Sunday 9 August 2020

Sunday Smiles Before The Storm

 


It was a Mum and Son weekend.

 Pip stayed with Sara, Tom and Oliver and Ben and I hung out together.  It was meant to be a quiet weekend but in the end we had two lots of garden visitors at various times on the Saturday afternoon, with rest breaks in between.  Living with a chronic illness and one that is in a significant flare is always tricky when it comes to socialising.  I find sustained conversation when I am this unwell very exhausting and in turn it exacerbates all the horrid physical symptoms. However I am  mindful that Ben and Pip need bright spots in their day and so  I said yes to the visitors knowing there would be a pay back at some point.

This morning I dropped off some items for Dave en route to having lunch with ST and Ollie and I made the mahoosive mistake of not taking the lift and using the stairs 😓  By the time I reached his ward I couldn't walk in a straight line and the muscle tremors had kicked in, oh dear.  There was no sign indicating that visitors were not allowed and a nurse even let me through the doors but I was met by a staff nurse who wouldn't even let me wave at Dave from the corridor.  I know they are doing their job but I must admit I was sad.

Sara made a really lovely lunch but the visit was marred by my feeling very poorly.  In fact I even forgot to take pictures of the visit which was a shame as I know Dave would have loved to see how they were all doing, ah well that's life.

Once home I staggered upstairs and crashed on the bed and that was me for the remainder of the afternoon (I've spared you the photo of me looking ghastly!)  Pip occupied herself downstairs and Ben took charge of the tea, thank God.  I had a very tired WhatsApp chat with Dave after tea and he has finally recognised that he needs a transfer to the neurological rehab centre in Preston.  He is currently on a geriatric rehab ward and a significant number of the patients have dementia.  Consequently he was disturbed during the night with staff dealing with folk going walkabout and looked quite dispirited this evening.

We are spending part of this forthcoming week in Cumbria visiting family, the kids and I need a break and my Dad is hoping I'll trim his hair, poor guy must be really desperate!  So tomorrow and Tuesday are home days packing and tidying and with a bit of luck Dave should be transferred to rehab before we leave on Wednesday.

Saturday 8 August 2020

August Snapshots

The man himself complete with ...


... a hospital beard and  an array of not terribly appetising food that is also causing an allergic reaction, so a visit from the dietitian is booked for next week. 




A specially commissioned Pip doodle for a 'dauntless dad'



 Never trust a man wit' beard, that can also hack your Sainsbury's food account and add a posy of Freesias to the shop 😜


Ollie let loose with the hose pipe, watch out mummy!



Mary following in her mum's footsteps and  climbing The Hoad Monument in Ulverston.


Keeping busy, cleaning the secateurs.

Trying out the latest bit of gardening gear, ideal for when working at the church using the strimmer and ride on mower.


Pip enjoying a much needed sleepover with her best buddy and yay the sun was shining that day!


Me having a much needed crash on the floor, currently dealing with a ME/Fibromyalgia/Glandular Fever flare at the moment, which is not surprising!  Thankful for a slew of herbal medicine and supplements and although it is horribly manageable it really could be a lot worse 😉

Happy Saturday x 

Sunday 2 August 2020

The Etac Turner

Dave has been using one of these aids as a standing device which was also instrumental in assisting Kate Davies recover from a stroke in 2010, she shares her enthusiasm for this piece of canny equipment in the following YouTube video:

 

Saturday Work

It was a very productive day at number sixteen: I worked through my job list which included cleaning the bathrooms and checking off the newly arrived bank statement, I'm quite pleased with my finance progress and it is coming together nicely.  Pip made one of her epic doodles for Dave to provide some much needed colour in his day, Ben made a yummy melt in the mouth tart for tea as well as helping Mum prune the plum tree (that has yet to fruit), so all in all a good day.



Courgette, Leek and Cheese Tart



Outside card gaming



Tucking in



I tried every which way with exposure compensation but had real trouble with setting the lighting on the camera and yes, that is another steep learning curve!  I have finally to take as many photographs as I can using my lovely camera that Dave bought for my 50th so with a bit of luck and practice things should improve!









Beautiful bouquet from our lovely friends that visited on Friday, it was strange and sad not to hug goodbye but that's life at the moment :-)