Jambo

I received just the one letter advising me of both the pre-op and the date of admission for the operation itself. They were two weeks apart but in the middle of the pre-op on a Friday I was offered a cancellation for the next Tuesday. I was very pleased to accept the offer.

Sunday: 19 days after my Hip replacement. Finally the symptoms of my Covid bout are in retreat. Four very unpleasant days and nights with a streaming nose, sneezing and coughs. Feeling much better today. Rightly, or wrongly, I kept up with my daily walks. It was good to get some fresh air and I avoided getting anywhere near people I encountered on the way. I religiously complete the full set of set exercises each day but there is little doubt that walking is the best form of exercise. I am now walking normally without any pain or a limp but I need to build up basic fitness. Keep walking. I think I mentioned somewhere that it is sometime before I can undertake a long hall flight due to the risk of blood clots. There is nothing to stop me going short haul (less than 4 hours) so I am off to Spain for 9 nights in just under 4 weeks. No problem arranging Travel/Medical insurance. I declared I had a hip Replacement operation and that I am not on any prescription medications ( as agreed with my GP on 15 September) other than blood thinners which cease 4 days before I fly. The cost for the trip 68 pounds which was much less than I expected. On thing is for absolute certain. I am not going to go down with covid like I did 18 months ago. I am going back because I felt so cheated the last time.

Well here we go again! Arsenal vs that team who forever will live in the shade of their illustrious North London rivals. Very confident we will do them today. Two for Jesus; one for Saka.

I have only been scammed once in Thailand....................twice if you count Lek running off with my Yamaha. I booked two return flights to the UK for Sai and I at a total cost of 70K baht at a travel agent in Pattaya Tai used several times previously. Received what appeared to be all the correct booking documentation. Visited a week or so later expecting to collect the flight tickets themselves to find the shop shut. For good, as it turned out. They took my money knowing full well they were going out of business. Since then I have always booked flights direct with the Airline.

I agree with that recommendation. Pattaya International wanted me in to operate on my left knee. I went To Bhumrangrad for a second opinion and the Consultant advised me that it would be about 10 years before I would need any operation. The last time I saw Dr. Oliver I had to display my dick to him. After a close look he pronounced "Yeast infection" and charged me 800 baht for a 60baht tube of Canestan cream. 🤣 Quite a relief really as I had been away with the usual suspects to AC. Low risk from BJ's but you never know.

I cannot stop sneezing. No wonder covid gets spread around. I am isolating but I must somehow keep up the walking practice.

Wednesday; 15 days after my Hip Replacement operation Yesterday I mentioned a cough that came on and my walk to the local Pharmacist for some cough medicine. I was coughing on and off most of the night and managed very little sleep. At about 05:00 am I felt really hot and I had a headache. Oh no I thought! You could not make this up. Next to my bed on a shelf was my last remaining Covid test kit left over from when I had covid about 18 months ago. I looked at the date on it and it stated not to use after December 2023. Took the test.........Positive. I was hoping it was no longer accurate so at 9:15 I telephoned my usual Pharmacist who have been delivering my prescription medications. I asked if they could deliver a box of test kits today which they said was no problem and they delivered at 11:00am. How was that for service. Took another test and that was positive as well. My symptoms are no worse than a streaming cold but it is a pain in the arse and I gave my walk a miss today. Had a good rest but I did complete my full range of designated exercises. Going to have to isolate at least through the weekend.

Tuesday: 14 Days after my hip replacement Operation The district nurse came early today to change my dressing except when she took the old one off she found the wound was completely healed so no new one needed. She made me laugh when she said " You didn't get this done at the Jubilee (Glasgow) did you?" "No at the Royal (Edinburgh) " says I "I thought so. The ones done at the Jubilee always fall off!" 😄 (There is s certain class of Edinburgh folk who look down on "Weegies" i.e anybody who lives to the west of Edinburgh Airport. 😉 I worked for a year in Glasgow and they made this "English bastard" ( term of endearment) very welcome.) Good day for me. I walked into Town this morning and had a grossly overpriced cappuccino in "Dnisi" . About 12 minutes to Town but a good 15 minutes return because it is 75% up hill. Does not sound like a lot but 15 days ago I virtually could not walk at all. The Hospital (NHS) handbook says to take an hour's rest each day which I welcomed. After that I did my complete series of 10 set exercises which I can now do in there entirety. I think I have a cold developing with a tickly cough. So I had my second walk of the day to the local pharmacy which recently changed ownership after a terrible reputation. I left with some cough medicine and they must be trying to attract back customers as the lady Pharmacist put it though as if it was on prescription which meant it was free. A little tiring but no pain other than what one would expect from muscles learning about exercise again. A good day.

My God! They both are huge fish but that common is a monster. In my lifetime I am sure that mirror carp alone would have been a UK record. My respect!

I start off my week by cooking one and sometimes two packs of streaky bacon in my Air Fryer. I cook them until they are crispy. I break them up and they go into a tub in the fridge. I do similar with a kilo or so of chicken wings. Half a dozen eggs go in a steamer and they go in the fridge. I cook more eggs if required. The above forms the basis in various forms for my literal "break fast" meal at 10:00 am for 4/ 5 days alternated with smoked haddock, scrambled eggs or, what I had this morning, being kippers. Occasionally they would do for an afternoon snack but as a very small portion. Tonight I had five lamb chops cooked in the Air Fryer. Currently In my fridge or freezer are two ribeye steaks, four pork chops, fresh salmon steaks, cod fillets and smoked salmon/king prawns. The above forms the basis for my second meal for the rest of this week which I have to eat by 6pm as I do not eat again until 10:00am the next day. No fruit/No vegetables 🤣 I drink lots of water and up to a maximum of two coffees a day with double cream NOT milk. I am sure many would be aghast at the above. I feel really healthy. I never feel hungry and in the five months I have been on this diet I have averaged losing just over a kilo a week. It works for me.

Well done! Keep it up as if I can stick to a diet everybody can. My original goal was to get below 90kgs by the 13 October being six months on the diet. To date I have lost 22 of the 26 kgs to achieve that so 4kgs to go. I have decided to amend that by making it 5 kgs still to go when I will revert to a more healthy low carb diet reintroducing appropriate fruit and veg. When I achieve that ( I am back after the short break on the carnivore/fasting plan) I will weigh in at 13st 12lb in old money. That will be just 5lb above my ideal football playing weight of 13st 7lb which never altered for 10 years or more. I am absolutely certain that the key to me successfully losing weight is that I totally only eat food that I enjoy. I don't have to count carbs because 95% of what I eat has none! The only supplement I take is electrolytes dissolved in my water cooler. I am probably boring members by my repetitive posts on this subject but it helps me focus on the overall goal. I am determined I am not going to fail.😃

I absolutely hate it when I start hearing a cover version of a song I consider a classic. Total sacrilege!

From the first day I moved to Thailand I adopted a personal policy that if Thailand decided to make it impossible to continue to live in Thailand it would not hurt me too much financially. On my second day in Thailand Lek (aka The Knifefighter) was very useful helping me to purchase a brand new Yamaha scooter. It was sometime later that I discovered she had registered it in her name which meant when she eventually stole it.......she didn't..... ! I had watched her put it in her name without realizing that was what she was doing !!!! What a dickhead!

I will have to revert to trips in future. Spring next year for a month, Pattaya and 'Up Country", then repeat in November. Well that is the plan.

Yes, I know that is a risk. I finish my course of blood thinners the day before I fly and I have paid for extra leg room seats in the first row on the flights. Every hour I will stand for 10 minutes and walk around if that is possible. f**k it! I feel like I have wasted the last 18 months and I intend to make the most of the time I have left. The up side is that being stuck in at home it has been difficult to spend much money so my holiday fund is looking very healthy. Every month I buy some more premium bonds. I am even showing a modest profit in my Sky Bet account over the last 12 months. Too much time on my hands.

Flying to Clark was a godsend compared to Manila and that awful traffic jam of a journey by taxi.

I have to wait some time before I am allowed to take a long haul flight of over 4 hours duration. Aiming for Spring next year for a month in Thailand. I have friends, a loved one and 4 dogs I am missing. Nothing to stop me jumping on a short haul flight to Spain and completing the trip I cut short 18 months ago when I went down with covid after 4 days. I was limping then but blissfully ignorant of the pain to come. Booked it today. 🤣 Supposed to be still warm and sunny in October where I am going. Four weeks of exercises to build up my general fitness before going. I am walking fine and off ALL medications other than completing blood thinners.

My problem was somewhat the opposite to reducing the deposit by 400K. Every year I renewed my Retirement Visa with 800K in the bank except it was always in joint names. ( required my signature for withdrawals). I had no idea that was not in the rules because every year they accepted the bank deposit without comment. I even visited Immigration a week before the final renewal to clarify whether I had to get the supporting letter from the bank on the actual day of renewal. On the actual day of renewal I handed over all my documentation only to be told "You will need a further 400K in the bank in your name as joint deposit not acceptable." I replied "I actually spoke to you a week ago and you said that was fine." He ignored that and replied "You will have to apply for an extension TODAY (Go to desk ...) and THEN move money into one account in you name." Then he said "Why you not use an Agent?" He wanted me to use an Agent. I was still in shock from the renewal not going smoothly so I missed the significance and the easy way out there and then. Instead I spent half a day getting the extension and then going to the bank to unscramble the deposit. I was so pissed off I went to see Secrets Accountant a couple of days later with my passport and it was returned in two days all stamped up. Apparently they had been quite amused at Immigration when they saw the temporary extension. A new way to hassle the farlang. I hated going to Immigration from the very day of my first renewal when that mincing iron hoof Officer returned my Passport by throwing it to me across the desk so it fell on the floor.

When my GP came out of his room and announced my name to the waiting room I quite deliberately left my cane with my daughter and walked towards him and into his room without the trace of a limp. I was being a bit naughty. He was not my usual GP but the senior Partner to whom the Royal Hospital sent a detailed letter at the time of my discharge. He obviously had been reading my notes but looked a bit puzzled and made a point of studying the wall calendar. I laughed and said "Not bad for 10 days after my operation." "Indeed" he said "I was just checking the date of your operation" Anyway, he was more than happy to agree that with immediate effect I was to cease co-codamol, Etoricoxib and Omeprazole which is what I wanted to hear. Apart from anything else, co-codamol makes one constipated. The little green tablets I take to counter that give one the galloping shites. It will be good to get back to normality. 😊

I ceased the 800K after they moved the goal posts and stitched me up at Immigration. Could not be bothered with all the hassle any more and let Secrets accountant do the renewal for a flat fee. A little bit more expensive than the Agents in Town but guaranteed service and hassle free.

Friday - Day 10 following my hip replacement Op A really good day yesterday. I managed to complete my full range of ten designated exercises each one with the total number of recommended repetitions. Some muscle ache this morning but that is to be expected. Did a somewhat extended walk both in the morning and afternoon. I can do this without a limp, no additional pain and although I took one walking cane I only used it when going uphill/downhill for insurance. Where I stay is hills everywhere including in the "condo's" garden. I ca n walk fine but I need to rebuild my general fitness. On the way back I called into Mo's general store and left with a Magnum. Sat on the wall opposite in the sunshine and enjoyed my diet busting indulgence. Went on the scales this morning and discovered that in the two weeks since my diet went somewhat on the back burner I had still somehow managed to have a total weight loss of exactly 22 kilos. Four more kilos to go to hit my target loss of 26 Kilos by the 13th October. Or put another way, 26 Kilos in 26 weeks. Seeing my GP this morning. I intend to tell him I wish to completely end all my current medications and that I took my last co-codamol opioid yesterday. My pain is minimal as the wound heals and my muscles get used to exercising once again.

To Wrap, or not to wrap? That is the question. Never, ever orally speaking.

I must admit that prior to my operation when I was at my lowest ebb I consulted a "faith healer" along with my mate John who has has a terrible stutter. We made our financial contribution and entered the faith healer's inner sanctum. He muttered some kind of prayer and then in a loud voice said "Danny, throw away you crutches" I threw away my crutches. "John, John my son. Speak to me!" "Ddddddddddddddddddddddddannyy's faaalllleeeeen over!

Aged 17, my first car was a "sit up and beg" Ford Popular. It cost me 25 pounds and was written off on Boxing Day by a drunk driver whilst parked round the corner from my house. I passed my driving test in it having put the L Plates on it outside the test center. The Policeman who told me the good news offered me a tenner for the wheels/tires. A month later I received 35 pounds as full settlement of my insurance claim. Those were the days.

Mt daughter loves football and used to have a season ticket next to me at the Villa. She, like me, is English and will be cheering for England. Her son, my 11 year old Grandson is a Scot. My daughter told me Morgan was with all his mates cheering on Scotland and expecting to win. "Good luck with that says I to his mum." At half time, with England 2 up, I sent the following message to Morgan "Scotland, Scotland whats the score Scotland , whats then score?" His reply, to his Grandad, was unbelievably insulting but fair banter in footy terms. Five minutes after full time he sends me a message challenging me to a Scotland vs England race. Nothing like putting the odds in his favor given my new hip 8 days ago! 😆