APPOINTMENT

I have an appointment with a Dr Suttner, consultant neurosurgeon, at the Southern General Hospital on 28 March. To be honest, I don't know what to expect. I'm still pain free, have little side effects from the meds and the only things that let me know that I still have TN are the crawling sensations on my face, tingling numbness on various parts of my body, twitching which is becoming more pronounced and my memory of the last 12 months. I can't see him offering me surgery given the fact there is no reason to and I would refuse in any case. Who knows, the pain might never return (in yer dreams big boy). So open mind and we'll see how it goes.
I went to Portencross the other night for the best sunset in the world. It turned out to be great that night. When I arrived there was a photographer, female model and a load of kit already on the pier and some fishermen/women happily going about their business all totally oblivious to each other. Oh, and me scrambling about the rocks, and I mean scrambling. I managed to slip and fall into a rock pool which was about two feet deep. I was not fully in it, but enough to be embarrassed about it. A fellow photographer who was nearby asked if I had hurt anything, ‘only my pride’ I replied. So wet up to the knees, I grabbed the shots below.

LEE FILTERS

The Lee filters which I ordered last October finally arrived on Tuesday. For those who don't know what filters are, they fit on front of the camera lens and allow you to take longer exposures than would be normally possible. In the case of the 'Big Stopper' filter, it reduces the amount of light entering the camera by 10 stops and allows you to take really long exposures in daylight.
Yesterday was a beautiful day. I dropped my wife and her friends in Glasgow for a girlie day out and headed for the snow covered Glen Coe. When I arrived I was surprised to find that the only snow was on the highest reaches of the mountains. I stopped at Buachaille Etive Mor, the 'most photographed' mountain in Scotland due to its setting and symmetry. I was also surprised to find eight other photographers there. Form an orderly queue for the best spot please. I finished the day off at Portencross on the Ayrshire coast, around trip of almost 300 miles.
I'm really pleased with the filters; I should be a £370!!
On the TN front, still no pain, the only indication I have is the occasional mild crawling sensation on the left side of my face. I'm still on high doses of meds with no apparent side effects. I received a call from Jo at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow which is the neurological hospital for the area I live in. I have an appointment there on the 23rd March.

DULL

As the pain from my TN is nonexistent at the moment, I have very little to write about. Perhaps it highlights how dull my life is. Then I think about the things I could write about; my granddaughters, my wife, my two sons, my mum and dad, my search for a new caravan, photography, golf etc. The point being that there is plenty going on in my life to keep me interested and occupied. Now whether other people want to hear about the day to day comings and goings of my life when my TN is suppressed is another question. I’ll leave that one hanging meantime.

The weather here is absolutely miserable, 80mph horizontal rain, although it is slackening off somewhat. Better than snow I suppose.  That’s about it. Oh! I shared a bottle of wine with my wife over a meal at the weekend and despite the warnings on the medication I didn’t die. I’ll still keep it as a once in a while treat. A Fairtrade Chilean Merlot, very nice.

Finally, I’m starting to get aches and pains in my muscles and joints. I wonder if it’s the medication or the onset of arthritis (runs in the family). I’ll see how it goes and if it’s still an issue I’ll mention it to the Doc the next time I see him. 

PORTENCROSS

My last two outings have been to Portencross, near West Kilbride, North Ayrshire. I've already posted two shots from my last outing which I rate as two of my best ever. Today, I decided to walk to Portencross and walk beyond the pier towards Hunterston Power Station. It’s a nice walk along the coast, probably about four miles there and back. I stopped short of the power station because I remembered it was a nuclear one and my brains are scrambled enough without letting the 'rays' get to them.
I had my new telephoto lens with me. I didn't get any decent wildlife shots because birds, unlike my granddaughter, don’t pose to order. So more observation and planning will need to go into any future trip. I still managed to get a couple of decent shots at Portencross Pier. It’s always quite happy to pose to order. I failed to avoid a soaking from the squalls that were blowing in off the sea.
My TN condition still appears to be going swimmingly well. No pain!! I still have the odd crawling sensations on the left side of my face which I put down to nerve activity that would otherwise be pain if it were not suppressed by medication.