Busy Day/Week

 

I've managed to be quite "busy" lately. First it was the decorating for 1st Advent last week (cf my previous two posts). Then I spent quite a large part of the 1st Advent Sunday writing my Christmas cards to be sent abroad, as I wanted to get those posted on Monday. (Just now it feels like I've been writing about this already? - but I think that must have been as comment on someone else's blog.) Luckily I had enough cards with envelopes left over from previous years - and stamps too. 

So on Monday, I think around 11 am, I went for a walk to the nearest mailbox - which is situated by one of our small local grocery shops, about 10 minutes walk away. (Just now, perhaps more like 15 minutes.) It's one that only gets emptied on weekday mornings - but when I put mine in, I could hear that the box wasn't empty, but probably about half full. So hopefully my cards got sent on their way the same day. I know that the cards within Europe are likely to reach their destinations in just a few days - but sending mail "overseas" is more of a gamble...

That mission accomplished, I went back home and continued to write my cards to be sent within Sweden - which will all be of simple postcard format this year, as that was what I had left in my stash... I won't need to post those for another week or so; but just as well to get them written while I was "in the mood". 

Tuesday was laundry day (afternoon) for me, plus cleaning the bathroom. A combination that tends to keep me busy enough without adding very much else to the mix.  Between my turns down to the basement I usually just watch TV or read.

Today, Wednesday, was set aside for bigger adventures. After having put off an appointment with my dental hygienist twice in November (and some other errands in town as well) - because of my knee making it difficult for me to get anywhere - I decided it was time to test my stamina to "be on my feet" for a while. Not to overdo things, I decided I had better take a taxi to the dentists' to start with, though. From "knee point of view", that was probably a good decision; but it was still another taxi adventure in the sense that most  streets in the city centre are either car-free or one-way - and the driver, speaking broken Swedish, also didn't seem to actually know exactly where the street was (so I had to try to explain!)... In a wide roundabout way he finally did get me there, though! 

The actual appointment with my dental hygienist went smoothly, though. No unpleasant surprises, just routine treatment. 

Not many steps from my dentists' to the main square, where I stopped to take a photo of the big Christmas tree:   

 

 My next errand was to my favourite Tea Shop, situated right by the square. (They also sell coffee, but I only drink tea.) Not having been into the city centre for a couple of months now, nearly all my tea caddies at home were empty! So I made both a shop assistant and myself happy by buying no less than six different kinds of tea (100 g of each). (Three black tea blends, one green tea Christmas blend, and two different Rooibos tea blends.)

Just round the next corner, there's the bookshop; and I made a short stop there too, to buy a pocket calendar - and some more Christmas cards, "just in case" (or else for use next year!).

On the same street is my favourite Pharmacy, and I had a loooong list of both prescription medicines and various other stuff that I have been running out of (or almost) over the past couple of months... So that took a while; but now I have stocked up prescription stuff to last me a couple of months at least, plus some other necessities/favourites as well.

So far, so good... Now remained the question of how to get myself (and all my stuff) home. When I made my plans, it had seemed a good idea to take a certain bus from a small square not very far from the pharmacy. It doesn't run all the way to where I live - but then no bus does. But this one would take me to a stop some 15 minutes walk from home; and as I walked that distance back and forth the other week, I counted on being able to manage that. 

What I had not counted on, though, was having to wait nearly half an hour for that bus - because not only had one just left when I arrived at the bus square, but then the next one turned out to be almost 15 minutes late, and over-full (and with a super-stressed driver shouting at everyone!)  However, while waiting I managed to find a bench in a bus shelter to sit on - and then, even more miracously, also a seat on the bus when it finally arrived... (The fact that I was heavily burdened + leaning on a stick may have helped, but I'm not sure!!)  I rode on that bus for two stops, and somehow also managed to get off unharmed (phew!)... And in spite of being rather tired by then, the last 20 minutes walk from that bus stop back home felt almost like a relief compared to the long wait + short bus ride... (In retrospect I'm thinking that "knee and all" it might have been quicker for me to walk the whole way back home from town - but I just didn't quite trust my stamina for that, with a full backpack + an extra bag to carry as well.)  

Anyway, next time I go into town, I don't think I'll try that particular bus again... 

The next thing on my "list" is that I really need a haircut... My hairdresser is in the same street as my dentist - but it just felt too much to try and coordinate that + all the other things on one and the same day. 

Taxi Adventures

Normally, it's extremely rare for me to take a taxi to get anywhere. The few times I've done it, it's usually been health related - like to or from the hospital. I'm used to walking the distance from home to the city centre and back; and taking the bus when it comes to longer distances within the city. Compared to when I first moved to the street where I've now lived for 17 years, the bus communications have deteriorated a lot, though. For one thing, there are fewer bus stops along the whole line, and for another, it doesn't actually go into the very "heart" of the city any more - I only have a choice of two different stops on what I regard as the outskirts of the proper city centre.

And in my present predicament, with a knee contusion and doctor's orders not to walk too much until that has healed properly, pretty much the only alternative is to take a taxi when I need to go into the city centre - including my primary health care centre. I have one or two friends whom I might ask to drive me, if there is a special reason - but then private cars aren't allowed to drive everywhere in the city centre anyway... while taxis are... 

Today, I had an appointment for "double vaccination" at the HCC. It's only a 10 minutes drive (if even that), so not all that expensive to take a taxi. I pre-booked one to get there, and it arrived in good time. That journey did not get a five star review from me though. First, the driver almost slammed the door on my injured leg before I had managed to get that properly into the car... He managed to stop at the last second though (before the door actually touched me). But it was close enough to give me a scare! And then, he also didn't drive all the way up to the entrance to the HCC (which is kind of up on a little hill), but stopped to let me off in the street below. (Two weeks ago, the taxi that I was in then did drive up to the entrance, without any special request.) I guess I could have demanded that he did - but then I suppose he'd have had to drive round the whole block again; and I wasn't in arguing mood, and knew that I'd manage the walk (not up the staircase, but up the driveway). So I said nothing -  just made mental note to myself to be sure to give clearer instructions from start next time...

My appointment was att 11:15 and to my surprise the waiting room on this day was nearly empty; the nurse came to fetch me even before 11:15, and the two jabs were soon over and done with, and I was free to go...

... back to the waiting room to wrestle with the taxi app again, to book an asap return journey. This time I did include a specific note to the driver to fetch me "at the entrance"... And I could see it arrive from the waiting room, so did not have to go out before it came. I did not have to wait long, but when the taxi came, it was a HUGE one, more like a van, and I realised I wouldn't be able to climb up in it! However, the driver realised that as well, so immediately went to the back and brought an extra device for me to step on to make that easier. And he did the same when we arrived at my address, so that turned out no problem after all.

The booking app asks for a review after each journey... I wasn't in the mood to write comments on the first one (in the waiting room at the HCC), but I gave the second one (after I was safely back home again) five stars because of "helpful driver"...

As mental therapy for myself, I later tried to get Bing Image Creator to recreate the two taxi scenes.  I'm not giving Bing five stars either; but considering my rather complicated and at the same time insufficient instructions/details, not "too" bad...

(I might add that IRL I was wearing trousers, and my knee bandage wasn't visible to the taxi drivers. Their only visual clues would be 1/ that I was using a stick (walking pole) + 2/ my very slow and careful movements + 3/ that the one end of my journey was the HCC.)