Snowfolk

Martha spends Thursdays with Hannah at present while Evie continues her task of training Bert to obey her every command. I do miss Martha and am looking forward to having her again after mid-term. Today they made snowfolk. It's been a while since I've engaged in this activity and I was a bit cheesed off to see that Hannah and Martha's snowman is rather better than Evie's and mine.

I worried about it for a while, worried that competitiveness is not a pleasant trait in a grandmother but I cannot help it. Our Springhill snowlady looks wishy-washy compared to the Ballymena snowman. Actually he looks like a snow bishop with his hat, jewel buttons and his fur collar. Yes. I am watching Wolf Hall too.

Good News! I have a date for my cataract surgery in three weeks time. I am really looking forward to getting it done.

And another thing - the snow in Ballymena must have been of better quality than ours. Yes. That's what it was. We had inferior snow.

December Daily Post, No. 29

I was a patient patient today and Cousin Margaret was a patient patient supporter. For today was the day of my follow up appointment after my eye infection crisis.

Rather than be late for my date with the doctor we ended up being more than an hour early so we had morning coffee and scones in the Europa Hotel. It was sweet to be sitting in the Piano Bar watching and looking out at Robinson's and the Crown Bar. Belfast looked beautiful today.  

The day had not started well. There had been a very tight frost during the night and on my way out the door this morning to feed the hens I slipped on ice and fell on the broad of my back. I was looking at the bright blue sky before I had time to tense up and that was a good thing. I must have been shaken up still when I went into the henhouse for the damn rooster saw my defences were down and attacked me. The weight of him as he flies into you! I'm sure he'll make a delicious and hearty broth some of these days.

But it could have been worse. Poor Cousin Raymond was helping his daughter move house and he slipped on ice while he was carrying a washing machine. The washing machine fell on top of him. Apparently he is OK, still helping with the flit.

The doctor at the Royal Victoria Hospital told me that the infection in my left eye lingers on and I'll need to take another four week course of steroid drops. It seems it was a herpes infection and that I was lucky it was caught it at an early stage. Better news is that I am now on the waiting list for the cataract operation on my right eye and, in the meantime, I can continue to drive.

I'd Rather (Not) Go Blind

For a while now I haven't been able to enjoy looking at the heavens. Even on the clearest night the stars would not stay still for me. When buzzards flew above this house, which they often do, I've not been able to see them as sharply as previously. Looking into the distance seemed to strain my eyes. Using binoculars did not help. I couldn't get them to focus. Maybe it was time to get stronger spectacles?

Yesterday while driving into town I thought my glasses were fogged over and, while stopped at traffic lights, cleaned them. I picked up Hannah and on the way home it felt as if my lens was dirty. I knew it wasn't. I closed my left eye and all was fogged, closed the right, could see clearly. Closed the left again and it was as if my lens was smeared with Vaseline. I made an appointment with my optician when I got home and saw her today. I have a well advanced cataract in my right eye. A year's wait for free treatment. I'm not sure what to do.

Only the other day I was thinking that the quality of recent photographs had deteriorated. No wonder! I've been using a half blind eye to focus them.

When I left the optician I felt so sorry for myself. Ten pounds heavier than I was, penniless, going blind, sore achey shoulders, getting old. I had to give myself a mental shake. Sure if I lived a hundred years ago there wouldn't even be any treatments, never mind free treatments! I have options. I spent the rest of the day rooting up sunflowers, preparing my garlic bed and chatting to the younger generation. And the younger generation told me that their grannies have all had cataract operations and are doing just fine.