Yesterday should have been a good day, but it was actually quite disappointing. The main trouble, apart from the cold and the hail, was that I did not feel good. I had a headache that lasted quite a bit of the day, although it was not constant.

  I didn't mention it yesterday because I thought that maybe it was something like eye strain from spending too much time at my PC, and indeed that may not have helped. It was something like a migraine headache - rather annoying, and rather persistent. I assume it was something serious like brain cancer, but later in the afternoon a couple of paracetamol tablets did bring a lot of relief from the headache, but I still felt what I can only describe as "ill". I had no easy to describe symptoms, but I definitely felt off colour. Although I didn't feel tired I felt like what I really wanted was a very good sleep.

  I still managed to have a shower, and while having it I felt OK, although I was increasingly aware of a boil on my inner thigh. It was the sort of thing that could be caused by high blood glucose, but my blood glucose has been fairly good for all this month, and it was only the first half of last month when my blood glucose was out of control (and I can't remember why). I gave the boil a squeeze while in the shower because that would be the best place for it to burst - where the running water would wash away all the blood that came out. Unfortunately it was too painful to give it a really hard squeeze.

  After the shower I got dressed ready to walk to the Jolly Farmers. It may have been a mistake to wear my red Converse trainers for that walk. I had found they seemed very comfortable for a 6 minute walk to Tesco, but what I didn't realise was that they seemed to get uncomfortable after about 10 minutes of walking.

  As can be seen, the walk to The Jolly Farmers (started at 12:30) lasted almost 22 minutes (the bottom set of figures). If I recall correctly, my feet and ankles were not feeling too bad by the time I got to the pub. Maybe my continued headache was a some sort of distraction.

  Another distraction was how cold it felt. I knew it was too cold, and there was not enough sunshine to wear shorts, and I wore long trousers instead. I thought my leather jacket, the one that I can now do up easily, would keep me warm enough, but I still felt rather cold. That was the case even when we got a short period of sunshine and I could feel it warming my back, but my front was still cold. The wind didn't help either.

  It was good to get to the Jolly Farmers and see Ayse (my favourite barmaid). I was able to explain my absence for the last few weeks. I tried to keep the details of the previous week, and all the stuff I was going through for my cancelled colonoscopy, fairly brief, but Ayse was very aware of what I had gone through because her partner had gone through the same thing some time ago.

  Once I sat down with my first pint I tried to read some of The Metro, but I was too distracted by Tom who I usually share a table with for the first hour. He is older than me, but maybe not by much. Most significantly he has had a long history of medical problems. Some of them I suspect were the result of him fighting with his doctors. I don't mean physical fighting, but arguing over treatment and stuff. He is a good reminder that life is easier when you don't doubt doctors too much. I have to confess that I am rather glad my colonoscopy was cancelled because I didn't really want it, although having gone through the worst part of it, all the preparation, it was shame to have wasted all that.

  My attempt at doing even the quick crossword in The Metro was very poor. Maybe my ongoing headache, although at that point it was coming and going, didn't help. To make matters worse I seemed to have a bit of a stomach ache. It was the the first time I have ever sat down in the gents. Fortunately Ayse does keep it clean and dry in there. Nothing happened apart from a bit of wind, and that helped a bit.

  After my second pint of Guinness I felt it was time to go. I still thought I would need the toilet sometime soon, and I did try and get home as fast as possible, and indeed I did manage a very poor 1.943 mph, or very slightly faster than the 1.929 mph going to the pub ! I guess it was actually a bit faster because I think I stopped to take more pictures on the way home,
  This was a picture I took walking to the pub. It shows bluebells growing right next to the river retaining wall. The river is about 5 or 6ft below, and the concrete retaining wall is only there because the river passes under two bridges, one with the railway on it, and one just a foot bridge (from which I took this picture). The main significance was that I can't remember seeing any bluebells in the park in the past, and now they seem to crop up in many places.
  More bluebells further along the river bank. I notice that most of the flower buds have only just started to unfurl (or what ever flowers do before they are in full bloom).
  I have no real idea if it is weather related, or an absolute rule, but it seems the bluebells come into bloom just as the daffodils are just finishing. These daffodils, right by the river, seems to be looking very ragged now.
  There was an article on BC news recently about cherry blossom, and how in some places in London it is almost a brief tourist attraction. I don't think this is a cherry tree, or at least not an edible cherry tree, but it might be an ornamental cherry tree. I do remember seeing a tree roughly where this one is that did seem to have something like cherries on it.
  For want of a more accurate name, I go along with a few people who call these plants "false nettles". They do look a bit like nettles, but don't sting, although I must admit I didn't fancy testing that idea.
  The way the drake (the pretty coloured duck) kept following the hen (the dull looking duck) I suspect there will be some fertilised eggs laid in the near future. I think if I had been prepared to spend another hour of two watching these pair I would have got some "duck porn" of the drake mounting the hen - something I will admit I have never seen before.
  The camera can never quite capture how bright these orange flowers seemed to be to the eye. I have no idea what shrub this is, but it not in the park, but fairly close to my home. It was while taking this photo that I felt the first hail hit me. It was not heavy hail, but it was soon falling very freely, and had only just stopped when I reached home 5 or 6 minutes later.

  The last 10 minutes of my walk home were quite uncomfortable. My legs, mainly my right leg, was aching a lot. It was one of the muscles above the knee that was complaining most. I don't think my actual knee was giving any discomfort. Both my ankles were feeling quite painful, and my feet were feeling sore as well. The sore feet can be blamed on the Converse trainers I was wearing. They do seem OK for shorter walks, but I had obviously reached the limit about 10 minutes after leaving the pub.

  My aching ankles, and the ache from the muscle in my right leg (and maybe less so from the left leg) are still a legacy of laying in/on hospital bed for so long, and not getting any exercise. The good news is that it is now taking a lot more walking before they complain, and every bit of exercise lengthens the time until they complain. I think I remain confident, subject to some unpredictable new ailment, that I will be in good condition for some long, hot summer walks.

  Once indoors I had many possible foods to tame my feeling of hunger - caused by the beer, fresh cold air, and walking. I had a triple pack of chicken salsa wraps, and I also finished off the last of the grilled chicken wings from my recent takeaway. I have a feeling I might have had some ice cream too, but possibly not until later. Once I had eaten I felt the usual urge to lay on my bed, read for a while, and then have a long snooze.

  I am not sure when it was, but sometime in the afternoon I got up from my chair where I had been looking at my PC, and as I got up I felt some wetness. I looked down and the stain on the seat showed the boil on my inner thigh had popped quite painlessly. It was obviously wonderful that there was no more pain, but then there was the mess to clean up. I changed my underwear and the lounge pants I was wearing, and put them into soak, with some "Vanish" stain remover It is excellent for blood stains !). I washed my leg, but it seemed there was almost no more blood and other unpleasantness from the that boil. The flannel I used also when into the soak.

  As 6pm approached I leaped, or was it crawled (?) into action again. I had dinner to cook so I could eat it while watching the 6pm news. My dinner was the last third of a 12" pizza from my recent takeaway. I decided to heat it in the mini oven/grill with extra grated cheese on it. It was a tight squeeze getting it in the little oven, but I got it in - just. With the freshly melted cheese it was quite nice. I followed it with vanilla ice cream with a small pack of ready prepared apple, pineapple and grapes.

  The downside of the little packs of ready prepared fruit is that they are not that economical, but the plus side outweighs that. All the preparation being done for you can be very handy, but the most useful thing is, for instance, not having to buy a whole bunch of grapes when you only want 5 or 6 grapes. I too often waste fruit because I don't like eating a whole bag of apples (for instance) before they start to deteriorate.

  After dinner it was the usual TV watching, but once again, I was in bed before I watched the last program I might have watched. I read for 10 minutes or so before putting the book down and turning out the light. I was asleep  in mere minutes, at least I think I was. I slept really soundly - not counting getting up to pee several time in the night, and also needing a poo at about 3am, although I am not sure if it was any more than just some wind.

  After a modestly early night I was up modestly early, but not for long. I weighed myself and found I had put on 400gm (although a later visit to the toilet may have changed that to half that amount of gain, and possibly less.). I also checked my blood glucose, and once again there was no reason for the boil on my inner thigh. The highest reading was 8.1mmol/l, and that is neither good or bad. The other two readings of 7.4 and 7.5mmol/l were pretty good, I can do better, but they are perfectly fine readings.

  Once I had recorded my weight and blood glucose I went back to bed, and completely forgot to get the weather forecasts ready to take screen shots. That is why at the top of the page the weather forecast screen shot starts at 10am instead of 6 or 7am. I am unsure, but I think I may have got an extra one hour of sleep. When I woke up I felt like another few hours sleep might be nice, but a high luxury idea.

  I must admit I still don't feel all that great this morning. There is nothing specific I can put my finger on why I feel this way. Yesterday morning I might have described it as a bit like extremely mild 'flu, but this morning there is just nothing to hang a name on. The only definite is that I have already had 2 medium poos this morning, and maybe I might need another. On the other hand it might just be wind. I do seem to be a bit flatulent this morning.

  I think my plan for today must obviosly start with finishing the laundry that is still soaking in it's big bucket in the bath. Other than that I expect I will be as lazy as possible, but still doing the usual clean up before a Thursday beer drinking/tasting session with Jodie - and I hope it is not just Jodie. I am sure Michael will join us for a good moan at something or another, and maybe Alan or Mark might join us. I'll just have to wait and see.