General Chat

I don't like hard work these days :-(

Hello Linda,

They physio in Wrexham said that if I do alright this week, she may transfer me to the local hospital in Tywyn, which as you say will be much easier and save all that travelling. I find twice a week a bit tiring, especially as the training there is hard work.

Hello Tec, it sounds like you need an early night. It is a pity that you have two long trios to do this week. It will be better if you can get transferred to the local hospital

Hello Everyone, :-)

I'm late again :-( I shall be glad when the World Cup is finished - it's interfering with my domestic routine. Have only just washed the dishes after dinner - disgusting :-D

It has been very hot again. I was invited again out to Sunday lunch with my lady friends, but declined as I am tired today. I think the heat is getting to me, and I overslept this morning. Good job it was Sunday and I had no appointments.

Glad to see that you enjoyed the bacon butty's this morning Linda. The weeds in my garden think I'm cultivating a wildlife sanctuary :-D

Hello Amanda - Good to see that you are also enjoying the hot weather. It is forecast to change here on Thursday, but not too drastically I hope.
Milo and Jack visited me three times today. Milo the old dog is content to sit with me if I'm not doing anything. I think that Jack the younger dog aggravates him a bit. Jack will be going to his new home in Darlington County Durham in mid July. I will miss him. He is a lovely dog, and I would love to have him, but it's not practical now unfortunately.

Berona - It is a pity that the Duchess has never mixed easily, because it must be more of a torment being put among strangers now, when in reality she needs all the reassurance she can get.
If she was at home I could cope with the confusion, and the sometimes astonishing things she says, but she wanders at night, and I wouldn't be able to cope with that.
Also on the practical side, although I am managing to look after myself very well now, it was getting very difficult looking after her in the end, before I was taken into hospital.

Hello Elizabeth - Thank you for your kind thoughts. I hope very much that things are good with you - take care.

Sue - How amazing to attend Mass at the Vatican. I am not RC either, but I appreciate it would be a moving occasion.
Enjoy the rest of your time in Italy.

Hello Sue and Amanda

I still have the window open Amanda, it has been a lovely day here. I pulled a few weeds out of the borders this afternoon, we seem to be plagued by sticky weed this year.

we never water the garden because we have a water meter. I only water the tubs, but use water collected from the roof for that

I am expecting very fussy visitors Sue :-D As I am away all week, they will have to take it as they find it

Good evening :-)

It sounds as if your having a lovely holiday Sue , the photos look good so far .

Hello Linda , I hope your not wearing yourself out with all your housework !

I saw that you mentioned Esme is 11 months old , I am finding it difficult to realise that almost a year a has flown by !! I hope she has got over her recent cold .

It is a lovely evening here , still warm and bright even at this late hour .
I watered the garden earlier with the hose and now the snails are appearing ......grrr



.

Hello everyone - the wifi is intermittent so I'll get on when I can.

Today we went to the Vatican and Castel San Angelo. Silly day to go some would say. We are not Roman Catholics but seeing and listening to part of the service was moving as was listening to the Pope address the people. The downside? The unbelievable hoards of people of which I guess we were part of.

It has been very hot today but it's a balmy evening.

What kind of visitors would expect such a level of cleanliness, Linda :-0

Oh the back garden Berona, I wouldn't want the neighbours to see them :-D

It is nice to have you visit Elizabeth

I did have bacon butties Tec and read half of the paper. I get fed up half way through so leave the rest for later I woke up early this morning so as to have plenty of time for scrubbing the floors

Hello all. I suppose you are all in bed by now. Sleep well.
Nice to 'see' you again Elizabeth. Hope you are well.

Tec - I am slow to make friends and I am happy to live alone and just have my family come to visit. I would feel out of my comfort zone if that was to change, so I understand how the duchess feels, particularly with the confusion of her illness. You can only 'go with the flow' and let her have things the way she wants, where possible. Now that she has been away from your home for months, her condition has possibly deteriorated and you might have been having these 'confused' issues with her even if your circumstances had not changed.
I would keep checking out alternative places, though, in case you decide to use one of them.

Linda - You do get strange people visiting you, don't you? Make sure you give the tent a good hosing down - inside and out - before they get there. Will you put it up in the back garden, or the front? Don't worry about them giving you the white glove treatment - they probably don't know what that means anyway. Oh, and don't forget to lock up the silverware!

Dear Aussie Cousins and friends

Hello

Sending greetings from London

My caring thoughts to Tec and Linda and gentle hugs to you. <3


With warmest wishes
Love Elizabeth,
xx

<3

Leave time for the bacon butty's :-)

Cleaning is frowned upon in polite circles :-D

Sleep well,
Goodnight

That reminds me, I must dig out the tent :-D

I am off to bed now, I will have to set the alarm for the crack of dawn in order to do more cleaning

Goodnight

Considering the accommodation offered :-D

what did they expect? :-D

slugs, snails, worms?

I know, but last time they got out a pair of white gloves and checked for dust before they deigned to stay :-(

It was much too hot to be cleaning ovens - and if the visitors are going to inspect the oven, then show them where the cleaner is :-D

If the duchess is behaving as she did at home, that will feel normal to her, so I wouldn't worry too much about her not mixing

I have been working hard today, I even cleaned the oven. I have some very picky visitors arriving soon :-D

I agree, there comes a point when with the best will in the world things become too much for one person to cope any longer.
I did my best for a long time as you say, and to the detriment of my own health, so shouldn't feel guilty, but naturally, you do.
I wouldn't feel so bad if the Duchess had settled, but she hasn't. I had a word with the manager today, and apparently she still isn't mixing with the other residents. She eats alone in the dining room, or in her room, won't socialise at all, but this is how she was before she became ill. Never mixing, or making friends easily. So hardly surprising that she will change now.

I can't do anything about that situation, so can't alter it.

Hope your friends OH and their son find a nice suitable place for her.

You have looked after the duchess for so long Tec, but there comes a time when it just isn't possible, so you should not feel guilty.

It is sad that my friend can't go home but she needs round the clock care and a hoist etc, it is just too much for one person to cope with

Hello Linda,

I am very sorry that it has become necessary for your friend to go into a nursing home, especially as she longs to go home.
Also feel for her OH, as it's an awful feeling that we can't cope with our loved ones any more. No matter what the circumstances there is a certain amount of guilt in there that we can't cope, and have to live with that.

Hello tec

We went to Capri on a ferry from Sorrento. It was very pretty, but as we were on foot we just stuck to the main town. I think we went to see a Roman villa, but that may have been somewhere else

I am sorry that the Duchess is getting more confused, it is a cruel illness

I went to see my friend in the cottage hospital in the town. She is the friend who has had breast cancer twice, although she thinks it is in remission. Sadly she is now in a palliative bed. She just wants to go home, but her husband can't cope any more. He is going with his son to look at a local nursing home tomorrow. It is a shame she can't stay where she is, but it will be a while yet and I suppose they need the beds