Tax return submitted at last

 A fairly good night's sleep, accompanied by the sound of heavy rainfall in the night and early morning. I went on my own to the Eucharist at St Catherine's, Clare and Owain went for a walk and a coffee avoiding the showers. When I returned from church Owain sat with me while I filled in my tax return, a task and a worry for me that's been outstanding since before I had the stroke. 

Up to that point I'd prepared the various figures and had them all written down in a special book. In the weeks after discharge from A&E I made a mess of logging in to my Government Gateway account and was locked out of it, when I couldn't provide correct details over the phone. Owain found the address and some weeks later I was put in contact with a most helpful man in Newcastle who talked me through reinstating the account. I had lost my nerve at that point regarding digital interactions to do with anything financial, and did nothing until the trauma receded to the point where my confidence and calm returned. 

With Owain at my side I logged into the HMRC web site, and into my bank account too, without needing any prompts. I hadn't forgotten anything. Both sites looked and operated the way I remembered them. The best part was having Owain talk me through the process like a tour guide - insightful and helpful. I don't think he needs to make a self assessment tax declaration as he's on PAYE, using the HMRC's own system, but familiarising himself with the self-assessment tax declaration was a useful exercise for him en passant It was interesting to hear his evaluation of the content and its delivery of information on the opening page of the form. Content design is what he does at work. After submitting the tax return, he added a comment on the feedback page noting a specific issue of user friendliness which he thought could easily be improved.

I was so relieved to have done this at last eleven months after starting on it, and so grateful to benefit from my son's professional expertise and calmness, enabling me to get up to date with my civic obligations. It's a small, less obvious aspect of stroke recovery that makes a difference. Admittedly my head was pretty clear and my focus was sharp while we worked together either side of eating lunch. It didn't prevent me from forgetting to take my lunchtime antibiotic. I'm still prone to distraction.

Owain left by taxi us to visit a friend after lunch. There was a cloudburst just after, and we noticed a large volume of water running down the wall outside of the kitchen window, but we couldn't figure out at what point in the roof guttering it was coming from. The gutter didn't appear to be broken or leaking. A close range inspection is needed.

After the rain stopped, Clare went out for a walk and I followed her twenty minutes later, but didn't walk for long due to drizzling rain. It rained for the rest of the evening so I didn't go out again. We had supper then I watched another episode of 'Ludwig' until it was time to get ready for bed. I finish the antibiotics tonight and need to see a GP tomorrow for an assessment of whether the buttock wound is healing as intended.

Unexpected bleeding

I was in bed by half past eleven last night, and woke up with a light nose bleed at ten past one. Exactly the same time as I woke up with the last bleed that put me in hospital. This time it stopped after taking a beta blocker tablet. My sleep quality was poor thereafter, and I was up at six thirty to the sound of heavy rain, to take my antibiotic. Up at nine for a pancake breakfast, during which my nose started to bleed again. 

A vein in my left nostril that burst before burst again. I sat in my armchair for more than an hour pressing on a vein in the bridge of the nose until it stopped and then fell asleep for half an hour, having taken another beta blocker. I think this works by reducing adrenalin, which in turn inhibits the volatility of blood pressure. The past five days of bum infection and keeping on track with antibiotics, (which thankfully are taking effect) I have been on the alert all the time, taking the meds punctually and with Clare's help keeping the wound safe and clean. It's been stressful to say the least, so no wonder excess adrenalin, and physical exhaustion have given me blood pressure problems and nose bleeds. 

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon resting, unable to do much trying to catch up on as much lost sleep as possible. There was little else I could do. Having rested enough to go to the shops, I got up out of my arm chair and was shocked to find blood dripping down my trouser leg. The boil on my buttock had torn open under pressure while I slept. What a mess to clear up!  Just then Clare returned from a walk, ministered first aid and got the wound stable. Strangely, it's less inflamed and sore now. It was a shocking experience, so unexpected. Eventually I walked to the shops and bought some sterile swabs from Boots and a bunch of carnation buds for Clare from Tesco's.

Owain arrived in the afternoon. He's staying the night and seeing friends tomorrow afternoon. We watched an episode of 'Ludwig' together - a detective drama series featuring an autistic puzzle setting expert whose eccentricities are part of the plot's situation comedy. The logic puzzles at the centre of the story move so fast I can't always follow them. Amusing but also irritating.

Unwanted services

I woke up at six thirty to take an antibiotic, but couldn't get back into deep sleep afterwards and got up at eight to a day of sunshine and showers. So far no torrential rain or flash flooding in Wales. Dry ground is softening and absorbing rainfall. So far, so good. The death toll continues to rise following the landslide and flash floods in Nepal, and there will be more to come as rain falls, adding to the waters dammed up behind the fallen rock and rubble, adding to the danger for rescue workers.

It's Kath's birthday today. She's busy rehearsing Sonrisa's next tour of their show 'Dance in the Dark', so no time for a proper celebration, so Clare and I sang her a Happy Birthday greeting on What'sApp instead.

Clare was already in the GP telephone queue trying to arrange a blood test for herself, and also mentioned that I needed a telephone consultation too. Dr Jordan called me after breakfast, giving me an opportunity to chase up my medication review request, explaining that the combined effect of the platelet lubricant and penicillin medications on my digestive system was making it difficult for me to function and ruining my quality of life. I don't know how this will be followed through. At least I have given the medics feedback on the treatment. The crater left by the erupting boil in my buttock is slowly drying and still tender. Wound dressing after emptying my bowels is tricky, but Clare is making a good job of making it comfortable for me to sit on. 

Yesterday, I received a British Gas Home Care letter exhorting me as a new customer to book service appointments. I had been awaiting a letter confirming the cancellation of this unwanted account, and the service hotline number we called was locked in a loop making it impossible to speak to a live human being. How could I know this wasn't a scam? I wrote a carefully worded letter of complaint to the company, giving an account of what had happened and stating that I intended to cancel the direct debit order. If I owed them a cancellation fee, I wanted them to invoice me for it by email and undertook to pay.

After lunch we went into town by bus to visit Santander Bank and cancel any direct debit in favour of British Gas Home Care. We learned that the amount of the cancellation fee had already been taken out of our account, but nothing more. The first instalment due for payment is scheduled for payment on the first of the month. I cancelled the direct debit order. Hopefully that will be the end of this troublesome affair.

Before going shopping for underpants, we had a cup of tea in Marks and Spencers. I was disappointed to be served tea in a tall cardboard cup. It took ages to cool down, and tasted of waxed paper. We should have made the effort to go to John Lewis' tea room instead and have tea delivered in a pot and drink from proper china cups. Not fine china, but definitely superior to the M&S offering.

After supper, Clare went out to a concert at St John's. My head cleared sufficiently to enable me to go out for a sunset walk. I finished the day watching the rest of 'Nora Sand'. It was so slow moving that it was difficult to retain sufficient concentration to grasp the detail of the plot. Ah well!

Himalayan tragedy

Up at six thirty to take an antibiotic, and manage the buttock wound at the trickiest time of day when my bowels empty. Thankfully Clare is at hand to sanitize it and apply a dressing. I slept fairly well, but not long enough. Tiredness is inescapable as I can't relax and sleep well enough while I'm in this condition. 

I dread to think what it's like for Nepalese people and their tourist trek guests in the wake of flash floods driving mudslides and destroying villages.  It seems a glacier collapse undermined by melt water and triggered a colossal landslide damming the valley below, building up water until it burst through, spilling rock and mud downhill. Essential infrastructure, roads, bridges hydro power generation and water supplies as well as telecommunications have been hit hard. 1,300 are reported missing and 350 dead.

Clare baked bread this morning and I cooked cod and veg for lunch, struggling with the faintness and swimming head that replaces hunger pangs on an empty stomach. I ate a large slice of banana cake before the meal to fend off the feeling while I cooked and took spoonfuls of kefir yogurt in the hope it would make me feel better. Eventually it did, but the 'toxic head' sensation was inescapable. I couldn't sleep, and walked up and down Llandaff Fields for an hour which improved matters a little. I don't know if it's the infection that makes me feel unwell or the impact of the antibiotic on my digestion, already suffering from the clot busting slow release capsules.

I realised that we didn't have suitable wound dressings in the house not long before the pharmacy was due to close. I didn't have the energy to rush out and buy some, my ankle was giving me trouble. Clare spared me the agony, went out and bought some then dressed the wound when she returned. I meant I could sit in comfort during the evening. My head cleared enough for me to watch a Danish crimmie called 'Nora Sand' on Walter Presents. It features a prize winning crime journalist whose team investigates the background of characters involved in a crime. They show up the weaknesses of Police detectives in advancing the case. It's intense in its portrayal of people involved and the relationships between them, and for that reason it's very slow moving - so much so that I started to doze off at one point. My life is beset with too much drowsiness as it. Time for bed. 

Fighting infection

I woke up at six to take the antibiotic, and had to get up at eight as my bowels were threatening to empty. It was messy as I was wearing a plaster over the burst boil. At a time like this I really miss having a bidet. With Clare's help, I got cleaned up and the wound dressed. I only had a fair night's sleep, but didn't feel too tired, and went to the St Catherine's Eucharist taking my bum cushion with me. As I was leaving, a big heavy bag of fish arrived from Ashton's to fill the freezer. It's a lot of work for Clare to package and label meal portion pieces individually, as she's very thorough. It makes meal preparation a lot easier for both of us on a day to day basis. 

Fr Andrew celebrated this morning with eight of us. I didn't stop for coffee and chat afterwards, but bought a pound of church garden cherry tomatoes from Hilary and left. I didn't feel like talking about my affliction to anyone. I went to the Co-op to buy kefir yogurt and came straight home. The aroma of salmon soup with sweet potato greeted me when I arrived - today's culinary treat. I slept in my arm chair for over an hour after we'd eaten, making up for waking up so early. Then, a circuit of Llandaff Fields in bright afternoon sunshine, at 26C with no breeze, so it felt hot. My feet hurt in a way that reminded me of daily walks after bum surgery, while my body was still getting rid of toxins and medication residue in my bloodstream. Without exercise then, recovery would have taken longer. No matter how uncomfortable, it's important to keep moving without overdoing the effort.

Iran and Oman have agreed to establish a temporary navigational corridor through the Straight of Hormuz although the waterway officially closed until the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports. Trump persists in sanctioning any country trading with Iran. The Chinese government, a key energy trading partner has denounced American policy Meanwhile some ships are slipping through the Straight with their identifying transponder signals switched off. Trump claims 'a big victory' saying the waters are de-mined and fully functioning, but shipping data shows maritime traffic is severely restricted and well below pre-war levels. Trump's bullying rhetoric and lies will do nothing to boost his plummeting popularity. He's making a fool of himself. Iran claims to be rebuilding military capacity hit hard by American and Israeli strikes, importing weapons as well as manufacturing and rebuilding defence systems. Like China, Russia is there in the background unchallenged. Russia was already sanctioned due to the Ukraine war.

Reports are coming in of flash floods with mud slides in the Himalayas, on the border between Nepal and Tibetan China, with hundreds dead or missing and villages destroyed. Glacier ice melting as a result of global warming is the cause. Alpine villages in the lee of glaciers are increasingly at risk of being lost. It's impossible to predict when localised environmental collapses of this kind will happen, but it's inevitable more disasters of this kind will follow. Industrial world leaders, in their own interests denied there was such a serious crisis coming for too long. Now everyone pays, one way or another.

Boil

A good night's sleep. despite having to wake up and take an antibiotic on schedule at six thirty.  The infected buttock wasn't painful overnight, but I'm not sure what's happening with the small lump which seems to be a boil, and what I should do about it. All I can do is keep it clean and disinfect the area. During the morning the lump burst open. Definitely a boil. Messy but less uncomfortable, essential to keep the afflicted area clear and disinfected. Thank heavens for penicillin at work on the inside. 

I cooked lunch while Clare was out shopping. The combined effect of the antibiotics and regular medication in the hour before eating is hard to cope with, making me feel as if I'm about to collapse. I have to eat something calorific while cooking to avoid an accident.

It's cool and cloudy today, but increasingly muggy with a rare  weather warning for thunderstorms. After lunch, I went to the shops to get plasters from Boots and a mild liquid antiseptic from the Coop as Boots  sells everything apart from what I was looking for. Dettol is widely available, but too strong on sensitive areas, even diluted. Will TCP ever return to the shelves in Britain? The mile walk to the shops and back was a struggle against tiredness induced by the drugs if not infection. Penicillin is not kind to my digestion adding to the ill effect of the slow release capsules.

I went out before supper to post Kath's birthday card and walked until it was time to return for the news and 'The Archers'. Clare cooked a cheesecake recipe found on Instagram of all places, using thick Greek yoghurt  cooked with an egg and flavourings whisked into it. It had a slightly odd texture and I had trouble swallowing a mouthful as the penicillin degrades my digestive system juices ability to dissolve some foods easily and this affects swallowing certain foods. Such a shame.

Clare found a programme on iPlayer of classical music highlights recorded in 2025 and we watched it together. Star performances displaying interesting and informative subtitles to give them context. It was a consoling end to a difficult day.

Déjà vu - Infection

I slept well and was reasonably clear headed. I spent half an hour in the GP surgery telephone queue for an appointment before getting up for breakfast. Clare accompanied me to the surgery where I was fortunate  enough to be seen by Dr Dyban who looked after me when I had the nightmare of the anal abscess back in 2018. She saw the lump on my right buttock as a sign of infection in the surgical wound scar, and prescribed a strong antibiotic, penicillin. My temperature hasn't risen. I don't know if it's infection, or the clot busting medication alone that is making me feel poorly. If the inflamed muscles don't respond I'll have to go to A&E and have it lanced, something I dread. 

We collected a prescription from the pharmacy ordered on-line by Dr Dyban as I left the surgery, then went to the Coop for groceries. I carried them home while Clare went on to the library to collect a new bright red recycling bag. One of the Coop's flimsy recyclable bags burst and spilled its content on the street on my way back, making it a challenge to get the shopping home without losing anything. 

Clare cooked trout fillets for lunch. I was too agitated to rest afterward and went out for a walk to help my blood to circulate the antibiotic through infected muscles. 

Rachel sent a message asking us to send the details of the toilet seat bidet purchase which arrived without the correct plumbing adaptor for UK pipes so that she can raise the issue with the American nanufacturers. Tracking it on our on-line bank statement was as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. Eventually Clare's Amazon account came up with complete details of the order, so I took a screenshot and sent it to her

We watched the Musikverein open air Summer Concert broadcast live from the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. Bryn Terfel was the star solist, singing arias from Das Rheingold and Fiddler on the Roof. I was reminded of how moving and powerful it was when this concert took place during the covid pandemic. A carefully rehearsed act of defiance to the plague with all the health and safety measures implemented, to raise the spirits of people in lock-down all over Europe. A reminder to me right now to be very careful in how I cope with this infection.