As you can see, I’m rather incapacitated at present. I have had my first cataract operation, on the right eye, last week. Until it improves I have lost my stereoscopic binocular vision. I’m having trouble judging distances, my world is temporarily two dimensional for the most part. Simple little tasks like pouring a teapot need a lot of concentration to avoid missing the cup altogether. Even hitting the right keys on the keyboard is not straight forward. Driving is on hold for a few days. There will be no walks for awhile. Hence this more mundane post today.
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The operation was a little complicated for reasons I won’t go into, taking twice as long as usual and needing all the skill of the surgeon of whom I’m in awe. Lying perfectly still for three quarters of an hour wasn’t easy. Anyhow I’m on the mend, the shield has now come off except for night time and the blurriness is receding One drawback, though essential, is having to use eyedrops every four hours. I set my alarm to remand me six times a day and to get me up for the 4am dose. The second operation, on my left eye, is due in August when I will go through it all again.
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This week whilst resting up I have had a series of appliance failures, electrical rather than bodily this time. I knew my microwave was ‘on the blink’ ( no direct reference to my eye problems) so before surgery I payed a visit to our local friendly electric shop and came home with a new microwave. Amazingly I was able to purchase the simplest version with not a digital screen in sight, just two knobs – timer and heat. Just like they used to be. 
At the same time my expresso coffee machine, which has done good service over maybe 20 years, started to cut out. I suspect the thermostat is malfunctioning but in this throwaway society there is no chance of repair. My morning coffee is essential so I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately the shop doesn’t sell these machines so I have to revert to the internet, I normally always try to buy local. What a complex subject with some versions costing up to a thousand pounds for the barista touch. Lakeland Plastics have a reasonably priced version just coming out but in their sale was the old version at half price. It arrives promptly in the largest cardboard box possible. I’m getting the hang of it, time will tell how reliable it will be. 
They say things come in threes and yesterday I noticed my freezer had stopped working, possibly without my knowledge for a few days. Everything was well and truly defrosted and beyond safely saving. My job today was to empty it. Bread, cakes and pizzas have gone to the birds – I have a hungry family of blackbirds. The vegetables and prepared soups etc were loaded into the barrow to boost the compost heap. What a shame. I haven’t thought about a replacement as yet. 
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All this has me thinking – where does the expression ‘things come in threes’ – good as well as bad, come from?
The number three has historical as well as folklore relevance. The Holy Trinity and The Three Wise Men from the bible. The Trimurti triad in Hinduism. Literature and Fairy Tales have three bears, three wishes, and three challenges. In everyday life we suggest the best of three and count to three before a race. Three darts. Three Lions. Three Bells.
The origins remain unclear but we continue to use it. Psychologists suggest that by accepting a limit of three we subconsciously create an end point and hope our bad luck will cease. Obviously there is no evidence to support bad luck occurring in threes, randomness prevails. We forget the times when bad luck didn’t occur in threes and hence perpetuate the the theory.
So my three bad luck stories this week are purely coincidental and there may be another one around the corner. Or lets hope for some good luck stories, preferably in threes.
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Whilst taking my defrozen food to the compost heap I am assailed by a deep sweet rose scent coming from rambling Bobbie James. I leave you with a picture of him, you will have to imagine the scent.
I can’t help thinking that despite my troubled week I have come up smelling of roses.
