A Long Overdue Update

It’s been a very long time since my last blog post. I had intended to post here more often, but real life has kept me from doing that.

I’m still waiting for a cataract operation, so my eyesight is gradually getting worse (see previous blog posts). However, a few days ago I phoned Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow; they confirmed they placed me on the waiting list in August last year, but couldn’t specify how much longer my wait would be. They have now put me on the waiting list for cancellations, so that may speed things up. I still can’t work, so it is a bit of a struggle and I’m living mostly on our savings (with £180 a fortnight in ESA payments). Besides medication for diabetes, and a nightly statin, I’m also on medication for high blood pressure. As my brother often says, old age doesn’t come alone. I can still go out and about, but only if Joyce is with me because stairs and busy roads are a challenge.

However, things are not all bad, and there have been some real highlights already this year.

Those who know me know that our family is heavily into basketball, and I am chairperson at Gladiators Basketball. We are also season ticket holders for the men’s and women’s teams at Caledonia Gladiators, and one of my daughter’s works there. As I’ve said already, I need help with stairs, but I can still enjoy a game (and a drink or two). Birmingham hosted the trophy finals this year, and we took a long bus trip to watch our women’s professional team play the Oaklands Wolves. It was a hard fought game, with Gladiators leading for most of it, and finally coming out as winners, making history. A long day, and difficulty with stairs because of my eyesight, but it was so worth it. I don’t know how they got a sword into the arena.

Caledonia Gladiators are owned by Steve and Ali Timoney, and they have been involved for many years as sponsors to our club, going back to when we were called Gladiators Basketball and Lady Rocks. We received an invitation to Steve’s 60th birthday party at Crossbasket Castle. It was a fantastic, Great Gatsby themed event. Thanks to Ali for inviting us. We had a great time, and the band were incredible.

For Christmas, Amanda bought us a four course Sunday lunch, with a bottle of champagne, at Dine in Edinburgh. We spent the weekend in Edinburgh, to make the most of it, but didn’t realise that Scotland were playing Ireland at Murrayfield that weekend, so the pubs etc. were very busy. We still had a great weekend, and would recommend Dine if you are looking for somewhere nice to eat in Edinburgh.

Finally, I’ve been trying to listen to more audiobooks, and have become interested in comedy writing. In particular, Be Funny or Die by Joel Morris is a great audiobook. I also purchased a secondhand copy of *How to be Averagely Successful at Comedy* by Dave Cohen, and upon receiving it, I was surprised to discover that the author had signed it. I’m hoping he can confirm that he did indeed sign it “Dave”.

So, despite all our issues, we’ve not had a bad year so far. I’m hoping we’ll hear about an appointment for an operation sooner rather than later, and I’ll keep everyone posted here on progress. As usual, if you scroll right down to the bottom of this page, you can buy me a coffee.