General Chat

Frank what a pity to be missing your lovely strawberries when you are away.I wouldn't miss the broad beans :-S
We have no carrots coming up at all this year and that is 2 lots planted.Last year they were wonderful.it's very odd.

That was nice to hear from William today and what lovely pics too.I thought Carmel looked quite glam and well :-D.Nice for them to have good day out :-D

Gill how are Sandras strawberries coming along?That is one thing we have never grown.In fact we have never done soft fruits.
Everything is bone dry.it doesn't seem to matter how much things are watered at the moment,it all drys out again so quickly.So some things are getting watered twice a day.
Mind you if we get the thunderstorms and torrential rain tomorrow that'll give us all a break lol..I do hope it isn't going to be too bad.
Mel will you miss it down there in Devon?

Still too hot for me outside :-S.Thomas is sprawled under one of the patio chairs rolling around :-DI bet he will be in in a minute looking for his dinner.

Mel those knee supports are very good.It might be worth you getting one.I think you will find it does help.I wish there was something like that for hips LOL

There is one big annoying fly buzzing around in the lounge :-S.I am hoping it might just have enough sense to fly out the patio doors before I give chase.

I wonder what time James will get home tonight after this meeting with some client at Silverstone.He will have left his car at work as he has taken the company car.I told him to let me know when he is on the way and then I can get his dinner in.It is just a Oven Ready Curry and Rice.Chris is having his low cal meal and i am going have scrambled eggs,and asparagus.So an easy peasy evening in the kitchen :-D

Mandy I fancy some of that rice pudding :-D

I can't stop thinking about Ann and Gordon today.It is such a difficult and worrying time for them both. <3

That's the cake done, well, actually I made two, when Sandra and OH get going on my cakes they don't last long so now having two hopefully they'll last longer.

I'm trying out a new recipe I saw on TV the other day, it was a program with Mary Berry and was very interesting, this particular recipe was sausages roasted with potatoes onions and peppers lightly coated in oil and flavoured with herbs, garlic salt and pepper. It's all done in one roasting tin so will save on the washing up later. The only problem is I smell of garlic and onions now :-D :-D.

Thanks for letting me know about Hannah, Jane, she was lucky to get the funding. How long is the course in total?

Yes Frank how many shoes......do tell :-D :-D :-D. You had me in stitches before saying the roses didn't look that good, I'm not surprised with you landing on them, you were lucky you only had scratches......honestly you're not safe to be left alone ;-) ;-).
Hope Ros manages to have her bloods done and that she is sorted before you go away.

Off to make the cream for the cakes now I'm looking forward to a slice myself, but will have to be quick with Sandra and OH around :-D ;-) <3

Frank when I was a Renal Nurse I seem to remember having to try and get blood from the ankle.Maybe there was no-one else available to try on Ros.Does she always have trouble giving up her blood?.Mine comes out like a blooming tap

I do hope today hasn't been as upsetting as it was yesterday for Gordon.The main thing just now is that FIL is in safe hands and MIL is being looked after in hospital.

There is no way Chris could get up on our roof to sort ariels out lol.You don't tend to see quite so many ariels down these days in the gales.Maybe they are made of sturdier stuff now .

Gill Hannah is doing her PhD in addictions at Kings in London.She was very lucky to have been given funding for this trip.She has one more year to do .

When are you off Frank...You only need some little speedos and some shorts ;-) :-D
How many pairs of shoes are you taking ;-) ;-) :-D :-D

I am going to sit outside for a bit now as it is cooling off.I tried earlier but couldn't sit in the sun for very long.

Gill, That was the first question she asked the nurse. NO don't take anything yet. Let's get some blood first.

Jane, Where can they get blood from apart from her arms and hands. ?? I would have thought the nurse would have called a doctor in to assist !!!

Looking at my lawns, they don't really need cutting yet. So I am going to chance it and leave them until Wednesday next week. Just hope it's not raining then. <3 <3

They do say it will be very humid tomorrow with thundery showers. Regardless of what's coming, I need to water tonight, as everything is starting to droop :-D :-D :-D
Watch your dirty little mind Jane. <3 <3 <3

Ros has her case packed, and has got mine down from the bedroom cabinet. I will just load it with shorts and T shirts, a pair of slacks and a couple of short sleeved shirts. If we run short of clean cloths, there is the washing machine.

Conrad had told us not to pack any shampoos, Sun lotion, etc. as he has a good supply. He told me just to bring a razor, as he has shaving foam, after shave etc. So that will save a bit of space, and all those little bottles in the plastic bags. I bet Customs will want to search the cases, as we won't have the plastic bags, only our medication to show them.

I have just swatted a fly that was crawling over the carpet with my slipper. With doors and windows open the horrible little things are in and out like a fiddlers elbow.

Late night tonight. Jan's plane doesn't arrive until 11.45 pm So by the time she gets through Customs, and we get home and to bed it will be well after 2.00 am.

Mel I have one of those elastic knee things, and find it does give support when my knee is playing up.

Gill that story about the Ariel bought back a memory when my Mother's Ariel move in high winds. I had the job of climbing on the roof of her bungalow and adjusting it. It was alright climbing up the roof, BUT coming down, I slipped and had to jump and landed in her rose bed. Not only was I scratched to bits, but the roses didn't look that good either :-( :-( :-(

The strawberry's will be ready for picking soon, so I can see the neighbours having a feast while we are away. The broad beans will also be ready for picking, and I know Tony loves them ;-) ;-) Better to be eaten rather than wasted.

See you later.

Afternoon all

Lovely sunshine here today, it was the same yesterday so I did some more weeding, and planted some fuchsia's. I started them off as cutting's last autumn and they had grown so big (almost 3ft) that I thought it was time to plant them out rather than leave them on my kitchen window. Luckily I had potted them up before the winter arrived so there was a good root stock on all of them. They'd even started flowering on my window sill. I couldn't believe how light it was in my kitchen once I'd took them outside :-D :-D. Now all I need to do is keep them watered.

Lovely to hear from you again William. I would of loved to see your photo's but you don't have my email address :-( :-( Glad to hear you and Carmel had a lovely day out.

Sorry to hear your knee is playing up Mel, have you tried some anti-inflammatory tablets, that might help and plenty of rest, it sounds like you might of over done things.

I noticed on the internet this morning that on Friday from the Midlands and down to the South Coast there's going to be thunderstorms and heavy burst of rain which could lead to flooding. On a positive it's supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far ;-) ;-) <3 <3. Hope no one is flooded out and that you all get to enjoy the hot weather. I'm hoping it's not going to be to hot up here I'm not one for really hot weather, I like it just nice and warm with a slight breeze in the air. I still have a bit more gardening to do and my pond needs cleaning out so if it's to hot I won't be able to do it.

Hope your hip is feeling better today Jane. Sounds like Hannah is having a nice time in America, is it to do with her job, sorry I don't know what she does :-S :-S.
So Thomas has learnt to use your phone now and is possibly ringing Frank for a chat ;-) ;-) :-D :-D.

Ann, how are MIL and FIL today, hope they both had a good night and that your OH had a good nights sleep too.

Hope you managed to get your TV aerial fixed Mandy. I remember the other year when we had the bad snow the lead came away from our aerial and it was the one for Sandra's set top box, well it was so funny she insisted that her Dad go up on the roof to fix it and was quiet upset when he said it was to dangerous with all the snow. She was panicking because she thought she'd miss her program, we all ended up laughing about it later and she watched her program on another TV we had. But the way she was quite insistent to her dad and the way she was talking was really funny. It's hard to explain.....you had to be there but we couldn't stop laughing for ages after. As soon as it was safe OH went up on the roof and fixed it for her, so it all ended good in the end.

Sorry to hear Ros is boarder line anaemic Frank, does she need to go onto Iron tablets? Hope she is ok for when you go away <3

Going to make a cake now, I haven't made one for ages. OH was supposed to be working till 2pm today, but they've got him working until 8pm now, so it'll be a nice surprise for him when he gets in later.

Afternoon all,

Lovely and sunny here ,washing is on the line and having a good blow.

Yes it's nice to hear from William ,he is always a busy bee looking after Carmel, the photo's were lovely to see ,another nice one of Carmel.

I'm cooking rice for rice pudding ,i never measure the rice just bung it in and hope there's enough which there usually is and some over .

Mel ,would it help your knee if you wore one of those elastic knee supports ? Can you take any pain killers with your other tablets you take ?

Morning all, evening Kim,

Glad everything is O.K. with you and Carmel Will. We have been wondering and concerned about you. I have been the only MAN on here for so long. They NAG me rotten :-D :-D :-D Thanks for the photo's.

Ros has just come back from the nurse after having a blood test. After FOUR attempts they couldn't get any blood out of her arms or hands. They say she is boarder line Anemic (sp) She has to make another appointment before we go away next week.

Ann, I am so pleased that FIL will have 24 hour care and attention. As much as we all think we are doing everything right by them, these people have the edge on us. A full assessment of his health will put everyone's mind at rest.

I think Thomas was trying to ring me Jane. My phone rang yesterday and all I heard was this "FUNNY NOISE" Was it him ???

Hannah seems to have landed on her feet in the USA. With all these offers of help, and a trip to Frisco. The yanks love the English accent. They do say that Americans learn more English when they go to Scotland !!! I don't know if that's true !!

Nice morning here, but I see the wind is still blowing. I think I will get the lawns done today, then again next Wednesday morning, before we fly off to Spain. They should last two weeks. I will have to get someone to water the greenhouse and baskets and patio pots.

Shower time and shorts today.

Morning all and evening Kim,

We had grey skies this morning and a strong wind again but the sun has come out now and the wind is quite warm.

Nice to hear from William and what lovely pics he sent us all.

Hip is aching today after yesterdays digging in the garden and knee no better. It gives me jip when I turn on it and when your cooking and walking around the kitchen you are doing that all the time.

Hope Frank hada better night last night.

Hello to my friends on Genes Thread,

Sorry I've not been on but I think that Pat may have put my response to her enquiry on there for me. I've not been on as you know as I don't seem to have had the time and what's more, I don't to bore you all with bad news and health problems. Carmel has had a lot of different and painful problems since the New Year and my pattern of spare time has changed and I like to be able to do things uninterrupted, I'm sure you'll understand.
That doesn't mean I've forgotten you all in the least and to make up for it I'm sending you these photos.
Sunday was the anniversary of us first meeting and Carmel was feeling a bit better and wanted to enjoy one of the few nice sunny days (without the dreaded wind!) so we made the most of it. We had a drive through the back lanes to Leamington Spa and parked along side the Jephson Gardens. Inside we found they had built this new modern 'glasshouse' (it's actually called 'The Glasshouse') so we wandered in and it was quite something else. I'd only got my mobile phone with me so I took the attached photos, even an awful 'selfie' of myself! The probelms with phones is that in bright light, as you know, it's not easy to see the image you are taking a photo of. Anyway, they didn't seem to turn out so bad.
After the park, we took a stroll (and Carmel does a slow 'stroll' these day LOL.) along the Parade until we came to the Royal Priors shopping centre. By now we were in the mood for some refreshments and found M & S had a cafe, and very nice it was too. We had an 'afternoon tea', scones, jam and cream and a nice pot of tea each, even a ginger biscuit with the tea! The girls serving were lovely and even brought the tray over to our table for us.
So, now we are back to appointments, yesterday with the nurse at our GP's and today we are at University hospital, Coventry for Carmel to see the headache specialist. The problem is that it's timed for 4.40pm and I'm dreading trying to get out of that place when the appointment is over. Why on earth they built such a huge hospital with only one entrance and exit I'll never know. We need to go by car as the bus service fom here to there is only one an hour, so miss the last one and you're stuck! Parking is not very clever either but having the Blue Badge often helps.

Anyway, it's breakfast time here, so I'll be off. I'll post this text on the thread for anyone who hasn't got email
and hopefully, I'll try and get on more in the future, if you can put up with me.

Bye for now, and take care everybody.

William

Night night hope Frank has a better night tonight x.

Ann I am pleased Gordon has managed to get FIL into somewhere for a while. It will be a big weight off his mind for now anyway. How is MIL doing? Hope she is not fretting too much about FIL. G will be glad to get home and have anice relaxing shower and chill out for a while.

Been up the border this afternoon and we had to drop a letter in to the solicitors but when we arrived and oh dropped me off to pop it through the letter box there was'nt one. You could see where there had been one which was all blocked up so I had to go and buy some stamps and post it across the road!! So silly but there must be a good reason for it. Something to do with certain legal papers being lost or caught on fire I suppose. Anyway we got fish and chips and came home so I did'nt have to cook tonight.

This bit of the border I am trying to dig has couch grass in it so I am only getting a 2 foot square done at a time and with the lenght of the border it is going to take me forever. Ann and Jane know how long it is and it is now even wider than when they came down to see me.

Thanks for the panda pics Frank. Were'nt they lovely and all about the same size.

Yes Brumus the bear was born the same year as I was so I was 9 when he died.

I have a toy boy too.

Yes Ann, doctor's have a duty of care to their patients and from what you've been saying there is no way your FIL could look after himself and your OH would struggle staying with him and having to sleep on the sofa for 4 nights, he wouldn't get the proper sleep and therefore wouldn't be able to concentrate on looking after him. Your OH needs to be careful he doesn't end up ill then they'll be no one to look after them. Maybe you should both mention to their doctor that it's becoming to much for you both and that you're having problems coping, even if you're not, the doctor will have to help then, especially with there being no other family members to help.

Jane's right, now is the best time to have him assessed while he's on his own, at least that way the doctor will get a better picture of exactly what the problems are with FIL. I hope he gets the help he needs and you'll also see how he copes while he's in there which will give you both an idea of weather, if it comes to permanent care, what to expect. There'll be people there he can interact with which might help him. He'll have a bit of independence too, which can't be a bad thing, and you'll have peace of mind knowing there are professional's there to help him 24/7.

Evening all,

It's been quite a nice day here, bit chilly when the sun goes in though.

Ann, i hope FIL settles in the respite place ok this afternoon and that MIL is feeling better today , as Jane says it would be good if they could do a really good assessment while he's in there, it does sound as if MIL has been hiding how bad he really is .
OH must be relieved that some thing has been sorted out ,he couldn't have spent too many nights sleeping on a sofa !!

It sounds as if Hannah is enjoying here time in America , how nice of the chap to offer to take her shopping and nice of her friend to pay for her ticket too.

I have been busy all day ,the family are coming tomorrow i've cooked the beef ready to make a beef cobbler tomorrow .
Had a good clean up in the upstairs bathroom ,hoovered all the bedrooms and done my washing and then got it all ironed and out of the way .

More expense !! our television aerial on the chimney is hanging down ,it must have been all the wind we've had , we need that for the television in the bedroom for the freeview ,we use sky down stairs .

I wonder who Thomas was trying to call :-D :-D

Afternoon All

Ann I hope that FIL in now in his temporary respite care home and that it hasn't been too traumatic for him.He is going to be terribly confused poor man but at least Gordon can have a bit of breathing space for a while.It would be a good idea if FIL had a really good assessment done while he is there (without MIL).It has been a good thing really that Gordon has been able to see just exactly how bad his Dad is.So no being able to pull the wool over his eyes any longer.Gordon will be feeling totally exhausted now.I hope he doesn't get one of his bad heads.
You are lucky he doesn't have the 300 mile trip I used to have to get to my Mum.
I hope Gordon isn't expecting this respite placement to be a palace.He would have gone in as an emergency to which ever place just has a spare bed,so i hope it isn't too far away.

I don't remember Brumas.I must have been 4 when he died.

Ruby we call it DNR here (Do not)resuscitate .Chris has a folder with all our legal /bank/will/etc etc,so it is a hand when the time comes.

What is it with all our hips /knees etc .My hip has been so bad today again.I'm just glad I am not away on holiday.
So you are all sorted now for your trip Frank :-D Bet you can't wait now :-D :-D

WE had a good chat with Hannah a couple of hours ago on FaceTime on the laptop.
It was 7am there and she had just got up.Yawning all over the place lol.But she seems to be really great.Yesterday she went to a Veterans Centre( I thought it was for veterans with addictions) but it was a place to help reintegrate men back from the Battlefields who are struggling with Post Traumatic Stress etc.
She has been out and about seeing a lot of interesting places in San Diego.Everyone is really friendly and loves her English Accent :-D.This afternoon (her time) she will have her first visit to the Uni and have to do her presentation.I think it basically saying what she is doing at Kings London and why she is interested in the work being done in San Diego Uni.
Then tomorrow she will move to her next accommodation .The chap who is renting his apartment contacted Hannah to say he has left things for Breakfast and he is quite happy to take her to the local supermarket for supplies..How nice is that :-D
Then on Friday she is going to blooming San Fransisco !!!!!.Her friend Polly is working there until September and she has lots of spare air miles.SO she is paying for Hannahs flights there and back (Business class going).It is just for the weekend but nice for the girls to meet up like that :-D.So all in all Hannah sounds very upbeat :-D :-D

Pat I don't know Yorkshire very well ,but we did stay at Pateley Bridge some years ago when we had to go and empty Chris's Uncles house.It was so beautiful there.Fingers crossed the sun will shine for you.When do you go?

The sun has come out here finally after a really chilly windy day.Tomorrow looks like it could be a very uncomfortable day with it being muggy and hot.Then p****** it down on Friday....We never seem to get 2 days the same at the moment do we.

Just caught Thomas with my Mobile phone .he was playing with the thingy I have stuck in the top which is on a little elastic stretchy bit.
I have done his worm stuff today .Just the same as Frontline on the back of his head.He was so good,and it is much easier than trying to get tablets down his neck or crushed in food.I remember my old cat Solo and what a business it was to get any pills in her.

Better get dinner in the oven .Pork Steaks tonight ,with tray bake peppers,charlotte pots,baby leeks ,baby courgettes and mushrooms.
James will be having an early night tonight as he has to go to Silverstone tomorrow for a meeting with some chap.

BBL

Yes, you were right Frank. You clever old thing you :-D Brumas was a polar bear. Wasn't he popular though?

I tell my kids frequently Anne, that things can happen so quickly as we get older. They tut tut when I try to talk about what's in my lock-up box. When OH became ill, we went to a lawyer and had our Wills made, also End of life health choices (can't remember what it's called). It just says that I don't want to be kept alive with the use of machines. Also another paper giving eldest son Power of Attorney. Those papers are at the Bank deposit box. In my lock-up box, I have all other important papers as well as copies of those at the bank, also cash for emergencies. If anything happens to me, they just have to grab that box and I have a list of everything in there, also everything that is at the bank. I believe I have it all under control.

I really feel for you and Gordon because decisions have to be made and not much time to do it in. You must do what is best for all of you.

I'm off out for the day. This is Wednesday and that means Free Pie Day at one of my favourite restaurants. I usually have a small steak - one of the few days a week when I eat meat. The place is usually full of oldies - there for the free pie. :-D Perhaps I shall look around there for a toyboy for myself.


:-D :-D :-D :-D

Yes Frank, Brumas was a Polar Bear born 1949. I remember having a model of him and his mother. He was born, and lived at London Zoo and died in 1958.

Afternoon All,

I saw your post last night Gill, so thanks for that info as I wouldn't have thought about the GP being able to have input like that. OH says he couldn't cope with another demanding night on 'watch' like he's just had. He's been very good with FIL, just agreeing with all the wrong things he is saying to keep him calm. He spoke to Social Services again this morning and they have found a respite place for FIL and OH will take him after lunch. That may be a bit upsetting, but it's hard to tell. He said they don't even have a bag of any sort to put him some clothes in, he can't even find a carrier bag, so I reminded him we have shopping bags we keep in the car. Then his MIL needs her medication etc taking. Then I think he's coming home for a shower as they don't have one.

Pat, that makes at least 3 of us here that have a toyboy then! I find jigsaws relaxing too and love the Yorkshire dales. We've been quite a few times around the Wensleydale area. The villages and scenery are great with lots of nice places to eat! Thanks for letting us know about William, he sounds as if he is busy with medical appointments at the moment. It will be good for you to see your new place as it's built.

I have managed to lose my front door keys this morning when I nipped to the paper shop. Luckily I have a spare, but was sure I took the others when I left the house and I only went to the one place!! I've searched my bag and the car and even rang the shop in case they were on the counter or had been handed in. Then, in case I didn't take the others with me, I've been searching the bungalow everywhere and even the greenhouse as I was in there this morning. I'm worried now in case I left them in the door and someone's taken them as the postman came while I was out. :-S

Mel, that is a nuisance with your hip and now your knee, just when there is so much to be done. Pat I'm ok on the flat too and even shallow steps, but on steeper steps my knees hurt to bend and push me up. It's just as bad coming down as well. I can't kneel or squat either, so have to bend over.......then that sets your back off!!

Next job is more key hunting I think! :-S

Morning All, Evening Kim.

My, you have been busy chatting again. You woman are right old GAS BAGS :-D :-D :-D( My mum use to say that about some woman that talked a lot) LOL

What a night I had, I was in bed by 11.00 had a read till 11.45 and settled down. What a joke SETTLED. I laid until 3.00 am. Got up and did my on line booking for the holiday. That got the brain cells going !!! I finally went to bed at 5.30 and was up before 9.00 this morning.

I had to telephone the help desk this morning, as I hadn't requested Wheel chair assistance for Ros and I. The walk from Check-in to the departure lounge must be over a MILE AWAY. I then had to re-print my boarding pass's showing that assistance would be required. Well that's all done and in a folder with other papers and passports.

The SAGA seem to be never ending for you Ann, I do hope for both your sakes that a solution can be found to satisfy all concerned.

I suppose I was lucky.(If that's the word) I was able to nurse my dad, Ros's Mum and Dad in our own/their homes, so I was there 24/7 for each of them. My dad died in hospital only because I couldn't administer the drugs he required. But with Ros's M & D I was with them right to the end.

Jane the nails are force and have to be back filled each moth then re-gelled and painted. What a palarvour (sp) to go through every month. But they do look nice, so who am I to complain (AS IF I DARE )LOL

The heating came on, on it's own last night. I had to turn it off as it got too warm.

How long has your house been on the market Gill ?? Have you tried advertising it yourself, If you are not desperate, why don't you stay put !!

Still lazing around (not really) in my dressing gown. Ros has just finished in the bathroom washing hair and showering, so I can get in there now ;-) ;-) ;-)

So everything is go then Pat. When do you hope to get into your new home. Don't forget to let us all have your new address.

Heard from Ruby this morning about the Panda email. She remarked on BRUMUS the bear at London zoo. anybody remember him. ?? I said he was a POLAR BEAR not a PANDA.

Suns coming out, so I am off to get fressed and showered. NOT IN THAT ORDER :-D :-D :-D

Thanks for that Pat as its good to know William is ok.

Managed to get hold of Will on FB this is his message


Pat, I keep meaning to write something on the thread but never seem to have enough time. The way Carmel's health has been this year has kept me more than occupied. Today I've to take her to the nurse at our surgery and tomorrow she has a hospital appointment. I've also been have osteopathy aparts from other things. I will try and get on as soon as I have a bit of spare time. Please give all my pals my very best wishes.