Sunday, September 12, 2021

White Diet and Campervan


Not a whole lot of excitement around here yesterday. I spent most of the day on a bland "white food" diet, because of an at-home medical test I'm taking this morning to look for harmful bacteria in my stomach. I was restricted to eating things like white bread, rice and skinless boiled potatoes. The list didn't include pasta, but that's what I had for lunch yesterday -- I figured if I could eat white bread then surely pasta with no sauce couldn't be problematic, since it's all made of the same stuff. For dinner I had two poached eggs on a bowl of rice. Soooooooo exciting.

Now I'm fasting, except for water, but I did allow myself a cup of black coffee. My need for coffee outweighs my need for this medical test.

Anyway, it will all be over around noon. I really don't think it's going to find anything. I'm not sure I would even go through with it except that I already paid for it, so I may as well persevere. (I did it through a private doctor, not the NHS.)

Olga was feeling quite feisty yesterday and demanded two walks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I was lying on the couch reading when Dave, sitting in his recliner facing the back door, started laughing. He pointed and I turned around and saw this:


That's the "take me for a walk" look.

So we went to the cemetery, where the thistle seeds are blowing around in a very autumnal way (top).

On our morning walk, I found this:

 
It had been discarded beneath a tree with some other debris on the high street. This pillow SPOKE to me. My father collected Volkswagens, and he had a VW bus very similar to this that we rode around in all the time as kids. (I don't know what year his was -- the one on the pillow is allegedly a '63.) And my brother is a Volkswagen aficionado too, repairing old ones just like my father did.

So I picked it up and inspected it carefully, inside and all along the seams, and although the exterior was slightly grubby it seemed fine otherwise. I brought it home, took off the pillow cover and washed it and the poly-fiber pillow inside, and everything came out looking like new. Thank goodness for durable polyester! The weird black dots are part of the design, believe it or not -- here's another pillow by the same company with the same feature. At first I was worried because the spots didn't come out, and then I realized they're supposed to be there.

Anyway, as you can see, it matches my groovy green bean bag chair quite well -- at least in spirit!

46 comments:

gz said...

Hope the tests go well. I think you may be able to have a pear for variety?
Good to see Olga looking lively!

Steve Reed said...

No fruit or veg! I have no idea why.

Moving with Mitchell said...

That IS a perfect addition to the bean bag chair. I guess the dots are supposed to make it look vintage. And, yes, the wonders of durable polyester. Olga is hilarious. Our cats have the same look. And it’s a beautiful photo of your paradise. Hope all goes well with the medical test today. Enjoy your return to real food.

e said...

Love it! Good luck with the test/

Yorkshire Pudding said...

One never knows what might be happening in one's stomach. Ever seen the chestbuster scene from "Alien" (1979)? As for your green beanbag, I wouldn't refer to it as "groovy", more "passé".

Mary said...

I used to have a red and white VW bus (about a decade older than the one on your pillow, but not much different in looks). It was a stick shift and truly a hazard on a high speed road. Hilly highways were a real challenge. I remember going down hills as fast as I could in order to (barely) make it up the next hill (at well below highway speed). My children and I went everywhere in that thing--they learned to pump forward while sitting in their seats to "help" us get up hills. Flintstone-style. :)

Anonymous said...

What a great cushion find. One of my nieces would be ecstatic to have a Kombi van cushion.

As for the test, aren't you supposed to only drink water and eat nothing? I've often thought, what difference would a cup of black unsweetened coffee make to the test. Before my last fasting test, I made myself a cup of my normal morning instant black coffee and took a few sips.

Bob said...

White food and Black coffee ...kinda gray, eh?
That pillow is a fabulous find. We had a VW Bus when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to be sixteen and be able to drive it. Sadly, it was long gone before I got my Learner's permit!

Sharon said...

The expression on Olga's sweet face would be very hard to resist. I love the pillow and it's perfect for that chair. That's an interesting test you are doing.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh gawd. What are you eating now? I'm sure your test is over.
That pillow definitely rocks. I love it!

Anonymous said...

Hope all goes well on that white food diet test.
Love that pillow. We had a 1963 VW van that looked so much like the one on this great pillow find.

Red said...

My friend calls his Volkswagen bus a kraut can!

ellen abbott said...

Steve the Finder finds again. my 1st husband had a VW van before we married. I wrecked it in the snow and ice in Chicago. the car in front of me stopped suddenly and boom.

Edna B said...

I loved that VW camper van. Sadly though, I never had one. That's a super photo of Olga in the doorway. So regal! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

crafty cat corner said...

Good find. I sometimes feel that if I had one of these I'd like to take off just to get away from things.
Great cushion.
Briony
x

Allison said...

You do have the gift of finding cool things. London offers you much from its streets. Love the look on Olga's face, it's clear what she wants.

Ellen D. said...

Hope the test went well. Hope it helps with your stomach troubles... It is a bother to go through the testing process and get no help after all...

Kelly said...

I never actually knew anyone with a VW Minibus, but I sure do like that pillow. I LOVE beanbag chairs and wish I had one right now! Hmmm.... Christmas is coming up. Maybe I should ask for one.

Olga is just TOO cute!! I would have trouble resisting that face.

jenny_o said...

Good luck with the test. I'm always afraid to eat anything not on the list, although I will ask beforehand if there's something I would like to have. Before my colonscopy I asked if Jello was allowed and the answer was surprising: Yes, except red or orange. Which made sense after I heard it but I wouldn't have guessed it.

Love the photo of Olga. She's so photogenic!

Linda Sue said...

Olga has got you two very well trained, with just a stare! Good girl Olga!

Debby said...

Why do you suppose someone would have discarded that pillow? It spoke to me as well. Clear over here, it spoke plainly!

37paddington said...

That is a very cool pillow, especially for a VW aficionado!

togi said...

It must have been a wonderful experience to ride a Volkswagen bus.
"Take me for a walk." so cute.
The sight of the puppy sitting in front of the door is making me laugh.

Steve Reed said...

It's funny how well animals can communicate with just a facial expression!

Steve Reed said...

Thanks -- I survived!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, hopefully whatever's going on (if anything) in my stomach won't be quite THAT disruptive. It would greatly alarm the kids at school.

Steve Reed said...

Ours was a stick shift too, and our dad taught us all to drive using that bus! We always joked that if we could drive that, we could drive anything. (Fortunately we didn't have hills to contend with.)

Steve Reed said...

Only for the last 12 hours -- but as I said, I didn't think black coffee would make a difference so I went for it.

Steve Reed said...

It was VERY gray, metaphorically and literally! If it's any consolation, those buses were not that easy to drive.

Steve Reed said...

Isn't that a funny expression? She cracks me up.

Steve Reed said...

Waffles! (See next post!)

Steve Reed said...

Wow! How coincidental that you had one from the same year! I gotta find out what year my dad's was.

Steve Reed said...

That sounds like a very old-fashioned expression!

Steve Reed said...

Oops. Was it repairable, I hope?

Steve Reed said...

Our van was quite rattly and not particularly comfortable -- so don't feel too bad!

Steve Reed said...

I completely understand the escape fantasy!

Steve Reed said...

Having a dog to walk maximizes my time on the street in the early morning, when many things can be found.

Steve Reed said...

I really don't expect it to turn anything up. And fortunately my stomach troubles are only intermittent. (Drinking less coffee probably wouldn't hurt.)

Steve Reed said...

As you can see, mine is called a "Bazaar Bag" and it's HUGE. But there are many varieties of bean bags out there!

Steve Reed said...

I remember that rule from my own colonoscopy!

Steve Reed said...

A face that launched a thousand dog walks...

Steve Reed said...

I have no idea! As I said, it needed a wash, but it was in good shape otherwise. People are strange. I think sometimes they just get sick of things.

Steve Reed said...

Right?! I couldn't believe how well it applied to my own life. I might have even bought it in a shop.

Steve Reed said...

It made us laugh too! Our bus wasn't particularly comfortable to ride in, but I suppose a newer one -- or one better maintained -- might have been OK.

The Bug said...

We had a VW van - it was one of the vehicles I had to drive as a brand new license holder. Have you ever tried to drive one up a hill? I had ISSUES. Ha!

ellen abbott said...

nope. totaled. either that or his mom didn't feel like paying to have it fixed.