Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 21, 2011
Today, Friday, I shall be having a breast scan once again. This will be the third one since my operation but my first was when I reached 60 years of age. I am sent an invitation to attend the hospital every three years but this time I don’t need to attend a hospital as there is a mobile scanning unit in my town. I say mobile but it is actually parked in a car park outside a public building and has been there for some years. For my first two visits I had to travel into Liverpool city centre to the Liverpool Womens Hospital and it is a rather awkward place to get to. So I shall be visiting the mobile unit this afternoon for the first time. The whole procedure takes but a few minutes and it probably takes longer to undress and dress again. I am not sure whether I will be invited again at my 69th birthday but most probably I will. They cease inviting those who are 70 years old or more I think.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health, Women | Tagged: Health, Womens health | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 17, 2011
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I got up around ten in the morning on Saturday having been out the night before and not getting to sleep until around five-thirty in the morning! It is just as well that I don’t seem to require much sleep each night although I do like to have a ‘top-up’ now and then! So it was that I got up and had an early lunch for it was too late for breakfast. My son went out to see his mates and to watch his favourite football team, Manchester Utd playing my favourite team, Liverpool. I am not really that much bothered about football but I do like watching the occasional game. The result was a draw at one goal each but it did serve to knock Utd off the top spot in the Premiership.
E was going out too so I knew I would have the house to myself. When they had gone I got my act together and set about mowing the lawn whilst the weather was good. It was very good on Saturday, bright sunshine and blue skies all day long but knowing the weather might change I thought it best to mow the lawn whilst I had the opportunity. I last mowed it a couple of weeks ago when it had grown so long I found it a struggle to cope. The grass had been damp too which kept clogging the blade and it took me ages to complete the cutting. The weather had been wet and I hadn’t really the chance to mow the lawn then but this time the weather was fine and the grass, although damp in places, was easier to cut and was shorter too. All the same it served as a great way to exercise because I had missed out on using the treadmill which I prefer using first thing in the morning. I did go on the treadmill the following day, Sunday though. I have been very disciplined these last few weeks and have religiously kept myself exercised as I had promised to do following a visit with the district nurse. My visit with her reminded me to keep up my exercise regime when I had let things slip a little. Exercising is healthy and it is enjoyable, it’s just a matter of getting into the habit!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Exercise, Health | Tagged: Exercise, Grass, Health, Lawn, Liverpool, Mower, Saturday, Sunday, Weather | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on October 3, 2011
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There are many ailments that we can suffer but none in my estimation compares to toothache. Two weeks ago, well to be precise a couple of days before I began to suffer from a toothache therefore two weeks ago today I had the offending tooth removed. It had been filled at one point many years ago but had now deteriorated and had also started to crumble thereby exposing the nerve. Ouch! At the same time my dentist prepared an adjacent tooth for capping and it was a week ago today she capped that tooth and did some other minor work elsewhere in my mouth. The following evening, Tuesday, I began to suffer ‘toothache’ pains but they ceased after a short while. However the following evening the pain returned and kept me awake throughout the whole night. In the morning the pain disappeared and although I had gotten no sleep I managed to do some shopping but by late morning the pain had returned with a vengeance. I telephoned the dental surgery who slotted me in an hour or so later. My dentist tested my teeth for sensitivity but got no response from any of them. She and I agreed that it might be an infection so she prescribed an anti-biotic to be taken over the next three days or so. I took my last pill this morning. I still get pains every so often though and now I am thinking that somehow there is a break in the gum allowing the exposure of a nerve ending because liquids are sometimes triggering the reaction. I have suffered many kinds of pain during my lifetime but nothing compares to toothache. I may have to make another appointment with the surgery if things do not improve.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health | Tagged: Dental surgery, Dentist, Dentistry, Health, Pain, Peripheral nerve, Tooth, Toothache | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 21, 2011
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Over the last few days I have not had much to do, my work isn’t coming in and although I could find things to do at home I don’t wish to do so at this time. After my visit to see the nurse on Monday I decided to restart my exercise regime yesterday after neglecting it over the last couple of weeks. That being the case I got up early and went downstairs into the cellar where I have the treadmill. It is in the same room as the boiler so the room is quite warm and that is a blessing in the Winter months. It isn’t so comfortable in the warmer months though so I leave the doors open if I am exercising on the treadmill. After my thirty minutes of mostly running I went back upstairs to my room. I spent the next half-hour colouring my hair then off to the bathroom to rinse it out and have a bath. Whilst I was dressing and applying my make-up my eldest son and my daughter-in-law came to pay us a flying visit. When they left I had lunch and then took out the washing I’d put in the washing machine earlier. The rest of the day was spent doing practically nothing! I am going to find retirement so boring unless I get my act together!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Exercise, Health | Tagged: Activity, Health, Physical exercise, Treadmill | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 20, 2011
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Yesterday, Monday, I had an appointment with the nurse at the doctors’ surgery. It was a routine check on my health because of the medication I am taking, estrogen. This time it was simply to check my blood pressure. It appears that the systolic pressure reading is too high. It’s my own fault really because lately I have to admit to not exercising as I should and of course being a little ‘lax’ with my diet. I will get it all under control before my next appointment in one month’s time. Whilst I was waiting in the surgery with my tag in my hand I noticed the guy sitting nearby had a black coloured tag, mine was silver. The system they use in the surgery is to give each patient a tag depending on which doctor or nurse they are seeing. That means nine different coloured tags. A display board shows the colour associated with each doctor/nurse and when the buzzer sounds and the relevant light is illuminated then the next patient makes their way to the appropriate room. The tags are numbered so that the patient will know if it is their turn. When it is your turn you place your tag on the relevant hook beneath the board and proceed to the room. It sounds complicated but it is very easy and almost fool-proof. I smiled to myself when I saw the guys black tag because the colour is assigned to the Midwife! LOL. I still can’t figure that one! About an hour and a half later I had another appointment with the dentist 21 miles away but before I drove there I had to buy some flowers and pay a visit to a woman I know who has just returned home after having a brain tumour removed. She works in the kitchen as a chef in my local pub. It was less than two weeks ago when I last saw her and when I was in the pub on Saturday night I learned about her illness for the first time. She lives about two and a half miles from my house in the direction I was travelling to get to the dentist so it wasn’t out of my way, not that that would have made a difference but I had an appointment to keep. Anyway she was up and about and let me inside for a few minutes to speak with her. When she told me what they did to get at the tumour I was horrified! It appears that they peeled the skin down from the top of the head to gain access to the skull and then replaced it as if pulling back a blanket on a bed! Absolutely amazing and the only real damage is temporary bruising and water retention swelling. She looks remarkably well after such an operation but she is still weak. I left after five minutes so that I could make my appointment with the dentist.
Last week I had a tooth removed and this time I was to have preparatory work to ‘cap’ another tooth which I will get done next Monday. Although the dental work is covered by the NHS I am still having to pay £204. Just imagine what it would cost if done privately! So that is another appointment for next week. As the journey to the dentist is over 21 miles I was beginning to need the toilet on my arrival there. Another woman beat me to it and was waiting outside the only toilet’s door. We stood there laughing at our predicament along with an old guy who was sitting nearby. After an embarrassingly long wait the old guy said,’Did you try the door’? The other woman was reluctant to do that so I stepped over and discovered the room was empty! I had assumed that she knew that someone was inside. What a laugh!
Monday evening saw me at the pub having a good time. Not many ‘regulars’ there but I wasn’t bothered (where have you heard that one before?). I spent time reading the newspaper whilst sitting on the most comfortable leather couch. Later I had a meal and then some more drinks, actually I had purchased a bottle of red wine so I finished the bottle. Naughty girl I am sometimes and that won’t help my blood pressure but I am not worried about that, I will get it under control as I said I would. I met with a couple of people but by and large spent most of the time alone. I sometimes welcome that.
Shirley Anne
- Oh the pain! (minkyweasel.com)
- Our Doctor’s Visit (myhollydays.wordpress.com)
- My Appointment……Finally (healthcaretipster.wordpress.com)
- The Pressure to go Lower (conorcaffrey.wordpress.com)
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Posted in Fun, Health, Life, People | Tagged: Blood pressure, Fun, Health, Nurse, People, Surgery | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 14, 2011
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Today, Monday, I had an appointment with my dentist. My dentist’s surgery is over twenty miles from my home. It is in Liverpool. I really must try harder to find one closer to home but in the past that has proved difficult, all local practices have not been able to accommodate me because they had too many patients on their books. Anyway for the past week or more I have been suffering with toothache which also resulted in aches and pains elsewhere, headaches, pain behind my left eye etc. My original appointment was for Thursday last week but my dentist was unable to leave Egypt where she had been on vacation. I consequently had to put back my appointment to Monday. I could have been attended to by another dentist in the practice but my dentist is a good dentist and I decided to wait. When she examined me she took an x-ray picture to see what the problem was. The tooth had been filled several times over the last few years but unfortunately this time it was beyond repair. I have a few fillings and by and large they have been alright. This tooth needed extracting and she suggested I make another appointment. When I told her that I lived more than twenty miles away and asked why she couldn’t extract the tooth there and then she said it was a matter of time. Well how long does it take to extract a tooth? About two minutes! She agreed to do it and gave me an injection to numb the area. Whilst that was taking effect I waited outside and another patient went in. After ten minutes I was back inside and the tooth was duly removed. I was given post-op instructions for after-care. The main problem was stopping the wound from bleeding. It actually took about four hours to cease bleeding but by that time I had arrived back home, had my lunch and was now in the pub! I deliberately bought a couple of glasses of neat whisky and used them to keep the wound clean by sipping every few minutes. Well nothing cleans like an alcoholic spirit and it tastes nice! My other drinks were cider. Most people would have told me to keep off the alcohol after having a tooth extracted but I know different! As I sit here in the early evening my wound has healed completely and there is no pain whatsoever! So who is right? Because the appointment was 11.30 it meant that I couldn’t take on any work for the day but around 9.00 I received a request to do a very small job for someone I have worked for many times. She lives less than a mile from my house and I had enough time to pop over and accommodate her. I wasn’t however dressed for work as you can imagine but the job didn’t entail getting dirty in the least and my fee helped pay for my dental treatment! It’s funny how things work out. In case you were wondering, I don’t mind going to the dentist in the least.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health | Tagged: Dentist, Dentistry, Egypt, Health, Liverpool, Pain, Tooth, Toothache | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 6, 2011
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I have a little rubber room
I play in every day,
I’d have a chair to sit on
But they carted it away.
I sit on polystyrene
My bed is made of sponge,
The food I get is wobbly
Just like a cold blancmange.
I used to have some clothing
I used to have some shoes,
They used to come and speak with me
And tell me all the news.
One day I’ll get my freedom
One day they’ll let me free,
Then we can be two nuts together
You and crazy me.
Copyright Shirley Anne 29 Feb 2004
The above poem was written in fun and is one of a few I have here in my poems pages but when I read it recently I got to see the more serious side of being in a condition of mental turmoil, insanity or many other kinds of what are commonly referred to as ‘mental illnesses‘. As healthy well-balanced individuals we moan about life from time to time but generally speaking most of us would say that we are happy. Without knowing the figures though I couldn’t say what percentage of a population are really happy with their lives. That brings me to this question, ‘Are people who have a form of mental incapacity, happy’? I have often wondered about this question. What makes people happy anyway and how much of an influence does a person’s life have over their happiness? Well we could say their financial situation, their home, their job, their relationships, their family, a host of different things perhaps have an influence on happiness but how do these things relate to someone who is mentally ill? Are they aware of their situation, can this have an effect on them? It must be difficult to know whether a person is happy if they have some form of mental incapacity especially if we don’t know what they are thinking. I try not to admit my feelings if I am unhappy, I have that control but some may not be able to do that, they may not even know whether they are unhappy or not.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Happiness, Health | Tagged: Health, Mental disorder, Mental health, Self-Help, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on September 4, 2011
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I was watching a magazine program on tv a day or so ago and they were talking about one man’s problem with the onset of Parkinson’s disease and how it was affecting his speech. One of the effects people suffer from with Parkinson’s disease is stammering. It was mentioned that an effective procedure was available to alleviate that problem but it would cost the guy about £1000, a sum he couldn’t afford to spend. However there was a much less expensive alternative which hopefully would do the same thing and the cost was a mere £10! Evidently there was a phone application or ‘app’ as it is more commonly known. Used with a ‘Bluetooth‘ earpiece the phone receives what is spoken and immediately sends it back through the earpiece which has the desired effect of halting the stammer on the speaker. It works so well it is as if the speaker has no problem with speaking at all. Now I am not one for gadgetry as my regular readers will have gathered but even I have to admit to this being a really useful application of a mobile phone! I can see how some gadgets really can be useful. It is awful to see people suffering from afflictions and unfortunately many afflictions cannot be treated but some can be eased with the aid of technology. I cannot see a day though where all ailments find a cure but I can see better times ahead in many fields of medicine and hope for those who find themselves at the mercy of Nature gone wrong.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health, Nature, Technology | Tagged: Bluetooth, Conditions and Diseases, Health, Health care provider, Nature, Neurological Disorders, Organizations, Parkinson's disease, Publishing, Technology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 17, 2011
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Well Saturday I was going to continue with work in the garage and have Sunday as a rest day instead but on Friday I caught my foot on something very sharp and pointed. At the time that wasn’t a problem, a simple puncture of the skin covered with a plaster and I was back working. That would be about four o’clock. The injury was to the top of my foot directly in the middle. E and I went back indoors around six-thirty but by eight o’clock my foot began to ache, so much so I could hardly walk on it. It seems that small puncture had bruised my muscles enough to cause the abnormal pain. E fetched me a bowl and filled it with cold water and I sat with my foot in the cold water for more than an hour. My foot was swollen and it was extremely difficult getting upstairs to bed. Throughout the night I visited the toilet three times as is sometimes the case with me and each time my foot seemed to be getting better. By morning time it was easier to walk but nevertheless I needed to keep off my feet for as much as possible, which meant no work! E and I plan to go to our eldest son’s house today (Sunday) to check all things are ok for when they return from their holiday and I am supposed to be collecting my extension ladder to bring it back home. It has been at my son’s house for more than twelve months and he has finished with it. I have an electrical job on Monday morning so I hope I will be mobile enough to carry it out. It is a job that requires climbing a ladder and replacing a faulty component so I won’t need to be walking about too much. Everything now depends on whether my foot has settled down. Such is life……I could always open a bottle of red wine! Anyhow, I got this far on Friday
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health, Life | Tagged: Foot, Health, Pain | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 10, 2011
Today I feel much better after my recent bout of illness. I am not quite running on full power but I am now active again, although I shan’t be doing anything today and tomorrow I have but a very small job to do in the morning which doesn’t even require me to bend down! The job is one that can only be done standing up! After that small job there is a shopping errand to the electrical supplier for some materials and then back home. A bigger job awaits me on Tuesday but even that one won’t be difficult. It isn’t pleasant being unwell I have to say and there are probably many people far worse off than I am, in fact I know there are but at the time all you can think about is the sickness that has overtaken you and how best to cope with it. I was pretty much left to my own devices over the last few days with occasional enquiries from E and our youngest son as to how I was doing, not really any support but at least they asked.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on July 9, 2011
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Having thought I was on the mend yesterday I began to get the shivers around two o’clock, severe shivers, I couldn’t control them. I went to get myself a dressing gown but when returning I found myself hyper-ventilating. It took some time to get things under control and I spent the next few hours just sitting down and sweating profusely. Seems like I was having a bout of ‘flu. what more could go wrong? Gradually over the rest of the day I began to feel better. I hadn’t anything other than a small bowl of porridge which I didn’t eat completely but had been drinking hot sweet milk and honey occasionally and lots of water too. I hope to be passed the worst of it today.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health | Tagged: Bathrobe, Conditions and Diseases, Health | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on July 7, 2011
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Last night, from midnight and up till three o’clock today I have experienced what I think is one of the worse days of my life as far as my health is concerned. A few days ago I was talking about feeling out of sorts but that was nothing compared to last night. At first I thought I was having another bout of trapped wind, bad enough by itself but I am now certain it was food poisoning. I had a severe pain in my stomach which just wouldn’t go away. In fact it got progressively worse as the night wore on.Overnight I visited the toilet twelve times and vomited five times. I spent the whole night suffering a constant pain and could not even lie down it was so bad. That meant absolutely no sleep. Towards the dawn the pain moved down into my intestines but I was still feeling pain in my stomach too. All I could do was to try and drink water to help flush out my system. The water caused me to vomit which was a good thing if I had food poisoning. It wasn’t until two in the afternoon that I began to feel anything like human again. I have not left my bedroom except to visit the toilet. Fortunately I have drinking water at my bedroom hand-basin so didn’t need to go far to replenish my glass. I popped downstairs at three thirty this afternoon to collect my lap-top computer so I could at least have something to do. I hope I didn’t disturb the other people in the house with my constant groaning, thirteen hours of it! I know I was fed up moaning but believe me I couldn’t help myself! Nothing except water has passed my lips on the inward journey, not even my hormones! The sickness was that bad! I shan’t be taking anything at all until tomorrow morning at least, I don’t wish a relapse that’s for sure. Hopefully I will be alright by then. Now I am switching off my computer and having a belated sleep if I can manage it.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Health | Tagged: Conditions and Diseases, Food, Food and Water Borne, Foodborne illness, Health, Vomiting | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 21, 2011
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On Sunday evening, after a late dinner I began to feel uncomfortable. I could feel the symptoms of trapped wind in my stomach. I do suffer from this occasionally and now know how to deal with it but this time it just wouldn’t go away. I thought it might be not only trapped wind but perhaps food poisoning. I spent a very restless night but did manage to get some sleep. When I awoke yesterday morning I was feeling decidedly out of it! My arms, shoulders and upper torso as well as my head were all suffering pain. I am the kind of person who resists taking pain killers, pumping medications into my system unless I really need to do so. Needless to say I had no breakfast as my stomach was still in pain but I did sip water which seemed to help by bringing up the occasional ‘burp’. I struggled through the morning and when it came to lunchtime I was still feeling queazy. If it was food poisoning I didn’t want to eat more food, however I think on reflection it was due to other things, trapped wind, tiredness, mild ‘flu and the after effects of working on the garage all day on Saturday. I had wanted to go out and purchase paint and a few other items but E found two full cans of the paint we needed and some other materials so anything else I wanted I would have to go out and buy. E had her lunch around 1.30 but she wanted to watch a program on the television until 2.15 and wasn’t ready to go out just then. We had expected the boys to arrive early in the morning to finish off the paving in the rear garden but they arrived at noon. I fell asleep on the couch whilst E was watching television but aroused myself and ventured out to the shops with her to buy some things. We bought a parasol to fit over the wooden dining table (part of the garden furniture, I will post a pic later if I remember), a bamboo door curtain that we can hang over the door space when the door is opened in Summer (just to keep out the flies!) and plenty of beer for the weekend. When we arrived back home the boys had finished the rear garden and had started preparing the area under the window at the front of the house. They are supposed to be returning at 8 o’clock this morning to complete that work (finally!). The weather seems to be getting better, just like I am. I hate feeling unwell when I know there is much to do but I never do work when I am not feeling well.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Energy, Food, Health, Shopping | Tagged: Abdominal pain, Food, Foodborne illness, Health, Shopping | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 1, 2011
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I was very tired on Friday evening and couldn’t get to bed quick enough. My arms were aching and I was generally feeling weak from all the work I have been doing. E had gone out with her mom for the evening and I was home alone. I had a nice long soak in the bath and had a good night’s sleep. When I got up yesterday my upper arms were still aching as were my shoulders. I think E was wanting to do more work but I suggested we wait until the afternoon both for myself and for her sake too. After lunch I made the decision not to do anything but to rest completely. This is why I try to observe the Sabbath day of rest, we are not supposed to burn ourselves out seven days a week and it is wise to take a break. However whilst I remained indoors relaxing E took it upon herself to go and shift some soil in the vegetable plot! We need to move the soil where we have piled it up after sifting it and it has to go back in the space from whence it came. We have placed a barrier between that space and the remaining soil which hasn’t yet been sifted. This will enable us to get at the remainder of the wall that we ‘bagged’ on Friday and do the same there. I went to bed last night with my batteries fully recharged ready to do some more work today. Fortunately the weather has been very good lately else we wouldn’t have done as much as we have. I am hoping it will remain so at least until the heavy work is completed but of course we have no control over that.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Energy, Garden, Health | Tagged: Activity, Health, Rest and relaxation | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 9, 2011
Well Friday was ‘no intention’ day for me mainly because I got up fairly late at 9 o’clock and went to see the dentist at 12.30 which left me reluctant to do anything else for the remainder of the day as I didn’t get back home until almost 2 o’clock! As it happened the dentist prescribed an anti-biotic and I am to see my regular dentist at the end of the month to assess any further necessary action. There is more filling than tooth where I am feeling the pain although the pain is not strong nor continuous. It may be that the medication will resolve the problem, I’ll have to wait and see. So I just pottered about the house and garden all day and will make up for lost time today instead. My sabbath day of rest came early this week. It had been a beautiful day yesterday and looks as though it will be even better today but there’s lots to do in the gardens and E and I will be busy most of the time. We will stop in order to watch The Grand National in the afternoon. All the years I lived in Liverpool (about 4 miles from the racecourse at Aintree) and even now I live but fifteen miles away, I never did go to the races although one year in the late sixties I did attend the meeting as a standby electrician for one day but didn’t see any of the races! Most years I watch the Grand National race. In fact I cannot remember one year that I missed watching the main race live on television. I never gamble on the races but one year (1981) my colleagues at work were holding a raffle and they had one ticket left which they co-erced me into buying for £1. I was told the the horse I had on my ticket was ‘a donkey’ and had no chance of winning. Well it’s name was Aldaniti and it came in first! I won £48 on the raffle and my colleagues were gritting their teeth! A lazy Friday, a busy Saturday and probably Sunday to look forward to…………but I like it!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Health | Tagged: Aintree, Grand National, Health, Horse racing, Liverpool | Leave a Comment »
