Friday, July 22, 2016

Bare


Yesterday morning I got up and went out into the garden, and was confronted by a pungent, unpleasant smell. Really pungent. Like the cargo hold of a fully loaded shrimp boat that's been locked up at port for a week with no refrigeration.

I found a bag of garbage that had been torn open and its contents spread across our grass. I can only surmise that Mr. Fox retrieved it from some local trash can and brought it to us. How thoughtful of him! I wasn't wrong about the smell, either -- rotten eggs and last week's scallops. Lord. I picked it all up and hosed down the grass, but the smell lingered until midday.

The rug cleaning people did come to collect the rug on Wednesday. Now that it's gone, I'm kind of wondering why we have a rug at all. It's pretty nice in the living room with just a bare floor, and it would certainly be easier to keep clean!

Also, ever since we moved in two years ago, Dave and I have been hating the living room drapes. Saggy, dusty and colorless, they served no purpose since we never closed them -- our garden is pretty private, and even if someone were to look in, all they'd see is us reading or watching television. So we took them down entirely -- even the curtain rods, where possible. Again, the room looks much better! So much light!

We're apparently doing the minimalist thing, at least during the warmer months of summer. Maybe when winter returns the rug will feel better on our feet.

We've planned our trip to Copenhagen a week from tomorrow -- bought our tickets and our hotel room. We'll only be gone three nights, but long enough to stroll the Tivoli Gardens and enjoy a Danish beer or two. This will be our one fun trip of the summer, so I'm looking forward to it!

Also, I solved my colonoscopy problem. I found a hospital where I can have one done privately, and although it's expensive, it's not insanely so. I'm going for it. Monday is the day. Dave and I met with the gastroenterologist yesterday for our initial consultation and he agreed that my family history warrants the colonoscopy. He seemed surprised that my NHS doctors wouldn't recommend one -- he said he was willing to write them a letter and suggest it, but it would probably take several months. I told him I was tired of waiting and I'd rather just pay and get it over with.

And finally, Dave and I celebrated our sixth anniversary yesterday. Although we married last December -- as you may remember -- when the law finally allowed it, we were first civil-unioned in New Jersey in July 2010. So we count that as our real anniversary. In addition to the gastroenterologist (how romantic!) we went to a local Vietnamese restaurant that we've always wanted to try. There was some unexpected excitement when a tragedy occurred at the train station next door -- suddenly lots of people were running and looking down on the tracks with expressions of horror. Dave and I caught a glimpse but we didn't want to see too much. It was an alarming yet useful reminder that life can be cut short at any moment. Any day could be our last!

(Photo: Hollyhocks in Lisson Grove, on Monday.)

9 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Such a terrible thing to do - to leap in front of a train. How can the driver ever forget such a thing? There are plenty of other ways to go. Perhaps the person who took his/her own life had been informed that he/she needed a colonoscopy.

Sharon said...

I never stand near the edge of the train platform when waiting for a train. The thought of falling (or being pushed) is way to scary to me. You will have to give Mr. Fox a piece of your mind the next time you see him. That is unless he's come down with a fatal dose of food poisoning.

ellen abbott said...

I'm surprised that with foxes so common you don't have locking tops on your trash cans. we have raccoons here and one day I woke up to find the trash can had been dragged about 30 or 40 feet from where we keep it but they didn't manage to get the top off.

and yeah. that knowledge is one of the things that keeps me from being a worrier or making plans too far in the future. any day could be the last.

jenny_o said...

Good to have a solution to the colonoscopy problem - and also to have your logic validated! It's one of those things that is good to get done and over.

Happy Anniversary, a bit late! Here's to much happiness :)

MaryAnn said...

Happy Anniversary. Finding love is a gift and being married is comforting

Crazy foxes

Sabine said...

Glad you got that colonoscopy date fixed. I was going to suggest that you travel to the continent with your NHS card and have it done here.
With a family history, it really is a must every couple of years.
Good luck with the preparations.

And happy anniversary!

Red said...

You've been busy. I hate people who don't secure their garbage and sooner or later I get it. Copenhagen? Good trip.

Alphie Soup said...

Keep the rug. It might be welcome through the winter.

Enjoy Copenhagen.

Alphie

Cheryl West said...

Happy Anniversary to you and Dave and best wishes for many, many more.
I am very relieved that you found a doctor who recognized the importance of the screening colonoscopy for you. The doctor I worked with had everyone screened at age 50 (or before with family history).

Have a wonderful trip tp Copenhagen!