Sorry to have been away - been very busy.  On Friday I got the train to Southampton to go to a funeral on the Isle of Wight.  I arrived at the ferry with time to spare, but my sister, who was driving, was encountering dreadful traffic.  The upshot was that I leapt into her car with 4 minutes to spare and we shot on board - I think we were the last car on.  We were certainly the last car off at East Cowes.  Drove to the Folly Inn at Whippingham for a quick lunch and then went to the crematorium.  Lovely service with good hymns and and good talks.  Back to the Island Sailing Club for the wake, then we caught the 1800 ferry back and drove down here in time for a nightcap and bed.

Yesterday, we tidied the house and then had 7 people to lunch - all food provided by "Cook", the frozen meals outlet in Dorchester.  It was excellent grub, and we ate a lot of it. My sister left to go home at about 1600 - her journey takes about 4 hours.  A couple of us then fell asleep in front of the Olympics and when I woke up, I put on 3 dishwasher loads.  Cheese and biscuits and then bed.

I'm quite tired now!  Another friend arrives at 1800 and stays for a few days.  I'm making French onion soup.




         

Well, I've survived on very little sleep today!  Largely due to coffee and energy drinks, which are supposed to be terribly bad for one.  I love them.  Dozed a bit this morning and then went to see Kate who has moved house to a fabulous barn conversion - it's light and airy and all on one level.  Lovely.  We had carrot cake.  Now I'm at home with vanilla coffee and yet another Red Bull.

I'm meeting up with my sister tomorrow - she's coming to stay, which is great.  I have 8 people for lunch on Saturday and she will help me panic.  All the food comes from a wonderful outfit called "Cook" who deliver frozen meals and I just have to cook them.  Marvellous.  Chicken and ham pie, potatoes, carrots and peas followed by pavlova and then cheese.  And the odd glass of something, I expect.

Off to watch the news.       
                                          
                   

Oh dear - been up since 0200 with no sleepiness, and I have things to do today.  I hope I can stay awake.  I've been reading New Scientist - they have a connect site where one can sign up to meet like minded people, so I've signed up!  For chat and email only, however.  It would be nice to see if anyone round here reads NS.  Hope I don't get any weirdos.  Who am I to talk???

I've had quite a few emails from people who look at this blog - info@crazy-piglet.co.uk will get me.  The messages have been very supportive, and are mostly from fellow insomniacs!  It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my nocturnal writings.

I think I'll try to go to bed again.           
                                  
       

I've just checked The Times and my letter hasn't been published - no surprises there.  Even the broadsheets seem to be conspiring to keep the Older Woman out of television.  By Older Woman I of course mean Me - I think I'd make a wonderful host for a TV quiz show.  It would be good for mental health as well, although I'd have to be a bit high to make the most of it.  There was an article recently that said comedians are often introverts in their private lives, so maybe I'd be a bit over the top.

Annoyingly, I can't get into New Scientist online - it won't accept my password.  I subscribed yesterday, so maybe it hasn't caught up with me yet.  There's an interesting article on schizophrenia I want to read - apparently, using antipsychotics is fine at first, but over time their efficacy decreases and one may as well not take them.  The article is quick to say that we should all keep taking the tablets and only do something with medical advice, but it was interesting.  I'd dearly love to stop taking all the shit that I pour into myself - after all, no one knows what long term effects new atypical drugs have on a person.  New Scientist says that there is a new computer programme that helps with voices - one creates an Avatar to represent the voice and gradually makes it less scary.  I could certainly use that.

Daisy wants something to eat, and I shall try to go back to sleep.                                  
                                                                                                                                                                           
                 

Evenin' All.  That greeting will be wasted on those who haven't seen Dixon of Dock Green, a very un-gritty police series from the Sixties starring Jack Warner as a geriatric Bobby.  I'm back on the vanilla milk, fags and MacBook Pro.  Just dashed off a letter to The Times about the scandalous lack of older women on television, and I have volunteered to appear to equal the stats.  I think they need overweight, middle aged smokers to represent the vast majority of the public.

You will have gathered that I'm awake.  Took 200mg quetiapine rather than 300mg, so I'm not surprised, but I had hoped to stay asleep for longer.  Tescos are coming at 1100, so I must remember to wake up before that.

It seems that the Government has decided to delay the decision to publish all our medical data.  Even though it would, allegedly, be anonymised, I had opted out - as with 75% of the population, I never got the leaflet that we were all supposed to receive telling us about the scheme.  When I phoned the Surgery to ask about it, the receptionist rather wearily told me that there were many, many others who wanted to opt out.  Serves the Coalition right.

I wonder how many of you are worried about the new DLA - the PIP?  I've researched it online and it sounds like a bugger's muddle to me.  I am supposed to have DLA for life, but I will still, I understand, have to go for an assessment.  I did see in the paper that Atos are losing the contract as they have so completely lost credibility - 60% of people appeal and are given the benefit back after Atos have cleared them as fit for work.  Bastard Atos.  A friend of mine with bipolar disorder was seen by an eye specialist, which I think Says It All.

Just off for more vanilla milk.