Gosh that’s amazing about your dog Ali, how wonderful. Keeping you safe.
Great OH is going out and about, who would have thought a couple of months ago?? What about a taxi sometimes? Give you a little more time to do your own thing.
Nut shack, haha, sounds the place to be…goodness could eat everything there.
Ecowarrior…will lend you my chariot hee hee.
Are your girls here this week or is it next? No holidays here think we have extra in Oct. “Magic Nana’s Chateau” do like that.
Lido went well, thank goodness, no nausea, hurrah.
Had blood tests yesterday, still having thumpy headaches, side effects of new BP tab states that’s usual when starting. Constant for over 6 weeks now before and after arrrgh. Hopefully end soon.
Missed a recorded delivery when was at hospital, wracking my brain trying to think what it was, delivered next day it was a hospital appointment for my foot haha.
That’s terrible about tv JCJ, prob would be cheaper buying a new one, so annoying. Didn’t know that happened…
Has your new fridge arrived? xx
Hope you’re having a good holiday, Ali. Can’t believe it’s nearly over! One last push to the big hols and a proper break.
Hope your headaches are abating, Katy. If not, get them checked out!
Fridge was delivered on Tuesday, half an hour before the advised 2 hour time slot, without the promised phone call from the driver, but that was OK because we were here anyway. The delivery guy kindly plugged the new fridge in for me as the socket was at the back of an adjacent corner cupboard: I’m not that flexible!! It’s a bit smaller than the old one but does the job. And it has a working light!!
Girls - 2 of them - have been. They left after an early lunch today. I’m exhausted! We’ve been swimming, playing in the park (she cycled there with Mama (walking) while I drove OH down, walking to the woods and climbing trees. Quite apart from playing football in the garden and making (or fetching) meals. Retires to K bench for a snooze.
I was talking to YD about our TV problems and she suggested a dongle. I investigated and bought one from the Big River website. Normally £44 but on offer for £34. It arrived today and I have installed it. It seems to work brilliantly. Live TV via WiFi and all the streaming/catch up apps we need. Time will tell if OH can use it successfully! If not, I’ll have it upstairs.
The girls fancied beans on toast for lunch. I got a big tin out of the cupboard, that had been there for some time as I rarely eat them (not good with my windy problems!) and OH never does. I pulled the ring pull and BANG!! Bean juice splattered all over my hand. It frightened me half to death. I’m proud of myself for not swearing: that’s 22 years as a TA? Needless to say, I compost binned those beans and opened 2 small ones instead. I looked for a BB date and it was April 2020. Oops! Stored in a cupboard which has the heating pipes through the back of it. I’ll be wary of every tin now!! GD was a bit worried about me for a while.
Oh no always check your tins arrgh.
Glad you had a happy time with your girls, hope you have recovered now. Did you climb trees too???
Hurrah for new fridge and dongle. That was a great idea, still can’t believe tv is too old, bad, bad, bad.
Came back on Sunday night, everything went well. YD had a brilliant time and GS was great. All good.
Only one more abroad trip to go, think she was able to relax this time because GS was no bother. Keep to her routine therefore he is fine. Laughed at bus driver and helper they were both saying how much YD and GS look like me, honestly they are not like me at all hahaha isn’t it funny how people see others differently?
It’s eldest GD’s prom tonight, she has a beautiful dress, ED is helping her at the moment with make up and hair etc. She is super excited.
Am running out of cleaning stuff so am about to nip to nearby shop, it’s soooooooooo windy today and I so can’t be bothered. Will prob be blown over there so will be faster haha. xx
Oh my goodness the tins! Glad you both had a great time with your family.
The half term went far too quickly, didn’t do much, but went out for lunch on the last Sunday when the weather was finally glorious. Sat outside pub with the dog and OH next to a canal and watched the world go by. We enjoyed it so much that OH has suggested we do it again today. I could get used to this! But why do I still feel guilty for going out on a school day? Even though I don’t work on a Thursday? X
Glad your Granny duties went to plan and YD could have some fun.
What’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a witch on her broomstick? Oh, no, it’s Katy and her chariot being blown in the wind!! Hope you got your shopping safely.
Ali, I’m with you on the school day guilt. I still feel guilty going out, just for pleasure, on a weekday even though I’ve been retired 4 years!! (FOUR YEARS???!!! How did that happen?!)
Talking of going out: Yesterday afternoon, I wanted to go to town to pick up a few bits and go to the wool shop. OH announced he wanted to come and suggested we stayed in town for dinner. I didn’t want to subject my dodgy digestion to fish and chips again so we agreed on a favourite pub, we’ve not been to for ages, that serves from 5:30pm. He said he wanted to say thank you to me. Ahhhh. I knew he hadn’t the stamina for spending hours in town but the wool shop closes at 4pm. I said we must leave the house by 3:30pm at latest. Cutting it fine. At 3:15, I realised he was still pottering in the garage in his filthy jeans so I reminded him to change. An hour later he’s still sitting on the bed: changed his trousers… and his mind! So I’d just wasted an hour waiting for him instead of doing my shopping - or enjoying the sunshine in the garden. Arggghhh! Quick dash to local shop for the ingredients I needed for dinner (and an “accidental” box of 3 magnums: consolation prize). Pizza and potato salad. Delicious and fairly quick but not the pub meal I’d looked forward to.
We were burgled on Tuesday. We always leave the outer porch door unlocked unless we’re away. It’s handy for parcel delivery. OH has got in the habit of keeping his coat (fortunately just a cheap anorak) in there and his shoes, walking sticks etc. Also the rucksack (empty except for someone else’s plate, awaiting return) he used to take to the library. I came down in the morning and could see through the glass inner door (securely locked thank goodness!) that the outer door was ajar. Thought we’d had a delivery but realised the bag and coat were missing. Nothing of any value but extremely annoying.
Dinner tonight is jacket potatoes with things in out of date tins. Chilli for him. Chicken in white sauce for me. Checked the cupboard after Saturday’s fright. If you hear of an explosion, in the Midlands, at about 5pm tonight, it’s probably me!! And that’s not to mention what will happen if I eat the beans and sausages!!
PS no I didn’t climb trees. I had the, all important, job of holding the sticks and stones collection while GD and YD scaled to dizzy heights of about 3 foot.
Hope you did go out again Ali, no guilt here haha. We are all allowed to enjoy ourselves, throw all that guilt in the lake.
Hope you DID NOT use old tins JCJ, off to the very bad behaviour bench for you.
Oh my goodness burgled, geez, that’s awful. You will need to keep locked when you are at home at all times. Glad there was nothing important taken, hopefully kids being silly. Bit scary though.
Well the thought was there with OH ??
How are things going now?
Did imagine you climbing JCJ made me chuckle.
ED and eldest GD are packing for GD’s holiday she is off in the early hours. It’s not going well, she is obviously super nervous (first hol with friends) and being a little mean to ED. Oh dear.
Only one more trip abroad for YD. Next month she will be a bridesmaid, woo hoo.
Her crown half fell out yesterday arrgh she asked dentist if it would be all done by wedding time as she didn’t want to be smiling oddly haha.
It’s been so windy here, it’s still is today, have a bit of sunshine but the wind is so annoying. Did do little bit of shopping in recard time haha. xx
The whole point of tins is to keep food fresh indefinitely - as long as the tins aren’t damaged. The dates are best before and therefore don’t mean the food is dangerous after then (unlike use by dates, which I do stick to). The chicken and chilli were both fine, as were the raspberries I used on Sunday. No more explosions.
I hope your GD is having a good holiday with her friends. Exciting times for her… and worrying times for her mum! One thinks she’s all grown up and the other can’t help being mum. No wonder there’s tension.
OH still doing OK but his ambition keeps outstripping his ability. He planned to join a coffee and chat group at our village library (not the one he volunteered at, which is in the next village) this morning from 10:30 to 12. I’m at sewing at that time, which is only once a month, so I said I wouldn’t miss part of it: he’d have to get a taxi and I’d pick him up on my way back. He was up and dressed really early and I thought he was actually going to go but he decided against it. Maybe next week. Perhaps I’ll go with him for his first meeting?
He’s also planning, again, to meet up with his brothers for lunch but I had to remind him how stressful he finds eating out anywhere, never mind with them. (slightly fed up that he couldn’t manage dinner out in a familiar place with me but intends to meet them - who he always falls out with - somewhere new ) He thinks I’m just reluctant to drive up there and/or meet the BILs so he’s asked a friend to take him. I’d enjoy a few hours to myself but this will probably be something else he bottles out of!!
Tonight, he’s asked if I’d be prepared to drive to a nature reserve, he’s read about, which is further away than either of our holidays this year. I had to find a way to say that there’s little point when he can’t appreciate much nearer places because he can’t walk anywhere and won’t use the ****** chair!!! Ohmmm
Cold and showery here. Certainly doesn’t feel like mid June! I saw some “local grown” strawberries in the farm shop and thought: "already? It’s too early for strawberries (they did look under ripe and unappealing) before realising that we’re normally buying them by now.
Hoping the weather improves soon because I’m itching for my day at the seaside - hopefully before the schools break up (sorry, Ali. Chucks guilt in the lake)
I’ll just sit quiet for a while in a sunny corner of The Woods.
Hug your sons. Reach out to relatives, friends, colleagues and check they’re OK, especially if they are male and in their 30s.
Thank you, Ali, for the hugs and you, KTC, for all your support. It’s been a traumatic and tough 3 weeks but I think I’m starting to feel brave enough to venture out into Benchland again. Maybe even in to the real world?!
I have created a new wetland area at the edge of the woods, surrounding the CSL bench - which is now a nesting platform for aquatic birds. I’ve replaced the CSL bench, with a shiny, new one, in its proper place.
Just like finding a new normal after BC and, indeed, after PD, I realise that we now have to find another new normal living around the gaping hole left by the loss of ES. The fact that we hadn’t seen him for years doesn’t make it any easier. He’s no longer suffering. Quality of life, not quantity has always been our motto. I must hold on to that.
We’re still in limbo awaiting the necessary processes and then there’ll be mountains of distressing admin but, luckily, his best friend/colleague will help us.
Thank goodness the PD meds situation had settled before this happened - (or we’d now be facing 2 inquests?) The holiday that we nearly cancelled, now just 2 weeks away, is even more needed. I am so glad it’s nearby so we can be around if we’re required to do anything.
I hope everyone in Benchland is OK and dealing well with whatever life is throwing your way. xx
Car at car hospital having its annual medical. Pray to the MOT gods that it sails through because I really don’t think I can take any more **** this year.
Currently sitting in my favourite cafe with a sausage batch and a coffee. I have my kindle (other) but I’m not sure I can do my usual and chill out here for a couple of hours. The music playing is lovely but likely to make me Every track so far…
Processes are happening but now I’m faced with a mountain of bureaucracy that I can’t actually deal with until ES’s friends come back from USA - just as we go away! - because I don’t know any of the necessary info.
So glad we’re staying local.
Funeral booked for 14th August. Just after YD’s holiday but the inquest is likely to take months. I hope we don’t have to attend, in person: it’s miles away (over an hour’s drive, according to Google maps - and that will be motorway, which OH can’t tolerate) not sure I can cope, never mind OH!! It won’t bring him back and just adds to the pain.
I’ve planned my next knitting project, when I’ve finished the bag I’m knitting. Bought some lovely dark purple 100% cotton DK yarn and a pattern for a cardigan. Pattern has buttons but I’ll adapt it to put a zip in.
Trying to keep positive…
Hope your car passed its medical!
So much for you to do, sending you strength to be able to deal with everything. I hope you are able get some rest on your holiday.
One week to go, can’t wait for the break, no plans just looking forward to getting up late and doing what I want. But before this, tomorrow I’ve got my first mammogram since the 5 annual ones, then on Thursday at 6:30 in the evening I’ve got an appointment with the breathing clinic. I’ve never heard of consultant appointments in the evening! On Saturday I’m having my hair cut, which means a day at my mums as I still have my hair done in my home village (it’s about an hour or so away). So Sunday I’m collapsing!
Take care x
Car passed. Phew! One advisory but, as I do so little mileage it probably won’t need dealing with until next year. One advantage of never flipping going anywhere?
I remember that glorious anticipation in the last week of term, Ali. I miss it now every day is the same. Although I don’t miss the total exhaustion and I shall enjoy not going back in September!
I hope your mammo wasn’t too ouchy and good luck for speedy, “normal” results.
Just after my last post, I rang FD to confirm date (had to wait for text from friends in USA) and she said she would phone me later to finalise some things. I was in town anyway so I called in. She was wonderful. Sympathetic ear. Tissues and coffee administered. Florist phone number supplied because she wasn’t confident their own one could produce a realistic Range Rover. Paperwork signed. It’s happening. But it still doesn’t seem real.
Wimbledon all over for another year but I’ve got a lot to do next week so I won’t have time to miss it too much.
Take care all Benchlanders including you lurkers! xx
Hope mammo went well Ali, with good results as with your consultant appointment.
Glad things are coming together JCJ, been a truly awful time for you, big hugs flying your way.
Glad car behaved it’s self…
Had lido on Fri after whizzing back from YD’s on Thursday evening, was so tired fell into a really deep sleep in hospital didn’t even hear beeping of machine which sounds continuously when treatment is finished. Nurse had to shake me awake haha.
Had to nip into town yesterday, no food at home, well, anything I wanted.
Only have to go out on Tues now, which is great gives me a couple of days just to rest.
When I was at YD’s purchased a pair of mules horribly expensive but reduced massively, such a bargain. They are still not here arrrgh, was it too good to be true??? boo hoo xx
Made it to the holidays! Woo hoo! No plans just going with the flow. Mammo was as painful as remembered, I forgot to take paracetamol beforehand. Now to wait for results, it’s been a week and nothing so I’m taking it as ok. The appointment at the sleep clinic went well, I’ve had an amazing response to the cpaps machine. I’ve gone from having 39 incidents a night to 3. The consultant said the best he’d ever seen was 5! So will be continuing with it, and I don’t need to see him anymore, just see the physiologists. one more medical appointment off my list.
Hope your mules have come Katy, I’ve found that sales purchases take longer to arrive.
Is it next week you go away JCJ? I hope you have a good break away.
Take care everyone x
Hope your mammo results come soon and are “normal”, Ali. Hurrah for excellent sleep results. Enjoy your well earned holiday. Get plenty of R&R.
We’re at our lakeside lodge. Came on Friday. Booked for 2 weeks but we’ll leave, all being well on the Thursday afternoon to avoid the mad rush for 10am departure: OH struggles, in the morning, to do anything until his meds have kicked in.
So far it’s going ok. Weather is being kind: warm, cloudy with sunny spells. Although it was HOT the day we came so I was very glad it took us less than an hour to get here - despite a bit of a traffic jam at one point.
Lodge is lovely. We do have a view of the lake from our enormous veranda and from our sofa. We’re not right next to it but we can see it (without having to stand on a chair or perform any contortions )
Yesterday, a swift flew in through the open french windows, flew around the room and straight back out. So fast we weren’t quite sure what happened!!
OH is doing OK. He’s even enjoying himself!! We did have a moment, on Saturday night/Sunday morning, when he rang me in a panic at 4am (separate rooms at opposite ends of lodge) because he didn’t know where he was and couldn’t move to get out of bed. “Here we go again ”, I thought. He went straight back to sleep. I didn’t!! Thought we’d be going home again. But so far… We’ll at least manage more than 3 nights this time!
My head is buzzing with all the bereavement admin I still haven’t been able to do so I’ve emailed ES’s friends so I can switch off and enjoy my knitting, reading and coffee on the decking whilst enjoying the wildlife on the lake. Bliss. I’ll make sure I enjoy it while it lasts. x
Needless to say, I compost binned those beans and opened 2 small ones instead. I looked for a BB date and it was April 2020. Oops! Stored in a cupboard which has the heating pipes through the back of it. I’ll be wary of every tin now!! GD was a bit worried about me for a while. 
Hope you got your shopping safely.
Quick dash to local shop for the ingredients I needed for dinner (and an “accidental” box of 3 magnums: consolation prize). Pizza and potato salad. Delicious and fairly quick but not the pub meal I’d looked forward to.
We always leave the outer porch door unlocked unless we’re away. It’s handy for parcel delivery. OH has got in the habit of keeping his coat (fortunately just a cheap anorak) in there and his shoes, walking sticks etc. Also the rucksack (empty except for someone else’s plate, awaiting return) he used to take to the library. I came down in the morning and could see through the glass inner door (securely locked thank goodness!) that the outer door was ajar. Thought we’d had a delivery but realised the bag and coat were missing. Nothing of any value but extremely annoying.
) He thinks I’m just reluctant to drive up there and/or meet the BILs so he’s asked a friend to take him. I’d enjoy a few hours to myself but this will probably be something else he bottles out of!!
I saw some “local grown” strawberries in the farm shop and thought: "already? It’s too early for strawberries (they did look under ripe and unappealing) before realising that we’re normally buying them by now.
but I’ve got a lot to do next week so I won’t have time to miss it too much.
one more medical appointment off my list.
)
But so far…