tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60474332024-03-07T23:32:51.619+00:00Lucia ChiaraLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-6115843633719363822014-02-28T21:42:00.001+00:002014-02-28T21:42:20.395+00:00Quick, a post, while it's still February!I passed my driving test yesterday morning! First time thank goodness; my heart is still hammering away with nerves.
G is having a wonderful 5th birthday week. Sunday Adriano's Dad + partner and his sister +partner and their son (got that?!) came round and we all went out to Pizza Express. Monday my parents and my sister came round and we finished off the cake from the day Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-1618981350878721332014-01-23T22:23:00.001+00:002014-01-23T22:23:26.432+00:00Longest hiatus yet?Well it's been so long since I last posted that I'm a little bit sad/worried/shocked/horrified (I'm very dramatic).
I turned 40. On the actual day we went to the local Xmas market (rather tacky for my taste as it turned out but nice to hang out with my family), then in the evening Adriano looked after the girls while I went out with 7 other women I have met since moving here last Feb. &Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-64796325967052114362013-09-25T20:43:00.001+00:002013-09-25T21:03:33.430+00:00G can read! I can't believe it's been more than 2 months since I posted here.
Happy to report that Adriano is now pretty much fully recovered from his throat surgery. His shoulder hurts now, but that's another story (old motorcycle accident injury).
We have a new kitchen. I was the lucky one: I took the girls to stay at my parents' house for 2 weeks (was supposed to be one but there was a Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-14743862580650971922013-07-20T21:19:00.001+00:002013-07-20T21:34:10.035+00:002 years oldYesterday our little C turned 2 years old. She had a lovely day. It's lucky that she was young enough to be pleased with simple celebrations because we had to scale back our plans considerably due to poor Adriano recovering from throat surgery. To cut a long story short, on the morning of C's birthday he had only been out of the anaesthetic from a 2nd emergency op for 48 hours.&Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-70521894041306759812013-07-04T20:17:00.001+00:002013-07-04T20:17:26.510+00:00Answering to the system alreadyLast night I emailed G's school to let them know we didn't need the place after all, due to arranging 'alternative education' for her. An email pinged into my inbox this afternoon:
"In order to withdraw this place the Local
Authority will need to know what alternative provisions have
been made for her education, could you please reply to this
e-mail as soon as possible."
Um. I Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-71966006354355265492013-07-01T20:41:00.002+00:002013-07-01T20:41:56.159+00:00Home Education: the very beginningSo, we're doing it. We're going to home educate G, at least to begin with. I'm thrilled to say that Adriano and I and G are now all in agreement. I'm so happy, excited, and a little scared. I've started to tell people. Also I've noticed more and more how we are both already home educating. Not lecturing and boring her (I hope) but more drawing her attention to Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-39984166068401937962013-06-23T21:36:00.000+00:002013-07-01T20:42:11.959+00:00Home education: yes or noWe are very seriously considering home educating G. I have done so much research over the last decade, on different approaches, benefits, drawbacks, etc. Now I feel that I can't 'un-know' what I have learnt. Adriano is very open to it, I am happy and relieved to say. I, however am totally ready to go for it. G is enrolled at a school which we are not totally put off,Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-27071920373478426702013-06-02T21:17:00.004+00:002013-06-02T21:19:11.489+00:00Another self obsessed stream of consciousnessI really want to get back to the days where I wrote more, and more often, on this blog. Partly to document our lives a bit, and help me remember these days, and also because I think that when I write (or maybe after I write) I feel good. And I could do with some release. Sometimes when I read other blogs I have a flicker of a feeling of actually having something important to sayLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-87194285640383847152013-05-20T19:57:00.001+00:002013-05-20T19:57:06.614+00:00Even though I'm nearly 40......I just really enjoyed this article.Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-42484322293522981502013-05-01T15:19:00.002+00:002013-05-01T15:19:58.356+00:00Chalkboard paint ...is a b1tch!!! But 3 coats later it's a hit.
Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-42103795676467302602013-04-19T20:48:00.001+00:002013-04-19T21:05:16.175+00:00News
Top: Rochester Cathedral and Castle
Bottom: Toilet window in Rochester Cathedral Tea Rooms
Well the news around here is that I
seem to have developed Impaired Glucose Tolerance, without any of the
risk factors present: no family history, not overweight, not sedentary,
not got high cholestorol, no gestational diabetes in my pregnancies, not over 45, etc. Then I blamed my comsumption of Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-83034668819078670862013-04-14T20:43:00.000+00:002013-04-14T20:43:01.710+00:00Hanging out in our new neck of the woodsLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-63112652119380226502013-04-10T19:58:00.000+00:002013-04-10T19:58:40.118+00:00Face paintsLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-78197953972735066412013-04-06T23:04:00.001+00:002013-04-06T23:04:18.941+00:00*Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwn* ramble rambleGawd this blog has got a bit boring. I think my blow-by-blow account of the stapedectomy recovery didn't help. And also the fact that I haven't slept properly for at least 4.5 years. Really. Before Feb 2009 I actually used to write posts I was proud of! Now my evenings are short and I am usually in the state of just about being able to slump in front of the TV with Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-69442999008290777742013-04-04T20:49:00.005+00:002013-04-04T20:50:50.393+00:00Easter timeLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-27256290082545529762013-03-02T21:29:00.001+00:002013-03-02T21:29:13.129+00:00We did it. We moved house.We moved house, to our first home that we 'own'. Well, as much as anyone with a 25-year mortgage owns their house.
So far it's going pretty well.
Here's an example list which rolls around my head constantly, being added to often in the small hours unfortunately:
Become easier to live with
Somehow connect more with Adriano
Get more sleep
Actually sleep a night in our doubleLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-177893646550724242013-02-02T20:28:00.000+00:002013-02-02T20:28:12.540+00:00Almost 3 months ago: stapedectomyIt's been so nice showering without the cotton wool and vaseline in/on my ear! Small pleasures...
My hearing is just odd. But louder. I no longer think about the distortion; either I'm used to it now or it has lessened a lot, or both.
I just played the piano for 20 mins and didn't think about it at all.
When my loud voiced almost-4 year old proclaims her wisdom Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-32040657203420601612013-01-06T19:58:00.003+00:002013-01-06T21:01:20.327+00:00Almost 2 months ago: stapedectomyAll I can say really is that it's all slightly better than before. Not OK yet, but getting there. I hope it will continue to improve. I'll post when it does.
In other news, here's a snapshot of conversations around here lately with our soon-to-be-4 year old.
G (still in Nativity mode): I'm Mary. Me: OK. Just going to change C's nappy. Ooh poor thing she's had a poo in Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-17520073798540374422012-12-14T21:49:00.000+00:002012-12-14T21:49:45.538+00:005 weeks down: stapedectomy recoveryWell my hearing is slightly changed. The distortion is slightly less. I am singing a little bit again. Playing the piano and listening to music is still a bit unpleasant to listen to. High noises sound shrill and my ear(s) feels very sensitive. Still get the underwater feeling when I lie down and at random other times. Rotten cold meant that I accidentally Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-54252126877094145182012-12-03T11:53:00.000+00:002012-12-03T11:53:53.830+00:00Day 26 stapedectomy recoveryFeel completely normal except for my hearing. Trying to be patient but it's not changing at the moment.
When I lie on my op-ear it goes blocked/muffled although I can still hear low frequencies loud. When I play from the bottom of the piano to the top it gets more distorted the higher I go. Can't bear to hear whistling. The actual decibel level is sometimes good, but it'sLuciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-88989363564592982582012-11-27T16:55:00.001+00:002012-11-27T16:55:17.732+00:00Day 20 stapedectomy recoveryNot much has changed except that I am now deafer. I think it's probably because I have a sore throat and runny nose and cough.
Thrillsville, as Snoopy would say.Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-56394116049041495542012-11-24T11:36:00.003+00:002012-11-24T11:36:56.546+00:00Day 17 stapedectomy recoveryNothing has changed since my last post.
No dizziness. Energy levels normal. Hearing a bit crap: feels lopsided and I miss some bits of people's conversation still, and it feels like there is blockage in my ear like when you have water in it. Sometimes I think the distortion on high frequencies is slightly better and sometimes not.
Hard to be patient. Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-90065843240687252542012-11-21T15:40:00.001+00:002012-11-21T15:40:18.176+00:00Day 14 stapedectomy recoveryYesterday was pretty horrible, I think largely because I only had about 3 hours sleep the night before (thanks, daughter no.2). I woke up feeling as though I had been kicked in my ear, as though it was bruised, and the pain spread all the way down my neck across my collar bone and my shoulder. That lasted all day: poor me, etc
Today has been much better so far; no aches and pain Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-25827190772833974522012-11-19T19:12:00.001+00:002012-11-19T19:12:13.660+00:00Day 12 stapedectomy recovery Having the packing removed was great. It didn't hurt at all, and was one of the oddest sensations I've ever felt. It just kept coming and coming. Had to have cotton wool in my ear for the rest of the day in case the disturbance meant that blood or other stuff dribbled out, but it barely did. Immediately I could hear more, although it is still poor quality: a bit tinny and Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047433.post-78930880626798824652012-11-18T16:57:00.001+00:002012-11-18T16:57:24.973+00:00Day 11 stapedectomy recoveryI'm at that difficult stage where I can almost do everything normally, energy-wise, but then I get grumpy and tired and need to rest. Not sure how different this is from my normal sleep-deprived state from the point of view of my long-suffering husband, but it's true I do have a bit of ear twingeing and popping right now and have been ordered upstairs to rest. Thanks Adriano xxxx
Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12318218224663778620noreply@blogger.com0