Z gets to work on a Social Life

Today, I've mostly been arranging transport. I want to go to Norwich tomorrow, so friends are taking me and the Sage will fetch me home. On Thursday, I have a lunch engagement, and another friend who lives nearby and is going to the same lunch will do the driving. I've still got another month to go before seeing the consultant again - I'm not going to drive until then. A friend told me the other day that she started driving a month after having her new hip - all I can say to that is that it's a good job she didn't have an accident, however irrelevant her operation might be to its cause, because her insurance would not have been valid. I didn't say it to her, however.

I had my insurance renewal quote today. I spent ages looking online last year for it and I was rather hoping that I wouldn't have to bother this year. However, it's 20% higher and has a £50 greater excess and a £25 greater windscreen excess, which I think is too much, so I'm going to have to go through all that miserable form-filling again. I'm wondering if it's worth paying for a protected no-claim bonus again - if they overcharge for renewals and you have to shop around each year, it may hardly be worth it, as obviously a protected no-claim bonus won't work if you get a quote from anyone else. Anyone got any advice here, please?

I'm not in the least frustrated by not being able to drive. At present, I'm just getting used to the pleasure of walking freely. I went round the village today, down to the post box and home by a different way, and I enjoyed striding along briskly instead of being jarred at every step. I've asked the Sage to take me into the town on Wednesday - there are various things we're getting low on and it's easier to get them myself than make out a list for him - for example, I want washing powder, and I don't mind which brand I have to an extent, but there are a couple that my sister is allergic to and among the rest I'll see what the prices are - if you're used to doing it, it's straightforward, but if not then it must seem randomly picky - "you can buy X, Y or Z, unless they happen to have W, which is normally the most expensive, on offer, in which case I'll have that. Otherwise, buy the cheapest but not A or B. Oh, and I know I call it washing powder, but get the liquid as powder doesn't always dissolve and I have to de-clag the dispenser. Remember to check how much you get for your money as least money may mean a smaller pack." Easier to just go myself, isn't it?

Yesterday, I woke up early. Some nights, I can't get to sleep for ages - I think it's because I'm unused to being this relaxed and rested - but a couple of nights ago I was, as a consequence, really tired and was asleep soon after 10pm. Of course, I woke at 5.30 and didn't sleep again. So in the end I decided to make myself useful in the kitchen by preparing soup for lunch. The Sage doesn't keep as many vegetables in hand as I do, but I found an onion, a shallot, some garlic, three carrots and two potatoes, and this became the basis for the soup, with the addition of a couple of rashers of bacon. I thought I might add some tomatoes, but we didn't have any, tinned, juiced or even puréed. Nor fresh. The store cupboard looks quite bare. However, the soup was good and lasted two lunches. The Sage is cooking fish tonight.

After weeks of talking about my hip, to an extent that even bored me, and then (as nothing else was happening to write about) reminiscing, I've quite lost my usual blogging rhythm. I wonder if there was a halcyon time when my writing was good. But I rather doubt it.

By the way, as I'd used all the vegetables, we had chips and peas with our pork chops last night. The Sage was very good-natured when I told him there weren't any left.