mint

GUARDIAN, can you HEAR me? Give us your predictions for this weekend, please. I need to pop down to the bookies....

Wools, PaulT and nomoss, you guys made me laugh! The Revenge of the Mighty Mint? The Mint is mightier than the Sword? Mint of the River Dronne? No, I don't think that will frighten anyone....lol!

[quote user="richard51"]Edward VIII was named after his deceased uncle, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, who had always been known as Eddy. Goodness knows what he was called at his parties.[/quote] What a ridiculous argument!  Edward VII, Victoria's eldest son was always known as Bertie but he wasn't King Bertie, was he? And our present queen was known as Lillibet privately from a young age and we don't call her Queen Lillibet, do we? But, OF COURSE, whilst you can call Edward VIII by some shortened name, your own name can't be shortened could it?  So it's yet another case of your hypocrisy and disrespect for others while demanding respect for yourself.  Doesn't work that way, respect has to be EARNED.  You'd raise merry hell if someone called you er.....well, I'd better not, eh?

Ironic that someone cannot give Edward VIII his full name but insists on his own not being shortened?

Got it working now but I appear to have to identify myself on every site before being allowed access![8-)]

Since this afternoon, and having been peacefully ad-free for months, now ALL the hated ads are back!!! Including on this site..... Sue, nomoss, pomme, anyone, anyone, PLEASE.  Explain to me what to do! Thank you from the bottom of my heart[:)]

All Blacks look unbeatable; superb team work and the SPEED! Now waiting for the Wales and French match to start[:D]

Wools, just as one swallow does not make a summer, so one high reading does not make you a contender for high blood pressure. I will get one of those gadgets if the high readings persist.  TBH, I don't particularly want to be monitoring my BP, as well as everything else[:-))] GG, I enjoyed your comment[:D]  I'm due to meet my friends at a nordic walk this afternoon, so I will go on a bit about this and see what their reactions are!!! If they join in and start talking about THEIR high blood pressure, I'd know that you are right and that I have somehow adopted this aspect of French life with some enthusiasiam[:P]

Wools, I have only seen this doc once, having changed from my previous one for the very reason that I thought she wasn't doing the job quite as she might. The new chap said to get it checked next time I went to the pharmacie.  They checked it twice there and it was high.  As I had the MOT date, I thought I'd wait to see if it was indeed high or that the previous readings were some sort of blip. Anyway, I have now had a warning so I will just go and see what is proposed.  I suspect that it is high because of my persistent insomnia, having googled and read that insomnia can and does cause high blood pressure. Ugghhh.....I am beginning to sound like some pathetic hypochrondriac .......

Oh mince! But it is a public service which they are supposed to run efficiently! I know you had been concerned in the past that no one had an overview of your medical problems and I was going to email you and suggest that this was a good way to get joined up dots and have something ressembling a whole picture of your overall health onto the one dossier. You probably have no choice other than to ring up the centre d'examens and plead your case but I think that it is grossly unfair.  For my part, I was immensely glad everyone was so warm and kind and patient and it might have actually helped me medically.  I was not due to see my MT for 6 months and, in all likelihood, ignored the elevated blood pressure.  As it is, because the doctor at the Centre was so insistent that it was both a serious and urgent matter, I have today made an appt to see my toubib.

I thought it only fair to come back and recount how yesterday "déroulé" as there seems some interest and to pick up on some points mentioned by others (whilst everything is still fresh in my mind!) Yes, there was a 4 page questionnaire sent with the convocation plus another paper that asked you to rate yourself on your day-to-day physical activity. There was also a detailed paragraph listing all the paperwork you needed to bring:  last blood test results, vaccination card, recent x-rays etc. In Périgueux, all the tests take place in a large, dedicated building with a big open reception area, large waiting room and more than a dozen consulting rooms variously equipped for the different tests. Nice, friendly reception to start you off feeling reassured.  Everyone was issued with a blue folder which you took with you and got filled in by the different professionals as you went through the tests  Without going through everything in minute detail, I will just describe the various processes.  First up, the dentist who took detailed records and asked questions.  Then blood test and a request for previous results which were put in your folder.  Request for wee and shown the lav with sensitive discretion!  Next, taken for height measurement and weighed.  I'd lost 1 cm but also 4 kilos so obviously developing "little old lady" syndrome"[:-))]  Blood pressure very high (which I suspected because both my doctor and the pharmacist had already tested me).  Lovely person covered me up warmly and dimmed the lights and went out to leave me to calm down before re-taking it twice. Still high so a halt was called to the proceedings but not before she had done an ECG. Then taken aside into yet another room and a code for the Ameli site was offered.  Great, as I hadn't done anything about that.  Then taken to a nice area with tables and seating and offered something to eat as I couldn't have breakfast before leaving home on account of the fasting blood test. Back to the waiting area until called for the hearing test.  This consisted of me being put in a sound-proof booth with headphones and an operator buzzing different pitched sounds and me hitting a button whenever I could hear a sound.  As expected, my left ear was completely duff (had been blocked and "popping" for days.  The right ear performed way above the norm (she showed me the graph) and I think that could be because I'd trained my ears to listen to lots and lots of music!  I thought of poor old Beethoven and wished he could have had this test and could have had something done for his hearing!! A rudimentary "equilibrium" test consisted of asking me if I had had any falls in the past year and to stand on one leg whilst she counted to 5. Lastly, a long, detailed consultation with a doctor who asked lots of questions and thoroughly auscultated and pressed and prodded.  Told me I had to see my own doctor asap and have my blood pressure seen to and my ears unblocked. Went home exhausted......had been there for well over 2 hours plus the trip there and back home. PS there was a nutritionist there to talk to people who wanted that and someone to talk to smokers and drinkers if they needed help to quit or reduce consumption.

I too pay by CESU; no worries and no thought of exploiting anybody[:)]

Oh, Sue, would you believe it, I am now fussing about looking at the weather forecast and wondering what to wear.  Boiling hot on Sunday, then terrific storm last night, coolish today with almost incessant rain and tomorrow......?  Well, clouds and rain but sunshine also. Engaging my brain, I thought, whatever I wear will have to be OK for warmth and cold, so some layering; something with short sleeves or sleeveless for the prise du sang and the blood pressure, only sensible hmmm, hmmm...Oh, better something that is easily removed and put back on again as I don't know which parts of my body they are likely to want to auscultate, prod, pull, push, squeeze and generally "handle". Better be trousers, a shirt and a jumper then......except, I don't want to look my age and I want to look reasonably soignée.  Can't have people thinking I can't look after myself, do I?[:P]

Plus I guess that, as with most vaccinations, we need the herd immunity as well.

Does your CPAM send for you to have one of these, un bilan de santé? For the first time ever, I have been invited to have one so I wonder whether these are offered to all and sundry or only to people with known medical problems. These are some of the things they are looking at:weight and height, blood pressure, eye and ear test, dental check-up, blood and urine tests (overnight fast), electocardiogram, lung function, gynaecological exam (maybe male equivalent of this but it wasn't on my list!), tests for HIV, and hepatitis B and C. Needless to say, I am now feeling a bit nervous[:)]  VSL coming for me at 8.00 tomorrow[:-))]

Spoke to my nurse today and she told me that it shouldn't be given until the week starting Nov 4.  Said that if you had it earlier, you wouldn't get the benefit towards the end of the flu season next year. She is experienced and seems to know her stuff.  Indeed, last year, she made us wait as well.

Thank you, nomoss.  I used to call him Erns but he seems to have disowned that name. I will be extra careful when speaking to a Spanish person in my (er hem, hem) less than fluent Spanish[blink]

Thank you, Ano.  Have done as you suggested and now getting used to how the posts are differently ordered![:P]  There's just no pleasing some people, eh?

I am humbled and touched by those who think I could be a good moderator.  Yikes, nobody has ever, to my knowledge, nominated me for anything! Alas, I often struggle with even day-to-day stuff and often feel somehow fragile and uncertain.  NOT a good candidate as I'd question my own shadow, nevermind my judgment. So thank you for your confidence and, should my health improve, I will certainly consider sharing Hoddy's burden.  In fact, I think we could share a good working relationship as I often find myself agreeing with her posts. As to Richard he did direct many, many nasty posts my way over many months and I felt stalked and picked on and thoroughly fed up with the incessant niggling and needling.  But, hey, I'm not playing any victim card and I am a big girl now so I could give as good as I get (when I could be bothered)!  But I also noticed his doing the exact same thing to one or two others so perhaps I wasn't his sole or even most targeted person on the forum. Don't know why he is keeping quiet at the moment.  Are we to expect a fussilade of insults sooner than we expect? 

Personally, I wouldn't even think of going there! Too many pitfalls and legal and other implications.  And should the work be not up to standard, or worse be dangerous to occupants of the house......?  I don't need to spell out the potential for tears.

The other side of the coin is that there are STILL French on line companies that do not accept a credit card issued by a British bank.  So then, I have to revert to our French carte bleue and THAT, of course, is limited as to the amount you could spend.....ggggrrrrggghhhh!

Yes, looking forward to the highlights.  Out in a posh resto (no, I wasn't paying) for lunch but managed to follow some of it on someone's phone.  The phone owner had to keep apologising to the waiter and explaining why he had his phone on[:)] You are right, it was a real match!

Teapot, stop stirring.....this is no time to mention the B word.  Before you know it, there'll be another b l o o d y lot of insults flying back and forth and Hoddy will threaten to retire and then where will we all be?

Today, I had occasion to want to check some statements from last year.  Now, I admit I am not the most organised of people and I also have all my paperwork scattered a midge haphazardly, since removing bits and pieces from files and reorganising them elsewhere for application of residency[:-))] No problem, I thought complacently; I'ld just go on line and seek out the statements I wanted.  But, guess what, I can only access statements from the last THREE months!!! What rubbishy service[6]  In my UK bank account, I can bring up any old bank statements I want.  Though I don't know how many years' statements, last year's would certainly have been a cinch. So, I continue to be disgusted and in a state of incredulity.......urgh!

Id, mine is bilingual.  It even chooses my google:  if I ask in French, it takes me to French google and if I ask in English, it takes me to UK google.