Old

I give for the NHS, I really do, but sometimes their valiant efforts to keep me alive are exhausting and I'd rather snooze on the sofa even knowing I might not wake up. Wouldn't be a bad way to go really, for me, though I accept perhaps distressing for whoever found me. 

Talking of finding I give thanks for finding enough assertiveness to request the desperately patronising young female who rang re an appointment refrained from calling me 'my lovely' at the end of every remark, although I did acknowledge maybe she couldn't help it! Possibly she saw my date of birth and assumed I was missing some marbles, but I suspect she was one of those who put on a special baby voice when talking to patients as a general rule. I've encountered a few of these since starting dialysis and oh how it infuriates me! A blue uniform is not proof of superior intellect, and even if you do have a superior intellect it's not usually necessary to talk to others that way. I give thanks on the whole the plain clothes staff I deal with treat me as if I'm an equal. Oh, and for the surgeon yesterday making me laugh when I described myself as a little old lady and he said I wasn't little I was petite! 

I give thanks for getting to my sofa at last for a nap today, and for a documentary with the late and much admired Nicholas Parsons talking about his love of clocks and watches, travelling to Paris to view the  astonishing eighteenth century and nineteenth work of Breguet. He was in his 90s when it was filmed, and no longer nimble on his pins but still so dapper, eloquent and enthusiastic. Marvellous man! 

I give thanks for having  my stoma supplies delivered by driver not shy of door bells this time. For having power in the form of electricity, uninterrupted by the storm. For water to fill my kettle, hottie bottie and bath, water the plants and flush the loo. 

Recorded

Long day, short post. I give thanks for rising to the challenges (some of which required walking more than I had planned) and lying down on the sofa when I finally got home. For the helpful hospital staff including the fistula surgeon not only agreeing we should leave that. alone for now, but picking up on my comments about problems swallowing, asking questions, looking in my mouth and offering to refer me to ENT. For one of the nurses saying how much they admired me. 

For managing to swallow some supper.  For my digibox recording live TV and for catch up when it doesn't record it all!

Arrayed

I'm not good at the cold, nor the nights drawing in, and don't have anything festive to look forward to, but a bonus of this time of year is that if there's a sunset I can see it from my sofa. I'm very grateful for that!

I give thanks for making it through another day. For a Sainsbury's delivery of food I don't feel like eating and for Mima finding a use for some. For buying myself some flowers. 

I give thanks my real face is beginning to emerge from the blob. For lots of slobbing around on the sofa.

Level

I give thanks for Clive coming round to do some little jobs this evening. Not only did he improve the home but he made me a cuppa and stopped to chat which bucked me up a bit. I've been feeling pants and though I was grateful for the snoozy cosiness of staying in bed all morning it was good to have a reason to get up and put some on!

I give thanks for the first bit of worktop in situ. Its the littlest but in some ways the most longed for as it previously contained the built in hob and had an extra piece on top of part of it to cover the hol which rendered it less useful than if it had been flat. Now it's all one layer, in a far more serviceable colour and practical finish. I'm grateful I also really like the way it looks!

I give thanks for eating a couple of buttered crackers, and that there's some soup if I feel more adventurous in a bit. For heat on another chilly night. For the hilarious enthusiasm of shopping channel presenters. I've never bought anything, and don't suppose I ever will but watch them sometimes just for the buzz of incredulity. For being free to be horizontal for most of today. 

Surviving

Yay, the coloured lights over the lower brook have been switched on along with the Christmas ones! There's a storm due which is often the case after this is done so we'll have to wait and see if they survive, along with the trees atop most of the businesses. I'd be quite grateful if it just took out the random flashing LEDs that adorn them as they rather irritate me...

For being home and curled up on the sofa after a trying day in many ways. For the people who tried to help, including me for trying to help myself. For Stephen Fry reading me to sleep when I felt unwell in the unit. For a hot water bottle to cuddle. For Michelle making my bed so much more tidily than I do. 

Unnatural

This article reaffirms how good it is for people to get out in nature...forgetting, as is often the case with instructions for improving wellbeing, that for some of us it's far easier said than done. I give thanks the photos are so enchanting just looking at them helps anyway! 

https://www.boredpanda.com/cool-nature-pics/

For appreciating nature from my bed and sofa as I wouldn't have had the energy to go far from my doorstep even if I could have found the enthusiasm to get properly dressed. In the park across the road you tend to encounter more in the way of human nature which I don't find so therapeutic! 

For magpie chatter outside my bedroom in the morning and dancing light on my living room ceiling at lunchtime as sunlight bounced on the surface of the brook. For it being warm enough to have windows open on the bright side of the building for a while so I did breathe in some fresh air. 

I give thanks for eating better today, still just little bits at a time but several more times than of late. 

Short

My day up until 6pm included far too much in the way of human error (not mine), bodily malfunction (mine) and general exasperation exacerbated by hunger as it was particularly hard to swallow, so I give thanks after that Rachel came! For acupuncture which helped my swollen sore throat so I could enjoy some of the delicious soup I'd made plus cheese and crackers (the biggest meal I've had for days!) plus hugs, good company and conversation. 

Weird

Having given myself permission to do nothing today I was grateful for even the smallest signs of functionality amidst the lying still. I felt so feeble it overrode my disappointment at not being able to take the trip I'd planned and hours of bed and sofa rest was no effort at all. 

For eventually getting washed and dressed enough to pass for properly washed and dressed with a coat and hat on top. It crossed my mind if it had been milder I might have  gone out in pj's and a dressing gown as slobs and celebrities do, but I give thanks for deciding even then I wouldn't. I give thanks for collecting some pills I was running out of, and for these being supplied to me for free. For the ease of finding an empty bench to rest my weariness on my way back from the pharmacy. For the reflections in the brook water and the soothing sound of the weir. 

I give thanks for the moment when I close a book before emerging from my bath and realise for its duration my body has been free of pain and my mind of worries and woes. 

Extravagant

I give thanks for a good sleep, always the best way for a day to start is waking up from one of those. For realising not long after I did that the dream about having to get up early was just that. For seeming quite well for a while and bustling about with some chores before a morning bath as I often fall asleep before an evening one on a dialysis day...and it was a tad chilly for a shower. For having the choice - what an extravagant first world treat! 

For attempting to sort out the logistics of a renal related appointment scheduled in the middle of dialysis next week...and trying not to fret too much about the possibility of it leading to surgery. 

Meanwhile I was grateful to the nurse who put me on the machine for sending a sample of blood off to be tested for infection markers as my temperature was a little high and I continue to feel rather rubbish (we do a Covid test every Monday anyway). For eyes glued to a download on my tablet during a pesky test in prep for the aforementioned meeting with the surgeon and then drifting off to some meditation music...before a knock on my side room door brought me back to the reality that my lovely renal consultant had me earmarked to talk to some medical students via Teams. 

For interesting conversation with my taxi driver keeping me awake  on the way home, and for being home at last and not needing to try to much longer. 

Serial

It's been a while since I saw You (Netflix series with a new season released) so I give thanks for deciding to go back to the beginning and remind myself what went before before I see what happens next. I remembered it was good so also for finding it good again! For being a snoozy Susie with an attack of the lurgies for a lot of the day so that curling up with the remote has seemed a fitting use of my time. For the bright blue sky for a lot of the day too, and making it outside for some bits from the Co-op, for some being available and a recce for some other things for another day. For paths crossing with Tani so we could discuss another supply chain shortage that's been scuppering a plan we have. For the colours in her beautiful velvet dress and the gorgeous geese in the park...

Centred

I give thanks I worked in a call centre for a while - it means I can bond with customer service advisors when I finally get to speak to them. It also means I know that complaining about how long you've been on hold is one reason you've been on hold so long because so many callers squander extend their talk time moaning about that. The reason I needed to spend ninety minutes of my limited life waiting to get through to someone tonight is that I found a loophole in a train company ticketing policy, but not how to access it and I was very grateful a charming and efficient young man eventually talked me through how this could be done on line so I don't have to go on a quest to find a manned station on a winter Sunday. 

I give thanks for allowing myself to have the restful day I required - it wasn't hard, I've been very tired and wan. For also allowing myself a couple of short stints with some grout as I so wanted to see how some almost finished projects would look and creativity is recuperative in a different way. For not quite burning some soup I made and for managing to eat a little bit. For the simple comfort of hot water or a hot water bottle on one's sore bits. I might invest in one of those long ones one of these days to rest all the way down my back.

I give thanks for discovering via Masterchef: the Professionals that there are folk who employ more than one to cook for different members of their families. 

Unnamed

Our regular unit tea maker is in her home country to be with her poorly dad and patients have had to endure the grim offerings of some untrained replacements in her absence. We are grateful in principal of course but it's the highlight of our incarceration and drinkable is rather welcome too! 

I gave thanks for seeing a familiar face above a housekeeping uniform when I came through the door. I don't know the lady's name but she serves a good cuppa - so I was disappointed when another new chap brought the trolley round instead and served another stewed and tepid beverage. Luckily the one I'd hoped was on drinks duty was soon after on some cleaning task in my room and when I told her how I'd been anticipating one of her good cuppas she volunteered to make me one. Flattery gets you somewhere sometimes! 

I was grateful and so was Peggy who was putting me on the machine before her lunch break and would have done the deed and been delayed if not. For chatting with her - always a joy - and likewise Charlotte, then Peter the taxi driver on the way home as he's been otherwise engaged on family matters a couple of times lately not been able to drive me to and fro. 

I give thanks for not feeling quite so unwell today though I've ached more than has been easy to deal with. For Paracetamol beginning to kick in and the kettle on for a hot water bottle when I can next face moving again 

Passable

I give thanks for the sound of waves breaking...with the screen you get on BBC1 HD when they can't bring you the local news programme! For the sounds of the waves breaking on the beach at the next town along the coast on my way to get my eyes tested. The sea was calm but I'm still feeling rough so it was a challenge to get myself there and I ought to give thanks for how very difficult it has become to see through my specs (and get an appointment!) or I'd have postponed and stayed at home. For the fresh air, change of scene and distractions (by means of other discomforts as well as social interaction) from the various discomforts I already had. 

I give thanks for the very thorough testing which took a very long time...so I'm also grateful I'd cancelled meeting Julie afterwards as I didn't feel up to the pleasures we had planned Even more so for the part where the optician thought I might need to get some treatment at hospital before getting new glasses turning out to be a false alarm! For finding two pairs of passable frames...and the price with promotional voucher plus NHS voucher being most acceptable indeed. 

I give thanks for doing pretty much nothing since arriving back home, passing my time mostly curled up on the sofa sometimes awake, sometimes asleep and sometimes trying to eat. 

Petit

I give thanks for the sights you see from the top deck of a bus... And also when you're lying on a sofa! For my long awaited optician's appointment due tomorrow as I don't  see anything clearly any more and the squinting probably contributes to the headaches and nausea I've been suffering from lately. For my 'complete nutrition' prescription cup-a-soups when proper eating doesn't appeal. 

For Tesco stocking proper French Petit Buerre biscuits. I used to love the ones I had as a child and hoped they might taste the same. They don't...but they are several times better and are another welcome nibble when appetite is poor.

For the atmospheric peeping moon between the banks of cloud. For hearing from Lynn - hang in there girl! For watching the first Ghostbusters film last night just in case I get to see the third. Loved it all over again! For the unscheduled snooze I just awoke from... 

Subjective

Caught myself feeling I'd underachieved today as I finally rose from an extended flop on the sofa earlier this evening. I give thanks for remembering there was a considerable part of the morning I'd actually thought I'd not make it out of bed. It's all relative and subjective isn't it...and there's no need to subject myself to unreasonable and unrealistic expectations. 

I give thanks when I did finally get upright again a lot of the sky was pink! For making it to the outside world briefly this afternoon to pick up meds, milk and a big choux bun for the much needed calories. I've only managed half so far but the other half will keep til tomorrow in the fridge, along with the remains of a delicious red lentil and pepper soup I made. For managing some of that and other mini meals. 

For the remote control and all our viewing choices. For second hand paperback books you don't have to worry about splashing in the bath. For hot water on tap (well via the immersion heater) and the cuddly comfort of a hot water bottle. 

Wimpy

I give thanks for finding a dressing in my stash that covers both window cleaning wounds without the sticky part covering the scabs on healing rucksack ones. See - I had no idea what pleasures there were to be had in the mostly most unpleasurable world of medication side effects!

For managing to eat small quantities of food again and for surviving the trials of a dialysis day. For being curled up on the sofa again at last. For a hot water bottle and snuggly quilt. For the anticipation of pain relief when the paracetamol kick in...and in the meantime for there being no one around to have to put up with my whimpering and groaning. 

Freezing

I give thanks for the first part of the day when I felt well and capable and got on with this and that unhindered by bodily malfunction...also for the part after that when I felt...well...rubbish...spending hours on the sofa under a quilt snoozing and surfing the net. Both states had their charms!

For a tasty lunch and luxurious bath somewhere in the middle, a bit of a walk about and the beautiful blue sky and cloud formations I walked about beneath.

I give thanks for the freezer for my tea - not to get it out of but to put it in as I've lots of food in the fridge and no inclination to eat at all. For a catch with a hot water bottle - it's a mild evening but oh, that is so comforting! 

Daily

I give thanks for the day. Each one is a gift, even the ones that are not what you'd have chosen. For trying to make good choices about how I spent my time...and money, as I spent some of my time buying gifts! And as the day started earlier than I would have chosen I give thanks for getting up and starting making something nice for my tea. 

For a gift I bought myself - a long string of LED stars to hang on my big bookcase and brighten up these long dark nights. For them having a plug not a battery compartment.

I give thanks for public transport. For supermarket deliveries. For the bits when I felt well. 

I give thanks that people are loved. From my window I see so many couples holding hands and try to imagine what it's like to have somebody who's there and cares. For reminding myself it's a blessing imagining is the best I can do as there'll be no one too bereft when I'm gone. 

Drawing

I give thanks for good small screen entertainment now the evenings are drawing in and the nights are long and dark. For remembering something on my to watch list a little earlier and being well into the first episode before I remembered I was only supposed to be checking it out not getting drawn in before I'd written my blog and checked out my Tesco order...

I give thanks for Michelle's very efficient cleaning and my own contribution which was slightly improving the transparency of the kitchen window. Unfortunately the steroids have made my skin so delicate that pressure of my arm on the window frame made the bruises I acquired cleaning the bedroom one a few days ago into open wounds...I give thanks for having some spare dressings to hand. For still having my old sink as I had to stand in it to reach. For also going to the shops twice before going to the hospital as I had to go back for something I couldn't carry with everything else - quite a busy morning for me!

I give thanks for buying a birthday gift for a friend, plus some mini pots of custard for my taxi driver after he said he loved sponge puddings but it wasn't worth opening a normal size can or packet just for himself. He'd apparently never heard of these perfect provisions for the solitary custard lover and I thought he might have trouble finding them in the supermarket if he'd never noticed them before. I was grateful he was grateful...and while I was having treatment he went to Waitrose to buy some individual sticky toffee puddings. I was very grateful he gave me one of those!

Delightful

Not at my best today but I've been thankful for achieving what seemed to me to be the most important goals including finishing rearranging the corner where the new lamp stands, and curling up on the sofa with a hot water bottle and quilt for an afternoon snooze! The first of these tasks required going up and down the small steps a few times to reach the upper bookcase shelves and get my guitar and mandolin down for a polish and slight change of position so I was grateful my knees hurt less than yesterday...

I was also grateful, and astonished, that when I tried to play my guitar I made a better job of it than I have for many a year. Since my strokes I've joked I can play anything you like as long it's in C...but this time my left hand managed D and A and E as well! As my right can still twiddle the strings adequately enough this kept me entertained for quite a while and felt reassuringly like 'being me' - a rare treat for folk whose way of life has been changed by ill health. 

I give thanks my eyes have been working better this evening and I've been able to see what's on the TV. My poor old squashed throat has been a right pain in the...well... neck though, which is funny in a punny way. I give thanks for my warped sense of humour and little bits of things to eat. For the moonlight on the sea. 

Laughing

I give thanks for two opportunities for a good old chortle during the last twenty four hours. Yesterday evening while channel hopping I came across a vintage Whose Line Is It Anyway? on Dave Ja Vu. I'd forgotten what a joy that is - just looking at Ryan Styles and Colin Mochrie silent and standing still improves my mood! Then today I searched on the Sainsbury's grocery site for Christmas meals. They'd put stuff like stock cubes on the list to pad it out so I applied filters to avoid scrolling through a lot of irrelevancies. First I searched for vegetarian options and came up with gravy granules - just gravy granules lol. Then I tried vegan and all they could offer was a couple of (empty) pie dishes! They do lots of fresh and frozen meat free food, some even comes in boxes with pictures of baubles on, so I don't know none were suggested. Maybe the website organiser was having a laugh at our expense... 

I give thanks for braving the city crowds (apparently Christmas shopping!) to purchase my light bulb today. The new lamp looks lovely but no photos as a) it's not yet in its final position and b) I'm too tired, achy and attached to the sofa to move! For an absorbing film on Netflix which has been keeping me from writing this. For at least some of the trials of the day being behind me. For just about being awake stil, tthough now I'm warm and fed this may not last long at all 

Coloured

Well the future might not be bright, but I give thanks for the glowing autumn colours seen this afternoon on the woody journey to a Travelzoo voucher afternoon tea with Mima. For the incredible peacefulness of the countryside around the hotel - can't remember the last time I was somewhere so quiet and still.

For eating some of the delicious food despite feeling decidedly off colour today - and bringing the rest of my share home of course! I'm on a (not at all) merry go round of side effects from pills taken to treat side effects of other medication and it's very wearing on the body, mind and soul, but I give thanks the end of the steroids and PPIs is (fingers crossed!) in sight and maybe some of my physical troubles will start to subside.

Some of my physical troubles I'm stuck with of course, and managing to clean a small window this morning and assemble my new lamp base this afternoon has left my arms and shoulders aching so I'll be wrapping up this typing malarkey in a min. I give thanks for the golden yellow of the shade (much nicer than the 'mustard' it's described as) and for the possibility of purchasing a suitable bulb over the next couple of days so I can see what it looks like lit. 

Entertaining

I give thanks for a good sleep and entertaining dreams. For feeling more human on waking than I had for so long I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever feel human again! It's a mystery how my wellbeing fluctuates but as long as I get some times of feeling OK then it's easier to be grateful. 

I give thanks for putting my humanity to sensible use by first finishing making the pudding I started yesterday but was too tired to complete, and discovering pear and blueberry sponge makes for an excellent breakfast! 

For next working my way up to the top of town dropping off some things to a local food bank collection point and charity shop in passing, and purchasing a table from another to enhance the aforementioned living room corner requiring some attention. The table was very small and light (and cheap!) so no great effort to get it home I'm glad to say as the next job was a rather strenuous session of reorganising another corner so I could put stuff from the first one there before my body started warning me it was going to get very cross. I give thanks this mission was accomplished.

I give thanks for an OK day on the UK unit, though rather draining and tiring and for quick snack to have with my pills as I didn't get tonight's dinner ready this morning and I'm not sure how I'll get on making something now I'm comfy and cosy on the sofa with Netflix entertaining me. Ooh, I give thanks for remembering that pudding! 

Luxurious

I give thanks for Cauldron Cumberland sausages. I had mine today with various easy accompaniments including a frozen Yorkshire pudding and gravy made with granules. For the convenience of convenience food. 

For a slow moving day but nonetheless managing to move, and for removing displaced items from other rooms that have been loitering for months in my bedroom  due to the slow moving kitchen renovation. 

For making it down to the cove for a cuppa and cake, and for the tide being low enough to walk back along the beach despite the pools and channels having been rearranged since last I was there and not having the sturdiest of shoes. For needing a nap when I returned and for the luxury of being able to have one. 

For waggy dogs playing tag on the sand. For warmth in the sunshine still. For the adventure golf being shut for the season which means no fresh donuts (boo!) but fewer tourists around (hurrah!) 

For a slim crescent moon hanging low over the rooftops while the sky still had a hint of blue. 

Pushy

All week I've been pushing myself to do stuff which has seemed a great effort (even the nice stuff!) so today I've been extremely grateful for trying extremely hard not to! For a considerable amount of success...along with a reasonable amount of useful activity here and there at a suitably leisurely pace. For chatting to Ann on Messenger...and for a little nap. 

I give thanks for making a start on some rearranging in the living room so that though it's still a storage area for kitchen items I don't want to move back into the kitchen (in case there is further progress that requires them moved out) they're not so obvious and in the way. For wearing favourite dress though no one saw it but me. For ordering a new lamp to brighten up a gloomy corner. 

Retiring

I give thanks for treating myself to a Ceridwen's Cauldron for my bath... or baths as I cut them up and make them last. For Lush still selling them as all my other favourite products have been discontinued or reformulated - and not in a good way!

I give thanks for having a bakery and greengrocer around the corner and visiting them both this morning before setting off. This means I don't have to go out this weekend unless I want to, and if I do want to go out I can do something other than shopping.

I give thanks for Paracetamol as I've been out a lot this week and am very achy all over. For some fireworks visible from my sofa so I don't have to get up. For managing to eat some food though I'm not very hungry. For Michelle doing the heavier housework and making my bed with clean linen. For installing the electric blanket first so it will be all cosy and comforting when I retire. 

Weary

I give thanks for a beautiful blue sky day. For deciding, despite being weary and weary of the world, that staying in bed or simply moving to the sofa would be a waste of it, and taking a scenic rural train ride instead. I was even more weary during, and fell so fast asleep when I got back that I couldn't figure out where I was in the week when I awoke, but for a while gazing out at the glorious countryside streaming past the window the world didn't seem so bad. It probably helped that there are few signs of 'civilisation' on the route (except rich folks' rather enviable homes) and that the train was on the empty side.

No one promised me a rose garden but I give thanks I had some lunch in one...well, more of a rose yard really but there were still a few blooms to enjoy, and for the woman serving at the counter kindly carrying my tray outside as I'd never have managed that and the door. I'd read the online menu and there were a couple of items I decided I'd be able to consume without scattering cutlery around or choking...and I gave thanks for finding something else (an allegedly Thai spiced vegan pasty) when they turned out not to be on the irl one. I was grateful the ingredients were listed or I'd never have been able to tell what on earth I was eating!

I give thanks for seeing another station cafe still open along the way and for plans to stop there another time and maybe walk in some of the wonderful woods nearby. It's good to have plans...as long as you're not too attached to them working out the way you imagine. I give thanks for being back on the sofa and on the way to a bath... 

Midnight

I give thanks for a cosy comfy night in my spare room. It's still very messy in there, and full of spare things, but it always feels so snug in the pull out bed and with the lights out you can't see the chaos! Vacating my bedroom for a day or two also makes it easier to get on with the seasonal tasks of turning my mattress, getting the electric blanket out and changing my summer duvet for the autumn one and I'm grateful for taking my time over these chores as my jabbed arm is rather sore. In fact many body parts are rather sore so I give thanks for bath water heating up, and a pan of lentil soup I prepared earlier too. 

I give thanks for how warm it was in the sunshine this afternoon after a very nippy start. For doing some shopping on the way to the unit and, though I was disappointed a city park where I hoped to enjoy some glories of autumn was closed to prepare for a 'winter wonderland', for the crepe stall being open and doing a roaring trade, which I added my custom to!

For plenty of TV to catch up with curled up on the sofa with a  if I can stay awake when I've eaten. I've been bingeing on Netflix's Midnight Mass the last couple of evenings. Very silly but so beautifully filmed, scripted, acted and scored I just couldn't leave it alone. 

Boosted

I give thanks for the good habit I've got into when I've had a bad night and am awake way too early - I get up and cook my tea! For trying an experiment I've been formulating for a few days now to use up odds and ends, and for it tasting great though perhaps a tad too solid for an evening when swallowing's not going well. I give thanks I bought a cream cake earlier - that slipped down just fine! For my complete meal cup-a-soup supplements. One of them went down well too but unfortunately, due to my clumsiness, part of the down was down on the carpet... 

For a pleasant afternoon for my stroll up to the top of town for a booster as everyone calls it, although I'm one of those who get a complete new dose not a top up. Could have done with some kind of booster to get me up the street but, hey ho, eventually my joints creaked into gear and I began to be grateful for the bits between the seats as well as the seats themselves! For the sunshine and clouds, the golden leaves on some of the trees and the beautiful blue of the sea. 

It was, of course, my first experience of the public vaccination process and I was grateful for my taxi driver talking me through his visit to the same venue earlier this week. We figured you wouldn't volunteer to be a marshal unless you liked ordering folk about! 

I give thanks for my sofa and a snuggly quilt as it's chilly, I feel feeble and sore and fit for little but a Netflix binge. 

Dark

Hooray! I felt so much better this morning, which was intrinsically pleasing, and also meant I could catch up with some of the tasks I'd hoped to get done at the weekend. This was both satisfying and sensible as it's getting dark too dark to see at homecoming time now even if I have any energy after treatment. For being home now and still having a little bit left. 

I give thanks for making some phone calls I'd been putting off, and for the people on the end of the line being delightfully helpful and accommodating. For Toolstation saying they'll send me a replacement for the parcel that went astray. 

For seeing a plea on a local Facebook group for a pianist to play at a memory cafe. There's a picture of some of the song sheets and right at the top of the pile is Tambourine Man. The times they are a-changing! 

For finding something new to watch on Netflix. Gripping so far and beautifully filmed but I've just realised it's classed as 'horror' so I might need to hide behind the sofa not lie on it! I may be grateful later that I can hardly see out of my glasses any more...