Okay folks, I'll keep this short and sweet ...

As usual, I have good news and bad news. The bad news first to get it out of the way ...

The pain from my neuralgia has flared up again and the doc's doubled my dose. Carbamazepine can cause drowsiness, so if it has any side effects on me, then I'll have to give up my car - bummer. I really love driving, despite the accident.

We were hoping to be able to spend Christmas at the house, but it doesn't look like we're going to have the money to do that. I've been waiting for the compensation claim against the driver of the car that caused the accident to be over and done with and I've been waiting nearly three months for an appointment to see the clinical psychologist. This is a notoriously slow process and can take years to get through. Ah well, I know I'm going to get something out of it, I just don't know whether it's going to end up as a substantial quantity or a token gesture. England is not exactly known for compensating people with large quantities, so my hopes aren't high. Anyway, without the payout from that, we can't afford to go.

And now the good news ...

It's not all gloom and doom as we know the money WILL come, it's just when and how much.

We finished the flat and it's now ready for renting. The transformation has been pretty amazing considering what we walked into initially and we're really pleased with the results.

We both worked our asses off while we were there last week and I discovered that my knees don't like being knelt on. Laying carpet and vinyl flooring for a day really did my knees in and I was hobbling for a couple of days afterwards. Nevertheless, we're hopeful that the place will let quickly, giving us the small but oh-so-necessary income for us to keep the house running without costing us anything.

That's it folks.

Thanks for listening.