General Chat

Mummo, I am so sorry about your mother.
Bless her heart. Why is she weak, did they leave it too long, or did she not realise that she was ill?
A wicked, wicked disease.
I don't know how much help we will be, but remember that we are here for you.
Deanna XXX

Deanne will pm you

Glad you renewed Lily, you're talking about your screen jumping about - my van is doing the same thing today,literally, bouncing, shaking . . and the engine light is on, so Monday will be a trip to have it assessed.

Emlyn went to the 'national Dance Finals' in Niagara Falls,NY today and again tomorrow, today she received a medal for 'excellence'. Thrilled with herself.
We had heavy rain,thunder & lightening this morning, Gareth didn't want to come inside, was was brought in kicking and screaming - and sopping wet - he ran over to my one china cabinet and swept 2 antique items onto the floor, one a wedding mug commemorating george V's wedding, plus an antique silver condiment trivet with 3 blue/white china shakers and mustard pot , all with silver lids. It's all gone out , I disgraced myself by giving him a solid smack on his bottom, I know it's not acceptable now, but he was totally shocked and apologised, and calmed down.
Funny thing though, my first reaction was ' $500 down the drain' , but as I swept up I heard a little voice in my head say "two less things to dust'".
Megan was much more upset than me, i apologised out loud, to my late mother, for not keeping them safe, now I've already found myself able to let it go.
been making a big batch of homemade laundry soap, costs a few cents per load and washes as well as the expensive liquids. I need about 10 liquid laundry soap bottles to house the concoction, Colleen is totally embarassed because I went to the local laundromat and pinched empty bottles out of their rubbish bin. I think she thinks my mind is going . . . not a bit of it, my frugality is taking over. Costs less than $7 to make a batch of 52 cups, and we only use 1/4 cup per load, so 208 loads done for about 3-4 cents each.
Funny thing is she readily uses my detergent, but laughs when I make it.
Have to run to the grocery forgot one thing . . .
Hugs
Mary

Come on then MaxiMary,tell us how you make it.

Every time the catheter leaks there is another full load ready for me.

I know most of you have so much more to deal with than I do but I really was never meant to be a carer. I wanna go out to work!!!!

Directions for making Laundry soap - liquid.

1 cup washing soda.
1/2 cup Borax.
1 bar of soap, grated.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, when boiling, add the grated soap bits and stir till dissolved.
Pour the soda and Borax powders into a large container (I use a small garbage bin). Add 48 cups warm tap water and stir. Pour the hot soap soup into the pail and stir until blended. Cover and let sit for 24 hours. You can add a fragrance oil if desired. After sitting for 24 hrs, it may be jelly-like or more liquid - regardless, stir well and pour into containers.
We use 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup per load,use also for pre-treating stains. This can also be used where the machine manufacturer calls for High Efficiency detergent.

If you prefer powdered laundry soap, you can mix the same quantities of Washing soda, Borax and grated soap in a food processor, and use as dry laundry soap (easier to store).

Sharron I sympathise - we do so many loads of sheets etc here daily, because of there being 7 beds - plus Gareth wet every night at present. This saves a huge amount of money and the liquid can be used with hot or cold water. I hope you are considering a book based on His Nibs escapades, you write such great description, I'm sure there would be an audience.

Colleen is in the process of adding some photos from this evening to her FB page, Sir Gareth discovered the rain barrel and his Mum has caught a lot of it on her camera. Too funny, I had actually asked a few hours ago, how his height compares with the barrel, he's so busy climbing in and on things , I was worried if it was safe with him around - was prophetic . . . he loves the feeling of being cocooned and loves water, and the barrel is full of lovely soft rain water, warm at that, as it's quite warm here now.

My mood has decidedly improved since I watched the action !! No results yet on my ultrasound but a lot of discomfort ongoing.

Tell you what Sharron, I'll come and look after your Dad for a while and you can go to work for me. A change is as good as a rest so it's said.
I'm heading to soak in the whirlpool bath with some Epsom salts.
Sleep well, dear friends,
Mary

Back from much need break, though very busy. Grandson had a lovely first birthday, he is growing so fast and it is difficult when they are so far away. He really wants to walk and will let go and just stand there but not take a step without hanging onto something. He is a very placid and happy child.

I am very worried about daughter, she is very anaemic, she is having further tests this week and hopefully the results will be better than the last lot. She does not look well and I cannot help but worry. I suppose that is what us mothers do best, worry about our children.

I was able to get a bit of shopping in and to get a few new clothes, badly needed for every day use. Mainly a couple of new thick cardigans. I used to knit and crochet, I really miss doing that.

Place we stayed was lovely, but very cold as we were only allowed small amounts of wood per day, so OH went out and brought some to last us the week. Place was also draughty. though well maintained. OH has stated no more winter holidays.

We did get to see some snow, we were at 3 900 feet, so Colin was close. Could not get very good photos as also heavy fog, or low lying cloud. Very pretty, though would not like to live there.

Very tired and sore from trip, so will get back tomorrow.

Love and hugs

Gail

Hi Gail, glad you got back safely and some of your trip was good, shame about being cold tho, that's not fun! Glad you got some nice cardis and hope you will feel rested and less sore after some sleep. Take things slowly as you get back to normal again.

Hope your daughter will be ok, and the tests show she is on the mend.

love
Lizxxx

Hi Gail, I also hope your daughter is over the worst of her illness and that she is on the mend. Hello everyone. I have been reading messages from about the past 4-5 days and really do know how lucky I am. I have had a cold- just the common cold, not the flu, but have felt absolutely miserable. Left work early Thursday, had Friday off, and spent all the time from Thurs evening to early afternoon today indoors. Had to go out; running out of food. However, I felt better for it. For a while.
Later, started watching a video (Fiddler on the Roof) but had to stop because I became incredibly emotional. I don't know why; I know the story well, but during the wedding scene where they sing Sunrise, Sunset I virtually burst into tears. I really don't know why. It brings back no personal memories but I just couldn't go on, even though it is only a musical!
Greetings to new people on this board. As there are people who have been contributing much longer than me, I can only add that people do care, and support each other. There are some really heartwarming people here.
Someone else has complained on the last page about how their screen scrolls away. Mine does in a different way. It seems reluctant to add more than one character a second, and keeps jumping back to the top part of the reply screen. Very frustrating. Colin in Oz.

I bet you could knit again if you tried Gail.Around here you could always tell the women who came down from the North-East because they didn't knit like us.Where we wave both needles about,they knit with long needles and tuck one under their left arm.All the business is done with one hand,same with crochet.If you could keep the wool a bit taut you could get the hook going.

See how the old man gets no let off.

The problem is not him,it is that rabble out there I have to deal with.

Hello everyone,

I haven't been around for while, we've all been sick. Were supposed to be going away for the school holidays but daughter came home a few weeks ago with a cold which meant that I caught it except that mine turned into bronchitis and then B caught it too. it's been pretty unpleasant here with all of us sick. I've been dealing with other stuff too. B gets very frustrated with being sick and being cooped up inside and I am on the receiving end of it all. It's so hard sometimes especially when he asks why I'm not talking much. No point telling him why, he does know why and I certainly don't need to make him feel worse than he does by telling him that he's not being fair to me. At the best of time he feels that he's making my life hard so I don't care to make him worse. We'll get through it. Always do. Hope everyone else is doing OK.

Alison

Hi Alison, i just popped in on the thread before going to bed i don,t think that i have spoken to you before i have not been on much lately either other problems where i am concerned but maybe coming out the other side i hope so anyway.
So sorry to see that your family have been unwell and things have been missed out on because of it, it must have being very hard for you to be so very unwell and still have to cope with the rest of the families illnesses as well. Please take care of yourself and hopefully you will be able to have some "me" time. Take care.
Talk soon,
Lily.

Good morning all,
Well my mum came out of hospital yesterday and l spoke to her on the telephone and she was so happy to be home, l am going to see her on Sunday so will hopefully have a good day with her and some of my family.
OH is doing really well he wants to go back to work in a couple of weeks and said he will see the doctor to see if he can, l'm not sure if its too early but l know he is worrying about he's wages,...............he's firm only pays him full pay for 4 weeks then reduces it, just doesn't seem fair but thats life l suppose. Hope you all had a good weekend and lets hope this week is kind to us, x

Hi Alison,
It is the cold and flu season. But bronchitis is no fun.
B seems little help, if he knows what's wrong with you but doesn't support you. But then, Aussie men don't cope with being sick, do we?
I noticed you wrote "We'll get through it. We always do." That doesn't sound like depression to me, or at least not one where everything is swallowed up in the black fog.
It is relatively easy for me as I don't have children around, but curling up and letting nature take its course did wonders for my little cold. However, I assume you have been a good lady and been to the doctor. Antibiotics should help if there is a bacterial infection coming over the top of the cold virus. Colin also in Oz (NSW).

Who deleted? if it was somebody nervous about posting do please come back.
Mummo, so pleased that your Mum is home, I hope you had a good dayw ith her yesterday, she will have been so pleased to see you. i am sure that fretting about not being able to work will be worse for your OH than going back to work a little bit earlier. The doctor will advise him but is there provision for him to go back on reduced hours? Hope he can get something sorted.
mary, shame about the china and I think the smack on the rear may have done a bit of good as it is not something you would normally do. It probably relieved the tension too and did you good, you have so much to put up with. Well done Em for the dancing medal
Gail, i hope your daughter gets her illness sorted out soon and gets better, harder when you live some distance from them isn't it? Glad you were able to stock up on warm woolies.
Hello Lily. nice that you were able to chat to Alison while the rest of us were not on.
Alison, so sorry you have all been ill, so hard when everyone is ill at once, hope you will soon all be feeling muc better.
Colin, I would think your cold made you feel down and the musical was the last straw, or rather the music which can get to us when we are feeling low. Hope you feel more cheery now.
Sharron, thinking back to when my daughter was 5 and still wet the bed I can only sympathise with a leaky catheter. Why does it leak, is it not changed often enough. sympathise also over the pills, how unhelpful of the surgery not to realise how inconvenient it is and how you could do without any more inconvenience.

Ann
Glos

Sharron I used to knit with one needle tucked under the arm as well. I just might have to give it a try and see if I can change to left-handed. Perhaps thick wool would be best. I would love to knit again, I was very young when I started knitting my dolls clothes. I used to do very fine crochet with cottons, made dozens of table cloths and doilies, you name it I made it. Used to make all my children's soft toys as well. I used to also sell my knitting and crochet work, made good money as well.

Gail

Gail, give it a go with a small amount of thick wool and large needles, just to see if you can, you have nothing to lose. as long as you don't allow yourself to get all depressed if it doesn't work for you. Good luck

Ann xx

Sorry,I was just letting off steam.The catheter doesn't usually leak.

We had a nurse out who did a bladder wash and it was all hunky dory again.Apparently we all shed the odd bit of skin and normally it just goes on it's way but it can get stuck in a catheter.

I get a bit wound up about it because,on one occasion,it took three visits to rectify the situation.There was a defect in a newly fitted one and we were told there was nothing wrong as he sat in a puddle of the fragrant liquid.

I've had worse from the surgery too but that's another story.

I think my Dad's catheter had the occasional leak when he was alive, but he was in a nursing home so we didn't have to sort the problem. glad it is only an occasional thing anyway.

ann

I love this thread for letting off steam, please nobody should say sorry for doing that.

Have made up my mind and will dig out my lovely tortoise shell needles this week and think I still have some wool and will give the knitting a try.

Sharron FIL had a catheter and also had problems with it and the medicos could not find a problem either for a while, took some sorting out. One time he was in Hospital and they were trying to flush it out and he wanted me to stay and hold his hand, head nurse tried to kick me out but I would not budge and stayed with him and held his hand. The other nurses were very pleased as FIL was in agony and need me there. Funny how I can stand up for others but not for myself.

Alison I hope you are feeling much better now.

Hope everyone is feeling better, if not please accept my hugs.

Gail

Hi everyone,
we all seem to have had a bit of a raw time lately haven't we?

Mummo, so glad that your mum seems a little happier in herself, just getting out of hospital can do that, can't it?
Hope she does well at home bless her.

Colin, I too get a bit weepy at FIDDLER.
My weakest bit is the supper scene, when the whole village praying... I think it is beautiful.
I think too that I am feeling that I have missed something in my life, being secular is not a happy place to be really.

How is your daughter today Gail, have you spoken to her?
I'm sure all will be well, but we don't think like that where our children are concerned do we?

Thanks for the recipe for washing up liquid Mary... ;-0).... my husband thinks that if he can't see the bubbles coming out of the kitchen door.... he wont get the dishes clean!
consequently, we run out so often and I cannot persuade him to make sure we ALWAYS have a spare!

It is a beautiful day here today, I have the front door wide open. I don't usually like to do that as I get quite frightened... stupid really as we live in a lovely quiet area.

Liz, how are you today? No doubt I will speak later.X

Think I will go off and read my book for a while. The boys... Allan & Tony... should be in soon and we will have dinner...AND... Tony will pinch my pooter! ;-0)

Have a lovely day all of you and I will see you all later no doubt.
Love to all,
Deanna XXXX