Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

Having claimed this title as my own for 2017, I thought I ought to use it before anyone else claims it back.  I have left it as late as I dare. You will have your chance again next year, but you had better be quick off the mark - say around June.

Cro has put up a picture of both of his hands and I didn't want to be left out, so here is my left one. The right one is holding the camera, so I can only assume that Cro gets Mrs Cro to take all the pictures of himself, which is something I wouldn't dream of asking H.I.

This is as straight as I can make my little finger go on my left hand. It is arthritis, exacerbated by about 40 years of smashing it against rough stone when the chisel slipped. As you can see, the others aren't too straight either and both hands have lumps all over the inside caused by the deterioration of the tendons. I am constantly typing the letter 'A' by accident when the nodule of my little finger hits the keyboard before the other one. I will never perform a piano concerto in the Albert Hall again, but both hands fall naturally into the shape required to hold tools, so I can carry on working until I die.

Now I have often complained about people who use their blogs to list their illnesses and ailments, so you may consider this post as revenge.

A few years ago, the arthritis got into my neck and decided to stay. It seems to like it there. I spend all waking hours feeling as if an unseen hand is trying to force my chin against my chest, and some days the pain is worse than others. Tiredness doesn't help. I still consider myself lucky though, as I have friends who can barely walk from it.

For a couple of years, sometimes my left jaw would crack very painfully when yawning or whatever, and now it hurts me to eat. I think I may lose some weight over the coming months.

I looked up this jaw condition on the NHS website (the best on the net) and it advised taking anti-inflammatory drugs - the same ones they advise people over 50 not to take to avoid increased risk of strokes. I am drinking Devil's Claw (not as nasty as it sounds) every day and it seems to help. The taste reminds me of when you have chewed the life out of a liquorice root but still leave it in your mouth until it tastes like any other old twig which you have picked up from the forest floor.

The NHS tells me that although this jaw pain is arthritis, it will go in a few months, but there are certain things I should avoid. One is chewing gum. Up until yesterday, I always had a bit of gum in my mouth.

The other thing I must not do is rest my chin in my hands when sitting at a bar, putting strain on the jaw.

Up until yesterday I always sat at the bar with my chin in my hands. It relieved the strain in my painful neck...

I have to face the truth. I have entered my own personal season of mists and mellow fruitfulness at last.