Friendship,advice and support if estrangement has affected your life.

Smiles enjoy your spending spree. My daughter and family always use air b&b in this country and abroad as they find it's easier with young children. And never had a bad experience yet. Will your flat be aimed at adults or families or both?

My husband's favourite meal was double egg and chips with bread and butter.

Just made 6.5 lbs of strawberry jam. And will be talking to a friend at 11ish. Then this afternoon going to make some air dried clay Christmas decorations.

It must have gone very cold last night my windows had condensation on the inside.

Can't get over how long the queue is to view the Queen's covin ( that spelling doesn't look right can't think how it's spelt ?????)

It's sunny here but chilly. Have a good day everyone.

So that's our day planned. What are the rest of you getting up too today?

Packing for a 5 day break in the South West! Yay! Enjoy the shopping Smileless

Oooh that sounds wonderful Madgran have a wonderful time .

Have my very long list in my head and just about to set off. Thought it best not to frighten Mr. S. with it all written down.

It's a one bedroom flat Whiff so not suitable for families. People are amazing aren't they, queuing for hours on end to pay their respects and David Beckham refused the offer of a ticket to 'jump the queue', queuing for 11 hours I think; good for him.

I think I could have managed 11 hours if I was next to him.

I suspect Beckham is in danger of becoming a national treasure......?.

I've always liked him DSL, not all those tattoos those.

We had an unexpected surprise today. A delivery of a lovely selection of cheeses and biscuits from our DS in Aus. No particular reason he said, just because. He'll never be a national treasure, but he'll always be ours.

Whiff I'm just settling down to watch A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. I see it's based on a true story. Interesting.

Hope you enjoyed it Aldom. We're watching a series on Netflix called 'Dark' and dark it is not to mention rather complicated.

Mr. S. is finding it very difficult to follow because he keeps nodding off.

Madgran have a lovely holiday.

What a lovely surprise Smiles from your son. Shows how much he thinks about you both and the miles between you make no difference to his love for you both. Hope you enjoyed your shopping spree.

When I had my grandson for a couple of hours on Tuesday morning he asked if I had Netflix. I said no only what's on my smart TV. Never mind nannie you have cbeebies and a new programme you will like. He's way of saying he wanted to watch the TV while having his snack.

It's getting colder but daren't put my heating on until next month and then only at 20 instead of 22. Just need to pile on more layers . Who would have thought we would get to a stage where because of cost we are frightened to heat our homes. Never thought it would happen to me. Must admit been having a bad week worrying about it. Plus worrying about having to go too tribunal to try and get PIP . I have been fighting for 34 years to get benefits. And was turned down everytime because I had no diagnosis now I have one and still turned down. The reasons PIP and MRN gave where ridiculous. Like saying because I can get into a car I can get into a bath. I haven't been able to get into a bath since I was 14 because I couldn't get out. They don't read how I have to do things. I have never said I am disabled because I have meet people far worse than me but doctors have always called me disabled. Finally I am coming to terms with saying I am . And have been my whole life . Having a diagnosis has made things easier to understand why I have been like I am my whole life. What annoys me so much people who decide whether or not you can get benefits are not medically qualified. They are supposed to contact your GP and consultants for further information and they haven't I checked .

What so upsets me is there is a recorded message which plays while waiting on hold for PIP saying Ulkraine nationals can get PIP how on earth can they get it?

I am not the only one having to fight to get help their are tens of thousands of us.

Just having a rant but have been upset all week over it. ?

I’m sorry you’re struggling to get PiP whiff. It’s long been an arduous process, designed to put people off applying and stop them getting it when they do. Attendance Allowance and Carers allowance are not quite as difficult
I’m sure saying it’s available for Ukranians fleeing the war and offered refuge here, doesn’t make it any easier for them to jump the hoops.

DLA/PIP can be difficult, as I've claimed it and I did benefits advocacy for a long time, helping others to claim..

It was simpler in the old days -you filled out a form, and did a supporting statement explaining what causes difficulty and how, and you had time to lay things out properly.

Now, with these phone interviews, the HCP chats as though you are a friend, but they are leading people into saying what they can do - and then people get turned down. They are not friends, they are doing a job. The government know this.

Anyone attending medical appointments should always ask for copies of what's happened during the tests/consultations.

People really are best getting professional welfare advice with the forms, statements etc. It's very easy not to lay out your best case for getting it.

It doesn't, and never has, relied on diagnosis - it's just about what is a struggle/what you cannot do safely and reliably.

Attendance Allowance is much easier to claim. Carers Allowance is an automatic award, if you are caring for someone over 35 hours per week, not earning over a certain amount, or not getting any other benefit (such as retirement pension etc), that overlaps and cancels it.

The DWP rarely write to doctors and consultants. Medical staff charge for it, and many doctors say they haven't got the time to do them.

It's not easy, and probably will only get harder.?. On the positive side, many decisions do get overturned by tribunals.

Hope everyone has a nice day.?

I should clarify that Carers Allowance is automatic, as long as, in addition to the above, the person getting cared for is receiving DLA/PIP/AA, over a certain level.

What a lovely man David Beckham is, great respect for what he said and did. I have always liked him but do have a problem with tattooes, just can't help it.
How thoughtful of your son Smikeless, enjoy your gift.
Whiff, won't be long now so hold on in there. I cannot understand why people not resident here have precedence over you, it doesn't seem right.

A lovely service this morning to commemorate the Battle of Britain. I love to see the service men, proudly marching with the standards of their regiment and the last post always brings a tear to my eyes.

The bugler was brilliant, she did a great job and it must be nerve wracking.

It must be very frustrating and upsetting for you Whiff, I do hope that you get this sorted asap. Being able to do or not do tasks shouldn't be a bench mark. How long and how much effort is required to do them should be taken into account, as well as if the applicant is able to perform them in the same way those without a disability do so.

Fingers crossed that yours will be granted by a tribunal but that doesn't make the fact it's had to go to one any more palatable.

Mr. S's. car is loaded up ready for tomorrow and we'll get my mine packed up this afternoon. It's amazing just how much you can get into a Fiat 500, which is just as well.

Ooh. I really fancy some egg and chips now whiff. Sunday roast today but I might do that tomorrow. Wow you're being super productive. What a lot of jam! Getting chilly here too. Is it possible for you to use a bath chair that lowers you into the water then rises up so you can get out? Social services got our daughter one, which was like a plastic collapsing thing, but later she bought an inflatable one, like a blow -up armchair in the bath. She loves it. You press a remote and it deflates slowly until it's flat beneath you, then when you're done you use the remote to reinflate so it lifts you up. Can they get you a carer to help if you'd like one?

Glad you enjoyed your service smiles. Hope you enjoyed the shopping too.

Atm we're waiting to see if someone in the house chain can resell. Everyone else is prepared to wait for now. So we've reorganised the boxes to make it bearable. Need to unpack some autumn clothes now though. But I'll do it as I need them. Trying to get back to pottering as normal while we wait.

Ooh, glad you've got a lovely holiday to look forward to madgran

What a treasure Beckham is.

Sunday roast for us too hugs; lamb with all the trimmings.

I did enjoy the shopping and I wouldn't say Mr. S. enjoyed it but he wasn't too unhappy either. It would be great if another buyer could be found to get the chain moving forward again, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

It's going to be a very strange day today and I know I shall be in tears as we watch the Queen's funeral. History in the making, a day that of course we always knew would happen, but are still finding it difficult to come to terms with you.

RIP Elizabeth II.

An end of an era.

RIP. Elizabeth II. Time for a well earned rest. You have served your country well.

Bright sunny morning, how lucky it was so for the Queen's funeral yesterday. Watched the funeral on TV all day, hardly left my seat. Didn't Camilla & Charles look tired, they must be relived to now have a week of mourning to themselves. The pipers were very powerful on their march and the lone piper as they lowered the Queen's coffin was very moving!

Put my heating on for an hour on Sat, just to take the chill off, and then Sunday on for a few hours as we were going to be sitting all day watching the funeral on TV. Wasn't it a wonderful celebration of the Queen's life, only the British could do it that spectacularly!

Had our Sunday dinner yesterday as my son was in London meeting up with his dad [& all the family] that had flown over from Indonesia.

I roast a free-range corn feed chicken with sage & onion stuffing one week and then freeze one half with the stuffing in the chicken for the following week, luckily yesterday was the following week so not so long in the kitchen.

for the Queen as I couldn't get up to London to place some. Didn't the gardeners do a good job of placing the flowers on the grass verges, they looked lovely.

It was amazing wasn't it Yogin. We dashed to the flat to drop off a load of stuff after the funeral and were back in time to see the final service in St. George's chapel.

It was very moving and like you, I really felt for the family especially Charles and Camilla.

Good afternoon.

A bit of a trying weekend, what with one family member and another, but starting to feel a bit more on the "up and up" now.

I didn't want to watch the funeral yesterday, and I hadn't really watched any lead up, as I'm not interested in it all, so I kept myself amused washing and ironing curtains...what joy lol ?

Have a nice day.?

Hugs when I said haven't been able to have a bath since I was 14. Doesn't mean I want one . I got stuck I couldn't push myself up mom had to help me. So they changed the old cast iron one and had new bathroom suite in avocado remember those. Baths where lower and we had a shower which worked by turning on the taps and pulling a knob up to make the water come out of the shower head.

When we brought our first house the first thing we did was take the bath out and put in a shower square with curtains round. Out second house had a bath but we had our daughter so my husband moved the bath round and we had a shower fitted had a wooden seat to fit on the bath. But needed my husband to help me use it. When he was diagnosed with cancer had the bathroom changed to a shower room with large rectangle shower cubicle.

The PIP decision like me getting into a car to me being able to get into a bath. Which is ridiculous . I have to have help most times to get my left leg into a car and I can't always put the seat belt on.

I have a wall mounted folding chair in my shower with legs at the front and fold down arms as I can't get up otherwise.

Ulkraine nationals don't have to met the requirements we do to get PIP so I have been told by someone who deals with them . Hence me saying why should they get it.

But I have been fighting for 34 years for benefits not giving up.

When we tried to claim DLA and carers allowance when my husband was terminal with cancer in 2003 we where told we wouldn't get it because he was given 4 months to 2 years. And because of 2 years we didn't qualify. Our McMillan nurse when mad and filled in the forms and we got it. My husband died just under the 4 months.

Mom got attendance allowance because of the falls unit and a very helpful man came to see us and he filled in the forms this was 2011. I had a game getting carers allowance in 2016 when I had mom live with me as she needed 24/7 care. I did everything on my own even giving mom injections so the district nurses could deal with people who had no one.

I don't need nor want a carer . I can look after myself but in my way. Since my diagnosis I have finally admitted I am disabled. Never called myself that before as I have met hundreds of people far worse than me over the years. Even though doctors have called me disabled since 1988.

The benefits forms are yes and no answers but they don't read how I have to do things or all the things I can't do. Nor do they listen to what I said during my phone assessment that was evident but the PIP and MRN decisions.

Some people know how to lie and cheat to get the benefits. I don't lie as I have memory problems and if I lied would soon get caught out.

But there are thousands of us denied the benefits we should have because it's clerks in offices who decided our fate. They do the least work they need to . They should have contacted my GP and consultants for the MRN but didn't I checked .

There are people all over GN in the same boat. If I read on more headline saying you can claim benefit for this that and the other I will scream. What got me the other day they said you could claim PIP if you have migraines. Arrr.?.

Better get off my soap box. ?

Keep fighting your cause Whiff and no you shouldn't have to fight for it. You could always emigrate and then come back as an immigrant and then you'd get it straight away

The only time I take a bath is when I move to easy the aches and pains, much prefer a nice shower.

There was a special law, created in March, which gave those arriving from Ukraine, immediate access to all benefits.

'The Department for Work and Pensions is laying emergency regulations today (Monday 21 March 2022) so those arriving in the UK from Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion can access Universal Credit and jobs support immediately.

Ukrainians will also be eligible for Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Child Disability Living Allowance and Carers Allowance, and Attendance Allowance. Contributions-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) are also available for those Ukrainians who meet the criteria.

Translation services are available to help new arrivals with phone applications, with Work Coaches in DWP Jobcentres on hand to support people making claims online.

DWP staff are also delivering additional face-to-face assistance to those who need it – including tailored support to find work and advice on benefit eligibility – and will continue to do so."

www.gov.uk/government/news/immediate-benefit-support-for-those-fleeing-the-invasion-in-ukraine

I'm not sure why.

Good luck with your claim anyway.?

Makes my blood boil. I am not a racist or anythingist. But how many people who live in this country and worked hard will die because they are frightened to put their heating on because of the cost . We see it happening ever year. Look at how much the food banks are in demand. We live in a first world country this shouldn't be happening.

I have waited 34 years and there are thousands like me waiting years for help. They won't have to wait . War is awful but why must we pay the price.

My mom was my dad's carer they didn't get a penny just their state and bit of private pension.

4 years ago my sister in law's MS when out of control. She could walk,speak,feed or wash herself. My brother had 4 months off work to look after her until the episode was over. They DWP wanted to speak to her my brother explained she couldn't speak. They gave him an appointment. He went they said we need to speak to your wife so after a few choice words left and got her . He carried her in and had to sit holding her as she couldn't sit in a wheelchair or chair. He said this is my wife. The man didn't even say sorry and stopped my brother's carers allowance. ?

What a terribly story Whiff I hope you meant he got the allowance.

Heard on the news that there is a new drug for motoneuron D, it halts the progress. Sure it will be on the news today.