From Bad To Worse

Track of the day - Partlife - Prince Edward Island.



Things go from bad to worse. I've now got camera shake.

Never mind I'll probably feel a lot better when today's cricket, rugby and soccer results are in.

The good News Is

Track of the day - Partlife - Prince Edward Island.

A very friendly little guy tested my hearing this afternoon.
The good news is that my hearing in both ears is almost normal.
The bad news is 'almost normal' means 30% below normal for sounds round about the 250hz range. By 500hz I'm operating at 50% below normal and that reduces to 70% below normal everywhere else.
70% below normal! No wonder I can't hear the front door bell or the phone. I'm surprised I can hear anything.

Anyway the friendly little testing guy made impressions of both my ears in preparation for two digital hearing aids and wants me to see an ear nose and throat specialist.
I am now feeling even more miserable than I was after my trip to the Hole in the Ground bar.

Meanwhile the frogs and toads in the pond are croaking out their Spring mating calls. I can hear them so they must be croaking at somewhere round the 250hz mark.

A Pint Or Two Before Bed

Track of the day - Partlife - Prince Edward Island.

It may be a sign that Spring will soon be with us or it might be that I'm feverish but this picture reminds me of some strange dreams I've been having recently.
You see I've spent the last two days feeling off colour, under the weather, one degree under and liverish.
I have no one to blame for this sorry state of affairs but myself.
I really should have known better than to trot along to the Hole in the Ground bar for a pint or two before bed. But as I've only been in the damn place about five times in the last twelve months I felt a sudden urge to support local endeavour.
Should have been safe enough. The last disaster of an absentee manager departed to add much needed umph and zing to the social life of some unsuspecting part of the USA, so I thought it would ok to venture out or in again, if you see what I mean.
Much to my horror I soon discovered that the old absentee manager has been replaced by a much younger, but just as invisible, manager.
Invisibility seems to be a key requisite for unsuccessful bar management in Bogsville. I expect the same is true everywhere.
Unfortunately, while the manager relaxes invisibly but bed creakingly audibly upstairs, legions of microscopic bugs gather invisible but deadly in the downstairs beer pipes.
After consuming almost two pints of his lager, I couldn't finish the second pint, I woke on Wednesday morning feeling decidedly out of sorts.
That evening as I sat in front of the computer screen with my head between my knees, feeling cold, clammy and hoping that I would see out the night without ringing for an ambulance, I decided that if I ever visited the Hole in the Ground again I would order bottled beer.
Unlike most bottled beer drinkers I won't be drinking out of the bottle. Knowing my luck I'd get the one that the rat had just peed on.
On the wall in the bar was a freshly printed notice.
It read -

"Would you rather stay at home and drink or have a pint of our real lager?"

From now on I'll stay at home and drink coffee. I can do without the salmonella bugs they dish up with the real lager. Mind you the dreams were interesting.

Omega Watch Service Department

Track of the day - Partlife - Prince Edward Island.

Since May 1965 I've been the proud owner of an Omega watch.
The watch has been busily winding itself and ticking away the seconds while seven UK Prime Ministers and seven US Presidents have come and gone. The longest that I've been without it was when I left it hanging on a peg in a shower in the South of France and someone walked off with it.
Three weeks later they handed it in to the camp site office and I got it back.
Apart from those two weeks it has only been off my wrist when it required a service. And thereby hangs a tale.
Last November 29th I decided that it needed a service and as I had a 'good will' voucher from Omega for a free service, off it went to The Omega Watch Company Service Department.
And yes, it's been with them ever since, despite the fact that they sent me a letter on the 6th of December saying that they expected to complete the repair in two weeks. So much for the good will. I'm beginning to think that they've either lost it or sold it on eBay.

Wrong on both counts

Omega service department inform me that they only received the 'good will' free service voucher at the beginning of February, hence the delay.
If that is true, it begs the question why didn't they ask for another copy when they wrote to me on 06/12/07?
At least the watch is neither lost nor advertised on eBay!
The letter ended with an ominous sounding,

"It will only be returned, once we are entirely satisfied your watch is performing to Factory specification."

I may never see it again.

For those of you who find the fate of my watch mind numbingly dull. Here's a link to a picture of Stan wearing his coat and neck brace.
The local Accident and Emergency department say they won't know whether they can remove what's left of the camera from my forehead until they've examined the scans more carefully.

Friction Burns

Track of the day - Partlife - Prince Edward Island.

Last week I took Stan for a walk on the end of one of those extending leads. It seemed like a good idea. Give him some freedom but keep him under control at the same time.
This week I have plasters on the fingers of my left hand, a pair of ripped gloves, a fleece with friction burn holes on the right sleeve and a waterproof jacket that looks like someone took a knife to it.
All this because Stan took off after a labrador that sneaked up behind him and tried to sniff his ass. Stan objected strongly and set off in pursuit. I grabbed hold of the rapidly extending cord to stop him. It was a mistake I won't be making again.
Stan's fine, my fingers are recovering, I've sewn up the fleece, binned the gloves and banished the extending lead.
If that labrador's daft enough to stick his nose up Stan's ass again he can look after his own welfare from now on.