Lori

Yes, where ya been? Surely you missed us....

Hopefully Norman is just having internet connection issues.  Hope you find his number Mint.

[quote user="woolybanana"]A chignon is a sex toy. Say no more. Hmmm, I will ask my son in law what that dream presages, auxadrets[/quote] No it's not. I see you are having no trouble keeping your spirits up.  Good job ! As I've said, if this building is in the slightest bit representative, the online websites will have either sold record numbers of sex toys or have an over-abundance of stock (due to no need).  These are rare times in which I could really benefit from a less than excellent sense of hearing.

[quote user="woolybanana"]But Lori, if you have a head shave it will expose your tattoo which will frighten anyone you meet.[/quote] My daughter would laugh hysterically at that Wooly.  I gave her all kinds of hell for getting a tattoo.  I can relate to the not seeing family issues.  Our daughter is only a 20 minute metro ride away and we miss seeing her very much.  So close, yet so far.

I attempted to cut my bangs a week or so ago.  They were hanging in my eyes and I just hate that.  So, I did the unthinkable.  I've done it before in the past with dreadful results.  I knew this would be the same...  Still, did it anyway.  Yep, keep me away from scissors.  At least they are no longer hanging in my eyes. I keep a short haircut and now, sadly, the back at the bottom near my ears is starting to flip up,  looking really stupid.  So, I figure I will ask husband to use his hair trimmer to cut that part off.  God only knows what I'll end up looking like when we actually get to see the light of day. Yet, I still don't plan to visit a hair salon anytime soon.  I've even considered a total head shave.  Sounds interesting to me.  And easy to do, even for someone who should not be allowed near scissors.

Wow, I'm surprised the envelope arrived.  That is like a slap in the face from the thief.  Wonder if it was the postal service who stole it.  When I was in the U.S., I attempted to order basic cosmetics from a large firm there.  Unfortunately, they send their orders out in boxes with the company name on them.  Every single time I ordered something, the package never arrived.  Tracking 'said' the packages were delivered, but they never were.  Clearly, it was being stolen on route.  None of the packages ever made it to my home.  Of course I reported it.  Waste of time.

[quote user="idun"]We had not been in France that long when we received a bill from the french government demanding a payment of, and here is what I cannot quite remember, but something like 2000ff so around 250€ which in 1981 or 2 was a LOT of money. We had to pay and were told it was a loan that would be repaid and it was several years later. So yes, the french government does require the people pay up if they need money. No idea if they decided to do it, if they would class any demands as a simply one off tax or loan, but they certainly have form for doing such a thing. [/quote]  I can't see the many rich folks paying up.  Don't they hide their money (where?) or move country to avoid taxes? Those of us who are 'normal' folk have normal bank accounts.  I guess we are sitting ducks.  I don't mind helping, but I do have an issue with it being fair all the way around - which, from my point of vue - it never is.

[quote user="woolybanana"]The French press are saying 4th May for masks which should be available in multiple outlets. Price as yet uncertain. But the sale of nicotine patches Seems to have been stopped as they are believed to stop the virus. Trials now under way in some Paris hospitals.[/quote] I saw that too.  Seems extremely far fetched.  But, I guess we'll find out. I can imagine what that might do for the sale of cigarettes....

Thank you so much Sue and GG !!!! Your best wishes are SO much appreciated. You are welcomed to visit our new dwelling if you are ever up this way.  Would love to meet you. 

So, people still use words like that??  Funny.

Is that legal??  I thought there were banking laws to protect accounts.

We are fine here.  Just counting the days to the deconfinement.  Husband also thinks we have spent less money than normal.  To me, it feels like we have ordered so many things online, but I guess, in reality, it doesn't add up to what we would normally spend going out each day. I think I've gotten rather used to staying inside.  I don't like it at all, but now, on the rare days I go out (to pick up a prescription that could not be delivered or for food), I feel a bit nervous, apprehensive.  Kinda like I'm taking my life into my own hands.  Heart beats a bit faster the first few minutes outside.  Very very odd. We have signed the lease for our new place !!  Yeah !!!!  We are scheduled to move on 15 June.  We've given notice to our current landlord, who is such a nice lady.  So, that is still on schedule and everyone PLEASE send us all your good karma that this does not have to change.  The owner of the new place has given us the name of someone he knows with a van who he thinks will be able to move our few items for us.  We've yet to contact him as it is still a bit early on. So, you have our updates.  Thanks for asking Idun.  We too have had many internet drops.  My tablet more than husbands laptop.  My tablet was always intended to be a temporary computer.  I really hate it, but don't want to buy more to have to move.  Ironically, husband's laptop died about 3 days into the confinement.  He managed to order a nice, new one from Amazon and it was delivered in about 3 days time.  It works great with far fewer drops. Take care everyone.  I'll be watching to see how everyone else is coping.

To be honest ALBF, doing any movement of the arm at all terrifies me.  I just shook out the bath mat out the window - with my good right arm.  When pulling it back inside, I barely lifted my bad arm and the pain was shooting. So, bending over and moving my bad arm in a circular motion scares the heck out of me.  If I make it any worse, I might have to seek medical help.  That is the very LAST thing I need in confinement. Most of my research says that in order to feel improvement during bad periods is to "not use the bad limb" to let it heal.

[quote user="Kong"]The smartest man in the world. Well he thinks he is,,,,,,[/quote] Ahh, that gave a much needed laugh. I've never used Twitter, never had the desire.  I quit using Facebook years ago.

Thank you all.  I will look up the exercises.  I took medication (Aleve) last night and went to sleep early.  I did use the Voltaren gel on the shoulder too.  Managed to sleep, thank goodness.  I don't think I would have gotten a wink without the medicine.  So, hopefully I will continue to avoid Covid in the event the Aleve interferes with treatment. Luckily, I can still type and manage to prepare meals. 

Oh thank you all ! I will try the hot and cold treatment as it is easy for me to do. I'm afraid doctor visits are only virtual right now, so I guess I could try it, but it would not be a normal visit. ALBF, my symptoms are I cannot lift my arm to do anything.  It has been a bit painful for several weeks now, but I just figured it would improve as it has in past years.  It has not, only gotten worse, so much worse that I cannot use my arm and wince in pain for any movement. I cannot lift my left arm in any degree.  I can move it if it is kept in the lower/downward position, but only just for brief not weight bearing movements and only in very small movements. The pain is terrible.  I hate to complain when there are so many people suffering so much.  So, I will just say that I cannot use my arm. Calcification, well, anything is possible, but it just doesn't seem to fit with the descriptions of the only possible maladies I might have.  Thank you all.  I appreciate your input.

Thanks Norman.  I don't know what a TENS machine is? I gather there really isn't much that can be done for this.  I just don't / can't use my left arm.  Thank goodness I am right handed. Interesting about the cortisone thing.  Had not heard that, but I can't really get treatment now anyway. The Voltaren gel does help a little bit.  Mornings just seem to be brutal. I guess I should be grateful I'm alive and stop complaining.

I seem to have developed bursitis in my left shoulder.  I have always had problems with both my shoulders after years of garden work (mowing, strimming, weed pulling, planting, etc.) at our home in Provence.  However, it seems to have recently flared up in a severe way.  I presume this is down to packing up and moving country; which meant arm use way over the top of normal. Of course, I am diagnosing myself as seeing a doctor is not going to happen and an ultra sound is also off the grid these days.  It is a classic case.  The description is down to a science. So, for any of you who might suffer from this, what do you do to try to ease the pain? Research shows very little can help it.  Stop using the painful limb - which I can't really use anyway.  Had to wash my hair with one hand.  Suggestions for an ice pack, NSAID's and pain relief creams (I'm using Voltaren with minor success) is all I see, short of corticoid shots; which are also not possible in confinement. Is there anything you folks could suggest?  It is extremely painful and I consider myself a high tolerance of pain type of person. Thanks !!

We've had the promised thunderstorms here.  Started out nice and sunny, then storms rolled in around 14h30. Would love to have even the smallest patch of garden to enjoy.

Saw a story on BFM about a man who's 90 year old wife was in a care home.  He could not see her due to the deaths and cases at hand.  She did not have the virus, but there were so many cases in the retirement home that they had moved the few who weren't diagnosed with the virus to one particular floor.  He was heartbroken to not be able to see his wife.  It was a tear jerker.  She could not understand what was happening (a bit of dementia).  He said he calls her each day to try to encourage her.  It was really so heartbreaking.  It was hard to watch.  He was so lucid and so sad.

I love stuff like that GG.  I think the UK has made so many great documentaries and entertainment programs.  Sadly, we don't get to see many of them in France. The French have also made some really good documentaries.  I've enjoyed a few since the confinement started.

We also liked Crossing Lines (German/French/Italian/American series), Taylor (Irish), River (UK) and Wallander (Swedish). The Fall and The Tunnel were okay.

Apparently Babylon Berlin is aired in France on Canal +.  We use FREE for our Internet / TV, so don't have Canal +.  The show airs on Netflix in the U.S., but not Netflix in France.  Netflix used to allow VPN's to connect to your U.S. Netflix account.  They don't any longer and haven't for a while now.  So, we can only watch Netflix France programming (when using Netflix). We really enjoyed Breaking Bad.  I'd watch the series again if the mood struck.  We really like Peaky Blinders.  Love the actors and the writing.  Husband likes Outlander.  I didn't care for the first 2 episodes, so lost interest.  He thinks I should give it another chance. Another older series we really enjoyed was Dexter.  Loved every episode.

Do you like Peaky Blinders Idun?  We like that one.  Haven't yet begun the latest season though (season 4 I think). We enjoyed watching "The Irishman" too.  I wasn't sure those old guys could keep up the plot, but they did. Husband says Babylon Berlin is not available on netflix France.  He's checking to see if it is on netflix U.S. or amazon prime. I really liked watching the first two episodes of "Killing Eve."  I can't seem to find it in English anywhere.  I just couldn't enjoy it in French.  Just wasn't the same.  Kinda like "Malcolm in the Middle."  The voices and the original language were the best part of the show.  Dubbing was just a disaster.

I just asked husband.  He thinks it is available on netflix or amazon prime as he gets ads telling him to watch it.  He's looking now.