An Update and General Moan

[cycli]

It's some time since I posted. I've been silent and friends who know me would say that's a blessing. You are a good bunch on here so it's about time I chimed in. Not been able to turbo for last 3 weeks. A wasp nest in the attic has found a chink in the ceiling and as per custom, the queen is chucking out her workers to fend for themselves at this time of year. I dealt with one in the kitchen which had surreptitiously entered by the sink waste surround and built a beauty out of sight. I'm not crawling in the attic till they are well past their sell by date. That means I can't use my turbo. So much for getting fitter. Truth to tell, I'd settle for feeling half human. Just heard my friend Max Pendleton, Victoria's father has gone into a hospice. Same age as me so doesn't ensure that staying physically fit extends life span. Heyho. Down to 2mg pred. and hoping to drop several other medications soon. Due to chat to GP on Monday. Several itchy rough skin patches about the size of a 50p appeared on ankles and feet. Don't know why. Helped my neighbour round up his cattle which had broken through a fence onto the moor. Several hours later plus rebuilding a temp/permanent barrier I went home and collapsed. Next day I was wrecked. Okay. Enough from me. How are you all? Better than me I hope.

[Bridge31]

Hi Cycli

Sorry you are not doing so well at the moment.

If you can’t turbo how about another of your brilliant poems ?

Loved “yesterday”.

I’m not doing too badly at the moment. Having a third attempt at reducing from 3.5 to 3. It’s really just the effort that practically everything takes that gets me down.

We soldier on 😀

[Koalajane in reply to Bridge31]

I am now going down by .25 mg which seems to help

[Angelsmummy]

morning cycli,sorry you are fed up,damn disease takes no prisoners does it eh?I to am a GCA er into 19 months since diagnosis but nearly a year of hell before that.Seems that you are having a right old time of it at present,chin up,you ain’t alone,and would LOVE to see another of your poems.PS stay away from those wasps,pesky little buggxxx!😜🌼🐝🐝🐝🐝

[cycli in reply to Angelsmummy]

wish I could but they are everywhere. They don't sting me but the wife was attacked by the kitchen lot. 20 stings at least. I just don't fancy training on the turbo with loads of wasps flying round me.

[Angelsmummy in reply to cycli]

OUCH.,Poor devil.Have you called The Wasp Whisperer in?We must be lucky in Suffolk,very few wasps this year and sadly hardly any bees.In fact hardly any insects at all!Gone are the days when the car windscreen was absolutely covered in creepy things and flies.Says something about the planet now doesn’t it?Stay well and happy swatting!x🐝🐝🐝🐝😱😜😠

[Koalajane]

Keep going cycli and let us have more poetry from you

[cycli in reply to Koalajane]

I suppose it will have to be about Wasps. Going to take a while.

[Koalajane in reply to cycli]

I am sure it will be worth the wait

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

My late hubby had a run in with a hornets nest in a fishing hut when he was a water bailiff.. ended up jumping in the river to get away from them.. didn't do his street cred nor the inside of his works vehicle much good.. 😂🤣

[cycli in reply to DorsetLady]

ornets are another league. Very dangerous and don't blame him for abandoning ship.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to cycli]

Didn't go down well considering he'd spent 2 & half years in an Malaysian jungle sleeping in a tent and teasing the townies about all thing creepy crawlies when a young soldier...

[MiniSpec in reply to DorsetLady]

That reminds me of a story I read once. Some British soldiers were on patrol through the Malaysian jungle one day, in proper jungle kit, including big hobnail boots. They were accompanied by a local Malay guide to make sure they didn't get lost.

Anyway, they found an abandoned hut and thought it best to check it was empty, so in they trooped, only to find a HUGE spider sitting in the middle of the floor. The soldiers all legged it pronto, leaving the bare-foot Malay to squash the thing with his foot.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to MiniSpec]

Obviously wasn’t mine -he’d have shot it! ..😊

[Bcol]

Hi Cycli, sorry to hear of your present problems. I know it probably goes against the grain but is it worth, for peace of mind, the use of the kitchen and Turbo getting someone else in to deal with them.Not really surprised you got wiped out after that days work, not an easy life being a farmer, particularly as things often have to be sorted and not left. Take care and a long poem about wasps to cheer us all up sounds like an excellent idea. 🐝🐝.

[cycli]

Just realised that non-cyclists may not know to whom I referred. Here's a link to and by inference her Father Max. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victo.... Great days cycling with them both.

[HeronNS in reply to cycli]

Thank you. As a resident of one or other of the colonies for all but about one year of my early childhood I had no idea who Victoria Pendleton is.

Regarding skin issues, I hear you. I developed patch on one ankle a few weeks after ending pred, and it reminded me of pre-pred days when my skin was always sensitive. Guess one of the good side effects of longterm pred was a better-behaved skin. Anyway, sparing use of otc hydrocortisone ointment, followed up by more regular use of moisturising skin lotion (specifically Physiogel) has dealt with that,

Nice to hear from you. Suit up well before tackling the wasps. My husband had a styrofoam topee with a mesh curtain thing bought from a supplier of all things camping + much more (Canadian Tire) as we were forever getting nests made by paper wasps or mud dauber wasps around our property, although thankfully, unlike a neighbour, never inside.

[cycli in reply to HeronNS]

I should have made clear that the one in the kitchen was a wasp nest. That's the nest that attacked the wife. Anyway, that's now dealt with. A large nest produces up to 1000 queens. Staggering really. They do a lot of good in nature. Just not in the house.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I have always had this opinion about fitness, exercise and longevity!!! And I would be disappointed if people our age didn't know who VP was! Ages with my daughters, 2 cycling medals in the London Olympics - that kierin! And now rides horses!!!

That must be tough for her - her twin only died last year.

[cycli in reply to PMRpro]

She's a lovely person. She rode in several grass track events Max and I ran at Letchworth and Ashwell. Laura Kenny then Trott raced as a 13 yr old with her elder sister and was too shy to talk to Victoria. I had to introduce her. We were on a club ride a few years later near Welwyn and I was riding rear of the group helping stragglers keep up when Laura approached from a joining road. As she joined the ride all the strugglers suddenly found energy and shot ahead. As soon as she left our ride all the same riders suddenly dropped off the back exhausted. Was very funny to see. Victoria had the same effect on a ride when she rode with us. Guys trying to prove how great they were pushing ahead too fast. What they failed to understand was that she was on a training ride not racing. Had she wanted to she could have left them for dead.