Friday, September 21, 2018

Bronagh and No. 9


I'm typing this post without my glasses, just FYI. I hereby absolve myself from any typos and/or spelling errors. My glasses are in the next room but I can't be bothered to stand up and go get them. (Why is it a rule that whatever room you're in, your glasses are somewhere else?)

I remember when I first got my reading glasses, a couple of years ago, and the optician asked me whether I needed them to see the computer screen. "Oh, no!" I laughed. "My eyes aren't that bad! I just need them for close-up reading."

Well, now I need them for the computer screen. I probably need new glasses, in fact.


We had a crazy night here. The wind blew and blew. I thought it was all part of Storm Ali, our first named storm of the season, but on reading the news I think it might actually have been Storm Bronagh, the second one, which came hot on the heels of Ali. Anyway, it was so windy that for a couple of hours, between midnight and 2 a.m., I couldn't sleep. There's something about a strong wind that puts a person on edge, you know? Like maybe a tree or a helicopter are going to come crashing through the ceiling.

Those are also the "hot hours," when I am likely to wake up and feel overheated. I don't know why -- something about biorhythms, I suppose -- but I get incredibly hot between midnight and 3 a.m. Then I fall back asleep and I'm cool as a cucumber when I wake up in the morning, even with the same blankets and the same dog/heater sleeping next to me.

Anyway, I went out this morning and we didn't have any wind damage to speak of -- the cosmos were knocked over and one of the buddleias lost a branch, but otherwise things seemed pretty normal.

Olga seems fine. We took off one of her bandages because it was slipping away by itself, and I thought it would be better to get some air to the stitched wound. Fortunately she has shown no tendency at all to nibble or lick her stitches, so although I put a t-shirt on her yesterday when I went to work, I think today I'll let her go without one. She goes back to the vet tonight for a quick follow-up appointment.

(Photos: A house (I think?) on Gondar Gardens, not far from our flat. The creative house number is in the center of the wall, and on this day was festooned with some dead leaves and a feather.)

14 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Does Gondar himself live in that goblin house? The way the house number is presented to the world is indeed...err...interesting! Sutures can itch after a while so I hope that Olga hasn't "had a go" at those stitches by the time you get home.

Jennifer said...

That little alcove with the house number is completely charming! Since we're house hunting at the moment, I'm always on the lookout for interesting details like that. I love it!

I'm wishing Olga the best of luck in her recovery. It's so hard when our canine friends are unwell, isn't it? Hopefully she'll be all fixed up soon and you can all get on with life. :)

John Going Gently said...

I agree with Jennifer, the number is quite lovely

Ms. Moon said...

I don't know. I don't feel very warm about that house. That almost-windowless wall feels a bit unfriendly to me despite the whimsical house number. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in.
I remember when Mr. Moon had to get glasses for the first time. Oh my god, he was so upset! He'd always had perfect eyesight. Really excellent eyesight. He fought going to the optometrist forever before he finally caved.
You are right about high winds setting us on edge. It does the same to me. Perhaps it is a result of being from hurricane territory.

Cheryl West said...

I wish you all the best for Olga's outcome and negative pathology on the biopsies. What a worry.

I feel the same about high winds as we live in a very wooded neighborhood (also in hurricane territory) and I always fear power outages from fallen trees.

ellen abbott said...

we can have some very windy days out here with nothing much to obstruct it being surrounded mostly by agriculture fields and pastures. it's hard to be out in it for very long with it pushing you around, blowing your hair in your face all the time. I think I'd go mad if I lived somewhere like the great plains where it blew all the time. and that is one unappealing looking house.

Red said...

Windy nights also bother me. My house roof creaks so that keeps me awake.

37paddington said...

Glad Olga is mending. I wonder what the inside of that house looks like.

Anonymous said...

Windy nights are unsettling. Two years ago 40 mph winds blew throughout the night. There was crashing and all kinds of sounds. When we woke in the morning and looked outside, we saw that our entire old wooden fence in the backyard had been blow down. Hope all goes well for Olga.

The Bug said...

We were originally going to get high winds from Hurricane Florence, but she was seriously downgraded by the time she made it to our part of the state. Thanks goodness! I'm with you - high wind is very unsettling!

I gave up & now wear glasses at all times. I got thoroughly sick & tired of trying to keep up with them, so I have two pair: one has progressive lenses for computer & close reading & the other has progressive lenses for those plus distance (I don't really need the distance, but these are the ones I'm wearing to the grocery store or restaurants or church, so I need the reading part). I would just wear the second pair all the time, but the section of the lenses allocated to reading is too small for working at my desk. And that's more than you wanted to know about my glasses! Ha!

Sharon said...

I wonder what causes that "hot time" because I have the same thing. It just lasts a couple of hours and then it's fine. I agree about the wind. Hearing the windows rattle is very unsettling. I'm at that stage in my life where I have readers in every room of the house. That way I don't have to go looking for them. And, on my coffee table are two pairs, one pair of readers and one pair for watching TV. Add to that three remote controls and a stack of books. There's hardly room for anything else. I'm glad to hear that Olga is doing well!

Catalyst said...

Sleep is strange. Last night I slept soundly for 7 or 8 hours with no wake-ups, which is unusual for me. The night before I woke every hour. No explanation for it. Glad to hear of Olga's recovery. I'll bet she didn't like having that t-shirt on.

Linda Sue said...

What Mr. Pudding said, stitch itch, it's a thing. Glad to hear that she is doing well so far.
As for hot sleep, pretty sure it is not menopause.. but found this :Body temperature starts to fall as bedtime approaches, paving the way for a good night's sleep. Your body also tends to lose heat, which helps you fall and stay asleep. ... We sleep better when we're cooler. Your temperature starts to rise toward morning, preparing your body for wakefulness.

jenny_o said...

What I need to know is how you kept the T-shirt from slipping down Olga's tummy! I'm picturing her with a smart elasticized belt around the hem to keep it in place ... waiting now for you to disillusion me!

Wind keeps me awake. Wind plus rain or snow keeps me awaker. If that is possible.