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What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

Good news, there will no shortage of water in the pipe running down hill to Manchester this weekend from Cumbria.
It will be raining this am and rain is forecast for saturday and sunday, so three more wet grass days in prospect.

We have a Mistle Thrush that has become the owner of our garden.
It has a large Holly tree in the front garden it protects from all comers, so we can't cut any holly this year.
One day last week he spent the day coming on our bedroom window sill, looking in the window and now he owns the back garden and chases any blackbirds trying to feed on fallen apples. Will post some pics if I get a chance.

Its amazing how all the Cumbrian brexiteer farmers are having a massive attack of amnesia. We're apparently getting an Australian style deal. Actually even less than Australia, in other words, sweet Fanlight Adams!
It won't affect me much, but I fear for our children and grand children and the poor with low incomes.
Its sad, I don't think these public school political types care, its their 'principles' that matter!

Have a good day everyone and get a few jobs done.
D.
 
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I watch the football and sleep a tad, meanwhile this thread explodes. Swipey may or may not have my fbg right at 4.8 but almost £100 per month deserves some functionality methinks. And now we're off. @karen8967 good gel for the meme - I wouldn't dream of insulting you with filthy lucre, help yourself to your favourite tipple next time you are round (vodka? from memory); @Muddy Cyclist great Georgian gentleman and lovely flooring. I adore Hardy - somewhere in box city I have all his books and I think The Darkling Thrush is about right for December. Good poem for @lindisfel's king of the garden. Also beautiful photos young sir. @Krystyna23040 phone the wrong way round to read QR codes? Were you born in Norfolk or just fully naturalised now? I'm in danger of making this post too long - may split my ramblings into a few smaller efforts. 'Tis Super salmon (with crispy skin) and avo salad Friday in my domain. Cheerypip droogs.
 
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Long post - TL/DR? Sorry for being snappy - still feeling bereft and lost but continuing with futile acts because ... I need to do something I suppose, even though it feels like there is very little point. Thank god for being OCD and needing to finish tasks. But I take no joy in anything at the moment.

Long post starts here - feel free to completely ignore.
Firstly I need to apologise for being so snappy in light of a major setback with regards to future freelance work. After having chased that role for 18 months and worked so hard to put the demo together, it was such a slap in the face, but more so it was the last lead I had opened to me. So to all of you and particularly @gennepher and @lindisfel .. I am sorry.

Some context. I worked for 20 years in IBM and finished my time as a respected IT architect by projects and clients but was bullied out of my role and ultimately out of the company by a manager who wanted me to drop down to an IT Specialist role, relocate away from London, and even wanted me to lose my company car and hard earned band-rating and drop me down to a less well paid band below. I was off work with stress for the first time in 20 years at the end, and looking back now, I was clinically depressed at the time.

I took voluntary redundancy much to his rage and I managed to get a job in another outsourcing company but was re-training to be a journalist using the redundancy money and the increased salary to fund it.

I am not going to lie to you - it has been a grind. Over 40 in a young industry is no easy job. I was being rejected right and left for journalism roles so I threw all my efforts into a sports website I created with my best mate from journalism school. I had a role with a tennis live streaming site but the guy there was a bit of a tyrant and I also had a role as an IT Analyst for an IT site and the editor there hated the fact I also did a bit of sport on the side. He bad-mouthed me around the industry and it slammed my confidence a lot.

Ultimately I struck out on my own, and used my own savings to fund the site, and travelling to tournaments in our own right to build up the brand and the site's reputation finally cracking the ultimate in accreditation - getting Britwatch accepted into Wimbledon. I used my own funds and inheritance from both my parents now gone to fund this, but this is not a bottomless pit and now I am just about out of all those funds.

Traditional press HATE website press. And I mean HATE. They feel we have no right at all to be at tournaments and the amount of ... rubbish... I have had to put up with to be at tournaments is phenomenal - and not in a good way.

I freelanced for a while at ESPN and when I landed the freelance role at Sky Sports News I was delighted. However the person I was assigned to decided after 3 days she did not want to train me. So I managed to persuade the managing editor in another part of the business to let me train with his group and had just finished my training and was going to be recommended to his sub-editors for shifts Mon-Wed when COVID hit.

Since then apart from covering a few tournaments for the LTA and doing a couple of articles for British Rowing during Black History Month, I have had nothing else on the work horizon.

I know and respect that people think things will improve and the sun will come out some other day - but that doesn't help when money is tight NOW. Knowing things will improve in March means nothing when I have to determine what I can afford to buy to eat now.

I spent an hour literally crying on the phone to my best friend who's been a constant source of support (in fact to each other as she was made redundant in Feb and qualified for nothing during lockdown) and have spent the last two days doing not much because I haven't slept the last two nights fretting about how to survive this.

I still have no real idea of what to do next, but I can't let the financial situation get away from me like I did through the summer, so today I am going to have to do company admin, personal finances, do a shopping list and really make veggies and tins last for 3 weeks to minimise how much I am spending in a month.

I am sorry if I have offended any of you fine people on here. I will lurk and at some stage when I can actually be bothered, I will chase the surgery for my blood test results and update that sig, and will eventually re-engage here, but for now, I am lost and I have no clue what even to try.

I will eventually update my portfolio and sort through my radio clips, but for now my confidence and my self-belief is gone. Everything feels utterly futile. I have failed in two careers and the simple economic fact is I lack the funds to consider a third.

I am not posting this for people to 'fix' my issues. Right now, like many others, I am more consumed with how will I continue to put food on the table and how will I be able to afford to keep my nice roof over my head. With the greatest of respect to you all, people responding with the security of a job or pension are extremely lucky right now. I am one of many many self-employed directors who are older and greyer than the young emerging workforce that everyone is more focussed on helping. And that adds to the anxiety.

Thanks for reading and sorry again if I offended anyone.
 
Good Morening Ladies and Gentlemen and all who are beginning to lock themselves down for the fast approaching pagan / Christmas festival.

A 5.8 on that wayward meter this morning.

Me and me's will be out and about this morning leaving Mrs J unsupervised, after her recent visit to a garden centre and purveyor of Christmas tat I suspect more Christmas tat will appear in the house, do I take photographs to check?

@RFSMarch feel free to post, life can be tough at times.

Have as good a day as you can fellow posters, painters and gamers.
One word " sprouts "
 
FBG slightly higher than yesterday at 6.5, I didn't get to sleep until about 4:30am and woke up at 8am so I'm thinking the lack of sleep might be partially responsible. 7 days into low carb so I jumped on the scales this morning and am down 6lbs which will make several of my doctors happy as that puts me back into the overweight category of BMI rather than obese. I always lose a big chunk on the first week of any change in my diet so the next few weeks should be more gradual. All in all feeling positive if somewhat tired :) Also happy Chanukah for those celebrating.
 
Heard yesterday that my nephew has had his operation. The Docs think they got all the cancer, which was not attached to any major organ. They did have to open him up more than expected, so longer recuperation than from keyhole surgery, but apart from that all sounding good.
His very young daughter is missing Dad badly and has got very clingy to Mum, who is pregnant.
Think they are in for a rough few weeks as he is not supposed to climb stairs or lift anything. Daughter won't understand any of it. We are so grateful that the cancer was found early enough. Apparently this is a very rare cancer, usually not discovered until there are secondaries. Kidney infection was certainly a blessing in disguise. Feeling thankful.
 
RFSMarch said:
Long post - TL/DR? Sorry for being snappy - still feeling bereft and lost but continuing with futile acts because ... I need to do something I suppose, even though it feels like there is very little point. Thank god for being OCD and needing to finish tasks. But I take no joy in anything at the moment.

Long post starts here - feel free to completely ignore.
Firstly I need to apologise for being so snappy in light of a major setback with regards to future freelance work. After having chased that role for 18 months and worked so hard to put the demo together, it was such a slap in the face, but more so it was the last lead I had opened to me. So to all of you and particularly @gennepher and @lindisfel .. I am sorry.

Some context. I worked for 20 years in IBM and finished my time as a respected IT architect by projects and clients but was bullied out of my role and ultimately out of the company by a manager who wanted me to drop down to an IT Specialist role, relocate away from London, and even wanted me to lose my company car and hard earned band-rating and drop me down to a less well paid band below. I was off work with stress for the first time in 20 years at the end, and looking back now, I was clinically depressed at the time.

I took voluntary redundancy much to his rage and I managed to get a job in another outsourcing company but was re-training to be a journalist using the redundancy money and the increased salary to fund it.

I am not going to lie to you - it has been a grind. Over 40 in a young industry is no easy job. I was being rejected right and left for journalism roles so I threw all my efforts into a sports website I created with my best mate from journalism school. I had a role with a tennis live streaming site but the guy there was a bit of a tyrant and I also had a role as an IT Analyst for an IT site and the editor there hated the fact I also did a bit of sport on the side. He bad-mouthed me around the industry and it slammed my confidence a lot.

Ultimately I struck out on my own, and used my own savings to fund the site, and travelling to tournaments in our own right to build up the brand and the site's reputation finally cracking the ultimate in accreditation - getting Britwatch accepted into Wimbledon. I used my own funds and inheritance from both my parents now gone to fund this, but this is not a bottomless pit and now I am just about out of all those funds.

Traditional press HATE website press. And I mean HATE. They feel we have no right at all to be at tournaments and the amount of ... rubbish... I have had to put up with to be at tournaments is phenomenal - and not in a good way.

I freelanced for a while at ESPN and when I landed the freelance role at Sky Sports News I was delighted. However the person I was assigned to decided after 3 days she did not want to train me. So I managed to persuade the managing editor in another part of the business to let me train with his group and had just finished my training and was going to be recommended to his sub-editors for shifts Mon-Wed when COVID hit.

Since then apart from covering a few tournaments for the LTA and doing a couple of articles for British Rowing during Black History Month, I have had nothing else on the work horizon.

I know and respect that people think things will improve and the sun will come out some other day - but that doesn't help when money is tight NOW. Knowing things will improve in March means nothing when I have to determine what I can afford to buy to eat now.

I spent an hour literally crying on the phone to my best friend who's been a constant source of support (in fact to each other as she was made redundant in Feb and qualified for nothing during lockdown) and have spent the last two days doing not much because I haven't slept the last two nights fretting about how to survive this.

I still have no real idea of what to do next, but I can't let the financial situation get away from me like I did through the summer, so today I am going to have to do company admin, personal finances, do a shopping list and really make veggies and tins last for 3 weeks to minimise how much I am spending in a month.

I am sorry if I have offended any of you fine people on here. I will lurk and at some stage when I can actually be bothered, I will chase the surgery for my blood test results and update that sig, and will eventually re-engage here, but for now, I am lost and I have no clue what even to try.

I will eventually update my portfolio and sort through my radio clips, but for now my confidence and my self-belief is gone. Everything feels utterly futile. I have failed in two careers and the simple economic fact is I lack the funds to consider a third.

I am not posting this for people to 'fix' my issues. Right now, like many others, I am more consumed with how will I continue to put food on the table and how will I be able to afford to keep my nice roof over my head. With the greatest of respect to you all, people responding with the security of a job or pension are extremely lucky right now. I am one of many many self-employed directors who are older and greyer than the young emerging workforce that everyone is more focussed on helping. And that adds to the anxiety.

Thanks for reading and sorry again if I offended anyone.
Click to expand...
Seems like a reasonable summary of where you are at, certainly not one to ignore but definitely one to provoke thoughts. How would us retired, comfortable folks deal with your issues and how many more people are in the same boat but hidden under meaningless statistics? Take care, your immediate plan seems sound, Come back when you are ready.
 
Bloods came back at 48 so .... talking to the more sympathetic GP next week when he gets back off leave.
No details on Cholesterol (looks like it was not even tested for - Liver Function, Renal Profile & Full blood count all normal.

Updated sig.
 
RFSMarch said:
Bloods came back at 48 so .... talking to the more sympathetic GP next week when he gets back off leave.
No details on Cholesterol (looks like it was not even tested for - Liver Function, Renal Profile & Full blood count all normal.

Updated sig.
Click to expand...
Just looking at your sig that looks like a massive win. (82 Feb to 48 Dec) Congratulations and well done for all the hard work that must lie behind that result.
 
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ianpspurs said:
I watch the football and sleep a tad, meanwhile this thread explodes. Swipey may or may not have my fbg right at 4.8 but almost £100 per month deserves some functionality methinks. And now we're off. @karen8967 good gel for the meme - I wouldn't dream of insulting you with filthy lucre, help yourself to your favourite tipple next time you are round (vodka? from memory); @Muddy Cyclist great Georgian gentleman and lovely flooring. I adore Hardy - somewhere in box city I have all his books and I think The Darkling Thrush is about right for December. Good poem for @lindisfel's king of the garden. Also beautiful photos young sir. @Krystyna23040 phone the wrong way round to read QR codes? Were you born in Norfolk or just fully naturalised now? I'm in danger of making this post too long - may split my ramblings into a few smaller efforts. 'Tis Super salmon (with crispy skin) and avo salad Friday in my domain. Cheerypip droogs.
Click to expand...
yes grey goose were possible:)
 
Good late morning everyone from another day of fascination (other headwear available) in the dark and dangerous north
The wonder wheel of home made burgers and celeriac “chips” came in at 4.8 this am

Lots to catch up on today - so much going on, not all of it good:
@gennepher - thanks for your kind comments - purple pads working for his keep. Ipastel could do with a cat cancel function - or not! Good acrylic style aqueduct - where did you hide the spotlight? Procreate - draw line and hold - it goes straight - same for arcs and circles.
@Muddy Cyclist - head OK, check. Parquet - smashing, just the thing for a Georgian gentleman - not so much for Melvin Udall in the film As Good as it Gets.
@geefull - glad you liked the backwashing (in the painting) - I really like your Michal Jasiewicz inspired painting - the backlight works so well against the soothing pale and hazy feel to the rest of the painting.
@Alien Aspie - h/r? Enjoy your Cyberpunk.
@lindisfel - Wonderful photos - won’t be visiting for a while until the hordes thin out so very pleased that you posted. Co
Umbrian Brexit farmers now sending Watergate to Mancs. That Mistle Thrush seems to have had advanced training in Robin bully boy tactics.
@RFSMarch - Thank you for sharing and I hope that in some small way that it helps you to vent your feelings. Win for the bloods.

One of my sisters has sent me some poetry, short stories and other stuff packed with words to give feedback on. Should be interesting - I do need to translate it first from American - the individual words may look the same (mostly) but meaning - well! Sad thing is that spelling thing - “school” for instance - why do they get the o’s in the wrong order?

Best go - my daily word count is maxing out already - painting today is a bit of brush practice on lining paper. Wonder if I can get in another koffy?

upload_2020-12-11_10-44-51.jpeg
 
RFSMarch said:
Long post - TL/DR? Sorry for being snappy - still feeling bereft and lost but continuing with futile acts because ... I need to do something I suppose, even though it feels like there is very little point. Thank god for being OCD and needing to finish tasks. But I take no joy in anything at the moment.

Long post starts here - feel free to completely ignore.
Firstly I need to apologise for being so snappy in light of a major setback with regards to future freelance work. After having chased that role for 18 months and worked so hard to put the demo together, it was such a slap in the face, but more so it was the last lead I had opened to me. So to all of you and particularly @gennepher and @lindisfel .. I am sorry.

Some context. I worked for 20 years in IBM and finished my time as a respected IT architect by projects and clients but was bullied out of my role and ultimately out of the company by a manager who wanted me to drop down to an IT Specialist role, relocate away from London, and even wanted me to lose my company car and hard earned band-rating and drop me down to a less well paid band below. I was off work with stress for the first time in 20 years at the end, and looking back now, I was clinically depressed at the time.

I took voluntary redundancy much to his rage and I managed to get a job in another outsourcing company but was re-training to be a journalist using the redundancy money and the increased salary to fund it.

I am not going to lie to you - it has been a grind. Over 40 in a young industry is no easy job. I was being rejected right and left for journalism roles so I threw all my efforts into a sports website I created with my best mate from journalism school. I had a role with a tennis live streaming site but the guy there was a bit of a tyrant and I also had a role as an IT Analyst for an IT site and the editor there hated the fact I also did a bit of sport on the side. He bad-mouthed me around the industry and it slammed my confidence a lot.

Ultimately I struck out on my own, and used my own savings to fund the site, and travelling to tournaments in our own right to build up the brand and the site's reputation finally cracking the ultimate in accreditation - getting Britwatch accepted into Wimbledon. I used my own funds and inheritance from both my parents now gone to fund this, but this is not a bottomless pit and now I am just about out of all those funds.

Traditional press HATE website press. And I mean HATE. They feel we have no right at all to be at tournaments and the amount of ... rubbish... I have had to put up with to be at tournaments is phenomenal - and not in a good way.

I freelanced for a while at ESPN and when I landed the freelance role at Sky Sports News I was delighted. However the person I was assigned to decided after 3 days she did not want to train me. So I managed to persuade the managing editor in another part of the business to let me train with his group and had just finished my training and was going to be recommended to his sub-editors for shifts Mon-Wed when COVID hit.

Since then apart from covering a few tournaments for the LTA and doing a couple of articles for British Rowing during Black History Month, I have had nothing else on the work horizon.

I know and respect that people think things will improve and the sun will come out some other day - but that doesn't help when money is tight NOW. Knowing things will improve in March means nothing when I have to determine what I can afford to buy to eat now.

I spent an hour literally crying on the phone to my best friend who's been a constant source of support (in fact to each other as she was made redundant in Feb and qualified for nothing during lockdown) and have spent the last two days doing not much because I haven't slept the last two nights fretting about how to survive this.

I still have no real idea of what to do next, but I can't let the financial situation get away from me like I did through the summer, so today I am going to have to do company admin, personal finances, do a shopping list and really make veggies and tins last for 3 weeks to minimise how much I am spending in a month.

I am sorry if I have offended any of you fine people on here. I will lurk and at some stage when I can actually be bothered, I will chase the surgery for my blood test results and update that sig, and will eventually re-engage here, but for now, I am lost and I have no clue what even to try.

I will eventually update my portfolio and sort through my radio clips, but for now my confidence and my self-belief is gone. Everything feels utterly futile. I have failed in two careers and the simple economic fact is I lack the funds to consider a third.

I am not posting this for people to 'fix' my issues. Right now, like many others, I am more consumed with how will I continue to put food on the table and how will I be able to afford to keep my nice roof over my head. With the greatest of respect to you all, people responding with the security of a job or pension are extremely lucky right now. I am one of many many self-employed directors who are older and greyer than the young emerging workforce that everyone is more focussed on helping. And that adds to the anxiety.

Thanks for reading and sorry again if I offended anyone.
Click to expand...

No apologies needed @RFSMarch
I was aware I might be treading on delicate ground. Because in a similar kind of situation 32 years ago, juggling so much with mortgage, bringing up 3 kids on my own, involved in a court case, and the rest of it, and income was about a third of what I needed (I was self-employed, income very variable), I was in complete despair. Someone said some words that were meant to be comforting at that time. I exploded spectacularly verbally. I probably traumatised them for life. They never spoke to me again

I felt I had to make some response to your post, I didn't want to ignore it (that is by not saying anything), but I was aware how I might have responded back to me. Thinking now about my initial response to you, I feel I should have also apologized when I made that response in case it annoyed/offended you. So, sorry from me.

Take care.
 
Back from vet. Archie's paw almost healed - just one tiny bit is still not completely healed over. I think it is the bit between his toes that is hard for us to see. He is on a half dose of steroids for another week and then a quarter dose for one week more. Vet thinks he will be fine and we don't need to book another appointment.

Just need to continue to restrict walking on hard surfaces but can do plenty of walking on soft ground. So really good news.
 
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