New meetings, a bad shoulder and a missed opportunity

Woke up with a very painful shoulder today – I can barely raise my arm to chin level, so poor Lord H had to help me get dressed. It’s not the shoulder that was numb either – it’s the other one, so obviously I am having deep trouble up top at the moment. As it were. It feels like I’ve somehow pulled a muscle so I have taken a double dose of Nurofen Plus and put some Deep Heat cream on it and am hoping for easier days … I’m wondering – though I admit it sounds strange – if it’s because over the last couple of weeks or so I’ve been piling up the pillows when I sleep to try to ease the breathing problems. Lordy, but I sound as if I’m barely clinging to life here on the dark side. I’m lucky to be still around at all, you know! Anyway, I removed one of the pillows last night and am waiting for the healing to begin, ho ho.

This morning, I am also filled with Monday morning gloom as I have a new meeting to minute at lunchtime. And I do so hate new things. Especially new meetings. Still, at least I can comfort-eat the University sandwiches and look tearful if anyone asks me a question. Which is, in effect, my usual approach to meetings and indeed new work of any sort, so I doubt anyone will notice the difference. Hey ho.

And I’ve trogged across campus delivering brochures for our information burst talks to places I never even knew existed. Well, I do now. This afternoon, I shall endeavour to make sense of the minutes – I think they want action points only, but the last time they wanted that, when I did it they said it was too short. My response was that was because there hadn’t been any noticeable actions, which didn’t go down too well, I can tell you. I’ll try my best anyway.

I’ve now read Rupert Everett’s biography, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins. I must admit I was expecting great things as he writes so well – but it was rather too shallow and slick for my liking. There were one or two points where he really started writing at depth and with great subtlety, but unfortunately he mustn’t have been encouraged by the editors to keep that up. I really wanted to know about the man, not about the glitter – but what you get is the glitter. And half the people mentioned I didn’t really know or care about. It was the man himself I was interested in. A missed opportunity, I feel. But if he rewrites it and lets us under the surface for more than half a page, I’d definitely give it a go again.

Tonight, I’ll visit Gladys on the way home. She wanted me to bring her some mini chocolate eggs, but I couldn’t see any in the shops so have bought a box of Mingles instead. Hopefully she won’t be too cross at my obvious failings. Of which there are many, sigh. And of course I’ll be glued to It Takes Two and Autumnwatch. Any activity where I don’t have to raise my arm is greatly appreciated. Particularly as I can now barely move it at all without having to grit my teeth, dammit!

Today’s nice things:

1. Clinging bravely to life, somehow …
2. University sandwiches (well, they’re better than meetings, anyway)
3. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - under the weather but essentially cute