Soop's welcoming kitchen...

Swanny this is the GD who took me to London for 2days for my big birthday, my S looked after H.
She did come and look after Grandad when I had 3 nights in hospital having my new knee.
She is an absolute star.

The answer to the potty sloshing around is to put a nappy in it.

charleygirl. .

That sounds like a great idea to stop potty sloshing Galen Thankfully the GSs are now past that stage.

paw is still in a bed in A&E(!) awaiting an MRI scan. His x Ray did not show a break but he is in so much pain they need to find out why.
I found yesterday a nightmare from start to finish and dread the coming days.
I have phoned Stannah and they are coming out onMonday (not until) to measure up, then it is a 3 week wait, so best case scenario is still not very good.
On the plus side, a night without sleeping with one ear open for Paw was overdue and I feel better for it.
Hope you have a wonderful outing Annsixty there is NO GUILT needed whatsoever, will H even realise you have gone?
Wishing you all a pleasant day!

Good to hear from you maw, so sorry the hassle continues. A&E can’t be the most comfortable place to be but it is positive attempts are being made to find the cause of paw’s pain and so good there are no broken bones. Hugs for you both. Take care.

Ann I really hope you have a splendid afternoon out. Your GD is indeed a star.
Oldgoat we bought GS a pack of those snake belts when he was younger as he could never seem to keep his trousers up! I’m sure if your GS keeps the coat open, no-one will notice which side it buttons! Hope it all goes well for him. My GS’s class had a Victorian Classroom experience for which they all had to dress up. He wore a flat cap, a white shirt and a waistcoat and he absolutely hated it!
Charley we keep a proper bottle in our car since some years ago we got caught in the most horrendous traffic jam on motorway on the way to the West Country and DH was in dire need. It was getting painful. We ended up emptying the large flask we had brought coffee in out of the window so that he could use that! His relief was almost orgasmic! Needless to say, the flask was never pressed into service again. GS has used the bottle, but to date he is the only one!
N&G what a difficult situation for your DD to find herself in. I am sure, when she has the conversation, she will give DGD appropriate food for thought and, being a sensible little lass, she will take it on board. It was always the survival of the fittest, but I would hate to have to negotiate the school playground and keep my head above water these days.
Well, it seems we are decorating. DH is scraping away the last vestiges of what was, in its previous incarnation, a toddler’s bedroom with teddy bear frieze and animal motifs on the walls from the house’s previous occupants. I have been trying to take the animal decals down for ages, but GS said he liked them; now he doesn’t sleep in there anyway, so the time has come. The difficulty will come when we have to choose a colour for it. We can never agree.

Phewee! A long morning of ironing just about every item in my pal's wardrobe. Thankfully managed to complete the task in two hours and thirty five minutes. I'm back home with a pot of coffee and am recharging my batteries.

Maw what news of Paw?

ann Don't you dare mention the word "guilt" when talking to us lot. We do not want to know such silliness. You are a wonder woman. You deserve all the fun you can wring out of every treat. PLEASE have yourself a wonderful time.

N&G By Christmas, if not very much sooner, your home will be as inviting as your previous home. Us lot would very much like an invitation. We promise faithfully not to be too rowdy and wayward. We'll take our shoes off at the door and mind our p's and q's.

oldgoat Any photos of the outfits you're making?

granniequeenie I like Stamford very much. It is a charming town. I knew someone (long ago) who owned the stationers.

anno A twisted ankle can be terribly painful. It's an easy thing to do and a long time putting to rights. Anyway, you appear to have made the most of your time. It all sounds very special.

Crikey Moses! I do wish you'd all sit still while I'm out and about!!

anno sounds as though you had a fabulous birthday but you really should try harder to stay upright!!

As should paw! I hope things are a little clearer Maw but maybe you could benefit from Paw staying in hospital another night? Would respite be a possibility until you get the stairlift working? Don't forget that you have to be well too so take it easy while you can. Though hospital visiting takes it out of you too.

I hope ann is having a wonderful time and only catches up with this tomorrow! I think ann will appreciate the order of my emoticons!

I helped on an Alzheimer's carer's course this morning and, as always I was so in awe of the wonderful carers who take the time to come to learn how to best help their loved ones. Today, among the 15 or so participants,, we had a man whose mother and wife both have Alzheimer's Disease and another whose father has it and whose mother has taken it as a personal affront that her husband has decided to become awkward in their retirement which puts him in the position of trying to 'protect' his dad and he lives 25 miles away.

Somehow, I feel more sorry for men who have to take on the caring role - maybe because I see here how brilliant women are and how they take it in their stride.

That's me unloading on you all - small beer compared with other people's problems, I know and not really my problem at all. Now I will go and drool over Nigella's food and her kitchen.

Back later - try to sit still in the mean time!

Back again. Pleased to report we didn't seem to poison anyone with the coffee and biscuits, always a relief.

There are far too many of our neighbours caring for someone with a form of dementia, kitty, its heartbreaking to see as is their distress if their loved one is admitted to a care home. Its a horrid, horrid disease. Locally there is a recruitment drive for supporters for people with dementia, I'm not sure I could do it but it does keep popping into my head. A step too far maybe although I have always volunteered at something and my current commitment is minimal. We'll see.

Soop your ironing marathon has put me to shame. I came back from a chat with a neighbour to find Mr C had done ours. No, you lot can't borrow him

I well understand the difficulty with your granddaughter, n&g, there has been a very similar issue with a similarly aged one of ours. Interestingly one teacher said it is the age group, is very common and will pass, although a conversation was needed and happened that comment was a reassurance to us worried adults. Indeed it did pass and I'm sure you will find the same. Don't we worry about these families of ours?

Pleased to report our decorating is finished and we are both still here, greyduster, don't envy you beginning. Mr C gave up on colours years ago and sensibly allows me to choose. A while back I brought home emulsion sample strips for the conservatory. There was a stunned silence when Mr C said 'I like that one' while pointing to my favourite. A first. Normal service was resumed when we got to the kitchen a few weeks ago. Hope you both agree on a colour. We are proof it can happen once in 49 years

Oh well, it sounds as if the washing machine has finished dancing across the kitchen so I had best rescue tomorrows ironing.

Take care everyone.

kitty & corner The scourge of dementia in it's many forms isn't going to go away until a miraculous cure has been found. It's the one thing that I dread. Apparently, in Holland, new homes are being created that are custom built for sufferers of dementia. And, I read somewhere, that little children visiting aged people in care homes is proven to be beneficial in spite of the huge age difference.

Galen

Maw Take advantage of the time you have in which to look after your own needs. Paw is, yet again, in the best place (for now). I feel so sorry for both of you. Paw has only been home for a short spell. It's so unfair.

ann You have a wonderful granddaughter. Us lot are hoping that you are enjoying your well deserved treat.

Time to log off. The rain - sounding more like hail - has been hammering on the window. Early tomorrow, having recovered from the dreaded lurgy, we both have the flu jag (as the Scots say). I can hardly contain my excitement.

Thank you for your lovely company. Until I return...

I agree about Dementia soop so we must talk about it and remove the stigma that cancer once had.

I don't work with people living with dementia (not sure I could!) but help on courses to help carers cope. They are amazing! I also do awareness raising events and it is amazing how people swerve to avoid us - I suppose they think it might be catching.

The downside of these courses is that I look for signs in me, DH, my brothers, my friends etc and we've all got it.

grannyqueenie, there were plenty of lifts available in the Royal Festival Hall - fortunately, as I was feeling very grumpy by the time we arrived there! The foot is fine, now, so it was a very minor injury. I've also had a very painful and swollen knee which was bugging me all the time I was away and effective painkillers make me too woozy. Today the GP has given it a steroid injection so hope that will work its miracle.
Don't I sound a proper old wreck? If that's what being 77 is like, I think I will go back to 76.

I have had a wonderful afternoon but so tired I am already in bed.?

Anno I found the steroid injection very helpful. I was in really awful pain before I had it. I did have to have a second one some months later but thank goodness am still benefiting from that a year on. You can download some exercises to do which are said to help build up the supporting muscles, and i do them most days. I really don’t want that bad pain again. Good luck with your knee.

Ann it’s lovely to know you enjoyed yourself so much and don’t leave it too long before another outing.

Thanks, Bellanonna. I was at the end of my tether by the time I saw my GP, having had a very painful night. He is the practice's expert on skeleto-muscular conditions and was very sympathetic.

ann I am so pleased that you enjoyed yourself. An early night may just put the icing on the cake.

Maw I hope that Paw is kept in at least another night to allow you to recharge your batteries. Do you think that it was the right kind of xray that was taken?!

I wonder if the pain is coming from his back since the fall?

I suppose the one good thing is that this hospital is fairly local so you are not traipsing down to London and home again daily.

I have a dental appointment tomorrow- this may be my last posting.

Charleygirl, fear not if you don’t come back we’ll send a search party!

The good news is that Paw hasn't broken his hip but it is severely bruised and he can't move his left leg, walk or stand . Also on heavy duty pain relief.
The bad news is that the stool sample we took to the Royal Free on Sunday has tested positive for C. Diff (again) but the up side of that is a single room to prevent spreading the bug to other patients. It explains why his guts were still in turmoil.
Don't know how long he will be in, got to get him on his feet as well as bang the infection on the head.
C’est, as they say, la vie.

Morning all !!

We did gardening too yesterday Grannie well...that's not technically true...we had a man come in and do it - Grampy was going to but the lawn is 8 months deep and the hedges overgrown and I have to say what a sterling job the man did ! Sam was stunned to find this huge space where previously he had been covered by grass !

I did laugh at the boys antics Charley ...only boys eh??

Glad you got a decent sleep Maw , hope Paw is feeling better today but hopefully now they can give him the best treatment to get him well again.

Good luck with the decorating Grey we have reached a place where I say - lets do it this colour. Grampy says -I'm not seeing it. I say - never mind , just do it. In the end he will congratulate himself on HIS good choice !!

I do love Nigellas kitchen Kitty but I am finding her a bit too contrived in this serious, far too many glances from underneath her lashes and superlatives used for food for me !

There is good and bad news from me today - bad- the oil fired heating has totally packed up and we had a bit of a chilly night. I fear a big bill in our very near future ( that is IF we can get someone out today to look at it )!

The good is that Miss Laura, The Queen of the Universe is 11 today ( she made it !!!!). So I've added a photo of her through the years - where did they go?

Maw so sorry to hear about the C.Diff. Could the trauma of falling have activated it do you think? Poor Paw although the upside is that he gets to have his own room, so a bit more comfortable and peaceful. You, too, should be getting a more civilised night’s sleep at home too, Hattie permitting.
So sorry about this latest episode. Even though MKH is nearer, the daily visits are really wearing. Chin up!

Did anybody else see that Pea and Chicken traybake Nigella did in the first programme?
I thought it might be a good thing for the DGC on Christmas Eve so gave it a trial last week while paw was having his blood test.
Well I don’t usually say this, but it was disgusting !
Whatever made her think frozen peas would enhance the flavour of chicken? Even with the glug of vermouth the dish was uncovered so the peas dried out (and were overlooked) the chicken was bland and tasted of nothing.
TG I tried it first. This was a seriously bad recipe and no way am I going to buy her book now. (Just caught the closing shots on Monday - so a toasted sandwich, what is special about that? And her “expensive” patting down gadget from the US, looked like a fish slice to me?)

Oh no! I really fancied the pea and chicken thing. Thank you for trying it for me. Although we usually have peas with chicken. I don't suppose you could try those spiralling potato things as well please? I won't invest in a spiraliser unless you say they are nice.

I do have kitchen envy though and I do know it's not real!

I see I said the peas were “overlooked” that should have been overcooked

Over looked was probably right Maw!