Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Betty LaRue]

On 22/01/2021 at 12:28, John Mitchell said:

I had cataract surgery (lens replacement) done on eye #2 earlier this week, and I can now see clearly with both eyes without glasses (a.k.a. "specs"), except for reading and computer work. The changes in brightness, clarity, and colour perception are dramatic, even shocking. It's like going directly from Kodachrome to digital. Even the gloomy Vancouver winter looks a bit less gloomy. It will be interesting to see what effects this change has on my photography and post-processing. If there is anyone out there hesitant about getting their cataracts fixed, don't be. The operation is a piece of cake.

So happy you’ve discovered a world of color and crispness again. Cataract advancement is so insidious. You don’t just wake up one day and see muddy colors. So it is rather shocking to have that all ripped away suddenly.
Did you realize how many whiskers you have and how sharp they are before you shave? Um..if you shave. OK. Just peek at your eyebrows and beard.
I kept washing my hair and slathering on conditioner because my hair looked so crisp. Then I realized the grass looked crisp, too, and I wasn’t going to condition that.

[Betty LaRue]

On 22/01/2021 at 15:39, John Mitchell said:

 

Ouch! My operations were covered by the BC government. However, on the advice of my Ophthalmologist, I did shell out for some better quality monofocal lenses (for distance) than the ones provided by the gov. Do you need premium "Toric" lenses to correct astigmatism as well as cataracts? If so, they cost a lot more. I don't know what the situation is like in OZ, but eye surgeons here have a nasty habit of adding extra charges. Caveat emptor!

Medicare took care of mine and I did have the toric lenses that correct astigmatism. No extra charges for post op care. I could have gotten a pair of free reading glasses, but didn’t avail.

[Betty LaRue]

On 22/01/2021 at 19:39, gvallee said:

 

My thoughts entirely. It was my first reaction. We checked them out and they have good reviews. They are the only outfit in Oz catering for uninsured people. I will have a thorough chat with them and follow my gut feelings. Perhaps I should choose to see it in GBP equivalent, it would be less painful ah ah.

 

I had comments once on this forum about the saturation of some of my pix. Perhaps I overdid it because of my eyes, it will be interesting to see after the op. I hope I won't recoil in horror at my uploads...

Gen, I taught myself to paint watercolor. A couple of years later I took a class, more to be around other painters. There was an elderly man there who kept painting muddy and off-color work. Toward the end of the lessons, I heard he had cataract surgery. I worked for an ophthalmologist at the time and instantly understood why his colors were off. The lens of your eye tend to cloud up in a brownish or brownish-amber color. Put on a pair of brownish-tinted sunglasses and see how they affect color perception.

[gvallee]

13 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Medicare took care of mine and I did have the toric lenses that correct astigmatism. No extra charges for post op care. I could have gotten a pair of free reading glasses, but didn’t avail.

 

In Australia, Medicare would also pay for a cataract op. But not if you're an expatriate on a retirement visa. 

[gvallee]

4 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Gen, I taught myself to paint watercolor. A couple of years later I took a class, more to be around other painters. There was an elderly man there who kept painting muddy and off-color work. Toward the end of the lessons, I heard he had cataract surgery. I worked for an ophthalmologist at the time and instantly understood why his colors were off. The lens of your eye tend to cloud up in a brownish or brownish-amber color. Put on a pair of brownish-tinted sunglasses and see how they affect color perception.

 

I'm looking forward to 'see' the difference. I just hope that all my editing has not been not too far off.

Edited January 24, 2021 by gvallee

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Medicare took care of mine and I did have the toric lenses that correct astigmatism. No extra charges for post op care. I could have gotten a pair of free reading glasses, but didn’t avail.

 

That's a really good deal. Medical coverage differs from province to province in Canada. Here in BC, you have to pay extra for toric lenses (which I didn't need), however at a substantially reduced cost.  No charge for post-op care here either, but I did have to pay for additional pre-op (screening) tests and more complex calculations because I chose a "premium" aspheric monofocal lens that studies have shown develops fewer imperfections ("glistenings"). Hopefully the extra costs will pay off eventually.

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

In Australia, Medicare would also pay for a cataract op. But not if you're an expatriate on a retirement visa. 

 

Bummer. I believe that it would be covered for all residents in Canada, but I don't know the details.

[gvallee]

3 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

Bummer. I believe that it would be covered for all residents in Canada, but I don't know the details.

 

In Oz, it depends which visa you're on. When I was on a work visa, I was covered by Medicare. When I switched to Retirement Visa, I lost it. If and when (one can dream) I manage to get a permanent resident visa, then I will get it back. All very complicated. 

[sb photos]

Nipped out to the local Co-op store earlier, entering a 7am opening time. Was only a short walk, puddles had frozen solid and there was a thick frost. A great time for a walk. While I was there only one other person came in, to avoid the snow forecast for later. An ideal time to shop. I only shopped as we missed a few items off Saturday's click and collect Aldi order. 

 

I was just about to go out for a walk to pace out the length of some local flood defences. Now heavy snow has arrived and it's beginning to settle, wonderful. Just changing shoes and jacket into something more suitable. Unlike many years ago, we don't see heavy snow that much here. Yesterday while out for a walk it tried to snow, but all that came down was a combination of snow and hail, small hard round snow pellets. Now out into the snow.

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

5 minutes ago, sb photos said:

Nipped out to the local Co-op store earlier, entering a 7am opening time. Was only a short walk, puddles had frozen solid and there was a thick frost. A great time for a walk. While I was there only one other person came in, to avoid the snow forecast for later. An ideal time to shop. I only shopped as we missed a few items off Saturday's click and collect Aldi order. 

 

I was just about to go out for a walk to pace out the length of some local flood defences. Now heavy snow has arrived and it's beginning to settle, wonderful. Just changing shoes and jacket into something more suitable. Unlike many years ago, we don't see heavy snow that much here. Yesterday while out for a walk it tried to snow, but all that came down was a combination of snow and hail, small hard round snow pellets. Now out into the snow.

Snow envy - I'm all packed up and ready to go out but still waiting😉 be careful out there

 

Carol

[Thyrsis]

9 minutes ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Snow envy - I'm all packed up and ready to go out but still waiting😉 be careful out there

 

Carol

We’ve got a good few inches of snow here in Oxford and plenty more to come by the looks of it. Might get the sledge out of the loft!! 

[spacecadet]

Our car failed the MoT because the lacquer had fallen off the indicator bulbs. I replaced them, but I've just tinted the old ones with an orange marker pen. They are now the spares and I have saved about £1.96 which we will spend on booze and chocolate.

Edited January 24, 2021 by spacecadet

[aphperspective]

45 minutes ago, Thyrsis said:

We’ve got a good few inches of snow here in Oxford and plenty more to come by the looks of it. Might get the sledge out of the loft!! 

Snow here in West Cork for the first time since the last Meteor Strike! There is gridlock (5 cars) where drivers have stopped to look at a snow flake settled on the road. 😀

[sb photos]

1 hour ago, Thyrsis said:

We’ve got a good few inches of snow here in Oxford and plenty more to come by the looks of it. Might get the sledge out of the loft!! 

 

Just arrived home. Now just a few small snowflakes in the air. Here it settled at around 1.5", was hoping for more. 

[NYCat]

i'm getting my Covid vaccination tomorrow. Big surprise. I haven't had cancer for 20 years but I am still seeing a nurse-practitioner once a year so am still a patient at Sloan-Kettering. This morning I had an email that there was a message in my portal. I hate all these portals and internet stuff where I get lost and don't know how to get back but I am sure glad I went in. My email said the message was not important??? These computers don't know what they are talking about. They probably just opened this opportunity up and the only dates available were today and the next couple of days. I made my appointment for tomorrow. Yea!!! It is not a convenient location but who cares.

 

Paulette

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

1 hour ago, sb photos said:

 

Just arrived home. Now just a few small snowflakes in the air. Here it settled at around 1.5", was hoping for more. 

After scraping the ice of the car windows it wouldn't start !  Same thing happened the other day, it took a jump start so first stop Halfords to get the battery tested, they said it was ok - guess it's just it's not getting used much nowadays.  Second stop home to get my snow gear and cameras as by that time it had started snowing.  Living on a fairly steep hill it seemed like ok now or not at all so popped to our local park.  Very thick snow and everything looked lovely, managed an hour or so before heading home and drying everything out.  It was good to see a few people out and enjoying themselves socially distanced.  It's a very big park so no problem.  Lots of snowmen suddenly appearing, good to see😁

It's still snowing here now, my chances of driving up our hill are now zero, already one car stuck and left.....

 

Carol

[MDM]

4 hours ago, aphperspective said:

Snow here in West Cork for the first time since the last Meteor Strike! There is gridlock (5 cars) where drivers have stopped to look at a snow flake settled on the road. 😀

One of the human lefty liberal Guardian reader type of snowflake? Settling on the road. Unbelievable These people would live up your nose if they got a chance. Probably an English hippie. They are all over West Cork these days. 😎

Edited January 24, 2021 by MDM

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

After scraping the ice of the car windows it wouldn't start !  Same thing happened the other day, it took a jump start so first stop Halfords to get the battery tested, they said it was ok - guess it's just it's not getting used much nowadays.  Second stop home to get my snow gear and cameras as by that time it had started snowing.  Living on a fairly steep hill it seemed like ok now or not at all so popped to our local park.  Very thick snow and everything looked lovely, managed an hour or so before heading home and drying everything out.  It was good to see a few people out and enjoying themselves socially distanced.  It's a very big park so no problem.  Lots of snowmen suddenly appearing, good to see😁

It's still snowing here now, my chances of driving up our hill are now zero, already one car stuck and left.....

 

Carol

Did you charge it up after the test? The cold won't have helped, but occasional short runs are not enough. I give our battery a top-up charge for a day every three weeks without fail and haven't had a bad start since. Keeping it in a garage is cheating, I suppose, but it was  zero even in there the other day according to the car thermometer😮

Edited January 24, 2021 by spacecadet

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

33 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Did you charge it up after the test? The cold won't have helped, but occasional short runs are not enough. I give our battery a top-up charge for a day every three weeks without fail and haven't had a bad start since. Keeping it in a garage is cheating, I suppose, but it was  zero even in there the other day according to the car thermometer😮

It only got charged when I went out and that wasn't too far  also so it's probably not enough, will see how it is in the morning and like you say give it full charge and/or phone my local garage as I think it's still under warranty, it did happen the other day also, again it only had a relatively short run.....ha ha keeping it in the garage no, no room even for dinky toy in there it's the other half's mancave😁

 

Thinking about it, it did happen in the summer and my local garage tested it and said it wasn't showing any faults - I would rather it did and get the battery replaced🙃

 

Carol

[aphperspective]

6 hours ago, MDM said:

One of the human lefty liberal Guardian reader type of snowflake? Settling on the road. Unbelievable These people would live up your nose if they got a chance. Probably an English hippie. They are all over West Cork these days. 😎

Got a few eccentrics down here as you know, and not all English. My partner had an Uncle that lived out on The Mizen Peninsular near a village called Goleen. In 1979 when they finally got mains electricity to the area he refused to have it in the house saying "Its the devils work". Absolutely true as I stand or sit here.

Andy. 

[MDM]

31 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

Got a few eccentrics down here as you know, and not all English. My partner had an Uncle that lived out on The Mizen Peninsular near a village called Goleen. In 1979 when they finally got mains electricity to the area he refused to have it in the house saying "Its the devils work". Absolutely true as I stand or sit here.

Andy. 

 

I know. My great uncle who lived in Beara was similar. He refused mains electricity. I can recall visiting as a kid in the early 60s and they were using oil lamps. He was not a man to argue with. Small in stature but very fierce. I get my middle name from him I believe. 

 

PS. Just in case of misinterpretation, The reference to English hippies was not a slight in any way by the way. When I lived in Ireland I used to travel about quite a bit in the west and south and befriended lots of so-called hippies of various nationalities (Irish, English, Welsh, Dutch, German ...) living the rural lifestyle. My wife and son are English as well 😀

Edited January 24, 2021 by MDM

[aphperspective]

Never thought for one minute a slight was intended. I think the reason we have more than of few oddballs down here plus your common or garden celebrity is that they just get treated as "normal" by everybody. People just get on with anybody. Long may it continue.

Andy. 

[MDM]

28 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

Never thought for one minute a slight was intended. I think the reason we have more than of few oddballs down here plus your common or garden celebrity is that they just get treated as "normal" by everybody. People just get on with anybody. Long may it continue.

Andy. 

 

No I didn't think you would think anything Andy from past conversations but I didn't want anyone else reading it to misinterpret. It happens online so easily. I would hate to be perceived as a nationalistic bigot, given my intense dislike of that sort of behaviour. 

 

When I first went to West Cork as a kid coming from Dublin, it used to amaze me how everyone was so friendly. And people still salute when you are driving despite how touristy it has become. 

 

It is my favourite place on Earth really - if only it didn't rain so much. I remember my father telling me he never saw snow as a child growing up in Beara until he moved to Dublin. There was a very rare really heavy snow in Beara in the winter of 2010-11  and they didn't know what to do as I doubt they have any machinery to deal with it as it so rare. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by MDM

[Thyrsis]

9 hours ago, aphperspective said:

Got a few eccentrics down here as you know, and not all English. My partner had an Uncle that lived out on The Mizen Peninsular near a village called Goleen. In 1979 when they finally got mains electricity to the area he refused to have it in the house saying "Its the devils work". Absolutely true as I stand or sit here.

Andy. 

 

When we bought our first house in West London in 1974 it still had all the original gas lighting and a ‘copper’ in the kitchen, and no bathroom. The old lady wouldn’t have the workmen in!  Spent 5 years renovating it before we moved to Oxfordshire  and started all over again renovating an old thatched cottage. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Thyrsis

[aphperspective]

6 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

 

When we bought our first house in West London in 1974 it still had all the original gas lighting and a ‘copper’ in the kitchen, and no bathroom. The old lady wouldn’t have the workmen in!  Spent 5 years renovating it before we moved to Oxfordshire  and started all over again renovating an old thatched cottage. 

I used to have an old (very old) thatched cottage in Dorset. The deeds and records for the property went back hundreds of years, grade 2 listed. When we started renovating found an original Elizabethan window covered in the gable end. That promptly got a preservation order slapped on it by the council, found a flint lined well in the garden, that got a preservation order slapped on it by Dorchester museum, then founds bats roosting in the attic under the thatch so it became a registered bat roost!!! monitored by Dorset Bat protection Society.

Old buildings can be quickly loose the romantic idea of owning one.🙂