuff, including Saturday's gig on Hilly Fields, I showed him the camera.

  He didn't really know what to make of it at first, but the more he looked, the more he warmed to it. I could possibly have got as much as £100, maybe more, if I when through the hassle of trying to sell it on places like Ebay or Amazon, but I offered to exchange it for a big bottle of (possibly) Tesco Special Reserve whisky, but I did say a big bottle of something like Jameson's would be very acceptable if it was on special offer in Tesco. It is a shame that Dik recently retired because his previous work gave him contacts in the booze trade, and he might have wangled something semi exotic.

  I think I had just three pints of Guinness yesterday, but it was enough to make me spend more than I should have done on food on the way home. The last time I saw Dik in the pub I walked home with him for the large part of the common path of the walk before we split up and went in our own directions. I am not sure if I was setting the pace of that walk, or if I was keeping up with Dik, but by the time I got to the end of my road I was not feeling very good.

  Yesterday I made a sort of excuse that I was getting the train back to Catford so I could pop into the Sainsbury's Local store by Catford station. That was a possible part of the plan because I had made sure I had a Sainsbury's carrier bag before I left home. I could not make up my mind if I wanted the more healthy option of buying some ready made salads, or the more desired after beer, tasty sandwiches. I could not make up my mind, and I ended up getting lots of both.

  The walk from what is essentially Catford station to home is easily far enough to stir up some bad angina pains before I reach home. Usually I have to slow down almost to a stop, or even stop for a few seconds along the way. Yesterday I was suitably paced by followed a one legged woman. I have to admit that for one leg and pair of crutches she was still making good time. I was still in moderate discomfort when I finally got home.

  Once home I faced the same dilemma as when I was in the shop - salad or sandwiches. I think the booze, even if it was only three pints of Guinness, dictated that it had to be sandwiches. I had bought three packs of assorted sandwich sort of stuff - one was actually a bagel - and I ended up stuffing the whole lot down my throat. I suspect that might have had consequences later in the evening.

  The booze and the food made me feel quite sleepy, and after laying on my bed In think I only managed to read one page before my eyes closed. Unfortunately I don't think I had fallen asleep before my phone rang. About an hour on the phone seemed to see me through any hangover, and woke me up. I didn't really do anything of note for several hours as I waited for dinnertime. I deliberately had dinner a bit later than usual, and that may have been a bad idea.

   It might also have been a bad idea to have a salad that had lots of fibrous stuff in it like shredded carrot and beetroot. Maybe I should have used less Balsamic dressing on it. The last bit of it was feeling very chewy, and quite acidic. I was anticipating digestive trouble after all I ate, and so I stayed up to watch both QIXL and Have I Got News For You on TV. The latter finished at 11pm, and I went straight to bed. I tried to read, but barely read half a page before my eyes were closing. At that point, apart from feeling dreadfully tired, I felt OK, and I was asleep almost within seconds of turning out the light.

  It was about an hour later when I woke up feeling extremely uncomfortable. The odd thing is that plenty of experience means I can usually tell heartburn from angina. I was expecting heartburn after eating all those sandwiches, and then must later the chewy and slightly acidic salad, but the pain I felt felt very slightly different in a way I can't really describe. I felt sure that some of it was a muscular/skeletal pain. That is something I used to get a lot more frequently when the damage from my bypass operation was still healing. Even today that scar tissue can ache if it gets to cold and damp.

  I really don't know what it was last night (or technically in the very early hours of this morning). It may have even been some sort of stomach ulcer - something I have suspected I have had once or twice in the past. I know nthat antacid tablets helped a little - which suggests acid indigestion was part of the problem. A 300mg aspirin tablet dissolved in water may have offered a bit more help, and that could suggest angina as the culprit.

  It kept me awake until about 3am, but from then on I did seem to get some reasonable sleep, although it could still be described as unreasonable sleep because I was not having nice dreams. One dream was set in a war zone. I am not sure why I was there, but I knew I was expecting some transport home that never seemed to come. Another dream was about two friends (or acquaintances) who were having a mega row, and seemed determined to kill each other. Most of the action of that dream took place in a different room to where I was, but I could hear the worst of it easily enough. The actual violence started when one threw an apple, with the force of a fast cricket bowler, at the back of the head of the other,

  It was rather nice to wake up from both of those dreams. The last but one time I woke up was about 5.45am, and I still felt really tired. I think I felt like a mild need for a pee, but I closed my eyes again, and was asleep in seconds. I finally got up just a few minutes form 7am, and I still felt very tired, and i seemed to still have a slight residual pain in my chest. I am pretty sure that was skeletal because I could feel something like two bones rubbing together.

  I didn't dare weigh myself this morning after all I ate yesterday, and after only doing quite a small poo this morning. Oddly enough, my blood glucose readings were not too terrible this morning. The Contour meter read 8.3mmol/l which at least is under my old target of 8.5mmol/l. The GlucoRX meter read a better 8.0mmol/l. The Sinocare meter actually read a fairly good 7.6mmol/l - only a tiny bit over my new self selected target of 7.5mmol/l. My blood pressure was prtty good again this morning. It was 111/44 - safely inside the "Optimum" zone.

  I definitely don't really feel like it, but this morning could be quite busy. The first thing I have to do is to finish some laundry that has been in soak for 24 hours now.  I think it is just one t-shirt, one pair of lounge pants, and maybe 4 or 5 pairs of underpants. Once that is all done, and hung up to dry, I can have a shower. If I feel I have time and energy I will pop out to Tesco to get a few things.

  Later this afternoon should be a beer tasting session with Jodie. We have quite a lot of beers here, many I won't like, but Jodie will, and probably the other way round too. That could be a lot more likely with the beers I got delivered yesterday. Most of them are more traditional beers and lager, and not those horrible soupy, fruity, and exceedingly sour "beers" that Jodie loves. I probably would not have to try too hard to get quite pissed this afternoon !


 





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