Wednesday - up and down

This self management thing with bipolar us hard. I feel high and low at the same Jean says ishe thinks we reacted too quick. So I am back on the usual regime and feeling restrained physically but it not touching me mentally. I enjoy the chance to catch up with Kim over lunch. The lunch deserves a separate entry.

The Prof Heavy session

Jean takes the car - something wrong with her mirror - I enjoy a walk anyway. Its payday but the bad news is I ran out of pay two days ago. Worrisome. Some email exchanges and i am set up for a meeting in the regatta plaace next Thursday. Tinker about - do lots of washing - the rabbit enjoys being let loose when I am in the garden

Lunch at Filini

Filini is the restaurant in this gaff. Classy looking place and good reviews. The hotel and tower are impressive to me.
Nice looking restaurant but empty.
Menu good -
?Starters
Italian meat platter, olives, parmesan, Vassoio piatto con salumi, olive e parmigiano italiani £6.95
Pumpkin ravioli, crispy sage, Ravioli con ripieno di zucca e salvia ricciuta £5.50
Home made tagliatelle, garlic spinach, gorgonzola cheese, Fatto in casa tagliatelle con spinaci all ‘aglio gorgonzola £5.50
Porcini and potato soup, garlic crostini, Zuppa Minestra di funghi porcini e patate, crostini all ‘aglio £5.25
Rabbit, pork and fennel terrine, pickled apples, pomegranite dressing, Terrina di coniglio, maiale e finocchi, con mele sottaceto, melagrane £6.75
Seared Scallops, tossed fregola grossa, Capesante alla griglia servite su fregola grossa £ 8.00
Truffle and pecorino risotto, Risotto con tartufi e pecorino £7.25
Ham, lentil and herb broth, Brodo Minestra di prosciutto, lenticchie e verdure £5.50
Peppered tuna, rocket, lemon, tomato, Pepperonata di tonno, rucola, limone e tomato £ 6.95
Beef carpaccio, mustard mayonnaise, parmesan, Caraccio di manzo, con mostarda, maionese, parmigiano £6.25

Kim opted for tagliatelle and spinacg, me the seared scallops obviously.

?Mains
Spiced duck sausages, cabbage and red onions, Anitra condita con salse, cavoli e cipolle rosse £14.95
Organic Salmon, spiced lentils, crème fraiche, Salmone organico, lentchie piccanti, franche crema £16.00
Braised lamb neck, fontina cheese, potato sandwich, Tramezino di collo d aagnello stufato, con formaggio fontina e patate £16.50 ‘
Smoked haddock, broad bean and thyme ”lasagne”, Merluzo affumicato, fave e timo £13.95
Octopus, chilli, potato and capers, Polpo, pepperoni, patate e capperi £ 14.00
Artichoke, aubergine, tomato ragut, garlic crisps, Carciofi, melanzane, ragu di pomodori e aglio £13.50
Poached chicken, shitake ice cream, honey jus, Pollo poached, gelato di Shitake e miele £14.95
Smoked ricotta and leek cannelonni, garlic spinach, Ricotta affumicata con cannelloni di porro e spinace con aglio £ 13.95
Seared calves liver, onion confit, vinegar sauce, Fegato seared, cipolle confetti, salsa di aceto £ 16.50
Prawn, pea and tarragon linguini, Linguini di stragone e piselli con gamberetti £14.75
Kim wanted the duck sossies but was out of luck and opted for the canneloni, me inevitably the calves liver.
The food was very good and the service slow - as ever with a near empty gaff 100 seater place 6 covers dining. Food was worth it, service definitely not.
Still we had a good time even if we did get soaked walking back.
Just in case anyone from the social is reading Kim paid not me.

S82C Winwick Hospital circa 1980/81 

Tuesday old friends new friendships

Phil from cell has asked me to sit in on a visit with his housing officer at his flat. Jack usually does it but I am standing in on the subs bench as he is in spain. The woman comes and goes but we are unaware as his bell and intercom are broke. Still its good to feel useful. We go for a brisk walk round seftoin paarkl and then lunch at greenbank. See jacqui Abdul and mick "the head" thwaite from the pct. Funny feelings for me. Drop phil off at his mums and then on to tesco. Have. a coffee and a blog. Home chicken salad brutalised viciously by shakespeare. Out to cell and return to watch the outrageous nighty night. Have restless sleep though not sure if I am awake or just dreaming I am awake. Net result is the same I wake goosed.

Sunday and monday.

Went well the lunch. Was a bad nights sleep and I woke too early with kmind racing. Instigated going high management plan and after a busy morning managed to chill in the pm. Watched "sink the bismarck" on VHS. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Waking the dead good as well.
Monday over slept and went back to bed after foring brekfast down. Woke again at 1.30 and had to drag myself to Allerton road for a walk. Worth it really to spy Merseyside fire brigades Search and Rescue Unit on its way to a shout. Damaged my right foot in some bizarre way, Jean heals it at night. Heavy email traffic with work.

Famous Bipolars

http://mixednuts.net/bipolar-famous.html

http://www.bpkeepers.org/famous/famous.html

http://www.antenna.nl/nsmd/FAMOUS.html

http://www.bipolarworld.net/Bipolar%20Disorder/Articles/art14.htm

 

Saturday - shopping and prepping

Get ready for Sunday visitors, and take mum to Lidl in Kensington. One mighty weird shop where you can get everything from smoked salmon to horse blankets. Mum loves it the half price fruit and veg is cool too. After that we are off to Tesco for a coffee and the remainder of the shopping. Home and cooking.

Friday - confirmation keeps coming

Letters from te Department of work and pensions lead to phone calls and explanations of wrong procedures from their minions. The people I speak to were helpful in the extreme. Feel better when I get my decision letters in my hand which explain what I am getting and why. Be nice to see some money in the account which is perilously empty.The Giro helped. Take me mum to M&S and Somerfield for a run out. Get plenty of bargains.Home then mother in laws.

The boy Shakespeare 

Thursday looking up

Mail arrives with confimation of incapacity entitlement. Take mum to New Brighton which in her words "fills her applecart" which I think translates as floats her boat. Then we nip to Tesco extra at Bidston. It looks big and they are expanding it. We go into the clothing department housed in a tent. Albeit a fine tent. My mother gets lost in there I hear her discussing her gusset preference with a genteel lady farmer, I decide to leave her lost. Home and jean reveals she is working late. I knock up duck breasts with sea salt and black pepper ratatouille and boiled spud. It was delicious (if I do say so myself).

Good day results at last

Get a weird letter from the department of work and pensions. It seems to say I am not entitled to DLA. A phonecall to the bnefits enquiry line reveals I have been granted it but not from the date I could have been. Hmm. Lunch out at the Taipan with Kim Then I ring the incapacity man michael at belle vale jobbie plus. He true to form sorts it. At 4.10 I am in cubicle 3 collecting a Giro. Happy days we got money till payday. Benefits hoops jumped thro the good news keeps coming. Dave my brother and Maria are getting married in August next year. I have been asked to be his best man a lifelong ambition.
An email from carolinr rand at work. Then its off for a good night at frontline. Top day feel blessed.

Tuesday

A pleasnter day Jack from cell comes round and helps me sort a few things out in my head. In the pm I take a walk for provisions and pleasure. Engage the two Big issue sellers in conversation and a nice lady who like me is astonished when some geezer is nearly totalled by a big wagon before our eyes. He was blissfully unaware. I cook bognese for tea. Had a good natter with jim pollard and came up with a plan for how me blog on male health iss used.

Sunday late start

Not surprising given the lateness of the hour. Forgot to say in yesterdays post that I have been referred to Professor Kinderman a Clinical psychologist. Not sure what for but if prof morriss rates him that will do me. Took it easy Sunday Jean is tired and has an interview tomorrow. Catch up with the andrew in the pm and discuss matters geeky relating to the site. Always good.
Monday.
Jean comes home at lunchtime I prepare a delicious salad lunch warm chicken and bacon number. She goes off for the interview and I worry. Ally texts me to say she got an A* in her ICT coursework which makes me impressed proud and not in the last bit surprised. Jeans got the job and I am going to get 86 pound a week incapacity benefit so happy days.

Saturday old friends new faces.

Well it arrived I started the day not really wanting to go anywhere. Whilst at the same time wanting to see old friends. I took mum to tesco to get her prescription filled out, big job she's on that many pills. I will blog nannas pills when I do her attendance allowance claim. Great to see old faces and mnice to meet new ones. I meet my first ever body piercer. Not the person whpo first pierced my body, but the first of that professional group I have encountered. As a male student nurse I was understudy to a barber and spent many a happy Sunday afternoon shaving the collected nethers of Warringtons menfolk.
All goes surprisingly well and we tip out at 1am tut tut.

Thursday Friday and a sackful of blues

Still feeling pretty awful. Not looking forward to the Liverpool meet on Saturday which is odd because I shall be seeing some old friends, which will be good. The melancholia encompasses all. The letter from the prof gets me down. Still no word from the social. I take Ally to the orthodontist drop her at school and then its on to mike and janes to drop the roofbox off. Mike doesn't do emotion or mental health. He jumped out of mental health as soon as he could - preferred intensive care where the patients couldn't speak. Stilll they make me feel a bit better about myself. Then its off to my sisters to fix the computer.
Enjoyed it job done lunch long chat about ma and off home. Tea then out to B's sorted out a few things with some of the wlsinfo crew.

One letter thats all it took

It really did knock me for six I spent most of Wednesday doing nothing except feeling crap. Sick in my stomach and turning into the poor wretch that the letter described. Rumination is a good word, I have a gluttonous appetite for that too, throw self depreciation into the mix and happy days are here again. I fire off an email to Frank dispenser of wisdom and pills. Somrthing in my mind nags me that I should be seeing old prof M in September - it takes me three hours to shake out of the inertia and ring his secretary. I was right. I had an appointment at 2.30 trouble is its 4pm - Shit I hate DNA's (do not attends) big waste of time. But in the profs schedule probably just means he finishes 2 hours late instead of 3. Kathy his secretary is really nice but I feel pants about it. Ally says reassuringly if he treats bipolars he probably used to it. I hate being so badly organised it sucks. My limbs feel heavy and my head and heart feel like lead. I burden nell with my thoughts and when you feel this crap you worry that your mood will taint those near. Feel better with the girls around less time to ruminate.

Warrior Librarian Weekly: Issue #220 - September 2005

Warrior Librarian Weekly: Issue #220 - September 2005 Wonder if loopy boy has read this.

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

Is it true or not still made me chuckle and I sent them to my brother in law Paul who may well torch his school.

More Social security and pension stuff.

Yesterday I got a letter from  the Department of Work and Pensions asking for my bank account details for my DLA. I have already give them this on the claim form. Is this a positive sign or merely a cruel tease. I am beginning to feel a bit worried - the wheels of the benefit people grind slowly. I definitely did put the details on the form. I rang the benefits enquiry line, they referred me to to the DLA claim line who tell me they need my details before they send me a decision. happy days.
Next through the post is another stunning letter, from Occupational Health at Aintree. Its a copy of his report on my in response to Doc Hibberts request.Whilst I am sure it will help in the DLA and Pension challenge it dont make me feel very good seeing the expertly written view of my presentation and prognosis. It doesnt feel like me but I think I should lie down on the settee and watch some daytime telly and wait for me giro.
Bipolar type 2 (a chronic mood disorder).