General Chat

Afternoon folks
I'm back home safely after a few days away on the mainland.

It was a last minute break for my daughter and I and the night before I did try to get on the boards to let you all know but for some reason I couldn't log in to Genes.

We had a fun few days shopping etc and a few disasters but nothing major.
The lift broke in or hotel and I couldn't climb the stairs to get to our room. So i waited down stairs but they said it might be 4 hours until the engineer arrived!

Eventually they offered us a room on the ground floor and poor daughter had to pack up the room and lug it all down the stairs.

To top it all later that night around 9pm, the noise above us sounded like a herd of elephants charging around and it went on until 10pm. So by this time we had had enough so daughter went and complained to the manager and it quietened down,

Only to be woken up before 8 with the same noise!!!

Anyway, it was a good break away as no chores for 3 days, so what's not to like lol

Been busy so far doing all the washing and catching up.

Tomorrow is promising a severe storm hence the urgency to get all the laundry washed and dried before then.

Hope everyone looking in today is well and keeping ok.

Florence in the hebrides

Well, it was one year ago today that we moved into our new house. We have done so much to it in that time. We now need to do the gardens, I am itching to start, but there is a lot of hard landscaping to do before can think about the planting.

The earthquake sounded interesting Sylvia, it was good that there was no damage done.

I hope your swab comes back as being negative, but as Ann said, if there is flu in the building then keeping out of the way is probably a very good idea. It is brilliant that the staff are all wearing masks in the flu season. Nothing like that happens here even though flu and Norvirus are rife.

Good morning all. Sylvia you will be feeling and listening for any little movement today then. Luckily iy was all ok and no problem. do you often get earthquakes or is this unusual?
At least if you are isolating and it is only a cold, it is protecting you from catching anything worse.

I'm so glad to hear that Florence is OK, just delayed on the mainland.

Yes, places here in BC are well practised with care needed in multiple living after the pandemic. I think other provinces are much the same.

The first few months back then were hard, and there were a lot of deaths in care homes before it was realised what really needed to be done.

But I think everyone here in BC was more into getting vaccinations immediately and keeping up with them even to now, need for washing hands, using hand sanitizers all the time (even carrying your own with you), masking, etc etc than in many places (even within Canada!).

No-one complained a few weeks ago when our Provincial Health Officer called for all staff in care homes and Accessible Living/Seniors Residences wear masks and use hand sanitizers, as well as all visitors to such places wearing masks when in public areas. Residents aren't affected by that rule. It was just accepted that RSV virus was rampant, and then 2 weeks ago that Flu was hitting a peak at a very unusual time, it usually peaks in November here.

She guided us through the pandemic and has an excellent reputation, and is believed when she makes such announcements.

Another nurse came and gave me the nose swab just as I was getting my cereal out for breakfast this morning, different from the one on Thursday and she did it differently ................ only part way in the nose but into both nostrils.

Much less painful!

Hopefully the result will be back tomorrow morning (Saturday). I still think it will be only a cold, but also think I should probably remain "isolated" until all the symptoms have gone, just to be safe for the others.

The excitement today, which I didn't realise at the time, was that floor moving under my feet around 1:30 pm was not caused by someone dropping something in the building, but a 5.1 earthquake about 70 km north of Vancouver! The US Geological Society measured it at 4.8, but they almost always differ, for some reason.

Daughter sent a message from the other side of the country to ask if I'd felt it, which sent me to Google :-D

No harm done, nothing fell off my shelves! But there are expected to be aftershocks for several days, some of which may be strong enough to be felt here again.

I know AG, when he said shall we go out for lunch, I nearly said no- but only nearly :-D

Oh dear, Linda! After all your weight-loss efforts, too!

It is dull here, but the wind is starting to pick up. We decided to go for lunch at the posh garden centre in Harrogate. The car park is always full of very expensive cars. We try to sneak ours in :-D
We bought a dog wood to go in the middle of the front garden, getting it in the car was fun, as it is tall it had to go on the front seat on its side and even so the boot only just closed. I had to sit in the back under all of the branches.
It is turning out to be a busy day. While we were having lunch, I got a reply from someone who is selling second hand nice riven flagstones. We need them to put paths in the back garden when we dig up the lawn OH has just set off to collect some,he will have to make a couple of trips. I offered to go, but he said that I would just be extra weight in the car :-|

It's good to know that Florence is OK.

It's certainly wild here. Strong wind, trees whipping back and forwards, pouring rain.

I had intended going grocery shopping today - but will wait until tomorrow, when it's supposed to be slightly less wet.

I hope your cold isn't flu, Sylvia.
It's reassuring to know that they're taking very good care of you.

Morning all.
Not a nice day here today, it has been raining & the wind got up during the night, it is now VERY windy.

As usual the Daffies though not in flower are well up & once again are getting a battering !
Fingers crossed that the power stays on !

Glad to hear Florence is ok, let's hope she gets back home soon.

Having a ready meal today, a chicken curry, not home made though, just a shop bought one, I don't have curry that often & so a ready made one is fine, though I do add extra chicken.

Joan.

Thank you Ann, it is good to know that she is OK

I had a repl from my message to Florence sent yesterday. She is fine, on the mainland and due back today but with a weather warning it could be that she is unable to get home.

What a nuisance for you Sylvia, I hope that they get the results through quickly this time. I agree with Ann, that they could take it more seriously in the care homes here.
How is your husband coping these days? He must wonder why you aren’t visiting him, unless you can speak over the phone.

Still no Florence, I did send a message yesterday. The purple envelope was there last night, but it seems to have gone now, so it must have been opened.

Frustrating and boring for you Sylvia but hopefully the 'cold' will get better soon and you will be out of isolation. One of the problems I assume of living in such accommodation where there are a lot of people together. they do seem to be ultra careful there though. Maybe our care homes could learn a bit from them.

12 degrees here at 0745 very dull and wet. I do prefer it a bit cooler but bright this time of year. Still it is better for the energy bills.

Just my luck ............

The LPN phoned me late this afternoon ...................

somehow "they" had lost my swab, and it has to be re-taken :-( :-P

I presume "they" meant the lab!

It will either be done later this evening, or tomorrow morning.

I am still isolated until after the result comes back.

Actually, I think I should still be isolated even if it is just a cold, one of my table mates is 101 years old, WW2 veteran, and the last thing he needs is any kind of sickness.

I do hope that Florence is OK <3 <3

Well, I am in isolation again!

We have flu in the Residence ......... not surprising as there has been a peaking of Flu cases in the city and province this month. Most unusual as the peak for flu is usually around November! But there are more than half the residents in isolation, plus at least 1 person (one of my table mates) has been sent to hospital because he has pneumonia. I'm not sure whether they are all actually suffering from flu, because this week if 1 person at a table in the Dining Room has flu, the other 3 are isolated as contacts.

I don't actually think I do have flu, I think it is only an ordinary cold, but one of the nurses (LPN) took a nasal swab yesterday evening to send off to be tested for Flu and RSV. I'm waiting to get the result, although she said yesterday that they should know by lunch time today. I am under full isolation ........... nurses and aides have to get into full protection gear to enter the room, and there is a garbag bag just inside the door where they can throw that away before closing the door as they leave. That's even when they are delivering my meals :-0 although the care aide this lunch time did not don the garb. I wonder if that is a hint????

Actually all staff and visitors have had to wear masks at all times in the public areas for the last 3 or 4 weeks because of the rise in RSV and Flu, but the residents have not had to do that.

We had cold temperatures and snow and ice sticking around right up to Valentine's Day, but it has got gradually warmer since then, the snow and ice soon disappeared, and we have had plenty of rain!! Today the temperature is around 10C. Quite a change from last week!

I can't tell you whether there are any snowdrops showing because I can't see into any of the gardens around here that might have them. I had lots at the house, along with naturalised crocuses and lily-of-the-valley. All soon to go, alas :-(

Take care everyone.

13 degrees here too and very wet. so I am staying in. How lovely and uplifting Joan to have so many snowdrops. Mine are starting to spread so look very pretty in their small patch,

Well it is ten degrees warmer today at a lofty thirteen degrees, but it still felt chilly to me when I went out.
Still no sign of Florence, I do hope that she is OK

Lots of snowdrops here too. It's such a cheering sight ,reminding us that winter doesn't last forever!

Very little news here - just a quiet life as usual.
I've done some tidying/pruning/clearing in the garden in these recent and very welcome dry days.
A cold wind, but also sunshine.

The road to one of our two nearest towns was closed for about 14 hours from Monday night until early afternoon on Tuesday because of a fatal road accident.
A van hit a pedestrian at night on a rural part of the main road.
Sadly, it would be easy to do, if the pedestrian was wearing dark clothing (I don't know if he was or not.)

When rural roads are closed around here, there are no easy detours, as we don't have many roads - not like Aberdeenshire, Joan, where you have roads all over the place!
If I had wanted to go to town that day, it would have meant a detour of about 90 miles by main road. Thank goodness I didn't!

There is one single-track back road which would have avoided the crash site, but of course it soon gets grid-locked with traffic when something like that happens. Too many vehicles with impatient drivers stupidly trying to get into small passing-places, so that oncoming traffic can't pass, and can't reverse to another passing place because of the press of traffic behind them, and everything grinds to a halt.
Sensible people don't even bother trying to go that way when they know the main road's closed.

Florence! Where are you?

Hello to all looking in, I have just caught up with the thread after a busy few days with a visit from our youngest daughter, she & her 2 boys were here without their dad so I managed to put them up (in a fashion) bit of a squash but we managed.
I have missed their company today but at the same time I have had a restful day, lol.

The weather contiues to be rather chilly but it's dry today after yesterdays day of rain, it's a bit windy & I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse..
I do hope all is well with Florence, as others have said it's not like her to be away from the thread for too long.

We have a lovely show of Snowdrops in the garden, there are sooo many spread everywhere it looks like we have a covering of snow.

Joan.

Still no florence. Maybe her internet is down, I don't think she mentioned any hospital appointments did she.

I am back from the dentist. No problems and have swerved the deep clean for another 6 months.