Root canal failure

Jo came with me yesterday morning when I was getting my root canal treatment. It was a specialist root canal dentist and she worked on me for an hour and 45 minutes - all to no avail, it seems. The deep clean treatment seemed to be going well initially - the first two canals were cleaned out OK, but the 3rd one seemed to be causing a bit of a problem - it was pretty deep and she kept taking measurements. Then an X-ray was taken, after which she consulted one of the other dentists in the practice - and then another one after that. The problem was that they weren't sure whether the 3rd canal was perforated or not. If it was perforated, then it would be impossible to get a good seal and all the work - and cost - would have been wasted, and, in all likelihood I would have to have an extraction.

A second X-ray wasn't conclusive either and, in the end, I've been given a week to think about it. Next Friday I have to tell them whether to go ahead and complete the root canal treatment and hope for the best, or just have it out. I have no idea what's best.

Not surprisingly, the tooth was a little tender after that marathon session, so it's now paracetamol for me. Anyway, we went back home and Jo headed off for her usual Friday afternoon swim, so I decided to do a bit more work on the back garden wall. I knew my first mix had been too dry, so this time, I added a bit more water. Mixing away, it still seemed too dry so I added a little splash more and all of a sudden, it's too wet! After that, you can't undo it - all the mortar mix had now been used up - so just get on with it, Ian. Time will tell whether it will be OK. It's frustrating - Jo says it's just like baking or cooking - you go from undercooked to overcooked in seconds. Anyway, here's how it looks this slightly damp Saturday morning:

If the bricks are intact, I'll put the coping stones on top next week - but first I'll need to buy more mortar mix.

Last night, we went to dinner at Dan Corbett's. Archie and Eileen Cook gave us a lift down. It was a real throwback evening. Dan had prepared - without the offered help from his friend/partner Mary - 3 different types of steak meat and we were then to cook them in a fondue. How very 1970's. Good fun actually.

This morning, Jo's preparing food for the pensioners' lunch at the church. I've got nothing planned until this evening when 4 of our Headbang group are heading off to the Lemon Tree.

Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, I'm going on a short hill-walk instead of playing golf. It's my first walk with the guys this year and is coming less than 3 weeks before a weekend of pretty serious walking on the West Coast islands. I wonder how I'll cope?

Another (2) Brick(s) in the Wall

We're told that today will be the last day of the glorious spring weather - at least for now. Golf in shorts last night was glorious and this morning was equally nice - and I took full advantage when I joined our regular Freewheelers group for a quick 30 kms ride, squeezed in before my latest appointment with the physiotherapist.

My knee is ever so slowly getting better. I've been told to stop the daily icing and only to use it now when I feel the need. Keep going with the exercises, but still nothing load-bearing yet. Next assessment 12th May.

This afternoon, it was back to the wall for me. I mixed up a little bit of mortar and re-laid two of the bricks as a test run before I do the rest. Time will tell if I got the mix right or not:

I needed a hot bath afterwards. Looking in the mirror constantly reminds me of the effects of the ageing process on my body. Small things like new freckles/brown spots appearing on my neck:

The old sun spot on my nose is changing shape a little as well, despite the fact that I've been vigilant with wearing my hat when out at golf etc:

No doubt I'll now get chastised by the medics in our family.

Tomorrow morning, I'm off the dentist again for root canal treatment. Hope he's kind to me and I can enjoy my meal tomorrow night - we've been invited round to Dan Corbett's for dinner.

The Wall

No - not Pink Floyd's 1979 album and 1982 film - remember Gerald Scarfe's images?:

They didn't need no education, but I may soon - especially when it comes to wall-building. we've moved the loose bricks, taken out the earth and cleaned the old mortar off the bricks. Now it's a question of putting it all back together again. Of course, in hindsight, when the bricks were taken down, they should have been placed in position so that it was easy to put the jigsaw back, but we'll just have to try and figure it out ourselves now. Here's my first go at laying them out in order:

Jo's out at swimming just now - but no doubt she'll want them in a different order!

Luca spent the night here last night - I picked him up at school and I drove him back this morning. We discovered that he'd left his school sweater behind yesterday - it was used for one of the goals at football. Some things never change. I tried to retrieve it for him this morning at the school but ran out of time before the bell rang and he had to get in line. Hopefully Carole will manage to retrieve it tonight when she picks him up at the After School Club.

So this is my period of respite before I go to golf this evening - in shorts. The great spring weather continues. I'm also backing up files, music, photos, video etc on the new network WD My Cloud drive I bought. So far so good.

I've also got another new toy - The Vamp (http://www.thevamp.co.uk/) - a simple little device that makes any old speaker a Bluetooth speaker. Very nifty - play all the music on my new network drive via my new iPhone and connect it wirelessly to The Vamp, which is wired to the old speaker. No power cables required - take it anywhere.

No joy yet with the Marriott Phuket Beach accommodation we're trying to get next year. Ironically, we got offered it this year but chose not to take it due to the military curfews in place in Thailand at that time. We'll keep waiting.

Jo's booked a little trip down to see sister Mary and family in a couple of weeks' time - coinciding with my first Boat of Garten trip this year. No Club 55 available, so she's trying out the Gold Bus (http://www.citylinkgold.co.uk/), which we're told is very good. Zero cost for over 60's of course - apart from a 50p advance booking fee - and she gets tea/coffee and a sandwich. Sounds good.

Tuesday - Inverurie? No

It's yet another fantastic day today. I've just come in from clearing the old mortar off the decorative bricks in our back garden before attempting to re-build the wall, and I'm having a quick cup of tea and a biscuit.

This afternoon, I'm off to Inverurie to pick up Luca from school - his parents are going to the cinema tonight, so he's staying here, instead of us feeding him over there, and we'll take him back to school in the morning.

Kelly FaceTimed on Friday morning. Jo had just headed off to Costco and missed her call, but it was nice to talk to Kelly - and get kisses from Miller. We're already thinking about our next trip Down Under, but we're waiting to see if we can get in to the Marriott Phuket Beach Club first of all, to break our journey. I went for my first post-retirement haircut on Friday before my physio appointment. I think Jo was slightly disappointed - she wanted me to put a pony-tail in! I got more ultrasound on my knee and my next appointment is this Thursday. It is improving, but very slowly. Jo was out for lunch with Anne, so I went for a run on my bike after the physio. My route took me past Knockburn Loch:

We also had our free tea/coffee and scones at Raemoir Garden Centre on Friday afternoon, and it gave Jo a chance to look at some of the trees she wants to buy. Whilst she studied the options, I sat in the sun reading my paper:

Saturday was a lazy day but we were out in the evening at the annual Malaysian Evening at the church. Lovely food and a good laugh.

Sunday was golf in the morning and the Sunday Times in the afternoon - a period of rest before what I knew was going to be a hard cycle on Monday afternoon - and so it turned out. It was a nice run, however, albeit involving a fair bit of climbing - all the way up through Scolty Woods to Shooting Greens and then down to Feughside and back via Mill of Cammie to Banchory. I relaxed in a hot bath afterwards before heading out on the bus to a CAMRA meeting in the evening.

I had to cut another notch in my belt last week - I think the leather is stretching.