General Chat

We will need a holiday Florence, so we are thinking of going in. September. Before Covid we used to take three foreign holidays every year, but we haven’t been since then.
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We are going away with the family on Saturday night. Esme is eleven on Friday, she is having a party on Saturday afternoon, just at home with a bouncy castle in the garden. There aren’t many children in her class of course and unfortunately most of them can’t come, but she will still enjoy it. Her father’s birthday is on Sunday, so after the party, we are all going to Whitby, although on Saturday n,ight we are staying in a Premier Inn in Scarborough because everything in Whitby was so expensive. On Sunday morning we are going to a family performance of Dracula in Whitby Abbey, then we will spend the rest of the day in the town. He hasn’t really been to Whitby, although we have been dozens of times over the years

Morning all
Its a bit misty but the sun is trying to peek through and when i went outside I can feel spits of rain and I pit out some washing but it can stay there as it may clear up.

I saw that down south have horrendous rain and thunder storms and they can stay down south ty as I hate the storms.

I'm home alone as daughter awy for a family big birthday celebration somewhere until Friday so it's peaceful butt tidy here .

i have a lot of paperwork to sort and a few other jobs on my to do list so plenty to keep me busy.
Yesterday it turned out fine later on so i spent ages deheading all my flower pots, weeding and picking up all the dahlia petals the wind had blown everywhere so a good job done.

Glad you are seeing daylight Linda and I'm sure you hubby will be so glad once it['s all done. You will need a holiday then to recharge the batteries!

Hope all is well with everyone else looking in today.

Florence in the hebrides

I hope that your move is progressing well Sylvia. How long will it be before you move into your new apartment? You must have an awful lot of stuff to get rid of. I thought that I was ruthless before we moved here, but we still managed to bring far too much.

We knew before we moved in that there was a large amount of work to do, but of course you don’t appreciate how hard it will actually be. We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel though. The joiner turned up yesterday and put the new doors on between the lounge and dining room, they are a great improvement. OH needs to
paint them, but as they are already primed white, they look OK for the time being.

The plumber came and put the towel radiator on the wall in the en-suite, so they have finished. There is still a lot for OH to do in there. We bought a new heated mirror to replace an old one, so he has that to put up. All the skirting boards have to go back on and the ceiling is to mend and the walls painted. Poor thing is very tired, but he only has one small bedroom to decorate after this. He is spending the morning going backwards and forwards to the tip with all the packaging we have accumulated, there will be three car loads full.

This is the first day for ages that we haven’t had workmen in the house, which is nice, It would be nicer though if the kitchen fitter turned up to finish the job. It is two and a half weeks now since we last saw him, so I am starting to push to get it done.

It is warm this morning, but showery, it looks bad down south, so I hope everyone is fine,

I think it was July 2007 we had bad flooding in the Gloucester area. Flood didn't affect us but it hit the Electricity sub station and 48,000 were without electricity for 19 hours And it hit Severn Trent and 35,000 of us were without water for 18 days. Council set up depots to collect water and they also brought900 bowsers round for (I think I remember this correctly) water that had to be boiled.

I haven't actually remembered the figures I had to look it up. Hard to believe now, lots of money was put into protecting the sub station (which is on the edge of the floos plain and also Severn Trent at Mythe Bridge near Tewkesbury. Not had a problem since.

It is horrible being without water. Recently my son was without water for days. He has no car so couldn’t get to the pick up points. Said he didn’t need us as he was coping. Eventually took him several bottle f water butt water so he could use it in the loo. He didn’t get as much refund as expected as his area was supposed to have come back on, but the pressure was not big enough to get it up to the higher flats. He should have complained every day!

When we lived in provided accommodation the in-house works staff would turn off the waiter and go off for lunch - leaving several mums unable to cook for their tots. When one building was being converted the company turned off the big supply on a Friday - so I went and turned it back on. Don’t think there was a flood in there ;-)

Morning everyone looking in today.
My grass cutters turned up but decided as the grass hasn't grown in 2 weeks, it didn't need cutting! That saved me a few pounds anyway.

Its a another grey day but very still and just perfect for midges grrr.

Sylvia, my goodness such an upheaval for you after 52 years but you are lucky as we don't have that service in Scotland. At least for now hubby is in a safe place and being looked after but you have to try and look after yourself. You will be tired out as moving is so stressful and drains you of all energy. So glad you have your niece to assist you

ArgyllGran, isnt it just the worse without water and not being able to shower etc. We were without water once for 3 days!!! They left a truck with bottles outside neighbours house but it took 8 bottles just to flush the loo! The washing was piled up as there were 4 of us then. Boiling a kettle to wash in and wash dishes was a nightmare. So glad you have it back on now.

Sorry to hear about your brother too but glad he can still go walking with someone. Think its really important to let them continue their normal schedules as much as possible as change would really upset someone. Such a horrid disease to have.

Its bin day today and strangely no gale blowing lol That's a first!

Shall look in later as plenty to do now.

Florence in the hebrides

I've had a look at the "Out of Chaos" website. What a wonderful service, Sylvia!
There really isn't anything so comprehensive in the UK - at least as far as I can see from a Google search.
A definite gap in the market!

Dementia is a horrible thing. My brother was diagnosed about a year ago, and it's so sad to see his gradual decline, in spite of medication to help slow it down.
He still recognises people in person, but not in photos. He's always been a keen walker and hill-climber, and still goes walking daily - but now with a friend, so that he doesn't get lost. He no longer knows how to operate his phone or computer. And so on.

Yesterday our village was without water from about 3.30am (so I'm told) until 10pm, because of a burst main.
You don't realise how often you turn on a tap until you can't.
I've really appreciated my shower this morning, not having been able to have one yesterday.

Good morning Sylvia and all. One of the hard things about getting older is the loss of energy. When the will to do things is there but the stamina isn't. Added to the stress of seeing how your OH is and trying to keep up with him thinking he is returning home, it is very hard for you.
Do you actually have an actual place to go to now or is there a waiting list. With the relief of having things looked after, taken care of, must be the sadness of knowing that you are going to be leaving your home.
You take care of yourself Sylvia and make sure you are eating properly. <3

Florence .. glad that you got some recompense!

OH was moved up to the Dementia Ward on Friday afternoon, of course nothing happens over the weekend, so we have no further information on him except that there is going to be a thorough assessment. All the doctors etc will start to appear tomorrow. He still believes that he is only in until his elbow has healed, and that he is back to normal so will soon be back home. Daughter and niece are both making certain that everyone knows that I cannot care for him, and that the house is not suitable for him to come to ............. we have boxes everywhere! Out of Chaos, the company we're using to sort everything out is coming again on Thursday for another 7½ hrs work!

Lordy, the stuff we have accumulated over 52 years in this house!

My niece is with me this week, and I told the ward chief that she would be acting as proxy for me for the next few days if I wasn't there. Daughter is still proxy and advocate for me from long distance.

Tomorrow niece and I are going to look at beds ..... I want to buy 2 (twin) beds, we'll take one of our sofa beds for the living room to be used by a single visitor or very friendly couple ..... it's only a small double bed when opened out! Then I'll see how I've held up before deciding to go onto the hospital or go home instead .............. I don't have much energy, and am having to take too many Tylenol (acetaminophen) with codeine for my liking. OH does still realise that I have limited energy.

We're still in hot weather, though a little cooler than last week thankfully!

Take care everyone

Afternoon all looking in.

Yes AnninGloucs, i agree but tell me why has service gone down? Don't companies worry about losing customers when bad service drives them away.?
I would have thought that in this day & age where businesses are struggling to survive that customer service should be their top priority as they simply can't afford to lose customers!

Overcast here today but quite windy so have the sheets out on the line and should dry fairly quickly.

I have sent for a few certs as been doing a lot of family tree stuff so now its a waiting game.

Linda, when you moved, did you realise the amount of work you would have to do? I'm not sure at my age if I would have taken it all on so you & OH are very brave. Hope it all gets finished soon. Happy belated wedding anniversary and hope the meal was enjoyable.

Well better carry on with some housework as my kitchen looks like a bomb has gone off with all of daughter's clutter grrr

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning all. good that you got some money back Florence. Customer service just seems to be going the way everything is these days.

good too Linda that you got a new light fitting. Why can't these people own up when something gets broken? Still you are slowly getting there. There must be times when you wish that you had never moved. It will be worth it when it is finished though, I'm sure.

That is excellent news getting your expenses back Florence. It is just a pity that they put you to all that trouble in the first place.

I have had a busy couple of days. On Thursday afternoon, we cleaned up after the joiner. OH noticed that our new light fitting in the en-suite was broken, either the young plumber had hit it when he was getting the wall boards out, or the joiner hit it putting the new boards in. The joiner also said that he had swept up outside before he left as there was a lot of sawdust from where he was cutting the boards. When I looked I saw that he had just swept it all to the side where the old sink etc was. A bit like sweeping it under the carpet. He also had the cheek to add an extra three bags of rubbish from his van to the pile.
The boss man plumber came on Friday to finish the job, so straight away he said to get a new light fitting and he would reimburse us. Luckily they were still in stock at the outlet store where we bought it from, so the new one arrived today. It made more sense to get the same one because the bulbs are so expensive and we have those of course. It is looking very good, but he couldn’t quite finish it. The towel radiator still needs to be put on the wall. He would have done it, but they had used some no nails to secure one of the brackets, but it hadn’t set, so they had to put something different in. He is coming back on Monday morning, so that shouldn’t take long.
We also had the carpets and vinyl measured and they are now ordered. They could have put the first lot down this week, but OH needs some time for decorating, so we have put it off until a week on Wednesday.

Yesterday afternoon was Esme’s school summer fayreo. I went and took Eve and we spent as much money as we could on the stalls. They had lots of home made jam for onl £1 a jar, so I bought a couple, but there were some left at the end, so I bought all the rest. Esme had a great time with her friends and the rain held off, so they could hold it outside although it was a bit chilly.

OH and I forgot that on Thursday we managed to get out for dinner at the last minute as it was our 54 th wedding anniversary. We walked into town and just took pot luck. We couldn’t get into where we wanted, so went to the second choice. It was fine, but I don’t think that we would go back as there are lots of other places to try.

Afternoon all
Well what an awful day here as its damp, misty and has been raining all day!

Its cold day but not chilly cold, a damp cold which seems to affect my knees as they are sore today.

I had a response from my airline who have agreed to refund my extra expenses but they made no apology for lack of service, so unacceptable. I replied giving them my bank details but reiterated about the lack of care towards passengers who need special assistance.

Customer services in any situation these days has gone right downhill .When I worked in Banking Services, we had to give 110% else we would be given a right good talking to and was reminded that the customers pay our wages. So no customers, no jobs!!

Just pottering about the house today, some family tree research and not much else really.

Hope everyone else is having a good day.

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon, . Well I went into Harrogate on the bus again, it was a bit late because of the show traffic, but not bad considering. I had gone early, so had a look around the shops, but didn’t buy anything.

I had my hearing tested sitting in the booth, pressing a buzzer when I heard the sound. As expected my hearing was a bit worse than the last time I had it done, but not too bad. He said that my hearing aids just weren’t working properly, so he sorted them out. One needed a new tube, only £30 as they were out of warranty. The other one had lots of wax inside, so was bunged up. He dug all that out then reprogrammed them to the new prescription. What a difference, they are just like they were when they were new. As I walked back to the bus, I was aware of the terrible racket all around me. After I got off the bus to walk home, I could hear all the birds chirping in the trees. It will take a few days for my ears to adjust, the same sort of thing you get when you have a new prescription in your glasses.

The carpenter is still working away in the en-suite, but he dies seem to be careful. We thought that we would have to have a wall replastered where had removed some tiles. He said that he had an electric sander, so offered to sand the wall back. We offered to pay him if he did it. I haven’t been to look yet,but OH said it is now good enough to paint. Although the sander has a bag attached to it, apparently there is a huge amount of dust. Cleaning that is not going to be fun.

Afternoon all

Not a bad day here, dry, little breeze but the midges I feel are lurking and not far away.

A very quiet day for me and daughter away all day elsewhere and wont be home until 8.30pm. I should do a basket of ironing but the shower & hair wash has drained me so im sitting for a bit doing some research and then maybe do 1/2 hour. My left leg is very swollen today and aches when standing to long. i cant sit & iron. I tried it once but prefer to stand.

linda, oh my, i would def be complaining. How careless of them. They just don't seem to care about peoples furniture etc as long as they get the job done!

My toe seems less painful and not swollen as before so i think i have turned the corner but still keeping the dressing until Sunday, then i shall remove and redress and see how it is.

No tel calls from surgery yet!

Have a good afternoon everyone looking in

Florence in the hebrides

Pleased to hear that Joan is ok, hope she will come back soon. Strange how we are all different. when my Tony died I found a lot of help by being on this board. It helped me not feel so lonely and gave me a lot of support. It is such a hard time, was over 60 years for me so I do know how you feel Joan. such an empty space in our lives.

Linda that was very inconsiderate of that young plumber. As you say it would be quite an effort to lift the mattress up to get it out to wash. No way could I get mine out. Good job you have not got new carpets down yet.
Sometimes it is a wonder that we choose to have these large jobs done at all, they seem to cause more work than they save.

It is good to hear that Joan is OK, hopefully she will be back soon.

The young plumber got the toilet and sink working and was supposed to fit the new towel radiator before 1 pm when he was going to another job. He had a problem with one of the new pipes, so had to redo the joint, so the radiator isn’t actually on the wall. I was cross with him this morning because yesterday they had lots of tool boxes propped open at the bottom of the bed. When they left, I saw that the cream valance sheet was absolutely covered in mud. I had a go at rubbing it off, but it needs washing of course. It is underneath a very heavy mattress, so it will have to stay until we need to move the bed to get the new carpet in. Despite being very apologetic, I noticed that he still had boxes and pipes on top of my nice bamboo duvet cover. He isn’t coming back, tomorrow it is a carpenter who is putting the wall boards in the shower area and the splash back over the built in unit. Then on Friday boss man plumber is coming to finish everything off, so I will be having very stern words with them

The kitchen still isn’t finished, the fitter says he is still ill, so will let me know when he can come. It is just so annoying, especially as it is costing a fortune. If he doesn’t appear by next week, I will start chasing the actual kitchen company as our contract is with them. Why is life always so difficult?
:-|

Just want to let everyone know that Joan is ok but feels at the moment she is not ready to come back & chat. She is still missing her Jack terribly as one can imagine after all the years they were married.

She says to say hello to everyone and hopes to be back soon.

Florence in the hebrides

Well, well. just had tel call from my surgery to say, District nurse will be out to measure my legs? So my email woke them up at least. But the Dr i saw away measured my legs and gave the figures to my GP.

If they think, pressure stockings are the answer then they haven't read the letter properly as it stated I would need a calf wrap first before i could get any compression stockings on my leg!! When i asked what day they would come, the receptionist said she couldn't say???? Just as well I don't go out often isn't it!

I'm glad your toe is improving, Florence. That sounds so painful.

I know of a couple of people locally who had MRIs done earlier this year, and they had to wait at least 6 weeks. As you say, such a long wait, worrying about what the result will be.

Good to hear that the elbow op is done, and that you're making progress with your Assisted Living plans, Sylvia.
There's very little assisted living (sheltered housing) in this area, and long waiting lists .

Joan - how are you? We haven't heard from you for a while - hope you're OK.

We had one and a half warm sunny days , and for once some summer clothes saw the light of day - but yesterday and today we've been back to cool, showery, windy, grey weather, plus jumpers and heating.

Of course, it always does rain for the school holidays!

In spite of the lack of sunshine, my strawberries are doing well. Enough are ripening to give me a small plateful every day.