I tried I really did,four trips into town! and I still didn`t manage to get everything!
What do you buy an octagenarian that has everything and appreciates nothing? And is female too? Any suggestions?
So I managed to get there and back relatively unscathed,apart from the sweats and the palputations,I even had to tell myself to breath at one point!One minor ( who am I kidding there is nothing minor about shopping) trip tomorrow on the way home and it should be done! famous last words of course,I shall check tonight what minor things are still needed,write a list ( which I invariably leave at home,lol)and then I can come home Christmas eve safe in the knowledge that all is done and ready.Right??
Ah well,what isn`t done isn`t done!
Apart from the actual going out there thing it hasn`t been too bad a day,I even got chatted up in the supermarket,lol,at least it took my mind off the crowds for a while!
Now it is time to eat,and I really cannot be bothered to cook so have ordered Thai and it is on its way as I type.
So laters!

It is Latin for hello,someone adresses me with it in e-mails,that and other things.Always nice of course.
I am in a confuddled state of mind today,it is the fact that I have the day off and have to brave the shops!!And today I cant buy two things and say sod it I will do it later,there is no later left as I am working from today till teatime christmas eve!!
Oh joy,manic shoppers,doing manic things,it is worse than the January sales at Debenhams ( not that I do the January sales at Debenhams or anywhere else!)It is amazing how I can help others combat thier phobias yet cannot seem to touch mine! I am better than I was,at least I actually go and attempt to shop,the trouble is this town doesn`t have a 24 hour Tesco!
Have you visited your local hospital since the new Triage system was put into place? I am not a regular hospital goer,they tell me this system has been around a while,to help reduce waiting times they said,hahahahaha,not a chance!!It works like this.
You wander ( hobble,limp,crawl,are pushed) into a room full of seats,there is a desk to which you( or the person with you if you are pushed) report,behind the desk are receptionists ( thats what they are called apparently) who normally are sat gossiping about what so-and-so did last night and supping tea/coffee,they look at you and carry right on with thier tale untill it is told!! At which point they wil diegn to wander over to the bit that they are supposed to be at and ask haughtilly if they can help you!! erm no I usually stand here just to admire the scenery!
You explain the reason why you are there ( having already done so on the phone twice and been told you have to attend A&E) You are then asked your name,address,date of birth,and last visit to hospital,now the first three are not a problem ( most of the time) we get to the fourth question and the mind does one of those complete flits! Taking with it every filing cabinet and index box and leaving only dark empty spaces! desperatly hunting the dark empty caverns while she looks at you as if you should be certified, well,she says,yes it is like a well these dark spaces,deep and dark.Give it up for lost and say I have no idea when I last visited! This is met with loud sighs and rolling eyes.She then tells you when you last visited,if she knew why did she ask??
You are then told to take a seat and the Triage nurse whose name you are given,but cannot remember,will see you soon.Start to walk away and are brought back with a " you need this" oh yes of course the 'file' ( piece of paper with your name on)
And so you sit,surrounded by people with far worse injuries than yours! and wondering why the hell you bothered! They are not completly thoughless,your comfort is tantamount to thier well being,the chairs are not the hard plastic type,and there is a TV! Two hours later and the chairs feel just as hard as the plastic ones and you are bored with the one channel that they deign to show! Your nurse appears to have gone on vacation and people have come and gone and come back again.Just as you are about to say sod this I shall go,she appears,the size of two navvies and you know she has been out back sucking lemons!!Into her little room you go," right" she says and reams off all the questions you have just been asked,she decides she will look at the offending injury and you quake as those massive hands reach out to grab your face,absolutlely convinced it will be crushed beyond repair! Ah Nurse Joan turns out to have the softest hands that have ever touched your face,gently she tips it so she can see the offending eye,after ascertaining that you have not rubbed it she gets out the Opthalmascope,and finds that the offending article has gone,the inside of the eye is scratched and will need to be rested and bathed,I could wait and see the doc but he will tell me the same and put a patch on.Nope I have done what I had to do by attending,so can I go,well you should see him really so he can make sure.Erm I have to go back to work,I have already left them two and a half hours.
So Nurse Joan decides that I can go,but if it gets worse I must come back.Yeah right!The new trendy place in town to be,the A&E.
Apparently this is what Triage is,it is the decision of the nurse as to whether you need to see the doc or not!It supposedly cuts down waiting time and allows those that really need it to be seen! Tell that to the guy out there who had been waiting four hours!!
Guess I had better go get dressed and brave the shops!!
If you dont hear from me by suppertime you know they have got me,the mad shoppers!!