Stressful Saturdays And Lazy Sundays

Well things are looking up. Just as we were giving up hope we get a call from a garage, not a million miles from our original dealer, to say not only did they have the car I wanted, in a colour I liked, though not grey unfortunately, but it was all ready to go if I wanted it. So we high tailed it down there and put my name to it. It is lovely and I can't wait to get my hands on it but I'll have to wait until all the paperwork goes through, though not too long, the predicted pick up is Sunday or Monday next week.

On the way home we called into the original dealer to abort the process with them and get my deposit back. To say we met with some resistance would be an understatement. Apparently the fact they sold me a car that they'd already sold to someone else and didn't return my  phone calls was all my fault for choosing an awkward colour. Excuse me, out of the five colours they said they had available that was the colour I chose. If it hadn't been given as an option, I wouldn't have chosen it. Then the salesman moaned that 'he'd spent a lot of time on you.' Really? Well you didn't spent it talking to me or updating me on what was actually happening did you. He then said he couldn't refund me or remove my application from the system because it was Saturday. Strange then that he could process both on a Sunday last week. Then he said that he had three cars lined up that may be available to me but he wouldn't know until Monday. I pointed out that 'may' wasn't good enough and as I'd just sat in the car I was buying from the other garage he could consider our association at an end. I then showed him the contract stating the make, model, colour and date of delivery that I'd signed for and expressed the view that they had actually broken the contract anyway because they couldn't supply what they'd promised, when they'd promised. In the end we left without my agreement being cancelled or any money returned and the salesman promising to ring me on Monday, to sort it out. Peter will be dealing with him on Monday and if they still refuse to cancel the application or refund the deposit he will be calling motability and Alfa head office. Watch this space.

Interestingly the man I dealt with at the new dealership was older, much more polite and obviously disabled himself. He said that during the time he has been using the motability scheme he has come across some appalling behaviour from certain dealers. He says that he's known cases where cars promised to motability customers have been sold to normal motorists because motablility customers are seen as second class, even though motability customers are actually paying similar amounts, it's really just the deposit and service arrangements that differ. He's even known garages to try and force motability customers to accept unpopular colours or models or both by limiting choice for such customers. We were told all this without even mentioning what had happened with the other dealer. When we told him that something similar had happened to us he said he wasn't surprised.

I have to admit I'm surprised at what has happened as most of the people I know think the scheme is wonderful and have no complaints about their treatment. Which is why I decided to try it. My guess is that Alfa don't get many motability customers and to be honest they never have had a good reputation for customer service so really I should have known it was never going to be as smooth a ride as I'd hoped.

So after a stress filled Saturday I started Sunday in style by sleeping through until nine and then spending another half hour soaking in a deep scented bath before enjoying breakfast with the news papers. Lunch was homemade lasagna and then I put my feet up and watched a movie.

Andrew pulled an all nighter over Saturday/Sunday as he prepares for his week of night shifts with the London Ambulance service so he slept the day away and is still asleep now, though I've been told to wake him after four if he isn't up. I have to admit I am worried about him but he got through his last placement without any problems so I suspect he'll just get on and enjoy himself while I sit at home hoping he hasn't forgotten his stab vest.

In the news Justin Bieber has vowed never to return to the UK proving once again that there is a God (and it's not Justin despite what he believes).

I love it when idiots with an inflated sense of self importance make threats like this. Does he really think anyone, except his most ardent fans and he's got fewer of them this week, cares one iota where he comes back or not? I suspect everyone involved in organising this tour is breathing a sigh of relief and planning a massive celebration the moment he steps on the plane out of here.

Well it's back to work tomorrow and they are predicting snow, we've had a few flakes today. When is it going to get warmer I wonder as I'm just a little fed up with winter now. Next blog Wednesday.

Why Is Nothing Ever Easy?

Well I knew it was too simple, I just knew it.

I got a call from the garage yesterday to say that the car they had just sold me wasn't mine because it had been sold to someone else even before they sold it to me. How can that be? Now I have choice of getting the vehicle in white, possibly my least favourite colour in the whole world, or waiting three months. Arrrggghhh! A three month wait means I'll have to go through the pain, agony and expense of getting my current car through it's MOT again. Don't get me wrong, I was going to do this anyway in order to sell it, but at a more leisurely pace and it wouldn't be disaster if it failed first time around. I cannot believe there is only one Alfa Romeo available in the whole country, it just doesn't make sense and am beginning to wonder whether the garage is just trying to pull a fast one. I mean surely dealers keep stocks, at least of the more popular models and colours, so that customers don't have to wait if they order a standard model? I also don't like the way the salesman was insistent that I take the white as that 'will probably sold by tomorrow'. My instinct, if pressured, is to dig my heals in and not budge but I want the peace of mind of reliability. The salesman has generously agree to give my until this afternoon to make up my mind and in the meantime he will 'scour the country for a different colour', I bet he doesn't find one. So it was a restless night for me as I mulled over my choices and I still have not come to any decision. What to do?

My drugs finally arrived at ten to twelve so after a quick lunch we went out and did our shopping. It was horrible outside, cold and damp and the fog didn't lift all day. Even worse the place was packed out with pensioners who seemed to have gathered for a social event as all they were doing was standing around chatting and blocking the aisles. They all also appeared to be deaf as 'excuse me's' didn't shift them. As a result, what should have been a twenty minute job, stretched to almost an hour and we were both grumpy leaving.

Back home the mood soon improved as we tucked in to some chocolate doughnuts and hot tea while we put the shopping away. And then I sat down to watch some day time TV while Peter got on the phone to call other Alfa dealers to see what they said about availability. After half an hour he emerged frustrated to say he'd rung four and they were all going to ring him back, we are still waiting for those calls. Honestly it is almost as though they don't want to sell any cars. I'm half tempted to give up and go for a Mini instead, my second choice.

In the news I see the pretty boy is getting himself into even more trouble.

After the late arrival at his first gig, which was Monday not Tuesday as previously stated, he then went for the sympathy vote by claiming to be breathless. However he still managed to get a photo of himself, naked to the waist I might add, out to 'reassure his fans that he was OK. Anyone else think this 'sexy', and I use the word very loosely, picture jarred a bit considering his target audience are at an age when they should still be playing with teddy bares? Anyway I digress, his latest public outing yesterday  was probably the cherry on the cake. Dressed in a very silly hat and jumper combo in a colour which screamed 'look at me' he obviously didn't want to be looked at especially by photographers. The result was a teen tantrum that any two year old would be proud of. I'll miss him when he's gone, no one has managed to keep me laughing so hard, for so long, in ages.

Also in the news aging footballer Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne was pictured returning home after drying out in a remote clinic in America. I have to say he looked worse coming out than he did going in but that's just my opinion. Apparently Gazza has announced that he'll 'never drink again', haven't we heard that before somewhere? Oh yes, aging footballer George Best said it several times then drank himself to death and wasted a liver transplant that someone else would have treasured.

The problem with Gazza is he never got over no longer being the young man women drooled over and young men wanted to emulate. Coupled with that was the fact that his short period in the spotlight gained him much wealth which he subsequently drank in order to forget what he had been. Over the years he has lost everything to an extent that friends had to rally round to pay for the latest stint of rehab. I hope it works for him, I really do but I can't help thinking that this time next year he'll be back to square one or worse.

I have just received the most wonderful Mother's Day card from Laurence, it will be displayed in pride of place in my bedroom and all over facebook. Well why not, it is only once a year.

Breath Taking Arrogance

After a much needed lie in, well until eight, I got up, showered and prepared myself for a busy morning. After eighteen months of regular medication deliveries I knew that the van would be here well before nine, after which, I would head off for my warfarin clinic at ten. Did it happen, no of course not. I'm still sitting here at ten past ten and no delivery in sight. I've had to ring the clinic and explain to the stroppy receptionist that I needed to re-book, something I always hate as she makes me feel like a naughty school kid. So instead of whizzing around Tesco's I'm going to spend the morning on house work and waiting for my delivery.

Andrew sent me a text yesterday to say that his placement starts on Monday with four night shifts. He's quite excited as he missed out on nights last term due to his mentor moving to another station in the middle of his placement. He is at Richmond station this time, for three weeks, so if you live or work around there and need an ambulance it may well be my boy that turns up to treat you.

I've started experiencing pain in my back, chest and legs, which is rather worrying. I was sitting talking to some colleagues in the tea room yesterday when the pain in my back just stopped me in my tracks and I just gasped, rather embarrassing to say the least. This has never happened to me before and it rather surprised me. My legs feel heavy and as though I'm dragging them rather than walking. There is no swelling or any other signs of water retention and no bruising. It is worse after I've been sitting down for a while, the first few steps are very stiff and unsteady. It is very weird. If it continues I'll contact the Brompton and ask the question. It may be that after years of little exercise and oxygen deprivation the muscles in my extremities are just getting weaker. I suspect my PH has to start effecting other bits of my body sooner or later. Maybe I've been lucky to last so long relatively unscathed. And it may just be one of those things, I'll give it a week and if I'm still having problems I'll talk to someone.

In the news.

I am horrified by the arrogance of pretty boy and 'teen sensation' Justin Bieber.

This arrogant little boy decided his fans were just not important enough for him to turn up to start his concert on time. For those of you who missed all the commotion I'll give you a little of the background. Bieber is currently playing a series of concerts at the O2 arena in London, some of which are on week nights or 'school nights'. The concert in question was on Tuesday and he was due on stage at eight thirty, however Bieber didn't appear until ten thirty, around the time the concert was supposed to end. Bearing in mind that his target audience is between seven and thirteen this meant that by the time he arrive on stage it was way past the bedtime of most of his audience, who were either in tears, asleep or being dragged away by angry parents who feared missing the last bus/train home. What made it worse is that Bieber refused to apologise or give any explanation  for his actions, and any refund was flatly refused. After an outcry in the media and on several social networks he finally came out with an explanation of 'technical problems', a half hearted apology and a whinge that he was actually only forty minutes late. That's OK then is it? If people are paying large amounts of money to see you perform you should have the manners to at least turn up on time. After all you are only in the position you enjoy because of the people you've just insulted.

Bieber is yet another example of an arrogant little brat who think he can do no wrong because he has some minor talent. Personally I think he sounds like at cat being strangled, but then I am not ten years old and, like most adults, can see right through the carefully crafted veneer. Fortunately as he gets older so will his fan base and hopefully he will fade into the background and disappear.

Well time to start thinking about lunch. Of course what I'd planned has gone straight out of the window because I've been unable to get to the shops. So it is a trawl of the cupboards and a bit of kitchen magic as I try to turn tinned tomatoes, beans, ham and pasta into something edible.

We're Having A Heat Wave.

Well it's not perfect but we now have heat in all radiators, though the temperature varies.

The good news is that all the important radiators are hot so I no longer freeze when watching TV or taking a shower. A big, big improvement. Hopefully everything will be working properly come the weekend, fingers crossed.

Work has been busy as worryingly lots of people are off due to colds and chest infections. Even more worrying is the fact that there are a lot of people in work with cold symptoms too. So I'm scrubbing my desk down in the morning and using liberal amounts of alcohol gel on my hands. So far, so good but I have my antibiotics on standby just in case.

I had an interesting letter through the post from Papworth today.

It asked me to read the information given very carefully and then sign a consent form. They were asking whether I would be happy to accept lungs from a person over sixty, or a smoker, or someone who had died of a brain tumour, who was an IV drug users etc, etc, basically high risk groups. Accepting lungs from these groups would increase my chances of getting a transplant greatly but there are very, very small risks associated. I read the letter through and decided that the risk of dying without a transplant far outweighed the risk of getting cancer, HIV or anything else from a donor. To be frank I don't think I have much choice and anything that increases my chances must be a good thing. So I've ticked yes to everything and managed to catch the evening post collection. I hope I won't have to accept an organ from one of these groups but at the end of the day any lungs will do.

I had confirmation yesterday that I have been accepted onto the motability scheme and so my car should be ready for me on or around 20th March. I have to admit I'm getting excited now

Talking of cars, I seem determined to write my present one off. Yesterday I was driving around a corner on a country road at my usual pace, i.e. fast, when I was confronted by a Pheasant walking down the middle of the road. The bird noticed me at about the same time as I saw it and came to the same conclusion, I'd never stop in time. It started to run while I swerved in the opposite direction. I missed it by a hare's breathe, I swear I heard the tail feathers sweep along the side of the car. Looking in the rear view mirror I saw the bird standing by the side of the road looking very confused but thankfully unharmed.

This morning same stretch of road and possibly the same bird but I was ready for him this time and slowed right down while he sauntered into the hedge. All I can say is thank goodness I have good brakes. I can't wait to see what he's going to do tomorrow.

Well time to eat and relax before my last day tomorrow. Next blog Friday.

The Agony And The Ecstasy

Heating update, there isn't any, we are still cold. Getting a might fed up now.

When it comes to making a big decision I am an absolute nightmare. I will agonise over the smallest thing and pick the pros and cons to pieces. I over think things to such a degree that I become almost catatonic and then suddenly the answer arrives in a flash of inspiration and everything is OK again. I've said it before and I will say it again, I am my own worst enemy.

So the angonising started yesterday afternoon after I'd test driven the Mito. I was really surprised at how nippy it was and the handling was superb but did I really like it? Unfortunately the salesman came with me so I was unable to drive with my usual verve and therefore test it, in my mind, properly. One thing I really didn't like about it was when you brake really hard the hazard lights come on, very strange and very off putting I must say. However I loved the overall look and feel of the car and to be honest by the time the drive was over I was smitten. All I had to do now was convince myself to go for it. I immediately came up with all sorts of reasons why I shouldn't go for it, which is what I always do in any situation. No one would every accuse me of impulse buying. Back home I sat down and wrote out a list of pros and cons to getting a new car.

Pros

Reliability - my 156 has never let me down yet but it is getting to that age when things start to go wrong.
Lower fuel consumption - my 156 eats fuel.
MOT, servicing and insurance all covered - again these cost a fortune on my 156
RAC breakdown cover included, another thing that costs a lot but I dare not do without. There was a time I could change my own wheel, but not anymore.

Cons

Cost - not that much extra when you take into account what it costs to keep my 156 on the road.
Selling the 156 - things will need doing before I can sell but this cost will be recovered when sold.
Storing the 156 until sold - a minor consideration but I don't want to upset the neighbours
I won't own the car - this is a hire arrangement via the motability scheme, whilst I own the 156 outright.
Saving for the next deposit - I can put some aside from the profits of selling the 156 and to be honest it is three years away and my life could be very different by then, so not really worth worrying about now.

However the most important factor was for once doing something for me. Not wishing to be morbid but if I don't get a transplant I may not be here this time next year and if I am there is no guarantee that I'll be well enough to drive. And if I do have a transplant I may never again get the chance to have a brand new car sitting in the drive so why wait? I've spent my whole life considering others, putting things off until a better time, maybe now I need to think of myself for once and be a bit selfish. Surely there isn't any reason to deny myself this one little pleasure, is there? So this morning I went out and did what I had to do and with a bit of luck I will be driving my new car in three weeks time. It was the most exciting thing I've done in ages. There was a brief twinge of guilt but I forced that away and am now looking forward to taking delivery.

This afternoon I have snuggled up under the duvet, with Tarmac for company, and watched a lot of Sunday afternoon rubbish while dozing off now and then. It is back to work tomorrow and as always I'm having mixed emotions. I'm quite looking forward to being warm I must say and it will be nice to have a bit of a gossip with the girls. On the other hand the thought of getting up and showering in a freezing cold bathroom at six o'clock in the morning, or returning to a cold house after a busy day, is one I dread. Though in fairness the engineers might have sorted it out by the time I get home, here's hoping.

In the meantime it is lots of hot milky drinks and a fan heater turned up to full blast that will keep me going.

Next blog Wednesday when hopefully my house will resemble the tropics.

Covered In Glory

There has been a change in our heating situation. Now we have no heat anywhere and hardly any hot water.

You know that when someone tells you to sit by a hole in the floorboards and 'watch that pipe' while they flush compressed air through it that you really shouldn't. Well yesterday we were getting desperate and in order to help I agreed to do just that as Peter checked the flow to the radiator in the dining room. The dining room radiator is connected to the living room radiator so by checking for blockages before, after and in between these two radiators he reckoned he might just find the cause, as these are the two that consistently refuse to heat up.

So with system drained and pipes disconnected I sat at the other end and waited for the air to come through. The first pipe reveal just a dribble of water and then a stream of cold air but with the second pipe there was an ominous gurgle and then a loud pop as black gunk shot out of the end of the pipe and all over me. My squeal brought Peter bounding up the stairs to find me resembling the creature from the black lagoon. The only comment was 'I think I've found our blockage then' before he went back downstairs to put everything back together again. I cleaned myself and the surrounding floorboards, fortunately we had the foresight to remove the carpet, as best I could and then we set about bleeding the system, again. Did it work, no, it just made things worse so we are back to huddling under duvets in front of the fan heater.

I am worried for a friend.

She went to see her doctor's yesterday and didn't like what they told her. She has been suffering tremendous pain with her current meds and has weaned herself off them, understandable as who wants to be in continuous pain. I think anyone would do the same especially as her specialist hospital seem to be ignoring her complaints.The trouble is that her transplant center does not agree with this course of action and told her so in no uncertain terms. Although I agree with her, I wouldn't put up with pain either, I am now concerned that she may have jeapodised her transplant chances. One of the things transplant centers are red hot on is how well you take your meds. Their concern is that if you refuse to follow doctors advice before transplant will you follow them after transplant, and of course without the medication she could become too unstable for transplant. I can see both sides in this, which makes it awkward because although I agree with my friend, I also can see where the doctor is coming from. My friend knows, I hope, that I will support her all the way, whatever her decision is, but I really, really want her to have the transplant she so richly deserves. Such a difficult, difficult situation.

Today we are supposed to be going to test drive the Mito but I'm not sure I want to now. Part of the problem is that the salesman who was supposed to call me yesterday, to answer any questions I had, didn't. There may be all sorts of reasons for this, he could be ill, have a family crisis etc but if that was the case surely someone should have rung me to let me know. One thing I cannot stand is bad manners and not ringing someone when you say you are going to is very bad manners, not to mention bad sales technique. So if I go this afternoon I will be none the wiser than I was on Thursday and if the motability bloke still isn't around I'm still not going to know anything, other than whether I like the drive of course. Talk about frustrating, now I know why I've left it so long, I absolutely hate dealing with car salesmen.

I woke this morning with the horrible thought that I only have one more lie in before I'm back to work on Monday. Why do holidays go so quickly and work days so slowly? Well better go and get a nice cup of something hot, the effects of the last one are beginning to wear off and I'm feeling cold again. Maybe I will go for that test drive after all, at least my car has a heater so I'll be warm for a couple of hours today.

To Buy Or Not To Buy, That Is The Question

 Well yesterday turned out to be even more fun than I imagined it would be.

First up was a visit to an Alfa Romeo dealer in Hemel Hempstead to look over the Mito. The first thing that struck me was how big it was. Despite being advertised as Alfa's 'baby' it is almost as long as my 156, which was a bit disappointing as I really was looking for something much smaller. However my trike fits nicely in the boot with loads of room left for shopping and the interior is nice and roomy and I liked the lay out. As always the salesman was extremely pushy and soon started blasting me with facts, figures and brochures I didn't really want. The stuff I was interested in he couldn't tell me because he 'hadn't been on his motability course yet'. The only bloke who had was on a day off so I came away with an appointment for a test drive and an idea of what the car actually looks like, inside and out, and not much else. The motability bloke is back in today and is supposed to be giving me a call today to answer the questions I'd asked. Although it is a nice car I'm not sure it is right for me but I'll give the test drive a go before I finally decide whether to go for it or not.

Then Peter had to pick some electronics up from a specialist supplier and while sitting in the car park waiting for him I spotted one of those roadside snack bars so wandered over to have a look. By the time Peter returned my mouth was watering and we decided to grab something to eat there and then rather than scour the countryside looking for a pub we liked the look of. I was soon tucking into the biggest egg and bacon roll I've ever seen and, washed down with a large cup of sweet tea, it was one of the most enjoyable lunches out I've every had. We sat in the car pouring over the literature we'd been given and discussing our options while munching away happily. I was taken back to before we were married when we used to go out with our camera stuff and would often stop at a roadside cafe for a cuppa and a bacon butty. I don't know why we stopped doing this, probably because of the kids, pressure of work etc but it is something I'm quickly going to reinstate as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer.

Then it was off to Watford for a trawl around their many charity shops, a trawl that wasn't as successful as I'd hope but it was still fun and the roughish pavements gave my trike a real work out. Then we went into the shopping center and I was horrified to find the big Waterson's had closed up. What a shame, good bookshops are becoming harder to find and I love the smell and feel of new books so again I was disappointed. However things started looking up when I discovered a brand new and huge cook shop. It had everything in it, even things I didn't know existed and Peter had to drag me away as I could have happily spent hundreds in there.

Back home the heating was still determined to keep us on our toes and this time all the radiators downstairs were icy while upstairs it was like a sauna. By the time we went to bed things were reversed. This morning we are back to all the radiators working upstairs and three downstairs. Peter is gearing up for a shout at British Gas this afternoon, though I suspect it won't do that much good. To be fair even with only half the radiators on it is quite comfortable as long as you wear a jumper, however we could be in trouble if we have another sudden cold snap.

Well time to go and decide what to make for lunch, all I can say at this point is that it will be 'warming'.