Freedom…sort of…

Posted on November 5, 2015 by nicdempsey

Yesterday, I got my stitches out!

My lovely brother drove Ma and me to the hospital and then I finally got to see my foot.IMG_3485As you can see, the operation has made my foot any prettier but it’s so lovely to get the bandage off .

I was expecting that it would be more painful than it is, either I have a high pain threshold (very doubtful) or it’s just healing well. I don’t need painkillers and it only really hurts if I’m on it for too long but I can see that it has really improved over the last 12 days and that should continue over the next 4 weeks.

So all good, with more time on the sofa to read, I really am living my perfect life at the moment!

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What I’ve Read – October 2015

Posted on November 3, 2015 by nicdempsey

Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court – Lucy Worsley (TBR pile)

This was a birthday present from Jo about two years ago and it’s shocking that it’s take me so long to get around to reading it. My knowledge of the early Georgians is sadly lacking and this book did confirm my belief that none of the George’s were very nice. Worsley is far more sympathetic to them than I think I would be able to manage! It was nice to learn more about George II’s reluctant mistress, Henrietta Howard and read about her eventual escape to Marble Hill House, which is quite near me and I’ve been there!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI don’t think it’s going to provoke me into an early Georgian reading frenzy, but it was interesting and I really enjoyed it.

Rock Redemption – Nalini Singh (bought)

More book crack. I didn’t like this as much as the others, I think I just struggled more to get into the story and the characters. I was irritated by them and their silly decisions and the stalker part of the story felt off. Still read it in a day, will still read the next one though!

A Single Kiss – Grace Burrowes (library ebook)

The First Kiss – Grace Burrowes  (library ebook)

Kiss Me Hello – Grace Burrowes   (library ebook)

Grace Burrowes contemporaries which is a departure. Again I read the hell out of them but I didn’t enjoy it as much as her historicals.

Half a King – Joe Abercrombie  (library ebook)

First time I’ve read anything by Joe Abercrombie and I believe this is aimed at a YA audience. I really enjoyed this and promptly put a hold on the next two. At first, I couldn’t work out if this was pretend Vikings or future dystopia and I liked that I couldn’t tell. The world building is strong and I like the hints that horrible things happened in the far distant past (the breaking of God). Yarvi narrates this and I liked him, he wasn’t a hero at all and you can see that the things that saved him in this book are the things that may doom him in the next two. I finished this and went straight into book two.

Half a World – Joe Abercrombie  (library ebook)

Where we see Yarvi from other people’s POV. This book is about Thorn and Brand. The book reads like a saga, lots of life lessons in it. I read this straight through, came to understand Thorn better and again that ‘happy endings’ are not necessarily happy…

The Cinderella Deal – Jennifer Crusie (library ebook)

Quick afternoon read, I didn’t buy it as a story but it hit the spot when I was suffering with cold and didn’t want to think to hard.

The Martian – Andy Weir (library book)

This came recommended by a couple of people and the film came out this month. I wasn’t sure if I’d understand it, it is very technical but strangely readable. I was interested all the way through and it was tense in places, if it was possible to read with my fingers over my eyes, that’s what I would have been doing. I really, really enjoyed it.

Born to Endless Night – Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan (borrowed)

Wool – Hugh Howey (library e-book)

Shift – Hugh Howey (library e-book)

I’m going to take these two together, I really enjoyed Wool, but struggled with Shift. I loved the way Howey creates the world with language. People living in underground silos, see ruined skyscrapers and call them ‘tall silos’. It’s beautiful, showing the lack, the way this culture thinks through it’s language. I will read the next one, Dust but I may need a break as they are pretty depressing. Shift explained the world of Wool but it was harder to get into and understand, it felt more disjointed.

A Kiss for Luck – Grace Burrowes (Kindle TBR list)

A novella and palate cleanser after Wool and Shift. It has all of the charm and all the frustration of a Grace Burrowes book but a great two hour change of pace.

 

 

 

 

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Nephew No 2

Posted on November 2, 2015 by nicdempsey

Nearly 2 months after Joe made his arrival, here are some photos of him. DSCF4914  NewbornDSCF4906All of them DSCF4909Being held very carefully by his big brother.

Joe at a day old was more cooked than Oli, Joe was a bit late, Oli 2 weeks early, the major difference being that Joe’s neck was stronger and he had (for a little bit at least) his eyes open!

The next time I saw him was for Ben’s birthday, just over a month later, he’d gone from 7 to 11lbs and he’s a chilled out little baby, smiled and was quite happy to be passed backwards and forwards.DSCF4958 DSCF4953 Just asleep with Aunty Nic (he was ready for a nap but it’s good to know that I still have the knack and to note that he sleeps with one arm up like Oli did!)DSCF4946 DSCF4959With Grandma!

One of the problems for second babies is that they are always compared to their bigger siblings, it’s easy to say that Joe is a more chilled baby than Oli but actually I think that it’s that everyone is more chilled with Joe, than we were with Oli! Either way he’s a dote and I’m looking forward to December when I get to spend time with both of my nephews!

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Sunday Music: Down Here – Turnpike Troubadours

Posted on November 1, 2015 by nicdempsey

Back in September, I discovered that The Turnpike Troubadours had a new album and I ordered it and then forgot about it. On Thursday night my phone reminded me that the album was downloaded.

Hurrah for new music. The genre of music is technically red dirt but it’s pretty damn country to my ears…

 

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Thankful 2015

Posted on October 31, 2015 by nicdempsey

November is a month I really loathe, it’s dark, cold, often rainy and there are some not so nice anniversaries and it’s when I really struggle as I get seasonally affected. So inspired by Krissie, I’ve spent several Novembers remembering to be thankful, I think it’s a good practice, it’s why I also have the Reasons to be Cheerful posts this year too. Finding the good in your life is a muscle, you only get good if you practice…

My plan is to put up a weekly Thankful post on Saturdays. Fair warning, I’ll be on the sofa for most of November so they might be very boring, they might just be a list, they might be long essays about one of the things I’m thankful about. I don’t know. The marvellous thing about this being my space is that I can do what I like and as I said last year..

…the point of this is to help me quiet the negative noise that my brain defaults to and to shine a light of the good parts of my life that are harder for me to see but are still exactly where I left them…

So on the last day of October, I’m going to I’m going to list everything I’ve been grateful for this week..

  1. The NHS.
  2. Painkillers.
  3. My mother and that she loves me enough to come over and hoover my floor and do laundry.
  4. That I have a job secure enough that I can be off work for six weeks.
  5. Flowers from work.
  6. Friends who come over and bring lunch and small children.
  7. Friends who come over and bring flowers.
  8. Food.
  9. Food that is easy to cook.
  10. Jelly babies.
  11. My brother volunteering to drive me to hospital next week.
  12. That my not being able to walk or stand for longer than five minutes is temporary.
  13. Budgets and knowing how to make one
  14. Phones, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so I feel I’m in touch with people even when I’ve only seen 4 people, 5 if you include the person who delivered the flowers.
  15. Hummus because it doesn’t need to be cooked.
  16. That I made soup before I had the osteotomy.
  17. My bed.
  18. Woolly jumpers.
  19. That the elections in Cote d’Ivoire happened and there was no violence.
  20. Knitting.
  21. Books.
  22. The nephews.
  23. The BBC in general and Radio 4 in particular.

What were you thankful for this week?

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Friday Links

Posted on October 30, 2015 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! I’ve been a shut in this week, I haven’t left the house since I got home from the hospital on Friday, fortunately I have been able to feed and wash myself but mostly I’ve been on the sofa with my food elevated. Here are this week’s links….

On being poor and what the tax credit cuts will do. Seriously, when the Telegraph is running articles like this, the Tory Party needs to rethink it’s policy…

I really hate fancy dress. Yep

20 years since Israel’s innocence was lost. Personally, I think it was way longer than 20 years ago and would argue that most states founded on terrorism, and I include my own in that, can never truly be innocent, but it’s worth reading and true. Leaders have to lead. A solution in Israel has never seemed further away.

Two articles on adult friendships. How Friendships Change in Adulthood and How Housing Choices Affect Adult Friendships. Both are written from an American middle class point of view, neither actually consider that some people never go to uni, I went for a year and didn’t make any lasting friendships there or indeed that some adults don’t get married and have children or live in circumstances that can afford the suburban existence they imagine. However, they are interesting and I’ve been thinking about the topic a lot so worth a read.

 How to make a perfect martini. Is it just an excuse to drink neat gin? Pretty much!

British Drinking Culture. Funny some of that I get, but I’m roughly 10 years older than her, the alcopops fad happened in my early twenties, by the time I was 17 wine at home was something we did but I currently have no gin in the house which is odd whereas growing up, we had gin, actually any kind of spirits, in the house at Christmas and that was about it. Drinking is not a part of my everyday in the way that it is for the author of this piece but that’s more because I’m aware of the damage it can cause and careful. What I have noticed is that I don’t like being told that I can’t drink rather than needing to drink. I’m not drinking while my foot heals because I’ve been told not to and it’s the restriction that needling me rather than the need to drink…

Gin is disgusting and we should stop drinking it. Wrong, wrong, wrong. When I am Queen of the World, people like this will be sent to a small Island in the Hebrides and only allowed to drink Baileys and Advocaat because they have no taste buds.

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Booze Related Presents

Posted on October 29, 2015 by nicdempsey

With some time on my hands and the knowledge that walking is going to be severely limited from now until Christmas and because I can’t drink while I’m recovering, alcohol and the painkillers don’t mix. I’ve been thinking about presents involving alcohol.

This from We Are Paper Plane

Print For Gin Lovers - o come let us adore gin - anniversary or birthday gift for husband, wife, mum, dad, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend

Jewellery from old booze bottles? Sign me up. These bangles would be perfectJameson Irish Whiskey Bangle // Upcycled Recycled Repurposed

I love gin and I think it’s a perfect gift. City of London Distillery have redesigned their bottles, the gin is pretty good too! The one I want to try is the Christopher Wren made with Tom Nichol, who was until recently, in charge at Tanqueray. But if you don’t want to buy liquor, you can always buy someone an experience. COLD has a bar and does tours and you can make your own gin too. COLD aren’t the only places doing tours or making good gin in London though. Sipsmith do them, and I haven’t come across a Sipsmith gin I don’t like! Beefeater opened up it’s distillery last year. Portobello gin has a Ginistute, where you can make your own gin. I love that gin is coming home and London is full of it!20141016-104849-38929897.jpg

While I’m thinking about drinking, Monkey wrote a cocktail book. I have a copy, it’s great, if you know someone who’s just getting into or is already into making their own cocktails at home. This the book for them.IMG_3468

 

 

 

 

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Recovering from surgery…

Posted on October 28, 2015 by nicdempsey

It’s been 5 days since the osteotomy, honestly, I’m surprised by how easy and how difficult it’s been.

First up pain. It is painful, someone cut open my foot, shaved off some bone and moved my toe to a new position. That’s pretty traumatic for my foot. However, the local anesthetic they gave me didn’t wear off fully until Saturday night which got me through the worst of it.

The hospital did give me some good drugs to get me through the initial two weeks, they proved to be a good guide for me because they gave me 30, which is two a day and I can take up to 8 a day if needed. I took some on Sunday and Monday but haven’t since. This is not to say that I am stoic and can take the pain or anything, I am a total wuss about things that hurt, but my foot has hurt for over ten years as the bunion has deformed it and if the pain of it healing isn’t worse than it has been, I’m good. IMG_3455On Friday and Saturday, when the foot was numb, I was doing more than I should, now I think the pain is a good guide to what I should be doing. The pain is worst in the morning, after I’ve washed, got ‘dressed’ and had breakfast, so when I’ve been on it for about 20 minutes! As the advice is to spend the first two weeks resting my foot as much as possible and the pain subsides when I return to the sofa and elevate my foot, the pain is ensuring that I get the rest I need.

I’m able to entertain myself just fine but I miss being able to go for a walk! The worst thing about the rest is that it’s bad for my back! I’ve had to add stretching to things that I need to do and it’s harder to stretch when you can’t put weight on one foot than you would imagine! I’ve spent quite a bit of time lying on the floor with my legs up against the wall!

The hardest thing, and something I didn’t expect, is being reliant on other people. I live alone and I’m fairly self contained, but there is so much that I can’t do! Ma has been a star. She’s hoovered, done laundry, ironing, shopping and gone to the library for me, on top of providing me with Jelly Babies, I know other people think they have the best mothers but you’re wrong, I do!IMG_3465Kathy visited on Monday, with lunch and her eldest, which was fantastic, we made a bracelet, beads chosen by a 4 year old!IMG_3456 Sarah is going to come and see me on Friday and Ben is going to take me to the hospital when I go to have my stitches out on 4 November. I am so lucky to have all these people around me, but I’m not used to asking for help. Yesterday, as I lay on the sofa, and Ma washed up, hung laundry and did some hand washing, I did point out that this is against everything I was raised to be, I was brought up to do this stuff not expect my mother to do it for me! It’s odd, to have Ma do things for me that she hasn’t done since I was a child, like wash my hair, I’m out of the habit of being dependent and it’s taking some adjustment!

One of the things that is really driving me nuts, is the bandage, I want it off my foot. I’ve got another 8 days before the stitches come out and I can see my foot and maybe have a shower.

Roll on November!

 

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Life Happened – Limping Lily

Posted on October 25, 2015 by nicdempsey

So this week, was all about Friday, when I had a bunion operation.

It was the first time I’d ever had a general anesthetic and luckily I had no issues, honestly, I woke up feeling really good, like I’d had the best sleep ever! The nurse commented that I was really perky and alert, there’s a first time for everything!

Anyhow, how the local anesthetic on my foot has entirely worn off, I’m feeling a bit more fragile than I did on Friday and I’ll be mostly on the sofa for the next couple of weeks and my foot is all very ouch..

Ma is calling me ‘limping Lily’ which isn’t very nice but as she spent a significant portion of Saturday morning hoovering my flat and is generally looking after me, I’ll allow it! I’m aware of how lucky I am to have people around me looking after me, Ma, Ben who is going to take me for my check up in November, Kathy and Adam who have offered food and coming around to put the rubbish out and my other friends who have offered help, company and have just generally been lovely.

So I’m going to spent most of this week on the sofa, feeling grateful for my family and friends.. oh and the NHS…

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Friday Links

Posted on October 23, 2015 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! Although, I’ve only been at work for two days of it. I’ve been missing in action the past couple of weeks, a combination of head cold, tiredness and wanting to read all the things. Today, I’m at the hospital to have my foot fixed and I’ll be confined to indoors for a while and the plan is to be off work for the next six weeks, which is both exciting and daunting..

Here are this weeks links.

Food banks have become a lifeline for many, but where is the way out? I know I bang on about housing and poverty a lot. That’s because there’s a lot of it about..

Eldest children, IQ and personality. I don’t believe it.

Irish parents fight for access to education.

Too much choice can be a bad thing. Sing it…

Dressing like Cookie to overcome imposter syndrome. This is a great article, I have imposter syndrome, I always thought it was just being English!

Mark Thomas says what the entire country that isn’t Tory govt is thinking about China and Britain.

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