Today at intervals between dozing and coping with the side effects of yesterday’s BCG vaccine installation I came close to finishing my reading of Elizabeth Goudge’s ‘The Heart of the Family’ until we enjoyed another of Jackie’s wholesome chicken stewp with fresh crusty rolls.
Hampered Concentration
21st November 2024
After Jackie had de-iced the windscreen, swathed in our warmest garments early this morning we drove into a curtain of ceaseless swirling snow and sleet all the way to Southampton General Hospital for the last of my current spell of BCG vaccine installation, only to be told once we had walked through steady precipitation to the main entrance and up to the Urology Department that I had no appointment today.
I needed to be at my firm persistent best, barely concealing my frustrated anger, to persuade the rather abrupt receptionist to check with the nurses. My appointment, despite my having been sent two reminders for it, was not on the system. Eventually, Fiona, who had been attending to another patient, came out. She of course knew I should have had one and confirmed that, although it wasn’t on their spreadsheet, she would fit me in as soon as she has seen two more people. She did and was most apologetic, as was Anna, who joined in at the end of the smoothly undertaken procedure.
The next step is for the camera to check whether all is well. This will be undertaken probably in the first week of January. I will be sent a date for that. Hopefully.
Our return journey was uneventful, except that the precipitation had turned to slush and snowballs slid from the trees overhead, slapping the windscreen. We regretted not having a camera on board as we observed that we had never seen trees bearing festive flakes and autumn splendour simultaneously.
As my concentration is more than somewhat hampered by the usual urgent after effects of this procedure, I prepared this clutch of culling a couple of days ago:
This picture of Michael & Piper from June 1977 appears in each of https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/22/geoff-austins-shoes/ and https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/30/piper/
These images are survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2012/10/16/cricket-in-the-street/
These pages are survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2014/11/27/teenage-creativity/but since I still have the originals, perhaps they should be deleted.
These pictures were a surprise from https://derrickjknight.com/2014/02/11/sneaky-little-becky/
and these from August 1964 featured in https://derrickjknight.com/2014/01/22/a-link/
So hampered was my concentration that I didn’t actually post this after we enjoyed Jackie’s wholesome chicken stewp and fresh bread
Dump Trip And Forest Drive
This morning we transported eight bags of garden refuse, a rusted sack barrow, and two lidless dustbins surplus to our requirements, to Efford Recycling Centre.
The blue-sky-bright sunshine belied the acute chill in the air as we took a forest drive towards the end of the afternoon.
The postbox outside the eponymously named cottage on Wootton Road sports an Armistice memorial.
Autumn colour lingers along Holmsley Passage where the stream ripples across the larger ford;
along the Bisterne Close woodland fallen leaves and mossy trunks were lit by late shafts of sunlight,
and a bay pony cropped and chewed holly leaves impervious to prickles in her leather-lined jaws.
We were just in time for sunset at Barton on Sea’s Marine Drive East,
where cloud colour was muted when looking east.
This evening we dined on breaded scampi, chips, onion rings, and peas.
Today’s Culling Involving Doctor Who
This is the survivor from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/15/a-chance-meeting/
and two from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/18/a-medicinal-infusion/
These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/19/goose-fat/
Oh, and there was this, too,
and this from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/20/doctor-who/
I spent much of the afternoon reading more of Elizabeth Goudge’s ‘The Heart of the Family’.
This evening we dined on well cooked pork belly chops perked up with Batt’s BBQ peppery seasoning; boiled new potatoes; flavoursome Brussels sprouts; crunchy carrots; tender runner beans and cabbage, with which I finished the Malbec.
Like Mother Like Daughter
Whilst enjoying a break in the rain of a steadily wet day, we transported 16 bags of garden clippings and a broken metal shelf to Efford Recycling Centre early this morning.
When I printed the picture of Jackie drawn by Flo many years ago which appeared on https://derrickjknight.com/2024/11/11/a-phenomenal-drawing/ I did so on some of my late brother Chris’s paper which Frances gave me after he died ten years ago. It was the only one I possessed of the requisite size, 6″ x 4”. Perhaps it was too old because it rapidly discoloured. Jackie bought me some fresh stock and
I printed a new one today. Becky has confirmed that, because of where they were living at the time, she can be certain that our granddaughter was between 4 years 8 months and 5 years 8 months when she made the drawing. She would have been able to write the title herself before she attended school.
This portrait greeted Jackie when she returned from the bar after purchasing the noodles. Flo regarded looking at a model as cheating.
The picture may be worth comparing with Becky’s own
‘Troll in a Storm’ painted when she herself was 6. As far as I remember there is a good drawing of a fish on the back. Like Mother like Daughter.
After drafting this, I continued with Elizabeth Goudge.
This evening we enjoyed another chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice meal with the addition of a plain paratha. The Culinary Queen insists on freezing the rest of the huge potful, so it won’t be repeated tomorrow. I drank more of the Malbec.
The First Camellias
Today the last few of our roses including the pink climber; the light pink Generous Gardener reaching the top of the lopped cypress; pink Festive Jewel and yellow Absolutely Fabulous in the Rose Garden; the Westbrook Arbour red carpet roses representing the three thriving examples of these, cheerfully welcomed
the first of our Camellias.
During the last two days I have returned to making good progress with “The Heart of The Family” by Elizabeth Goodge.
This evening we enjoyed further helpings of Jackie’s flavoursome, aromatic, and colourful chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice meal, with which I drank vino Argentino Bebida Nacional Mendoza Malbec 2022.
Culling And Chicken Jalfrezi
On another post-BCG vaccine procedure rest day I carried out more iMac photos culling.
Here are three survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2012/08/02/reminiscing-with-don/
These from a trip to https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/10/kelsey-park taken in October 1967.
and these from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/12/you-know-what-youve-got/
and from the following day: https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/13/panettone-and-jam-pudding/
This evening we dined on Jackie’s authentic chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice. Pictures can go some way to showing the red-brown sauce with a turmeric-yellow base, but cannot convey the delicious aromas carried into the kitchen by this wonderful meal, with which I finished the merlot.
Coming Back To Life
For the last 48 hours I have experienced, along with the usual post-BCG installation procedure discomfort at Southampton General Hospital, the anticipated flu-like symptoms. By late afternoon I was coming back to life and able to tackle picture library culling.
This set is from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/11/trish/
From https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/12/to-sir-with-love/ I have retained these two images.
More and more I find a museum visit will contain samples from my childhood, as in https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/17/the-workhouse/.
These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2015/01/27/monochrome-portraits/
More from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/24/lovelocks/
Here are the survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/25/twixt-cup-and-lip/
This evening we dined on succulent lemon chicken; boiled new potatoes; firm broccoli; crunchy carrots; and tender green beans, with which I drank more of the Merlot opened about three days ago.
Culling And Not Culling
This morning I underwent the 5th of my BCG vaccine installation procedures at Southampton General Hospital. The usual after effects made it impossible to concentrate on much but I attempted certain amount of culling of photographs, whilst retaining some.
This picture of Matthew and Becky from about 1979 appears in https://derrickjknight.com/2013/06/30/covent-garden-gerard-street/
These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/11/marevna
And these from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/13/the-chiropractors-could-come-in-useful/
I couldn’t face deleting any images from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/09/bound-for-western-australia/
I could only pick at the scrambled egg on toast Jackie provided for my dinner.
A Workroom Behind The Shed
After having cleared the footpath through the Cryptomeria Bed, Martin has now paved the area behind and alongside the garden shed that Jackie had spent some days tidying and levelling, thus providing her with a good working space without tripping over rubbish and requiring mud removal from her shoes. A couple of days ago she disturbed a wasps nest beneath this soil and set about it with a long-handled blunt instrument and effective herbicide. So incensed was one of her enemies that it lodged itself beneath her right spectacles frame leaving enough venom over her cheekbone to produce a very nasty hard lump down that side of her face. It is not so visible now.
The Head Gardener has completed her refurbishment of the planting in front of the garage door trellis with the addition of a basket hanging from the porch roof.
I added pictures of token roses in the form of New Dawn and Festive Jewel.
I didn’t manage much culling today, but this picture, my first entry into digital photography, appears in https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/24/choosing-a-camera/
This is the header from https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/28/dinner-with-the-mayor-2/
In January 1965 I was working in a building that no longer exists on the east end of Westminster Bridge, well able to watch the lengthy queues waiting to view Sir Winston Churchill’s lying in state lined up along the embankment and bridges from 27th to 30th which appear in https://derrickjknight.com/2015/01/24/1000-days/
Having perforce, at least until my cancer treatments are completed, to resort to more medium curries, I enjoyed my first ever king prawn biriani while Jackie chose her favourite ponir shashlik at Rokali’s restaurant this evening. The food and service was as excellent as ever. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Coke.