Sunday 16 November 2014

Is it really three years ?

I find it hard to believe that its been over 3 years since my first operation. Life is very different now - every day is a good day, every day is a plus so we make the most of every day, without being overly ambitious.
We have settled into retirement ( in a fashion ) fairly well. We make a point of going away for at least a week every month during the summer months. This summer has been superb, of the 50 plus nights we have been away we have had only a few wet days.We have visited North Yorkshire,Devon,Cornwall,Gloucestershire,Hertfordshire,Derbyshire,Cambridgeshire,Kent and Suffolk during the summer, lots of travelling but well worth it. It takes time to appreciate the variations in the countryside.I had a week ski-ing on the Italian/French border with Dan,Simon & Becky and Beckys brother in January taking in parts of the 2006 Olympic downhill run (at a slightly more sedate pace !!).
The Golf continues to frustrate, I've had a few good days ( runner-up in the winter eclectic ) with a couple of weekly wins and places ; but it all went to pot in June and is only just coming back into something like decent form
I've had a decent season umpiring cricket , I dont bother checking my marks but I know that whilst I'm being allocated to a decent standard, I must be doing something right. I refuse to stand up to the stumps as I know my reactions are not quite as quick as they were but no one objects.
I keep visiting Sincil Bank ( home of Lincoln City ) more in hope than expectation, but after watching the football there for over 50 years I can hardly not go now, just when they are on the cusp of ........ ( how many times have I said that ). On occasions, I'll go to White Hart Lane to watch Tottenham and down the road to Gainsborough to watch Trinity in Conference North - I dont care about the standard - football is football.
On a more exciting front, I am going to become a Grandad in December and, within a week of Dan and Hannah giving us their news, Simon told me he was giving up his job to learn to fly aircraft - he's now in the third month of a 20 month course.
On the health front, all is going well. I had a little scare in May when I had a growth on one of my steel posts but after a biopsy, it turned out to be nothing of concern. I continue to go to Queen Elizabeths Hosp. in Birmingham to see Mr.Palmar every 3 or 4 months for a check up, the odd X-ray and a general update to find out which country my pictures/videos/x-rays have visited - pity I cant go with them !  The dental surgeon is very pleased with the way that the implants have settled and now only wants to see me every 6 months ,which may go to once a year after my next visit.
So thats about it, 3 years on, I look very much like I did before the op. The minor problems I have are merely because there is no feeling in the jaw but ,on the plus side, where there is no feeling, there is no pain.I have learned how to eat and drink without spilling ( most of the time ) and my speech is now back to normal - I have no qualms about public speaking , last Wednesday nights effort at a West Lindsey planning meeting was videoed and published on their website. Nearly back to my best.
I'll blog again, just dont know when.
Enjoy every day
Chris