First of all, the weather here in northern England has been gloomy. Still air without rain and not especially cold but a blanket of anticyclonic cloud has hung heavy across the land with no sight of blue sky or the golden orb.
On Wednesday, it emerged that America had made a monumental mistake by choosing the odious Felonious J. Trump as their forty seventh president. It was the same day that our daughter, Frances, lost her job.
Regular readers of this blog will recall that her boss was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident back in June. Unsurprisingly, his previously thriving start-up company has faltered and the business is pulling in its horns in an effort to survive. Sometimes the drive and energy of an entrepreneurial leader just cannot be replaced. In the course of time, I expect the company will fold.
This is no comfort to Frances. The job paid really well and now, with a young family to raise, she must go back to the drawing board. I am sure that something will come up but in the interim there will be understandable anxiety. Also, with her husband Stewart, she had planned and largely paid for a family holiday to Western Australia in February. His brother lives there. If you knew you were going to be jobless you wouldn't plan such a trip.
They are over in Lanzarote in The Canaries just now so I don't even get to see the little granddaughters who always bring sunshine aplenty with them.
To add to the gloom, I watched my beloved Hull City playing West Bromwich Albion on television this afternoon. Though I think the Tigers were the better team, we lost by two goals to one. Oh, woe is me!
A month ago, I knew almost nothing about blood pressure but since I discovered I have high blood pressure I have learnt a lot about it. It makes me quite glum to admit that I will be taking antihypertension medication for the rest of my life. To check on my progress, I will be seeing a doctor again tomorrow. I will go armed with my blood pressure readings - taken at home over the last seven days.
The doctor will probably advise certain lifestyle changes but I am pleased to say that I had already significantly reduced my intake of alcohol. I went out to the pub quiz and drank beer this evening but I hadn't consumed any beer since last Sunday.
One bright spot on the immediate horizon is that Shirley and I will be driving to the coast on Tuesday. I have booked two nights in a small apartment in the little Yorkshire seaside town of Filey. It is a place I have known and liked all my life and for November the weather forecast seems okay. Certainly less gloomy. It will be nice to get away - if only for a short while.
That's a lot of sad for one week. Enjoy your getaway, the coast sounds like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb. It will be a nice little break.
DeleteIt's been a terrible month so far. I'm sorry to hear about the job loss and the stress it's causing. It's good that your blood pressure will be under control now, though.
ReplyDeleteIn England, we have a Bonfire Night rhyme:-
DeleteRemember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Now November 5th will always be associated with Trump's second election victory.
It has been a difficult couple of months for many. We will survive.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not. Thinking about immigrants and women with unwanted pregnancies.
DeleteI get the gloom, though i feel for Frances and hope she finds something bigger and better soon.
ReplyDeleteAnd you and the Missus have a nice getaway; it sounds like a lovely spot.
Thanks for the upbeat message Bob.
DeleteI hope Frances and family still take their planned holiday, they can relax in the sunshine and maybe a few ideas will pop into their heads as to which road to travel next jobwise. I am sure she has many skills thta would help with job searching.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest has also lost his job, the company had to make cutbacks, he gets to spend more time with the twins now and they are loving having Daddy home all day every day, until he finds a new job. He has warehousing skills and a fork-lift licence, so maybe something will pop up for him. He is also a screen-printer but those things are largely computerised now.
Donald says hi
ReplyDeleteYorkshire Pudding says **** you! (To Donald. Not to you!)
DeleteTaking meds is better than having a stroke or heart attack.
ReplyDeleteFrances will find another job.
The grandies will come back.
The sun will shine again.
I'm sorry it's all poopy but it will pass.
The felon in the Whitehouse may take longer to resolve............
You are so rosy Kylie!
DeleteThat is sad about Frances and her job. Maybe Daddy can help out a bit.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about your blood pressure, because worrying about blood pressure makes it higher. Like the science work its magic for you.
Just over a two hour drive to Filey. That will lift the spirits. I've booked into an expensive hotel in our second largest city in Victoria, mainly to see my niece on stage but also to just get away, although I am away this week too.
Living the high life! What would Ray have thought?
DeleteThe gloom is entrenched here on this side of the Pennines too. I think we've only had an hour's sunshine in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteLife certainly throws us challenges, doesn't it?
I do hope Frances can get another job quickly. It is a worry for young families these days as both parents need to work to cover the huge mortgages that many have.
Well done on cutting down on the beer!
As for the football, Rovers aren't doing great either.😂
Do you mean Doncaster Rovers?
DeleteOf course! 😂
DeleteThe trip to Filey will be a welcome chance of scene for you and Shirley. I remember one glorious summer when Steve and I were spending a week in Scarborough and took bus trips from there. One of those trips was to Filey, and in my mind I can still picture the large golden expanse of quiet beach and the small town.
ReplyDeleteWe played on that beach - my brothers and I - when we were little. My father was offered the job of headteacher at Filey Primary School but he declined it.
DeletePoor Frances. A very worrying time for her. I hope that she finds another suitable job soon.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your seaside break. It should perk you up.
Yes - I need to be perked up.
DeleteIt's said that things come in threes, and that seems to have happened in your world - if you count Trump as the first disaster. My sympathy to Frances.
ReplyDeleteDon't fret too much about your blood pressure (you'll only make it worse) and just be thankful that it's been diagnosed in time. You've done very well to live this long without taking regular medication.
Thank you Dr Carol.
DeleteI like to take a cheap sun holiday in winter.
ReplyDeleteSave money by simply visiting the "Tanya Whitebitz" solarium.
DeleteEnjoy Filey, the bleakness of life that occasionally pops up will be resolved and your daughter will find another job. Can I say as someone who has lived with high readings (note a white coat always sends my BP sky high!) for a very long time, it is not as bad as you think.
ReplyDeleteUntil the diagnosis I was drifting along with no idea what my blood pressure might be.
DeleteYour walks in the beautiful countryside have kept you healthy, both physically and mentally. A trip to the coast, walking along the shore, breathing in the sea air, the change of scenery will work its magic.
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry about Francis' job. That one moment in time when her boss lost his life has affected so many people, hasn't it? I am sure that she'll find another. Of course she will. But that does not help right now, does it?
ReplyDeleteI know you hate the thought of being on medication for life but take the pills and be grateful that modern science has come up with this way to keep you healthy. I know your family would appreciate you being around a lot longer.
Enjoy your get away!
Sometimes all the blues hit us at the same time. Losing a job bothers not only the employee but others. Frances will survive.
ReplyDeleteI've been on high blood pressure meds for a long time and have never had any trouble with them. I hope Frances finds a wonderful job and you enjoy your getaway with Shirley.
ReplyDeleteIt was not a good week for human kindness or empathy or compassion. Perhaps you feel that. It could also be a side effect of the antihypertensive medication, I would google the drug and check for side effects. You're not usually one to get down.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better soon.
Sorry to hear all that. I've never been to Filey (in fact I've never been to lots of places so that's hardly newsworthy). Good luck keeping your BP under control. Not to hard with some willpower! After all you walk a lot.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about Frances. That's got to be a blow. As for the BP, at least it's a very common condition and one that's easily treated. I was reading about our gloomy weather phenomenon today -- it really has been gray out there!
ReplyDeleteSorry about Frances' job - I hope something else turns up for her soon! - I may have mentioned it before, but I've been on BP meds since I was in my 30s (and in a very unstable and stressful work situation when it was first discovered...). Once they get the medication right you'll get used to the routine of taking those pills without worrying too much about it on a daily basis (even if it's a good idea to keep checking one's values now and then). Now, if only there was a pill against the chaos in world politics as well...
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your vacay and try to put your dark thoughts away.
ReplyDelete🎵 The only way is up.🎵
ReplyDeleteI hope the sun shines for you in Filey.
🎵 The only way is up.🎵
ReplyDeleteI hope the sun shines for you in Filey.