It's been a long time...

 Hello! I bet this is a surprise! I bet you didn't expect to hear from me again.

Where do I start? 

I have not been in the right frame of mind to write a blog for a while. A lot of ups and downs in my life have been taking up my time. I have had a few medical issues, my fibromyalgia has been flaring up, I slipped 2 discs in my back, and I discovered I had really bad osteoarthritis in the base of my spine, as well as in my knees, hands and hips. 

Tony has been a bit depressed, his walking has become worse, he has invested in a wheelchair so Emma can push him round the supermarket or on days out if he doesn't use his scooter. He has been referred to the podiatrist as he has a nasty toe that looks inflamed and painful.

 After avoiding COVID for 5 years, we both caught it in January. I don't know where from or how but I do know that I don't want it again. I couldn't get out of bed for about four days, Tony, thankfully, had been vaccinated so he didn't get it too badly.

There have been other significant events, a prison release, which has caused stress for family members, but one in particular, however, she seems to be coping very well.

Lynsey has been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, which explains a lot about her ways, about her moods and responses to conversations. She has so much to contend with in her life, I sometimes wonder how she does it. She would say "I don't have a choice, I just do it."

On October 1st 2024, we lost Janet. She passed away suddenly, we were all devastated, 

She had not been poorly, and Emma had left her for a couple of hours to go home and check on something at home, only to return to find Janet on the bathroom floor. The hospital told us there was nothing we could have done, that Janet had suffered heart problems that we did not know about, and she could have died at any time, the only consolation was she probably didn't know anything when it happened. We were just so sad she had been alone apart from her dog Sugar, who lives with Emma and Alison now.

Mum lost her dog Oliver, she was lost without him. She now has another little sidekick called Ruby. She is 11 years old and never leaves Mum's side.

On a happier note, the garden is still full of squirrels. We have two babies running around at the moment, and I am sure there will be more over the next few days. The foxes are still around, and nest building is starting to take place. The latest appearance in the garden is two lovely Jays. We often see them coming to steal the monkey nuts off the shed roof that we throw out for the squirrels. 

Now that the weather should start picking up, we hope to get out on the scooters more and do more in the garden.

I have been swimming twice a week for a while now to try and cut down my weight and attend a hydrotherapy class. Obviously, when COVID struck, I had to stop for a few weeks. Since then, I have discovered that my heart rate reaches heights it is not supposed to, which causes me breathing problems and palpitations. I have been told I can continue swimming but must see a doctor before attending the classes. I have an appointment booked for April 11th, which is the earliest I could get. I hope my heart can take it until then; I don't want to have to stop swimming either. 

I have had some contact with my daughter, whom I haven't heard from since she was 15 and is now 41. We are taking things slowly. We should build a new relationship over time. We are in no rush. I have 3 grandchildren to maybe meet one day. It would be nice, but again, there is no rush. 

Well, that is enough waffling for now, maybe next time there will be some photos.

Until the next time...

Photos from the garden, new life and injuries...

As promised, here are a few photos taken from my bedroom window this morning. First is a pretty young Robin, the first one I have seen this year.

A Young Robin in the garden.

The Robin seemed to enjoy the pot of Flutter Butter I purchased from Amazon. So did the Young Starling, the Coal Tit, the Magpie and the Great Tits.

Young Starling.

Coal Tit.

Magpie

Great Tits

It's a good job I bought a few of them and two holders. The seeds are going down fast as well because we have a very greedy squirrel

A very greedy squirrel

Who thinks I have put it there for him to empty.

An Injured Squirrel

I spotted an injured squirrel in the garden today, it has injuries on its back, but more disturbing is the injury to its right eye. I don't know if it has been fighting with another squirrel, has fallen or if a cat has managed to catch it. I shall keep a watch out for it and if it gets any worse I will find out if there is anywhere I can ring to try and get it some help. Otherwise, I suppose nature will just run its course. 

The Turner Family.

My mum sent me a photo, It is my Grandad Turner, my Grandma Turner, then left to right, my Aunty Alice, Uncle Jimmy, my Dad, (on Grandma's knee) & Uncle Tommy.

They look like such a happy bunch.

Until the next time...
 

Health, garden news and a bit of a waffle...

 I have finished 6 weeks of hydrotherapy attending one day a week, it did me some good and I am sorry it is over. However, I hope to continue swimming with Emma or Lynsey one or two days a week. I know it will not be the same because the water will be cold and in a public pool which will mean more people. I don't like people especially if there are a lot of them. I will give it a go just to see if I can manage and to see if it helps keep the pain threshold down. 

I am still seeing the occupational therapy team with my hands, Liz thinks I might have rheumatoid arthritis and wants me tested for it. The GP disagrees and thinks it is carpal tunnel. He sent me to be assessed for an operation, the surgeon agreed that I do have some symptoms of carpal tunnel but also agreed that I have some rheumatoid arthritis and has referred me to rheumatology. I can see this being a long slog. The occupational therapy team are also concerned about a swelling I have sometimes at the top of my spine near the back of my neck, this appears in the evening and sometimes is large enough to push my head forward. This makes them think there could be more nerves involved and even my bone structure. Things just look better all the time. Then Lynsey pipes up with "You do know this tumour I have can be genetic don't you? You might have one as well". Thanks, Lynsey let's look on the bright side.

Tony has been busy in the garden and is beginning to look very colourful. He has hanging baskets and potted plants around the garden and is spending quite a lot of time out there while he can. At least while the weather allows. We haven't been out on the scooters much the weather hasn't been good enough for that yet. Hopefully, it will pick up during July and August. The birds are busy in the nests feeding chicks. A few are coming into the garden I have the camera ready for when a few more appear. The squirrel population has grown we sometimes have 4 in at the same time and at the moment we have babies again. Our neighbour Anne still loves it she cannot believe how much life there is in the garden since we moved in. We have been here for two years now. In the last few months, we have got new neighbours in four out of the six bungalows. Ken died last August,  Chris and Pete and their old Labrador moved into his. Then Mo exchanged with Sheralee, and Nancy moved into a home, so Lilly and her daughter Hazel moved in. Lilly has dementia so Hazel is her full-time carer. Then Adele did an exchange with George and his son Simon. George is 80 years old and Simon is his carer as well, they also have a dog living with them called Sonny. So it has all changed Anne got a bit worried and made us promise that we were not going to move. She also got a bit worried about the dogs because she was terrified of them after being attacked by one a few years ago. However, she has met Sonny and seems to be coping ok.

Lynsey is doing well health-wise except for a few visits to A&E she has had no major problems. She has had a few disagreements at work, but her main bugbear at the moment is her backyard. What should have been a three-day job has turned into a week job so far and it is still not finished. She certainly knows how to pick her workmen.

Lynsey's dad was turned down for parole again in March as he was seen to be too dangerous for release which is laughable as in September his sentence comes to an end so he will walk out a free man anyway. I have written to my MP in the hope that there is something they can do but I will not hold my breath, even more now that an election has been called. 

Well, I think I have rambled on long enough for now so I shall finish here, Take care of yourselves, keep well and safe.

Until the next time...

The Bedroom is coming along...

 The bedroom is coming along nicely, the double bed has been dismantled and a single one installed. The double one is going to Lynsey's when Richard has time to take it for me. I have bought new sets of drawers for my clothes and a new chair that turns into another single bed for overnight guests for when May comes from America in April.

I have bought a tent for my mobility scooter because the council have decided we have not been on the waiting list for a garage and we cannot have one anyway because a mobility scooter is not classed as a vehicle.

not a very good picture but it gives you the idea.

We have new baby squirrels in the garden one of them has already had an altercation with a local cat and lost part of his tail, luckily it doesn't affect his balance.

My granddaughter Willow had her 6th birthday onTuesday, 

She never seems to stop smiling.

I have been on a T-shirt buying binge, this one is my favourite,

Oh come on what did you expect?

Until the next time...

Finally I began on the bedroom...

 This morning at 7:20 am, a skip was delivered to the bungalow, so now the clear-out has begun. Underneath my bed, where there used to be boxes and bags of clutter, are now two small boxes containing printer paper and envelopes. When installed, these will be moved to shelving units above my desk.

Hopefully, Richard Tony's son will be visiting tomorrow, and he will take some bags of clothes and books to a charity shop for me. That will clear out a significant area of the room.

 I want to dismantle the double bed, which is going to Lynsey's. I am going to buy a single bed for myself. This will give me more room in the bedroom for a chair at the desk, which will be comfier than the one I have now. 

I also want to make room for a small table for the sewing machine to stay out on so I can use it more. I plan to make more clothes and covers instead of buying them. My weight fluctuates a lot, so being able to alter my clothes would be a big help. I have done this in the past, so there is no reason I cannot do it again once I have the room.

Not A Lot But A Start...

Well, I have started, at least now. I just have to keep going. The bedroom doesn't look any different because all that has come from under the bed. I am surprised it touched the floor. My Mum would tell you I was the same growing up; everything went under the bed. Mum would ask if I had tidied my room, and I would say yes; when she went to look, I would have just pushed it all under the bed and pulled the cover down so you couldn't see it. Job done. Things don't change much, eh, Mum! I can only do so much before my hands swell and are too painful to carry on, so today, I paced myself so more can be done tomorrow. I have the skip for seven days; let's see how I go.

Until the next time...

Someone hacked my bank on Monday...

 I spent all day on the phone with the bank. Someone has used my account to pay for goods, and it was not me. Apparently, they have used a phone to pay contactless. I don't know how they did it, but the bank knows it wasn't me, and they have reported it as fraud. I will get my money back, but it could take a while. I wouldn't mind if I had lots to spare; I am guessing the people who took it have a lot more than I have. It was all the messing about ringing Action fraud, phone calls from the bank, texts from the bank, and going into the bank with a photo ID; I don't leave the house or talk to people most of the time. I think I spoke to more people in one day than in the last 6 months. Now my card has been stopped, I have to wait for a new one so I can't buy anything or use it anywhere; I am going to be wary about using it online now anyway. 2024 is beginning to be a pain in the proverbial.

Until the next time

Just my luck...

 I ordered new clothes airer to be delivered today, I was really happy because the washing has been piling up. However, I should have known, I opened the parcel and this is what I found,

What use is a clothes airer with three and a half legs?

I contacted them straight away to tell them what I thought, I have to send it back for a refund😂😂

The bedroom has been put on hold again, online shopping, the daughter that never stops ringing and the after-effects of knee injections from yesterday just meant it never got off the ground. Tomorrow won't be spent in there either because said daughter needs help with her home office. 

Tony hopefully will have the company of his son Richard at some point over the weekend, who is coming to do some more work in the back garden. Our garden should be the best in the neighbourhood by summer let's just hope we get the weather to go with it.

Christopher has a bar in Cleckheaton called The Chain Bar, and he seems to be doing very well with it. He holds different theme nights to pull in the punters who all seem to enjoy themselves. One of his latest nights is Clairvoyant Nights which seems to be sellouts every time. 

Emma is enjoying her new role as a carer to Janet, she certainly keeps her entertained. Janet has severe learning difficulties with the mind of a child. She is 74 years old and has a Yorkshire terrier called Sugar.

Sugar & Janet.

Janet needed help after Ken died she had no one to look after her. Emma gave up her job and became her full-time carer. They are very rarely apart now. Janet goes to Emma's house most days and Emma goes to Janet's bungalow every day.

Lynsey is still getting on with life she is being inundated with follow-up appointments for the hospitals after everything that happened last year. We will find out soon how much if any her spinal tumour has grown amongst other things. Biscuit one of her cats also has a tumour, it is on the top of his head, thankfully it is benign which is good because for eight years she has been told by several different vets that it was "only a skin tag". He still needs it removed it fills up with fluid and appears to cause him headaches and a dislike of bright light.

Lynsey is taking part in a walk for charity, Royal British Legion Industries. She is walking 10k steps a day or attempting to, you can find her under the name of mysinglestatus on Instagram or Facebook to donate there you can read about her story.

I think I need to go and find a hot water bottle and a cup of tea now.

Until the next time...

The first Doctors appointment of 2024

 Today's visit to the doctor was for my steroid injection into my knee. It should have been my left knee however, because my right knee was so painful and swollen he agreed to inject my right knee. He has also referred me to hydrotherapy. I know this will take a while I am not expecting miracles, I just hope it won't be too long. 

My latest pair of DM's fur-lined it says Dark Grey but they are shiny black, the laces are courtesy of the youngest daughter makes them a bit more in your face.

Until the next time...

The bedroom is looking no better...

 The bedroom is a mess...

I have been trying to sort out the bedroom since we moved in here! No matter how much I throw out it never looks any better. I am going to get a skip, I did send some stuff to Emma's when she had one, I sent some up to Janets and she has had two. It hasn't helped. The bedroom is still a mess. I am being brutal but it looks like I am going to just have to be more so. The trouble is I have things that I have had from my childhood, my teenage years and years in between. That is a lot of stuff. However, that is all it is stuff. Clothes I will never fit in again, memories I would probably be better off forgetting, I realised today that the things I really want to remember I could photograph and make into a memory book, that way I can then throw away the bulky stuff and still look at the things I want to remember. So on Friday, my camera is coming out, a photoshoot will take place and next week I am ordering that skip.

Until the next time...

The year is off to a slow start...

 Today was a quiet day, I spent it with Mum. Tuesday is Mum's day, so a small amount of normality is creeping back into the daily routine if there is such a thing.

We have new neighbours getting ready to move into the bungalow where Ken used to live, who died in August 2023. Then Mo who lives in a bungalow on the same side will be leaving us soon to exchange to an address in Ossett, Nancy who lives in the remaining bungalow on that side is waiting to go into sheltered accommodation as she is finding it increasingly difficult to live alone. It will all change over that side come summer, hopefully, we and Anne will carry on as usual Adele will fit in wherever she can as she usually does.

Tony has been asking the WDH about the garage that Ken had because we have been on the waiting list since we moved into the bungalow, even though we no longer have a car we need one for the mobility scooters these are our main means of transport now. We are not supposed to keep them inside our property so we need somewhere else to keep them, Tony has a scooter shed but it is only big enough for one. We are hoping to buy bigger ones for longer trips out so the shed might not be big enough for one. They were supposed to phone him straight back but he is still waiting for a callback.

The squirrels are growing in numbers we have 5 visiting the garden, we have a variety of birds and overnight we have foxes and tawny owls.

All enjoying the garden over the year 2023.

Until the next time...

Well here we are 2024...

I had a play liked what I saw so I played some more.

Two of my favourite things, are squirrels and sunflowers.

You can expect to see more of both in the coming months.

 

Until the next time...

A Quick Update...

I finally managed to get my last tooth removed on Tuesday, 20th June 2023. I have to return on Friday, 7th July, for a fitting to make some dentures. I may feel better and be ready to venture outdoors more after this. I have still got an ongoing battle with the doctors over my pain management; I have reduced my Gabapentin down to 200mg    3 x daily from 600mg, which I think is a good amount. When I put in a repeat prescription, I asked for more 200mg tablets, and they have not sent any; I, of course, questioned this and am waiting for an answer. I was supposed to have a telephone appointment at 12.30 pm, but it is now 1.45 pm, and I am still waiting. I need help, but it needs to look better than no meds and phone calls. I can self-refer to Aspire for hydrotherapy, but I would have more chances if the doctors referred me, and I would get in quicker. 

Tony has had his op on his wrist. It all went well; he says it was a lot easier than last time, it didn’t hurt as much, and he seems to be doing well. The only thing it seems to stop him from doing is washing up because he is not allowed to get the wound wet. 

We have been out on the scooters, just short trips to Morrisons; Tony is happy to sit in the garden now that he has a small patio area. He takes a snack and a drink outside and soaks up the sun. At least his vitamin levels will increase without having to rely on tablets. The BBQ has been used once, but I am sure it will be used more when Tony can fully use his hand; Anne and the other neighbours look forward to it happening. Alison has given strict instructions that she be invited to the next one. 

Lynsey has not been able to have her first nerve injections yet; she had a rather nasty gum abscess preventing the injections. The dentist gave her some antibiotics, and she must wait until the infection and swelling have subsided. The next visit to the dentist ended with the tooth being extracted; when the tooth was removed, the dentist was amazed to discover a small cyst attached to the end of the root. This could have accounted for the reason the infection had been so bad. Lynsey has been booked back in for the nerve injections, but if the condition is still lingering, she will have to postpone them again. 

Oliver, Mum’s dog, has also been out of sorts lately. He has been off his food and is sick. We hope it is just the weather and nothing serious; he is quiet compared to usual. 

I just got my call from the doctor at 3.55 pm. They cannot tell the time. I am being referred to physio and hydrotherapy. Well, how long will that take? In the meantime, she will make sure I get some Gabapentin, and it will be put back on a repeat prescription. I still, however, have to talk to Dr Mirza.

Emma is going to Scarborough this weekend; Olivia has paid for them to go and watch Rag and Bone Man at the open-air theatre; Emma is buzzing about this. She has never been to anything like this before. 

I took delivery of an exceptional parcel earlier this week; I have waited seven weeks since I ordered these, and they were worth the wait.

A Very Special Pair Of HandPainted Doc Marten Boots.

Until the next time...

Some good news, some fun and games, a badly placed sign...

 The garden has been partially flagged, and Tony has his scooter shed to house his mobility scooter when Richard takes his car away. Tony's driving days are over. This happens just as I receive this...

My Blue Badge.

I have finally been awarded mobility after years of being refused. Not only that but because I was awarded 10 points for being able to walk 20 metres but no more than 50 metres, I was automatically eligible for the blue badge. Happy Days. At least it will make life easier for all the doctors and hospital appointments we must attend. No more paying for parking and more accessible parking spots. Talking of hospital appointments, I finally saw the hospital dentist after waiting since May 2022. He sent me to have an x-ray of my jaw and gums, spoke to me, looked at my three and a half remaining teeth, and told me... "I am going to refer you back to your dentist. There is no reason that you cannot have the teeth extracted there." I didn't know what to say. I had waited nearly a year for this! He said he would write to the dentist, send a copy of the letter to me and then I was to ring the dentist and make an appointment. I was shell-shocked. 

The letter arrived a few days later. I rang the dentist. I have an appointment on May 5th with Mr Khan, I think he should remove all the teeth in one go, but it will take some time. It might be one at a time. Then I should have some dentures made to stop me from looking like Granny Grump. 

Granny Grump

Tony is enjoying his new Rise & Recliner chair. It seems to be doing his legs some good. Now his feet are higher than his hips; when he sleeps, the fluid drains back up his legs, and his circulation improves. The best part is that he can step straight out of the chair alone when in the rise position. Tony seems much better in himself now he is more self-reliant. 

Tony went for an appointment with the fracture clinic today. He still has trouble with the feeling in his thumb and two fingers; he has to have an operation to relax a nerve in his hand, he is not looking forward to that, but it should be happening in the next few weeks; fingers crossed. 

Lynsey, as usual, has had some more drama in her life; she phoned me at 6:10 am the other morning to tell me she had sent me a photo on WhatsApp; I had a look and just burst out laughing even more when she asked if I thought she should put a plaster on it.

Lynsey sent me this picture.

 

A day later, she sent me this one.

We concluded that she had had a nocturnal seizure and banged her head on the bedside cabinet. 

Lynsey has a neighbour next-door who parks his car and van outside her house; this means he is parked on a bend, so traffic cannot see if any other traffic is coming. This means the bus and any other vehicles blast their horns to let the other drivers know they are coming around. This happens during the night as well as during the day.

That's close.

Then the other day, he went to the other extreme and parked his van across the road in the middle of the road; other drivers thought somebody was in the van, well you would, wouldn't you.

Abandoned or Parked?

Then the police blocked the road for hours.

Nobody knows why; they stayed for hours, they left, they came back, they left, then they came back, and then they left again. It's been fun and games at Crigglestone; I am sure we will find out the full story soon; somebody said it was a shooting, an ambulance did attend at one point, the paramedics parked the ambulance near the park behind Lynsey's house, ran across to a row of houses behind and disappeared. When Lynsey looked again, the ambulance had gone.

Emma has been helping us a lot, running us about when we need to go somewhere. She has bought a new car, it is a five-door Peugeot 108 Automatic. The other car she had was a three-door which meant neither Tony nor I could get in the back; this is one of the reasons she changed it. 

Emma's new car.

I think I have probably waffled long enough now, so I will just leave you with another picture that Lynsey sent me that amused me,

This supermarket should be more careful of the placement of its signs...

 

Until the next time...