…not me, not today, not after pushing Mum all the way round Crich Tramway Museum in a wheelchair cunningly disguised as a shopping trolley with all the steering defects one associates with those mechanical contraptions…

Chris got back from his footie long weekend (6 days, yeah, that’s a loooong weekend!!) yesterday, and was still off work today. As it was my day off too, we’d decided we’d take Mum out for the day (the weather forecast was quite decent when we first came up with the idea) - and selected the Tramway Museum as our target.

It’s very good, lots to see and a special tram designed to take wheelchair users. They’ve done their best to make the site wheelchair friendly, but the “easier” pathways still have their fair share of potholes, and quite how I managed to get to the end of the day without tipping her out I don’t know!

However, more importantly, their tea rooms serve The Best Chocolate Cake in the World…Ever!!!

Mum thoroughly enjoyed herself, as did we, so we’re going to do this again - but we might just source a wheelchair somewhere else next time!

I finally gave up all pretence of ignoring the Olympics today, and watched most of the closing/handover ceremony. It was very good, and strangely emotional. London 2012 should be quite something, and I’m already harbouring a plan to go to our capital for my (yikes it will be 43rd) birthday and try and see something of the games.

Yobs and credit crunches aside, it’s nice to feel good about one’s country of birth, and I thank each and every one of our athletes for providing a much needed national morale boost.

Just such a shame our logo for 2012 is so bloody awful!

A rather enforced nothing this morning, woke with very stiff neck/back/shoulders again, so slumped on the sofa with various hot things wedged around and behind me.

I was feeling rather sorry for myself, but then spoke to Chris who told me to just have an easy day, so you know what? That’s exactly what I did. Aside from collecting some eye drops from the vets for Eric, I have done exactly nothing of note today. In fact I’ve spent the vast majority of it reading the new Deric Longden that Paul got me for my birthday (you’re good at taking subtle hints gottle!!!) It’s a looooong time since I read a whole book in one day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Oh, and I accidentally bought a new handbag. Never a wasted day if it involves a smidgen of retail therapy

The above would have come in very useful when I woke up just after 6 this morning, totally unable to move my neck, and very, very stiff and painful right across the top of my shoulders. Guess I was paying the price for being mauled by the NHS yesterday. Driving however, would be interesting.

Luckily, one of the projects I’m in the middle of at work at the moment can be done remotely, so after some hefty painkillers and a couple more hours sleep, I rang m’boss and arranged to work from home today. I’ve never worked from home before, and was pleasantly surprised by actually achieving it, I thought I’d find it hard to knuckle down, but got on pretty well - did everything I wanted to anyway.

One hot shower, lots more painkillers and several applications of microwaved wheatbag later, most of the neck stiffness has subsided, and the pain is under control. An early night (no quiz for me this evening) should do the trick, and I’ll be back behind the wheel tomorrow. Today was an interesting change, but I’m looking forward to talking to people again!

No, this is not another post-birthday paranoid blog about getting older. I have it in writing : I’m old.

This afternoon I had a hospital appointment, a referral for my mostly on/rarely off troublesome shoulder. The consultant did a bit of a double take when I walked in, asked my date of birth and how old I was (first time I’ve had to say 39 out loud!) - then looked back at my notes, and scribbled something down. Turns out there was a typo in my GP’s letter, and he’d been expecting a 68 year old…

Stop laughing at the back there!!!

Anyway, this here shoulder. The good news is, physically it’s actually in good shape. No more bony spurs, no inflamed joints, no need for any further surgery. The bad news? Well, using consultant analagy-speak, whilst my computer (brain) communicates fine with my left side, the programing to my right side is faulty, nothing is moving or working in the right way (hence pain) and nerve messages are getting confused (hence intermittent hot flushes down arm and, more often, a significantly colder right hand). Collectively, it’s called Chronic Pain Syndrome, and the main treatment going forward is physio, physio and more physio - retraining, or reprogramming to keep the computer analagy going, the muscles and brain to do things properly.

Or time to teach an old dog new tricks (thought I’d make the joke before anyone else does!)

For various reasons - human rights, animal rights, environmental concerns and the fact they cost me my job a few years back - I was determined to ignore the Beijing (all pronunciations allowed) Olympics.

Bit darn difficult when we’re doing so blooming well!!! Go Team GB!!!

I am doing a lot better with my resolve to ignore this year’s Big Brother though

Well, back on the bike, cross trainer, weights machines, gym balls and other such instruments of torture - having consumed pretty much my (new) age - in days - in calories over my three day weekend, I have some serious exercise to do!!

Still, Chris is going away for a few days (a footie groundhop), and I always find it easier to eat less then as I don’t have to cook a main meal in the evening, so hopefully it won’t take too much to get back on track - on Friday morning, I was my lowest weight for months, and it took some doing!!

*tries to forget about the leftover muffins and ice cream in the kitchen*

I’ve had a really nice birthday weekend. Friends over yesterday for the afternoon/evening, yummy food, cards, presents - yeah, OK, a bit of sunshine wouldn’t have gone amiss but you can’t have everything! Then out for lunch today with the friends that stayed locally, and the music quiz tonight in Looga Barooga with Paul, who I scooped up from the station this afternoon.

364 days of youth left…

I have been doing vast amounts of emergency housework today, ahead of birthday festivities tomorrow. Although normally very much a “visual” cleaner, today I have hoovered under and behind things too!! Poor house doesn’t know what’s hit it! And I seem to have found enough cat fur to make at least two smallish kittens.

Tonight Chris and I are going out or a meal, and diet be damned, I shall be having pudding - I have definitely burnt off the calories today!

Fourth in tonight’s quiz! Fourth! Not many points separating us and 2nd/3rd, but the winners were streets ahead! Methinks some revision is required!

*digs out Guinness Book of Hit Singles*

Listening to the BBC 6 o’clock news tonight, I did wonder when Beijing started to be pronouned Bay-jing as opposed to Bay-zhing…someone’s been busy amending Auntie’s pronounciation guide methinks…

I was also quite struck by the news article outlining that today’s inflationary figure of 4.4% was a “surprise” - not to anyone who uses petrol or buys food say I - and 4.4% is only the seasonally adjusted figure, if you take out things like tellies and cars, the food inflation figure alone is something like 13%…yikes.

…just in case anyone was alarmed by John’s comment on the previous blog : we didn’t ACTUALLY set fire to the back door, we only NEARLY did. Pouring copious quantities of cold water down the door helped considerably. We did set fire to the ivy on next door’s wall though…

We are T-minus 1 week from my annual birthday bbq, and yet again it looks like it’s going to turn into an indoor grill. Summer seems to have come to an end and there is even the chance of overnight groundfrost in some places next weekend.

Where the bloody hell is global warming when you need it??!!

I must be - I sorted out my savings today to get the best return(sounds impressive, but we’re not talking early retirement here, just rainy day & holiday funds!).

And I had a midday nap.

And I glared at a “yoof” with booming drum & bass in his souped up Vauxhall Corsa.

*wonders when the next audition for Grumpy Old Women is*

Tonight Chris and I enjoyed our weekly “how thick are you feeling” competition - we watched University Challenge. I was brought up on UC in the days of Bamber Gascoigne, and now love Jeremy Paxman as host, even if I still can’t understand half the questions.

Tonight’s score : 6 to me, 9 to Chris. That’s a lot better than we usually do!!

Did you know Woolworths no longer sell CD singles, as of 1 August?

They were the last shop in my little home town that did, so if I want to buy a single I now either have to order online (hmv.com is a great site!), trek into Nottingham, or master technology and learn to download *shudder*

Yes I know it’s the way forward, progress etc etc - but really, can you see tomorrow’s teenages enthusing about “their first download” in the same way you and I rejoiced and still remember the first single we ever bought?

Adam and the Ants / Stand and Deliver - 99p in the Luton Arndale Centre - what’s yours?