General Chat

Oh Mandy, how frightening that must of been hearing your smoke alarm at that time in the morning, did you find out what caused it to go off, does the battery need replacing? It's no wonder you couldn't get off to sleep again.

I've just had a similar experience, which is why I'm still awake. I was going to make myself a drink but when I switched the kitchen light on it buzzed and flickered so I switched it straight back off again, but could smell burning. I was terrified a fire had started in the loft and OH is in work, so after about 10 minutes with the smell getting worse I rang him at work and he came home and checked the loft, luckily he couldn't see anything and once he opened the back door the smell has died down a bit now. We think it got damp with the wet plaster on the ceiling, but I'm going to ring the electrician tomorrow who did our re-wire to ask why it didn't trip out, it's the second time something has happened and the electrics haven't tripped so I think we need to get him back to take a look. We may also need a new kitchen light. I'm not going to turn the light on again so might put some sticky tape over the switch to remind me, but I know how you must of felt as I'm a bit nervous to go to sleep myself now as OH has gone back to work and I'm on my own. OH has put a plant pot outside our bedroom window and I've put a small stool on the inside incase there is a fire and I can't get to the front door. The kitchen door is right next to our bedroom door so if the worse was to happen at least I can get out of our bedroom window if needs be. With the burning smell dying off now I might not need to climb out of the window but it doesn't do any harm to have it ready just in case. I hope your smoke alarm doesn't go off again and it's something simple to fix. I hope your son can fix your blind, it's surprising how such a small amount can make all the difference between the blind going up or not.

I'm going to watch another programme off my planner before taking my night time meds as they knock me out and I want to make sure it's safe to sleep before I take it. I'll be glad when OH is home in the morning though as I'm a bit nervous at the moment. Apart from that happening I'm very pleased now the chimney's out of the kitchen, the room looks massive, it's about four times bigger than our last kitchen so I'll have somewhere to put a table and chairs as we've lost a dining room now we've downsized.

OH's put some more rubbish into the garden bin and I can finally see the pile getting smaller and smaller, so hopefully it won't be to long before it's all gone. I didn't fancy shredding it as it's gets really windy and I didn't want it blowing all over the garden, so OH is going to carry on taking some down the tip and putting some in the garden bin until it's all gone.

We're hoping to have all the jobs finished by Christmas and hopefully have a nice cosy home to live in. I came across a countdown to Christmas website earlier and it's only 219 days to the big day lol :-D :-D :-D We didn't have a Christmas last year as we had packing boxes everywhere so couldn't put the tree up or any decorations so I'm looking forward to this year's Christmas. I think Sandra will be looking forward to her first Christmas with her boyfriend in her new place too.

Going to watch my programme now as I don't feel as tired as I did before the light went funny on me. I think the shock woke me up. I hope everyone else has a good nights sleep.

poor you. hope its better soon. x

Her remark was 'I am not squeamish! It would have been deep as they have to get it all out for the biopsy but I think he was a bit over cautious.

YOur place must look so much bigger with the chimney breast out Gill. I hope Sandra will be happy in her new flat now she has eventualy moved in. She must be so excited chosing all her things.

Nearly dark now and oh has just taken himself off so I can now watch my programs. I watched the first of both new serise last night and they are on again tonight and so is Our Yorkshire Farm so loads to interest me tonight if I can manage to stay awake. Probably watch some tomorrow too.

Ann cut do heal from the inside out so it must have been pretty deep the insition in the first place. Good that daughter can manage to change the dressing for you. She's a good girl.

Gill that is great that Sandra now has her flat. I hope she will be very happy there and that she will manage ok on her own

Mandy daughter has said she will do the dressing ok I don’t think there is much, if any infection there, it is just that there is a space that needs to heal, as far as I can make out, from the inside out so a ‘hole’ is not sealed inside the wound. But nurse today was one of the bossy ones not prepared to chat or explain. I think on Thursday the one I am seeing is the nice one.

Hope you manage to get the blinds finished.

Evening all,

Oh Mel thanks for sending the photos of little George its so lovely to see him ,I can see a bit of Chris in him and James too, he looks a dear little boy if only dear Jane could have had one cuddle with him .

Well we had an early morning call ,2.20 this morning the smoke alarm at the bottom of the stairs went off we both shot down stairs but we checked all round we couldn't smell any smoke ,so off to bed we went but I then couldn't sleep so it was getting light before I dropped off ,we sat having breakfast and the blooming thing went off again so we took it down and took the battery out I need to get another battery for it ,we have another alarm at the top of the stairs too but that didn't go off ,I think it will be an early night for us tonight.

AnnG I hope your daughter will be able to do your dressing ,they didn't give you any more antibiotics to help the Infection? It will be a nuisance having to find a surgery to do it while away but you need to have it done so it doesn't get any worse.

When I spoke to my sister she was telling me her daughter has a bad ulcerated leg it taking long time to heal she caught her leg on the car door , she has had to give up her job as a career as she can't walk very far.

Gill that great the chimney is all sorted you must be pleased ,I was going to say couldn't you hire a shredder, if you have a Jewsons near you they hire things out ,it would soon clear your rubbish ,you'd probably do it all in a day.
Oh I bet Sandra's excited her first home of her own I hope she will be very happy there .

We have been getting some of the new blinds up today, got two up but the third has been a devil its just a mm too long so needs to have the bracket cut into the plaster, we'll let son have a go he will do it quicker than us ,what we would do without him I do know.

No Mel, it's the top floor flat with another one underneath her. She's really enjoying herself buying everything she needs, her gas cooker is being connected tomorrow but for now she's using her microwave. Yes, we were thinking of hiring a shredder but it's so windy here we didn't want all the chipping blowing everywhere. OH's managed to get quite a bit of it in the wheelie bin so the pile is going down slowly.

Going to get something to eat now, I'm quite tired today so I think I'll be having an early night tonight. I haven't slept very well lately so I think it's all caught up with me.

It sounds to me as though it would have been cheaper for you to buy a good shredder and shred the hedge yourself Gill You could use that as a mulch for the garden. I am pleased Sandra now has finaly got her flat. YOu mentioned a loft so is it the top of a house?

Sorry to hear your wound hasn't healed as well as you'd hope before you go away AnnG, I hope you daughter feels confident enough to do the dressing for you and you don't have to go to the surgery.

I've finally got five minutes to myself. The builder finished taking the chimney out yesterday so now we have wet plaster on the wall and ceiling, hopefully it'll be dry in a weeks time so we can put all our white goods back in there. He took the old cupboards out to find they'd been put straight on the wall which had never been plastered so the quote went up as he had to do that extra work, although he said it took him an extra day but after I'd paid him I realised it was the four days he said the job would take to do, along with the coal fire removal in the living room, but he did take the old coal bunker out of the garden and removed the tank out of the cupboard in the hall ready for our bathroom extension so I thought it best not to say anything as he's the only builder I've managed to find who is willing to come and do the work so the last thing I want to do is upset him before the inside jobs are done.

The garden people never turned up so we've still got all the hedge rubbish in the middle of the garden, OH is now taking it down the tip again which he's not happy about, but it has to be done. We're putting some in the garden bin so that's helping a bit. I've been in touch with someone else with a stump grinder to take out the four large plants OH cut down the other week, it's not cheap though so OH said he might borrow the neighbour's chainsaw as he said he could and tackle it himself. The stump fella said the company I'd been in touch with about the removal of the hedge rubbish often don't turn up and have a bad reputation, so I'm glad they never turned up now. It'll cost us about the same in petrol as it would of cost us for them to shred it, so we're no worse off apart from the time it's going to take.

Sandra has finally got her flat, it took 8 months in total, in the end I said she should put in a complaint, she asked me to ring the solicitor so I did to see what the complaints procedure was and within 3 days all the paperwork had been done and the solicitor completed last Friday, so she didn't need to complain in the end. OH took her to the shop yesterday, I would of loved to have gone with them but the builder was here, so OH helped Sandra choose all the white goods and various other things like TV's and a bed and she had fun buying lots of other bits and bobs. We're giving her a sofa and a few other items of furniture so I need to organise a van and a man to take them from here to hers. We'll have to move our white goods out of the spare bedroom into the kitchen so we can gain access to two items of furniture for her then put our white good back into the spare room as the kitchen is still wet, then they'll just be a chest of drawers and the sofa out of the living room. The chest of drawers had to go in the garage while the builder was here as we'd ran out of room but now the living room is dry it can go in there. So she's getting there, she just needs to sort out her bills as I was totally confused trying to do it for her online, so she's going to ask her social worker to help her, plus I think she'll be able to claim for council tax benefit as well. So as you can imagine she's over the moon and can't wait to move in properly once her cooker is installed tomorrow. She has a lot of stuff in storage so that'll be picked up when the furniture from here goes to her's. OH is going to change her lock as she doesn't know who has keys for the flat and he's going to put in a new letter box as her's in broken, then he's going to put the curtain tracks up and the curtains. He's also going to put a TV aerial in her loft for the TV she's ordered, so hopefully in about a weeks time she should be settled. Anything else she needs she can buy a bit of a time each week.

Sandra's just text me to say her white goods are being delivered and she'll ring me when they've gone, so I'd better go.

I thought you would all like to see how he's grown and yes he is lovely and happy.

I can't seem to get into anything today bit achey from yesterday. Made an appointment with the dentists as our dentist has left so its a new one to get used to but the appointment is on 30th July!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hav'nt been now for two years!!!

Now do I go out inthe garden or do the ironing????

Oh AnnG, that is such a shame that your wound hasn't fully healed in time for your break. I hope daughter feels she can do the dressing for you.

Thank you for the pictures of George Mel. He looks such a happy little boy, a real charmer.

Anng sorry to hear your wound is still not healing, what a nuisance with you going away soon. I hope daughter ccanmanage to do it for you so you don't have to go to a local surgery.

Sorry but I can see more of Chris in Hannah's baby than Jane. Its just my oppinion so maybe you can see something I can't.

What a cute baby Mel, thanks for sending it. I see you forgot to add the pics in your excitement lol ;-) ;-) They've come through now. What a shame Jane never met him.

Good afternoon all

It was a bad night and so far it’s not been a very good day but I won’t bore you with the details. Onwards and upwards.

It was nice and sunny first thing. The forecast said rain on and off from lunchtime on so I started hanging washing out, keeping an eye on the large black cloud coming towards us. It was raining before I even finished pegging out. Brought it all back in and then the sun came out again. The washing isn’t ....out I mean. Some of it’s in the dryer and the rest on a clothes horse or hanging in the two showers.

Our friends, a married couple, came for tea and cake yesterday afternoon and it felt so normal to be able to sit indoors and chat. Even so we were sensible and sat spaced out. I also cleaned and disinfected the downstairs cloakroom and kept it for their use, putting in a clean towel and kitchen paper towels in case they preferred to use something disposable for drying their hands. In fact they didn’t need to use the loo but at least I felt I had taken adequate precautions for them. I suppose we will eventually get back to a life with friends able to pop in without us having to worry about it.

Our Monday treat from our neighbour this week was Chunky Mango Cake. It was a slightly strange texture, a bit like a soggy bread pudding, but a lovely flavour with lots of pieces of mango in it and some nuts and spices.

OH has just made our lunchtime sandwich so I’m going to eat that now. Have a nice afternoon.

Oh goodness, George is absolutely gorgeous. I feel so sad that Jane has not seen him, wouldn't she have loved him? Love the one of him laughing I bet Chris idolises him. I am trying to remember but is it my imagination that he does look like Jane? <3

Thanks Mel for getting the photos and passing them on.

Not so good news is that the b***** wound is still not healing properly. apparently in the centre is a cavity which can't be allowed to stay so each time it has a dressing change the cavity has to be packed with a small piece of *something8 gauze maybe.

I had a couple of options, I have an appointment on Thursday at 3.15, If it is still not healed it will be packed again, the options were, if daughter can come with me Thursday to see what is done/how to do it, it will need dressing probably twice while we are away. If she doesn't feel she would be able to do that then I would have to go to the local surgery and get them to dress it.

So fed up as I really thought this would be all finished with way before my holiday.

Can't get anyone to actually say what has caused the cavity

I was surprised at how few threads were posted on Island, maybe they are all out hugging and celebrating.

Car was fine didn't seem to pull on my wound.

There's no picture on the email Mel :-( :-(

I'm here Island just done the big wipe down. Well I suppose it was hand weeding in that sense Island.

It is quiet on here with frank away and Anng at the nurse. I hope she has'nt pulled on the wound with driving there herself. She'll let us know when she gets back and I hope its good news and its healed better now. Sending love <3 .


Now I have a lovely surprise for you all today and shall send it in an email.

Morning Mel and Anng

Sunny here with grey fluff building up, sigh!
I have lots of potting on to do today. Bit tedious but worth it.

Mel, using a little picky tool is still hand weeding to me LOL

Anng, I hope all goes well with the nurse.

Only three threads posted on today. Have they tired themselves out? :-S

Good morning all, 11 degrees here now, bright, weak sun probably rain later on

Nurse appointment at 1210, Having to drive myself as bus time doesn't work and neighbour has things on so hope it doesn't pull the would too much. Other than that nothing planned for today.