Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 15 October 2023

Good morning all from an almost sunny Suffolk.

Heather - sorry to hear about your BP issues. I have to do twice daily readings for 2 weeks every now and again as I have the reverse problem. My BP is too high espeically when I go for a check up although I am not stressed about it.  However it is much lower when I am at home and rested so although they have put up my prescription of Ramiprol to 5mg they are not overly worried. I hope they get you sorted soon and you start to feel better.

OG I hope J gets some help with his knee pain and gets an offer of permanent employment soon.

I sympathise with the tailgaiting story - I too get that a lot on the smaller roads in in Suffolk and it really annoys me - however I do enjoy it when a boy racer overtakes using up his petrol me and then I slowly pull up behind him at the traffic lights or roadworks.

Re banks, here in Leiston I think we have one of the only banks in the area - I keep expecting it to be in the lists of brances closing but its still here. We also have an excellent Greengrocer and Butchers as well as a large East of England Co-op which sells electrical goods as well as everything else.

I too get exasparated at getting charity leaflets in the post. I donate to about about 6 regular charities and I always say no mail just email please, but they still keep coming. I then send them an email asking again for them to spend the money on the cause and not marketing, to no avail.

I would have liked to see the eclipse here but did see it online.

To everyone else - have a good week and hope we all get some sun between the showers.

Thank you, Clare. I am a retired nurse but hadn't heard of that medication. I will bear it in mind when I see the GP. I'm grateful to you x

Hi! +2 c was the min here this morning – I think low cloud was enough to protect us from frost. The morning has been dull and cool, but sunshine has just appeared! OH did a bit of shopping, and discovered Boots was closed. J tried phoning secretary to one of his consultants and was told it is “An NHS HOLIDAY” - anybody heard of that before? Sounds like a new expression for strikes to me!

RUSTY – sounds like you are enjoying your “second childhood” after your big birthday! Glad you had fun at MacDonalds!

HEATHER – glad you are being monitored – I hope your BP machine works – the modern machines and cuffs don’t do it for me! I hope Thursday’s tests will be helpful.

Heather B said:

Thank you, Clare. I am a retired nurse but hadn't heard of that medication. I will bear it in mind when I see the GP. I'm grateful to you x

It raises the blood pressure by tightening the blood vessels.  I don't know whether it's a relatively new drug - when Limpy started collapsing due to his blood pressure dropping I asked if there was a tablet to raise the blood pressure and was told there wasn't.  It doesn't seem to be a particularly well known drug.  It was a very determined doctor in the hospital who first tried it on him.  Ironically Limpy is now back to having high blood pressure and we have no idea why!!

HEATHER Sorry to hear you are having a rough time with your health.

OG Also sorry to hear that J has had an accident at work and hurt his knees quite badly by the sound of things.


We noticed snow on the hills on the other side of the Moray Firth this morning. I don't think we have ever seen that so early.....usually the end of October is the first we see of the snow and we think the last couple of years wee haven't seen it till into November. Woolly jump time I think.

I am bumping this thread up, because a spammer posted on the end of a past Weekly Chat thread, and I don't want folks here to get confused and begin posting on that old thread instead of this new one.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks Diane.

Heather-hope they can find what's wrong and get you back to feeling well again!

Hi all and thank you Diane for again starting us off.

Just been reading your news, Heather - do hope they get to the bottom of your low blood pressure. I tended to get it from time to time and had a number of falls over the last two years but they have diagnosed the sleep apnea problem and have fitted me with a gadget which I use sparingly but it seems to be doing the job of clearing my c20 which use to build up in my body. It may be nothing to do with that with yourself and could be something else, nevertheless I do hope they sort you out.

Annette. see you have been visiting family again, do hope journey back was uneventful and that you are now safely home.

Had our first frost on Sat morning but it didn't last long. Went out for lunch to my dau's vicar - Sue attends a different church to me . It was a really nice gesture to include me and we had a lovely lunch - saus and beef casserole with mash and veg and apple crumble and ice cream or custard. Very enjoyable.

Looking forward now to booking a cottage in North Wales for next year, that is after my dau has short listed from the list I have given her. Always wanted to go back to a childhood holiday destination there so will try and combine it with Sue wanting to visit Liverpool.

Thanks for all your news. Take care all.