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SOYEZ PRUDENT LORS DE L'OUVERTURE A BOUTEILLE DE VIN MOUSSEUX

ATTENTION A CES BOUCHONS

Cette semaine, Ruth a été de voir son chirurgien ophtalmique pour avoir le contrôle final avant 

sa première opération de la cataracte plus tard dans le mois.

 

Amis de notre vieille ville jumelle près de Fresnay sur Sarthe nous ont invités à prendre part

à une journée de dégustation de vins de Champagne qui arrive si est à seulement deux 

jours après l'opération. 

Ruth a demandé au chirurgien s'il pensait que ce serait ok pour elle d'assister à l'événement 

compte tenu de l'échelle de temps courte.

 

Il a dit qu'il pensait qu'il pourrait être ok mais elle devrait prendre grand soin des bouchons 

dans le cas où l'un a volé sur et la frapper dans les yeux !!

 

Nous savons qu'ils sont dangereux et peuvent voler à une distance considérable, 

mais en fait, il a eu un patient ce dernier Noël qui avait juste eu une opération de la 

cataracte, ce qui ne lui arrive et a causé de graves dommages à l'œil! 

La morale de cette histoire est toujours prendre grand soin lors de l'ouverture d'une 

bouteille de vin mousseux; assurez-vous que le bouchon est orienté loin de vous et 

quelqu'un d'autre.

Il est pas inconnu pour le liège pour voler hors tout comme le fil de retenue est retiré.

RKS 18.04.2016

CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPPING..........

Christmas Tree Shopping.......

Well we had not intended to just yet...but they seemed to have just arrived at our local Super U store in five huge boxes.

It was Friday and with the week end coming up and Advent just next week they were moving out quickly. Not only that but they had a 10€ reduction from listed price!

It seemed daft to miss the chance.. so true to form we began to choose and find the one we prefered. While paying for the tree and this year...a proper heavy duty plastic tree stand; we suddenly realised that the big car was off the road and we only had out Ford Escort today!

Ah....no problem it is a soft top (convertible or decapotable) the tree would be ok but what about a place for Ruth?

It all worked out fine...Ruth sat in the back for a start but after a mile or two the tree settled down and Ruth could get back in her front seat. We managed to complete the journey before the rain started again but strong "personal central heating" beverages were needed to restore our circulation!

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 Christmas Arbre commercial ....... 

Eh bien, nous avions pas encore l'intention de ... mais ils semblaient avoir tout juste d'arriver à notre magasin Super U local dans cinq boîtes énormes. Il était vendredi et la fin de la semaine à venir et de l'Avent, la semaine prochaine, ils se déplacent rapidement. 

Non seulement cela, mais ils ont eu une réduction de prix affiché 10 €! Il semblait stupide de rater la chance .. si vrai pour former nous avons commencé à choisir et trouver celui nous avons préféré.  

Alors que de payer pour l'arbre et cette année ... un arbre en plastique robuste bon support;  nous avons soudainement réalisé que la grosse voiture était hors de la route et nous avons seulement eu sur Ford Escort aujourd'hui! Ah .... pas de problème, il est une capote (convertible ou decapotable) l'arbre serait ok, mais qu'en est-il une place pour Ruth? 

 Tout fonctionnait bien ... Ruth était assis à l'arrière pour un début, mais après une kilometre ou deux l'arbre installe et Ruth pourrait revenir dans son siège avant.  

Nous avons réussi à terminer le voyage avant que la pluie a commencé à nouveau, mais les

boissons "de chauffage central personnelle" forts étaient 

nécessaires pour restaurer notre circulation!

 

TARZAN..........Not quite!

TARZAN....not quite!  13 July 2015

It was  about 19.30, one minute I was happily working on pergola repairs under our wisteria walk then suddenly I was suspended by my left arm...feet only a couple of feet from the floor  but as I looked at said arm, it gave an unpleasant scrunching noise and changed direction!

Looking up I thought...this never happened to Tarzan!

Dropped to the ground quickly, arm not responding to any signals!  Found Ruth and explained we had to go to hospital pronto!!

Managed to get car out, while she was sorting dogs etc. and sat waiting. No pain yet, but I knew it would be coming.....15 years or so earlier, I dislocated my right arm or rather one of the heavy horses did it for me!!

Made it to Saumur quite quickly..... met nice nurse in admissions bit whose  grandmother lives in Varennes sur Loire and who we do actually know!

“What is the pain like?  Oh  7,  right here are a couple of paracetemol!!!”  

 The French do not like Ibuprofen which really works well for me!

After a couple of goes on intravenous morphine..... they jacked up the dose a trifle and pain level reached 10...speechless by now and it is 10pm.

OK,  x-ray is free now so off for a picture or two to reveal it was just a dislocation, although as the top of my arm was halfway down my ribcage, they had had their doubts!!

One beefy female doctor and two younger girls could not move it so heavy mob called in looking like two prop forwards and the gas man. I did explain to the lady doctor that the last time in UK the male doctor had put his foot on my chest to get sufficient leverage!! She was amused but said she had no intention of placing her foot on my chest!

 It was all over in seconds then and I woke up wearing a huge wrap round gadget resembling half a straight jacket!!

Ruth went off home as they decided to keep me in for the night (it is now almost midnight).

Nice bed in a corridor just outside the treatment room.

Only one disturbance during the night, when two gendarme’s arrived with a lad who looked to be the worse for drugs. They “handcuffed “  his arms to the cot sides of a bed and left!

In the morning, the young lad was sleepy and quiet, but two brawny chaps wheeled him and  his bed away into goodness knows where...certainly not outside!

I had a light breakfast...and Ruth collected me at about 10 am just in time to spruce up for the 14 July celebrations in the town.

Just to say I must have looked a fright arriving in the hospital wearing oldest shorts and oldest gardening shirt and two days beard!

The nurse who found me the bed also found a “wet wipe” face cloth of sorts and did a quick clean up of my knees before allowing me into the bed!  Just like being 5 all over again!

Oh yes, back in town that next morning;  we not only met the nurse’s grandmother....  but her mother as well.

Ends

RKS   July  2015

MANY A SLIP..........

The trouble is that once you have slipped it seems to keep happening, and always on the same injured part!

For falling down steps etc.....we always have 'arnica' tablets handy..little white things in a tube.. they do work wonders for bashes and bangs, stop bruising and pain!! 

Coupled with 'arnica' gel to rub into the damaged area..fantastic results!

Just stretched my left thigh muscle and knee-joint again in garden falling over rough ground and bashing into wheelbarrow only four weeks after skidding on a puddle of mayonnaise that some idiot spilled on the floor at our communal lunch after church....that stretched my left leg into spasms of unbelievable hell!!

Annoying bit at the lunch was, that to stop falling completely, put my right hand out and straight into a pudding!!

It was almost better when......here we go again... been to chemist for 'arnica' reinforcements...some for home and more for camping car excursions!!

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Another eventful trip to France

Another.... eventful trip to France!

The car...a 1993 Escort 1600 ZETEC 16 valve convertible, my Mazda MX5!!

Time...September 2014

It happened at Kirton just outside Boston and only 20 miles or so into the return trip, first stage, to catch the 11pm ferry from Newhaven. I stopped to set up the gps gadget and Alan my passenger for the trip, proclaimed “Look at all that smoke coming from the bonnet!”

Quite quickly he continued, “look at all that smoke coming into the car!”

I must admit it look rather alarming and increasing quickly. I nipped out and without any regard for personal safety raised the bonnet. Yes, lots of smoke but certainly no flame!

Decision time...does one start serious lengthy investigation at the roadside...or does one slam the bonnet down and decide to travel sufficiently fast to keep the smoke out of the car? After all, the engine was still running fine if somewhat lumpy!

Slam the bonnet down won.... and we accelerated rapidly south.

An hour and a half later we stopped on a lay-by on the A14 just before joining the M11. No change....although did not allow the engine to idle and encourage that smoke. Didn’t lift the bonnet either, I am one of those old time types who believe “if you don’t want to know the answer....don’t ask the question!! I did look underneath though and there was no oil or water on the floor!

Food stop over, we took on the last leg of this UK bit and arrived at Newhaven in good time. After joining the traffic queues for the ferry we thought it prudent to cut the engine every time we moved up to the ticket kiosk just in case some bright spark on the ferry staff thought a car pouring oily smoke from the bonnet was not a good idea to put on the next ferry to France!

Finally on the ferry we found a suitable seat and crashed out for a rest and travel with someone else driving and no stress!!

Arriving in France at 4am, checked oil, only seemed normal usage, topped up a bit and decided to use motorway all the way at best possible speed!!

Arrived home close to Saumur half an hour before expected time and flaked out; slept two solid hours before appointment at local wine producer's "open day" and lunch with wine tasting!!

Car did really well, “new” second-hand tyres and wheels bought for the journey and everything else, ran superbly, except that dratted “tick over” sensor that failed 400 miles after leaving home and caused constant stalling at junctions and lights etc!!  Averaged 60 mph from Boston to Home!!

Alan greatly relieved to arrive here in France...at one stage I think he thought he was doomed to abandoning the blazing car somewhere on the side of a French motorway...but courage and confidence in one's machinery came out on top!!