I am booked in to have an MRI scan of my head tomorrow. I see it as an opportunity to discover if there are other reasons for my continued migraine auras and headaches, or to recognise that if all clear another approach will be needed. I am tired of having to restrict my life, slow down, cannot read, find using screens difficult and the general attached lethargy.
I am still reading the talking book about the Medici, certainly an interesting view of the family which did so much to make Florence the centre of the renaissance. I had no idea how cruel some of them were, or the political nuances that seemed to divide Italy at a time when cohesion would have been to its advantage. A long book but certainly one worth reading, particularly when one reads of well known people whose role appears different from that we have always perceived.
Chocolat is getting really old. The vet commented that for a Labrador she is doing very well, her health seems to be holding but she is slowing down, sleeping more and seems quite lethargic at times.
I am unsure how long the scan will take but the machine sounds like a cowshed. I just hope mine comes out as normal.
I may have found at least part of the reason for my migraines. Having rung the Optometrist and heard that two children were experiencing migraines due to blue light emanating from screens I have now purchased a pair of 100% blue light protective sunglasses to wear when using any type of screen. I will try them for several days and hope that I have no more migraines.
Yesterday I finished People of the Book which I found so fascinating. I was unaware I had purchased it for my kindle so will read the print version one day also. I have now started a book about Renaissance Italy.
A book which explores the rise and fall of the Medici family as well as the tapestry of people and events which made up the Renaissance, this book appears to be well researched and is full of interesting links which are of huge interest to anyone like me who has visited Florence. Many memories of my trip there are already being evoked and filled with knowledge. Although a long book I am sure I will listen to every minute of the fascinating story of this family.
I am now hoping I can return to my kindle books, if blue light is the issue with my eyes and headaches I should be able to pursue all the books I have waiting for me to enter their pages and widen my world.
My dogs are both really bored. As I am unable to spend much time in the sun due to the antibiotics I am taking they are entrenched at home probably dreaming of free runs and walks in the park. I have several more days of tablets and all being well I will take them out then.
While New Zealand is gripped by stories of tragic house fires, how a convicted paedophile and murderer can escape the country legally and the response to Putin at the G20 summit I seem to be finding a way through my headache issue. My GP is taking me seriously and realises how debilitating it has been for me. Although some of the drugs are harsh at least I seem to be feeling better and hopefully the migraines will stop and this whole problem will resolve.
I am finding it very frustrating being unable to read much, only talking books on my VRS. I would love to devour some of the exciting books which are waiting for me on my kindle, hopefully soon.
My retired guide dog Chocolat is really feeling the cold at present. Although it is meant to be spring, in fact almost summer, yesterday I was wearing my thick wool winter coat, a singlet, thick socks and a scarf. All very odd for November. She is trying to find warm places to sleep during the day and given her age, almost 13, is sleeping longer than she used to. Jay is becoming a little frustrated with her and I am noting subtle differences in their interactions.
Everyone loved my Facebook post of the Highlands of Scotland, my second home, so I will put up a couple of photos here.
There has been a huge fire in an old villa here in Hamilton and at least 3 young people have died. I was stunned to discover that one of the people who had died was the granddaughter of a friend of mine who lives in the room opposite my mother in the rest-home.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11359293
A photo of her and the other two known victims has just appeared on The New Zealand Herald page. So sad, and so many people on the periphery impacted. It is to be hoped they do not find any more bodies as no one really knows how many people were in the house on Friday night.
I am loving People of the Book, it is the only book I am reading at the moment due to my headaches and eye issues. As it meanders its way from Sarajevo to Vienna to Venice and now Boston I am enchanted by how such a large amount of factual information can be transported to make a wonderful novel.
Amazon keep asking me to review books, some which I have not had time to read yet. I cannot see the value in these reviews, particularly as they tend to show up on Google and if one does not want the whole world to know what they are reading, like me, they should keep their opinion to themselves.
My old retired guide dog, Chocolat, is looking sad and miserable. I am not sure if it is just age, she is almost 13, arthritis, poor sight or the cold weather we are still experiencing here. I feel so sorry for her, I love her so much and hate to see her having such difficulty with her daily life. At times she seems really happy and playful but at others she just sleeps and ignores us all.
After visiting my GP and finally having someone try to help me with my headaches I had two days of relief but again had a migraine aura this morning. I have another appointment with her on Monday, we need to get to the bottom of this urgently. It is obvious that the anti-inflammatory helped, but why? What is wrong that I am having all these migraines.
I am really enjoying People of the Book as it sweeps across the years, families, wars and countries. An epic novel full of information, trust, friendship and a very interesting link between Muslim and Jew. I am now keen to read other books Geraldine Brooks has written, though perhaps not quite yet, I may need to digest this wonderful book first.
I wish I could enjoy my work at St Paul's but it is soul destroying, boring, and too eye intensive in poor light. I feel side-lined by everyone there, particularly that rude Karen and Deborah who does little to make me feel welcome. Not a great environment for someone who needs to feel needed and positive.
Hats off to Interpol, the Brazilian police and whoever recognised and turned in the NZ criminal fugitive. I hope the person who recognised him is rewarded in some way and when he returns to NZ he is put into a high security prison and not ever allowed out.
I started reading a really good book about book conservation yesterday on my talking book machine.
It weaves through Spain, Vienna and Bosnia during the war with the conservator an Australian. I have only read just over an hour of what is a 14 hour book which seems to sway between non fiction and knowledge and a fiction story woven through the facts. I think this is a book I will read at every opportunity both to enjoy and to learn more about the field I work in.
I have just finished listening to several back issues of this on my VRS. I have been a reader of this magazine since it's first issue. I really enjoy being able to read it as a talking book but often wish they would read some other stories apart from the ones chosen by the narrator or staff at the RNZFB. Each issue has so much to offer but we miss so much of it.
I am off to my GP this morning to try and sort out what to do about my migraines. I am so sick of their rule over my life so hope we can come to a proper conclusion about medication, weight, and other options for curing them.
I have recently received several recommendations for interesting books from members of WLM only to find they are not available to purchase in New Zealand. In frustration at our inability to purchase the latest suggestion
one kind member of the group sent us a link saying the book had been published under a different title in the US. I have to wonder why Amazon makes it so difficult, surely they lose sales when not making these books available worldwide for kindle, perhaps it is the authors who do not want their book released internationally. There must be a reason but given the desire of so many of us to read kindle books surely it is appropriate to make them all available.
I also went online yesterday to purchase another recommended book:
but I soon discovered that I had purchased it last week! I guess in this case I should be grateful for Amazon's diligence in informing us we have already purchased a book. Without kindle books my reading would now be reduced to just talking books which at even the best of times can be quite frustrating.
Last week I gave my student volunteers in the archives at school a copy of my own book, The Dio Difference as a gift for all their help this year. I hope they treasure and enjoy it as a reminder of their wonderful days at Dio.
Facebook is a wonderful place to meet people, but a group is trying to make me an administrator of their page and nothing is progressing. Neither I nor the present administrator can discover why so any opportunity to earn extra money from them is rapidly fading for the present.
Fireworks exploded in the park next to my home and surrounding area until 1am this morning. This is very unfair to those of us who have to work today, mind children or just get on with our lives. If I was undecided about John Key's move to ban backyard fireworks before I will join with everyone supporting this decision. I am just lucky that my dogs are not scared of them, it certainly makes it easier.
Lying awake for so long meant I was able to finish One Night in Winter. I felt it ended rather hurriedly as if trying to round out the story in a limited number of pages, odd given I understand the print version has 480 pages. In the end it became an expose of Stalin, lost and forbidden love, unwitting betrayal and children who became pawns of the ambition of evil men. It was with great relief that I turned on the latest Readers Digest and heard the story of a couple who saved 50 Jewish children and some of their families from extinction in Austria.
My visit to the Neurologist was expensive and to a degree productive. I now need to do some reading online about the drugs he has suggested and look at some changes I could make in my life. My eyes are still behaving strangely which makes reading, particularly on any type of electronic device very difficult. I plan on having an afternoon doing something practical rather than computer or ipad based.
Reading has had to take a back seat again due to my cluster of headaches. I am off for a massage today, to the neurologist tomorrow and the osteopath. I need some answers as this is becoming a real concern for me. Just proofreading for half an hour yesterday set me off again, I hate it.
Now that I have read reviews of One Night in Winter
I have more understanding of what is behind this novel. I had no idea it was based on a true case and children were really locked up in Lubyanka Prison. The story is appalling and certainly shows the length and breadth of the reach of Stalin into the lives of his citizens, particularly those who served him in an official capacity. The children took known risks, perhaps their youth made them think they were invincible, but this control of every aspect of people's personal lives is something that now seems to be the forte of the islamists.
Again good books have been recommended by WLM members which are unavailable to us here in NZ. For the second time in as many days I have had to put up a post saying that this gorgeous book they are suggesting we buy for a few dollars is not available here in the kindle edition.
