Hi chums, Paul here

Jenny’s asked me to drop in and let you know she’s having technology problems. Blog access is one of the things that’s gone, and she doesn’t anticipate having it sorted until they get back from hols.

So now you know.  If I hear anything from them while they’re away, I’ll let you know.

Just back from the vets, and I’m afraid it’s not great news…

Harry has severe, advanced heart disease. Because it’s currently being complicated by his respiratory infection, they can’t yet say if he’s in heart failure, but the x-ray showed his heart is 50% bigger than it should be, and the scan showed his heart muscle walls are measuring 8.5mm in places (under 6mm is normal, over 8mm is serious).

I have to monitor his breathing over the next few days, dose him with the diuretics they’ve given me and some tablets that will help regulate the blood flow in his heart. He has a follow up appointment next week, when, if the fluid has reduced enough, they’ll start him on beta-blockers. Assuming we get through all this, they’ll repeat heart scans every three months. Worse case scenario is we might not even still have him in three months…

I made it back to work today, did a 10-4 which was about enough! There’s a lot to catch up on, so I’ve traded my day of this week to work three more 6 hour days which is the same number of hours overall, but easier to manage.

Harry, however, is still one very poorly puddy tat. They detected a heart murmur when they checked him over last night, which hasn’t been apparent before, so as well as more antibiotics and anti inflammatories, he’s booked in for a heart scan and chest x-ray on Friday. He’s hardly eating anything, and has to be prompted to drink. We’re pretty worried

Whatever this is, it ain’t fun. Today is the first day I’ve managed to stay out of bed for a few hours. Admittedly curled up on the sofa in a dressing gown with the curtains closed isn’t much of a departure from bed, but I later managed a bath and something proper to eat - my first meal in a week. You won’t be surprised to learn I’m not back at work tomorrow, but am aiming for a short day Tuesday. Poor little Harry isn’t well either, he has an upper respiratory infection and has been pumped full of antibiotics. He’s not eating much and Chris has to take him back to the vets tomorrow. What a sickly household!

Well, I don’t know. But I have been in bed since Monday, coughing, hacking and aching for England. And having been assessed online, Chris now has a reference number with which to collect me a course of anti virals. Blah

Insurance renewal time. Two claims in the last 3 years. Ouch. Still, after a bit of internetting (all comparison websites are crap. 100% true fcat) and some ringing around, not as ouch as the initial renewal premium which came through and nearly made my eyes water. But ouch enough

To resolve a mother/daughter dispute at the weekend* - over when the former had had her pulmonary embolism - I had to provide documentary evidence to support my answer, which involved digging out all my old diaries. I subsequently spent some time flicking through them…

…wow. 2007 really was a bad year…you can barely see paper on many of the pages, there’s that many things to do, reminders, appointments etc scribbled in. Is it really any wonder I ended up in hospital?

On a more postive note, I recently took one of those life expectancy tests. This is relevant (honest!) because I remember taking one sometime during the Year of Hell and being mildly surprised that I was still breathing, the rate at which my virtual remaining years decreased when I input my stress and anxiety scores. This time around, I am please to report I’m 4.5 years younger than I actually am (YAY!!! I’M STILL IN MY 30’s!!!), and should expect to live until shortly after my 80th birthday. That’s no longer as frightening prospect as it once would have seemed…

* yes of course I was right, did you ever really doubt it LOL!

First acupuncture session today, first of a course of six treatments. I had a total of 11 needles stuck in my back/neck plus one in each hand. I was warned that I may well ache more after each treatment, and boy they were right. I feel like I’ve been kicked by several mean spirited donkeys. Only time will tell if this will have any effect on my back/neck/shoulder pain, and at this precise moment it’s very hard to believe that it will!!

Now I’m not promising anything, because if you know me AT ALL you’ll know that I can’t upload pictures and am almost as rubbish at links - but if you copy & paste this, you should see Harry

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42833089@N04/3948041609/in/set-72157622441368142/

Who is currently dividing his time between behind the bookcase and exploring the sitting room. We have also had bouts of purring on laps and scoffing Whiskas milk. Harry’s settling in just fine!

The rest of the cats are extremely indignant at our having the sitting room door shut, particularly as we’re the other side of it! Limited introductions will take place later this evening, and Mum will meet Harry for the first time this afternoon - she knows nothing about our getting him, but is going to be offered a share in him!

We seem to have got ourselves a new cat!

Met him at the vets last night whilst collecting a bag of food. He was brought in a stray by the Cats Protection League, had been left by his owners who emmigrated and was being fed by a neighbour… (grrr! - don’t get me started!!)

Now I’ve always wanted a ginger & white called Harry. And when I heard this poor chap (who’s somewhere between 8 and 10 and therefore not so easy to re-home) was a ginger and white, well I had to at least meet him…

Then this evening Chris came to meet him, alongwith Button. We know from previous introductions that Pickle would hate him on site and Eric would be fine, and as part of the wish to have a fourth cat was to give Button a buddy since the other two chummed up, we took her along to test the waters.

The waters are not deep and stormy, but nor are they shallow and tinkly. We were all four in a room for about an hour, there was a little hissing and growling, but not as much as I might have anticipated. So we took a deep breath and nodded at each other.

Harry joins his new family this Sunday!

Flippin’ ‘eck, where did that last week go? I know I was on a hectic schedule, but still…

Anyways, did Austin and personally take credit for ending one of the longest droughts they’d had for 50 years, as it DID NOT STOP RAINING (but was still bloody hot and humid!) - I experienced a traditional American shopping mall where I bought some jeans (I like America, I’m a size 12 in America!), corn bread (which is gorgeous!) and Mexican food (OK when made without all the hot & spicy stuff, but the refried beans were NOT a hit!), then onto San Diego (hurrah for sunshine!) where I paddled in the Pacific, ate yet more yummy food and spent far too much money on souvenirs and presents. I somehow wangled an upgrade on my way back to New York, shame it was only for the first of two flights, but can I just say First Class really *is* the only way to travel!! Roll on that lottery win… Got picked up from Heathrow by Chris, talked the poor man’s ears off on the drive home, sat up playing with the cats til 2am and then promptly slept til 4 this afternoon!!! Ain’t jet lag great!!

In total, I think I’ve met over 40 of my Daily Kitten friends, who were in every case as nice in person as they are on screen, and they have all been invited to come and stay with me if they come to the UK. We may need a bigger house…

One week into my trip to the States, and all is going swimmingly - if a little crazily!

The object of the exercise is to meet as many friends as possible that I’ve made through dailykitten.com, and so far I’ve done New York City, Long Island, Chicago and Cleveland! Sightseeing is limited by limited time at each stop, but I’ve managed some quiet time at Ground Zero, walking over Brooklyn Bridge, gawping at Times Square, a mini cruise around Long Island Sound and an architectural cruise around Chicago. More importantly, there has been much merrymaking, chatting, and consumption of fabulous puddings, so all in all a damn good trip so far!

There will be pictures…

I’m off to the good ol’ US of A for two weeks - courtesy of my wonderful husband, who’s given me this trip as a F-word birthday present…and as a fringe benefit, gets to go to as much football as he wants in the next 14 days!!!

See y’all!!

In Asda today, buying some stationery type stuff for work, including some coloured folders.

Check out lady asks me if they’re for college. College! I look young enough for college!

This is the second supermarket incident to make my day in less than a week!!

(first person to mutter the phrase “mature student” gets cyber twatted)

Those of you who have actually met me, will know that I am a tad vertically challenged. Standing just 5′ and a squidgy bit (never underestimate the importance of a squidgy bit) in my socked feet, even heels only propel me to the dizzy heights of 5′ 3″ ish.

So just imagine my sheer delight this afternoon in Asda, to be smiled at by a really tiny little old lady, and asked if I could reach something down for her.

I told her she made my day!!!

I have had the most FANTASTIC birthday weekend - it’s more than eased the f-word pain

I had a wonderful party last night, full of good friends, and vodka, and nice people, and vodka, and a yummy buffet, and vodka…and a DJ who quite happily played some stuff that I’d taken in amongst the party classics. Did I mention the vodka?

So that was great (even the weather held this year, first dry birthday for 5 years!!), and I didn’t have a hangover this morning. I just ached!! Lunch was with the usual gang, less John and Marie (you were missed!) and as the Birthday Girl got free grub (superb offer Mr Pub, thank you), I indulged to the max, including a scrumptious share chocolate/raspberry ice cream creation with Chris. Nom nom nom nom!!! I have spent the afternoon on the sofa recovering!

And here’s the best bit - aside from Chris and Mum, I’d imposed a presents imbargo this year, asking instead for donations towards that wonderful cats’ hospice I visited with Mum just after we lost Bones. I’ve just counted up - we raised 205 squids which is just absolutely bloody brilliant, thank you to all those involved. And I get to go visit the cats again - yay!!

Maybe 40 isn’t so bad…it’s certainly started out pretty well!

Aaaaarrrrggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s one for the more mechanically minded of you - and let’s face it, having only relatively recently come to appreciate tyre pressures and engine coolant, pretty much ANYONE is more mechanically minded than me! Since I’ve had Minifer back, I have noticed an improvement in fuel consumption of between 10-15%. Considering the damage - to recap, two knackered wheels, knackered steering rack, damaged front suspension - does that make sense to anyone? Not that I’m complaining!!!

I actually made it to Church this morning, partly by accident (I’d gone to meet someone at the end of the service, only to find August ones have a later start this year), and was more than a little infuriated by a notice from the Diocese of Derby on the board outside about flu pandemic precautions.

Restrictions included - no passing the chalice, and no shaking hands during the peace.

Am I alone in thinking all these precautions and palava are totally over the top? We don’t do this for *normal* flu, which kills many more people, it just seems like a totally disproportionate response and waste of public money.

I wasn’t impressed. I protested by hugging several of my favourite parishioners.