Last week I had to take the kids for their routine check up at the dentist.We've been at this particular dental practice for years , albeit that the dentists themselves have changed.
Now I've never been one of those people who get particularly worked up about going, although I have to admit I don't particularly enjoy the experience as a whole. I always make sure that the kids look after their teeth and was pleased to hear that the dentist was very pleased with them and that they needed no treatment.
Unfortunately when it was my turn - he uttered those dreaded words . " Ah , You appear to have fractured your filling, it will need to be replaced ".
Today was " D" Day and I had to go back to the surgery to have my tooth fixed.
I arrived at the practice about 15 minutes early to find that I was the only person in the waiting room. The receptionist was very friendly and as British people do we started to talk about the weather. She started to say that she had never seen such deep snow and clearly stated that the last time we had snow like this she was an 18 month old baby (!) This suddenly made me feel quite old as I was old enough to be her mother...
I sat in the chair looking around the waiting room, pictures of gleaming white teeth every where , toothbrushes galore whilst listening to the sounds of high pitched drilling from a room next door.
The drilling stopped and a lady came out into the reception area to pay her bill, her speech had obviously been affected by whatever she had just had done as she was slurring and slobbering as though her lips had been pumped up like a big balloon.
The lady went out of the door holding her face before she went out into the cold air and I was once again left alone gazing around the room waiting for my name to be called over the crackly tannoy system to room 9.
Upon hearing my name I made my way to the room where the dentist was waiting at the door to greet me( No getting out of it now - I was committed..).
"Good afternoon " , he cheerfully grinned showing me into the room.
"Right, have a seat".
I sat on the long plasticy covered reclining couch, to my right was a tray of metal shining sharp picks , hooks and drill pieces which didn't look very pleasant at all.
I was handed a pair of plastic googles - very attractive- which I had to adorn - looking like something out of Sci fi movie.
Next I was propelled back wards into the lap of the dentist, with my shoes pointing to the ceiling.
As he prepared his drill pieces , the dental nurse was busily chatting away to me telling me about how she had found a caterpillar in a bag of peppers that she had got from the supermarket ( I have no idea how we got on to this subject - normally like hairdressers I have been asked about what I was going to be doing for the weekend or any holidays etc).
Then it was - " Ok open wide please" and the drilling began. I heard the drill first before I felt it and then my toes started to curl...
I found that I had my hands clamped across my chest as though my life depended on it and my toes were fully strecthed out awaiting to cramp at any moment.
"LIft your left hand if you want me to stop at any time", he muttered through his green mask.
They had put a heavy apron on me so I have no idea how I was meant to raise my hand whilst wearing an iron filled straight jacket!
I started to make those sort of " Gaarr... Maar.." noises - you know the ones when you feel as though your jaw bone has been broken. This was also whilst trying to swallow the water which by now has built up at the back of my throat and wanting to avoid swallowing the 2 big polystyrene rolls inserted at the side of my gums.
Then the nurse stuck the dreaded suction hose pipe in my mouth , as well as having the drill - to suck up any excess moisture. It was so cold I couldn't feel the side of my tongue.It felt like a garden hose pipe . She then lost control of it momentarily sucking up the top side of my lip up the tube.
Raise my left hand ! If I had managed to lift it I think I would have grabbed that suction pipe - it was driving me mad !!
Then I had the problem of where do I look ??
Do I maintain eye contact with the dentist whilst poking implements into my mouth with my head in his lap ? - No.
I couldn't turn my head very far so decided to look up at an angle , trying not to burn the back of my retinas out from the overhead spot lamp.
I managed to find a spot on which to stare for 30 minutes and tried to think of nicer things... How the hell did she get caterpillars in her bag I started to wonder???
Eventually my trial was over, my toes returned to normality and and I was free to rinse out my mouth with the disgusting pink liquid held in the custom white plastic bendy cup at the side of the small round gurgly sink.
My tooth thankfully felt ok. I said my thank you and went back down to reception to pay for my treatment.
£106 later I walked along the cold snowy and icy road back home .. I definitely think I'm in the wrong job !!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
Winter Wonderland !
My day started this morning at 0500 this morning when Malc started to scrape the snow from the car ready to go to work.
I felt like a child again , the excitement of seeing loads of snow when I didn't have to go to work . Then I felt the concern of hoping that he would actually get to work ok.
Sam & Georgie woke up at 0700 as normal and I couldn't wait to tell them that it had been snowing! They were really excited and there were whoops of joy as they both stared out of the window with delight.
After breakfast I thought that I had better have a look at the schools web site - we had been forewarned that in inclement weather the schools may be closed as the teachers would not be able to get in.
I had heard on the main news and weather that lots of schools had been closed and upon checking Sam & Georgina's schools were also closed.
By 0800 We were all outside and had built two snow men and a snow cat (!) and had had several snowball fights.
I couldn't believe how thick the snow was - I can't remember it being that heavy for years and certainly the children had never seen it like that.
I took a few photos of the morning.
After lunch Malc had come home early from work - so we all went sledging !! We had a brilliant time screaming down the hills - it was great fun.
Having just looked at the school web site again the schools are closed again for tomorrow and I am off work until Wednesday !!
Whoopeeee !!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure that by the weekend we will be sick of it but for now it's nice to enjoy it whilst we can.
I felt like a child again , the excitement of seeing loads of snow when I didn't have to go to work . Then I felt the concern of hoping that he would actually get to work ok.
Sam & Georgie woke up at 0700 as normal and I couldn't wait to tell them that it had been snowing! They were really excited and there were whoops of joy as they both stared out of the window with delight.
After breakfast I thought that I had better have a look at the schools web site - we had been forewarned that in inclement weather the schools may be closed as the teachers would not be able to get in.
I had heard on the main news and weather that lots of schools had been closed and upon checking Sam & Georgina's schools were also closed.
By 0800 We were all outside and had built two snow men and a snow cat (!) and had had several snowball fights.
I couldn't believe how thick the snow was - I can't remember it being that heavy for years and certainly the children had never seen it like that.
I took a few photos of the morning.
After lunch Malc had come home early from work - so we all went sledging !! We had a brilliant time screaming down the hills - it was great fun.
Having just looked at the school web site again the schools are closed again for tomorrow and I am off work until Wednesday !!
Whoopeeee !!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure that by the weekend we will be sick of it but for now it's nice to enjoy it whilst we can.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
A Culinary moment
I'm not sure why but over the last couple of days a variety of notable culinary moments have occured in our household - and not good ones!
On Friday night I decided that we would have a curry - a home made one complete with Naan bread and the trimmings. I quite like cooking, I'm not the best cook in the world but I do my best to put something edible on the table.
I'm not a huge fan of hot curries or really spicy ones- bit of a wimp really compared to Malc who would eat the hottest one available ( you know the "bum burner " types, I can't remember their proper name but - not for me !)
So, in a calm tranquil fashion I proudly produced a Chicken korma , nice and mild and yoghurty, a non offensive dish that even the most delicate stomach could manage accompanied by rice ( and peas !! as Malc likes green veggies with his ).
We all sat down together to eat, a typical family gathering all discussing what we had done that day.
I'm not sure what happened next but suddenly my right hand went into some sort of spasm launching my knife down then up into the air. Unfortunately for me on my knife at the time was the biggest piece of chicken korma complete with piping hot korma sauce and an odd pea or two which orbitted into the direction of my face covering my right eye lid and cleavage !
For one micro second I sat in shock before screaming - " Quick get me a towel - my eye lids on fire !"
There was sauce in my hair , up the wall ,over the floor, on my clothes - everywhere !
As ( unfortunately) I am not particularly well endowed in the cleavage department - the hot sauce by this time had almost reached my belly button (!) as there was nothing to stop it in mid flow.
Malc managed to get me a towel, I then wiped myself down, applied cold water to my burnt regions and wiped the korma from the ceiling using a mop !
After they'd stopped laughing we then finished eating our by now cold korma !
Saturday night - my third degree burns now healing nicely - Malc decided to "cook". I use this in the loosest terms possible. Malc opens packets and then times everything to the exact micro second. If he is cooking and the pack says 18 minutes then he sets his watch and he does not open the oven door until that time.It infuriates him also if when he asks me what time food is ready I always say- " Well about twenty to" or "I can't remember when exactly - it will be ready in a minute or so"
Anyway - Malc decided that we would have "Fish and Chips" -again he normally likes peas but because of using them all up with the disastrous Korma he said that he would improvise (!).
The kids and I were in the other room finishing off their homework when we heard the familiar sound of Malc's watch alarm going off which ( like Pavlov- signalled that the food was ready ).
We went into the kitchen to find that he had loaded our plates with fish , frozen broccoli (!) and the biggest chips that I had ever seen.
"Where did you find that lot?" we asked
"In the bottom of the freezer - I decided that we needed to use things up" was his reply.
The chips looked strange, they were anaemic looking and long and didn't really look like chips at all.
On closer examination I detected that the chips were not made from potato but were actually "Parsnips".
They had been bought as an emergency only use - in case of extreme hardship at Christmas time and only in case there was a national parsnip shortage and we could get no fresh ones!
Malc hates parsnips, so do the kids - so there we were eating traditional "Fish and parsnips" for tea.
Sam pointed out when Malc was trying to defend himself statimng that they looked like potato chips , " It says Parsnips on the packet dad!".
We ended up eating Chocolate pudding with chocolate custard which was lovely instead !!!!
This morning I decided that I would have cinammon and raisins toasted bagels for my breakfast. I am a saftey conscious Mum , you know the type that tells my children , " Don't sit too near to the TV , you'll get square eyes " or " Put that stick down you'll poke someones eye out with it"
Kitchen safety is of paramount importance ( particularly after the dangerous korma incident).
There I was cutting my bagel in half with a sharp knife - not holding it on the plate as I would advise my children to do - No - holding it in my hand whilst dancing around the kitchen whilst singing to the radio........
Luckily - the band aid plasters were easy to find in the drawer and the mop that had been used to wipe the korma from the ceiling was still in the utility room to swash down the bloody floor!!!
The good news is that my 9 remaining healthy fingers work fine - the 10th one is a bit sore.
Mmmm, wonder what to have for lunch - may be I should have a detox for the rest of the weekend - might be safer !
On Friday night I decided that we would have a curry - a home made one complete with Naan bread and the trimmings. I quite like cooking, I'm not the best cook in the world but I do my best to put something edible on the table.
I'm not a huge fan of hot curries or really spicy ones- bit of a wimp really compared to Malc who would eat the hottest one available ( you know the "bum burner " types, I can't remember their proper name but - not for me !)
So, in a calm tranquil fashion I proudly produced a Chicken korma , nice and mild and yoghurty, a non offensive dish that even the most delicate stomach could manage accompanied by rice ( and peas !! as Malc likes green veggies with his ).
We all sat down together to eat, a typical family gathering all discussing what we had done that day.
I'm not sure what happened next but suddenly my right hand went into some sort of spasm launching my knife down then up into the air. Unfortunately for me on my knife at the time was the biggest piece of chicken korma complete with piping hot korma sauce and an odd pea or two which orbitted into the direction of my face covering my right eye lid and cleavage !
For one micro second I sat in shock before screaming - " Quick get me a towel - my eye lids on fire !"
There was sauce in my hair , up the wall ,over the floor, on my clothes - everywhere !
As ( unfortunately) I am not particularly well endowed in the cleavage department - the hot sauce by this time had almost reached my belly button (!) as there was nothing to stop it in mid flow.
Malc managed to get me a towel, I then wiped myself down, applied cold water to my burnt regions and wiped the korma from the ceiling using a mop !
After they'd stopped laughing we then finished eating our by now cold korma !
Saturday night - my third degree burns now healing nicely - Malc decided to "cook". I use this in the loosest terms possible. Malc opens packets and then times everything to the exact micro second. If he is cooking and the pack says 18 minutes then he sets his watch and he does not open the oven door until that time.It infuriates him also if when he asks me what time food is ready I always say- " Well about twenty to" or "I can't remember when exactly - it will be ready in a minute or so"
Anyway - Malc decided that we would have "Fish and Chips" -again he normally likes peas but because of using them all up with the disastrous Korma he said that he would improvise (!).
The kids and I were in the other room finishing off their homework when we heard the familiar sound of Malc's watch alarm going off which ( like Pavlov- signalled that the food was ready ).
We went into the kitchen to find that he had loaded our plates with fish , frozen broccoli (!) and the biggest chips that I had ever seen.
"Where did you find that lot?" we asked
"In the bottom of the freezer - I decided that we needed to use things up" was his reply.
The chips looked strange, they were anaemic looking and long and didn't really look like chips at all.
On closer examination I detected that the chips were not made from potato but were actually "Parsnips".
They had been bought as an emergency only use - in case of extreme hardship at Christmas time and only in case there was a national parsnip shortage and we could get no fresh ones!
Malc hates parsnips, so do the kids - so there we were eating traditional "Fish and parsnips" for tea.
Sam pointed out when Malc was trying to defend himself statimng that they looked like potato chips , " It says Parsnips on the packet dad!".
We ended up eating Chocolate pudding with chocolate custard which was lovely instead !!!!
This morning I decided that I would have cinammon and raisins toasted bagels for my breakfast. I am a saftey conscious Mum , you know the type that tells my children , " Don't sit too near to the TV , you'll get square eyes " or " Put that stick down you'll poke someones eye out with it"
Kitchen safety is of paramount importance ( particularly after the dangerous korma incident).
There I was cutting my bagel in half with a sharp knife - not holding it on the plate as I would advise my children to do - No - holding it in my hand whilst dancing around the kitchen whilst singing to the radio........
Luckily - the band aid plasters were easy to find in the drawer and the mop that had been used to wipe the korma from the ceiling was still in the utility room to swash down the bloody floor!!!
The good news is that my 9 remaining healthy fingers work fine - the 10th one is a bit sore.
Mmmm, wonder what to have for lunch - may be I should have a detox for the rest of the weekend - might be safer !
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