General Chat

I hope you had a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, David. :-) <3

Yesterday we had a call to say the home had found FIL on the floor again and the doctor had been to check him over but he was ok. Worryingly the doctor had got previous blood test results back which show he has heart failure now. We went to see him this afternoon and to discuss with the home getting a care plan in place for the future, DNR agreement etc. FIL seemed really alert and chatty and pleased to see us........he still knows who I am!! He's still obsessed with whether OH is settled and that we are ok, repeats it many times and says we are a good match and that he doesn't have to worry about us or us him as he is fine. He often asks if he is there permanently and says 'good' when we say 'yes' so I wonder if the coming and going of some residents has made him wonder if he will only be there temporarily. Of course he can't remember what you've said 5 minutes after so we have to keep reassuring him. At 94 he is so much more alert than most with lolling heads in their chairs, but he speaks to everyone that passes whether or not they answer. When we went up the corridor to speak to one of the carers we suddenly noticed him following without even his walker so no wonder he falls as he is very slow and frail and gets quite breathless now. The relief is that he is content and clearly well liked by the staff. We think MIL would have been very different in his shoes! More of his clothes have disappeared, although he looked smart and clean, but we will check his room again next time as they may just be in the wash.

Some good news is that within a couple of days 5 viewings of the house have been arranged so we are hoping something may come of those!! :-) Also a chap is calling in the morning to buy the lawnmower so that will free up a bit of space in the garage.

I never get cold calls on my mobile, but OH gets PPI ones and they only started happening after he texted an answer to a competition using his mobile. Somebody must have sold details on. The tv prog this week about cold calls was very interesting. Apparently they don't always remove you from their records when you ask them to.We get a few on the landline, but often let the answerphone cut in like Jane before we pick the phone up. Some say they are doing a survey which is really just gathering info to sell on to other companies. I always tell those I never do surveys over the phone. They often just put the phone down then.

You get a call centre in India David because their wages are cheaper for the bank to pay. :-S

Mel, I think I would have scarpered instead and rung the police. I would be worried about what was going on and what might have happened.

The cake sounds like a great success Jane, so Chris did well there. I do miss the lovely smell there is in the kitchen with a christmas cake cooking. :-)

It sounds like Sandra has chosen a really pretty dress for Saturday Gill. I love pink and green together.

Have sent you a PM Mandy. :-)

Ann,I think it will be the norm now for FIL to be having falls (especially if he isn't using his walker all the time) !!
The good thing is though that he seems really happy and settled .That is just all you need to know to keep your minds at rest.He is well looked after which is the main thing.Clothing going missing is always a problem in care homes.I think they do their best but it is just one of those things.It must be difficult to keep track of every individuals clothing...There were 3 Joyces in the home Mum was in .Her clothes were often put back in another Joyce's room and she had other Joyce's clothes.It is sad when you see that but the 'good ' thing' if you can say good is the fact that is they are unaware that they may not have their own clothes.
5 viewings sound good Ann.It will be great if one of the 5 want to buy
:-D
Just clearing up here now and getting ready to watch the next episode of 'Unforgotten'.......Thomas is in and has eaten nearly 2 pouches of food so I reckon his hunting wasn't too successful.Just hope now he has a full tummy he will sleep until a sensible hour in the morning :-)

Thank you Ann ,it's eased our minds a bit now ,you do worry when you hear about all these scams .
Hubby will give them a ring tomorrow and hopefully we'll get a nice early christmas present :-D i'am spending it already ;-) :-D

"All by myself" Madam went our just after 7.00 pm I expect she will pop in to Valerie's for a COT, as it will be a bit of company for her, being on her own must get lonely.!!

Christmas cake sounds nice Jane, I can't remember the last time we made in this house. Never I think. :-D :-D

Mandy, if this is a big "windfall" I expect a taxi to pick me up to take me to the coast next time you go. ;-) ;-) ;-)

I'm just having a cold beer. With the heating on I am down to my u/pants, with dressing gown on the side, for when Ros gets in.

Unforgotton will be on at 9.00 pm So will sit and watch that, then off to bed for a read.

Sleep tight all, see you in the morning.

I have had a pleasant birthday thank you Annx, sharing the day with this thread cheered me up too.
Although it's a milestone birthday I don't feel any older than yesterday. Two of the cards I received had official 70 year old badges :)

When you're stuck for a meal why not phone your local chippy or Tandoori?
They will deliver to your door and be glad of the trade.

Nuisance calls, I recall you used to be able to put #41gate behind the number it was blocked. You could also use your phone as an alarm. I think it was star time gate, and your phone rang at the appointed time.

Thank you for the tip about a wet room Frank. I will enquire.

Ellen is getting about very well on her artificial knees. She endured a lot of pain for a long time before getting them.

Evening all

Hope you had a nice birthday David.

I remember you telling us about your nail Jane, glad to hear the new one has grown through okay and it isn't sore anymore.

That'll be a nice early Christmas present for your OH Mandy. I can see how you may of been a bit concerned at first, but hopefully it'll all turn out good in the end.

I've been busy with my family tree again today, it's still a bit hit and miss but I've managed to find a few more people which is good.

We have got a second viewing tomorrow, well, I say second viewing. If you remember the first viewing we had was a woman who was looking on behalf of her sister and BIL well, her sister and hubby are viewing tomorrow for the first time. Hope they like it. I just hope we can get this place warm, I'm going to put the oven on as soon as I get up in the morning, along with the fire in the living room and a heater in the hall, if I open all the doors then hopefully the heat will travel into all the rooms. I only hope they don't noticed no lights on the boiler as I'm not sure what's happening with a new one yet until the surveyor arrives on Tuesday, so I'm not sure what to say if they do notice.

Going to watch a Christmas film with OH and Sandra now, then it's off to bed. See you all tomorrow, probably in the afternoon sometime.
Night Night <3

Just noticed your post David, glad to hear you had a nice birthday <3

Sorry Ann I missed your post too, it went over another page so I didn't realise everyone's posts were new. Sorry to hear FIL has had another fall, but glad he's okay. He sounds settled there now and quite happy which must put your minds at rest.

5 viewing, I hope you manage to sell soon, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Must go now Sandra is waiting to watch the film.
See you all tomorrow <3

Morning all and evening Kim,

Grey sky and so its cloudy today. I thought it was Friday when I woke up this morning!!
Oh had answered the phone and it was the doc's to say they can't get our Teva pills.

Sorry FIL has had another fall Ann. He does sound as though he has really settled in there now. Does he still ask about MIL?? or has he forgotten all about his life before the home? A god send if he has. As you say the falls are probably because he forgets his walker and how annoying to lose your own clothes. Hope the viewings go well and you get sosmeone without a chain behind them.

Gill good luck with your viewing also. They should'nt notice the boiler if you don't mention it.

Oh wants toast so see you in a bit.

Just been through making myself a large cup of tea, keeps me going.

I noticed 2 magpies on the lawn outside our kitchen window.

Ellen has low squat bicycle thing that she can peddle from the comfort oft the settee.

She also has one of those vibrator things that you put your feet on and it massages

your feet and lower legs

Yikes isn't posh Annx, it's certainly not Geordie either :)

Funny things dialects. Within a 30 mile radius of your home you hear so many

variations. To those in the Midlands and the South Scots and Geordie must sound like foreign langues. And what about the Welsh?

Morning all,

Wet here this morning ,quite heavy at times the sky is now beginning to brighten up a bit.

So you are a tea man are you David, i like tea first thing and then i move on to coffee ,if hubby comes home early then i will make a pot of tea but if it's just me at home i have coffee.

Not a lot planned for today just the usual things to be done .

Lewis is about the same still covered in tiny tiny blisters ,the doctor thinks it's just a viral thing ,if it gets any worse then they have to take him back and he will have another look at him.

Poor little mite Mandy I hope he gets well soon as its no fun for either mum or baby.

My cousin's have had their ops. 5 and a half hours each!! My cousin had a kidney replace from one from her partner. was'nt it lucky they were a match. Now the healing process starts. They are in a ward together in Plymouth hospital and have one personal kidney nurse that is looking after them both. If she had'nt had the op she would have had to go on dialisis every other day to Plymouth from Bideford. I hope all goes well for her now as they said the kidney is working ok.

I have 3 of those very large Sorts Direct mugs

One was free with a purchase for some thing else.

The other two I bought, quite inexpensively.

I'm usually drinking tea from one while the other's in the cupboard or the dish

washer. I like it strong, white, no sugar ;-) <3

Afternoon All,

Horrible day here also, been raining all morning with a stiff breeze. The lawn is almost cover out the back with the leaves off the cherry tree.

I woke this morning with a heady cold, and I was sneezing foe "ENGLAND" I have been using the Vic stick to try to help with my breathing. I hope it doesn't turn into a full blown cold :-( :-(

David I am a tea man myself. I have a very large breakfast cup. that gets filled three times in the morning when I get up. Strong but with Milk and Sugar. !!!

What has been the mater with Lewis Mandy ?? was it measles or chicken pox.
So you have the same weather as me. After you having the sunshine yesterday.

Good luck with the viewing Gill. Fingers crossed at this end ;-) ;-) ;-)

Mel, that was so lucky that the partner was a match. How long will they need to be in hospital ??

Rib Eye steak for madam tonight with the trimmings, while I have Monk Fish tails with a few chips.

I have just finished some Pate on toast and a bowl of Cream of Vegetable soup. That should warm me up !!!

Ann, your FIL should be made to use his walking frame or stick. He could easily fall and bang his head, which wouldn't be nice in his condition. You will have to have words with the staff <3 <3

My Mother used to say
the only thing you should stick up your nose is your elbow.

If I'm stuffy in the morning I sluice my face at the sink and have a few snorts lol

Afternoon all

Sorry to hear you have a cold Frank, hope you feel a bit better soon.

At least Lewis isn't any worse Mandy, let's hope he's better soon too.

Sandra's asked me to say thank you Mel, she wondered who was sending her post and was absolutely thrilled with the stickers and Christmas card, she has put the card up in her room :-) :-)

Well, we're not sure how the viewing went this morning, they gave hardly anything away, so we'll just have to wait for the feedback off the Agent.

I got up at 7.30 this morning and turned the fire on full the oven on full and opened the door and then put the heater in the hall and left all the doors open so the heat could travel around the bungalow. The first thing the fella said when he walked in the living room was it's hot in here, which I think is better than him saying it was cold. The only problem was, before they arrived, our heater tripped the leccy out, so we think it's broken. Luckily it had done it's job and warmed the place up, so that was a positive. We're going to have to buy a new heater now.

The woman noticed the boiler wasn't on, I'd switched it to off with there being no power to it, so I told her that I only put it on if I need hot water, I think she believed me. It took me by surprised when she mentioned it and thought better than to tell her it was broken, as chances are, we'll have a new one before we sell this place, or at least have the one we've got fixed. I just said it saves us a lot of money turning it on only when we need to, she said she does the same thing. So I think I got away with it. The fella said we didn't need any heating on as the fire gave off so much heat it was warm enough, so I agreed with him.

When we were showing them the back garden there was a squirrel running along the back of the garden, to which the woman said her OH loved squirrels, he seemed a bit disappointed that he hadn't seen it himself, so I told him about Rosie, he wanted to know if she was tame but I said she's comes to me because I've been feeding her for years but she was still a wild animal, but not vicious in any way. I think, he was thinking that he might be able to feed her. I just said that I throw nuts onto the grass for her, I didn't want him to know that she sometimes climbs onto the window sill or that I feed her right outside the back door, incase he was just saying he liked squirrels when he might not.

The woman loved all the fruit trees in the back garden and didn't realise the big one down the bottom was an apple tree. She said she's always wanted to pick an apple wash it and eat it fresh from her own tree. I said I could pick her one of the eating apples if she wanted but she declined. All in all I think things went well, but like I said I'm not sure and will have to wait for the Agent to ring me. I got the impression that she is the one who will decide where they live and he just goes along with what ever she wants, so if she likes it then you never know they might buy it......Then will come the fun of trying to find somewhere else to live :-D :-D

Our bungalow smells lovely, I've got a pork shoulder cooking slowly in the oven. It's not very often OH has a roast with us, so I decided because he is working on Sunday that I would do a roast pork dinner with all the trimmings for us all tonight. It also helps to keep the place warm too ;-) ;-)

Well, I've just washed my hair so I need to go and dry it now. Oh, by the way, I drink tea too, black no sugar. lol.
BBL

I see there are two of us around this afternoon David.

I have been catching up with my book and a few zzzzzzz. more zzzz than I should have.
Still a horrible day here. Madam went out 11.30 this morning with Carolyn still looking for this blasted carpet. The time they have taken, I could of had one made to colour and size
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Have you had your viewing Gill ?? I bet they didn't want to spend time in the garden.

Still no news from anyone regarding my brother. I suppose I will have to wait and see if my niece in Scotland has any joy. Which I doubt, even though they were quite close. She didn't know anything about it till I rang her.

What's on the menu tonight Jane ?? When I asked as a child "what's for dinner tonight" I would be told BREAD AND PULLIT" whatever that meant :-D :-D :-D I know it wasn't bread and chicken, as we only had a chicken on a Sunday if dad had killed one. !!!! and that wasn't very often.

Heating and lights on to welcome my darling wife, when she returns from WHILTON or AXMINISTER LOL I bet that's where they have been. :-D :-D :-D

Good Afternoon everyone

David we were told don't put anything in you ears smaller than your elbow, I am also a tea drinker white with no sugar but don't use a teapot anymore.

Ann when I was caring for my husband he was always forgetting to use his zimmer frame and often took a fall. I bought an alarm which when put under his chair cushion a buzzer would ring when he got up, I noticed the care home also used these if he tried to get out of bed. The home marked all the resident's clothes with their room numbers.

I answered the phone today it was someone asking to speak to him [he died nearly two years ago]this upset me as I was feeling a bit down today.

Gill I hope your viewings go well today and you managed to keep your house warm.

Mel I'm glad your cousin's Op was a success , it's marvellous what they can do these days.

The weather here has been miserable raining hard most of the day but I did manage to take Amy out for a short walk. It's cleared up now and there is a pretty sunset so hopefully it will be a better day tomorrow.

Richard has just come in from work so I am going to cook a stir fry.

A day or 2 prior to my appointment with the surgeon who said no more surgery

I was stood at the end of the bed in this room. I had the injured leg up on the bed

seeing how it was healing. I fell head long to the floor on my left hand side.

My shoulder hit the floor my right arm went up my back. If there had been clutter on the floor I'd have broken my ribs or my arm at least.

The lady who does for me was in the room, She went white. Must have thought I'd fallen down dead. O Fortuna

Careless accident :-( :-0