🦞Lockdown friends still together🦞

Advice to new hips: PLEASE be careful.
Going upstairs is comparatively easy and safe, coming down, your balance is completely different. If you practice, make sure someone is right there with you PLEASE.
♥♥

Thank you GrandmaFrench I'll surprise the family with my international knowledge. Here's another pic, if you don't mind helping locate. Perhaps the view from the Mount? Merci bien.

I'm doing all I can for myself Doodle including rest on my bed if needed - one of the advantages of living alone
I made a cover for my water bottle from a hand-towel, so no danger of being burned and when I fill it from the kettle, I grasp the poor thing tightly round the neck with a pair of sturdy tongs and hope I'm actually hitting the hottie with the boiling water.

Poor Mepa, who has just had a month’s holiday arrived sick and said she’d been that way the whole time.
She has 2 hours here on Fridays then another (empty) 90 minutes wait before her next client a few km away, She got through her work in quick time and said, ‘Do you mind if I lie down for a minute?’
For her to say this told me two things: she felt far, far worse than I had imagined as this sort of request, especially in a palagi home is unheard of.
And secondly, she values our relationship enough to feel she can ask, rather than doze in her car.
For for the 2nd hour of her time and the 90 empty minutes she slept on my chaise longue as I sat peacefully knitting.

Earlier, nurse/friend Hana popped in to make sure I was okay. She has moved today into a flat just a few moments away so says she’ll visit more often.
It’s assumed, when you are elderly and live alone that you must therefore be lonely. Couldn’t be further from the truth in my case but I appreciate her kindliness.

**palagi non Pasifika, white.

Reading through the last posts makes you realise just how much you need the experiences of a lifetime to cope and survive the challenges of being the older generation, and still come out grimacingsmiling.

Today I decided to stir myself and give the Camperbubble a run to top up her battery. It was very enjoyable, if a bit chilly! We had a walk on the beach and sat in the warm to watch a mad surfer making the most of the waves. (I thought he was a seal to begin with!)

Make haste slowly everyone, and hopefully all will be feeling well soon. xx

Family enjoying snow in Normandy.
Edinburgh was 12 degrees when they went there!

Grammaretto I remember when you talked about that film being made. Hope you get to see it.
Good luck with the sock gadget. I know many who’ve found it useful.
Maybe I should get one. I find when I sit down I can’t bend enough to reach my toes, my stomach gets in the way 😳
Kaimoana poor Mepa does sound quite poorly. How nice of you to let her sleep. She obviously feels she has a friend in you.
Kaimoana I was pleased to hear you’re not lonely. You are an amazing lady. You don’t complain you just get on with things or find a way to work round them. To be content in your own company is a wonderful thing.
Im still very lonely. Even when I’m with others. I am coping better though and today I’ve been offered counselling at the hospice for 12 sessions so I hope that helps.
My friend and I have been working on our model making this afternoon. It involves lots of small parts, a lot of glue and a lot of frustration. After 3 hours we’d managed to make a tiny notice board, a vase and a sign which involved gluing a tiny bead to a tiny ring on top of a cocktail stick.
Be nice for your friend Hanna to pop in and see you
Hope Mepa improves soon
Nfk ooh I envy your sit by the beach in the sunshine. I haven’t ventured out today. Too cold and icy. Mind you if I lived by the sea I might venture out.
love to all the gang . Please take care all xx

Doodle it can be so lonely at times .
I hope the counselling helps. At any rate it will occupy a couple of hours!

2 friends who I was expecting today, called off but 2 who I wasn't, came.
Tonight my Friday night friend brought us fish suppers and we shared a bottle of wine and generally put the world to rights.

We had much catching up to do.

It was good to make it to the hairdresser and have my hair washed and dried.

Poor Mepa, having to go to work when she's clearly not well. Kaimoana.
Re Hanna needing to visit you. I think some of my visitors are like that. As long as you both enjoy it. 😉

That's a fine photo Nfk of the crazy surfer/seal. What a treat having the beach nearby.

Nfk as beautiful as the countryside and beach must be I couldn’t walk by the sea in this weather- well actually I couldn’t walk by the sea in any weather!!. It is bitterly cold and DH was just saying he cant remember seeing our lawn so white with frost. Theo cat keeps creeping cautiously out but managed to stay out long enough this morning to catch a mouse. Was not impressed.
Doodle it’s horrible being on your own isn’t it? Can remember hating Sundays so much. I’m not at all religious so used to do the supermarket shop then. It was surprising how many people who would stop and chat.
Grammaretto you are a star. Doing so well after your hip op. As Kaimoana says be careful coming downstairs. I can get upstairs quite easily but coming down is much more scary.
I went to an exercise class last week. It’s for those with limited mobility and there are lots of different machines to work on. It’s run - somewhat chaotically- by a retired neurophysio lady and I must admit it was better than I expected. Best bit was the coffee shop right next door!! Whether the exercises will help who knows but will be a good girl and go again next week! Hope everyone has a good weekend and no skiing or skating please! Hopefully it will be a bit warmer next week. It must be dreadful for those who really can’t afford the heating bills. Can’t imagine how cold our house would be if we were in that position.
Stay warm and safe everyone

I sit by the window.
I watch.
I wait.
Still not a drop of water from the snow sitting deep, despite the fact that we have crawled from temperatures of -6, through -4 (days) to Zero today🥳.
Small asks - the (overflowing) bins to be emptied, the frozen length of pipe to thaw out, giving us cold running water and a functional dishwasher, the Christmas tree to be collected, the drive and pavements to be safely negotiated and the post to get through - hoping the food delivery will arrive tomorrow ...

I know that none of this is essential to us, not at all (due primarily to an inherited need to plan for all sorts of doom-laden scenarios - take that, Mr.I🤪), but I yearn for normality and routine to be restored without the blanket of whiteness everywhere you look.
Not a cold-loving gal here.

Kaimoana, does Gubbins know snow from back home? My DGSs are always thrilled to see our gardens and car roofs when we send photos.
Where to next, do you know?
Poor Mepa. But how nice for her to doze while you sit and knit and watch over her.
Unexpected companionship.
My mother tried hard - but mainly unsuccessfully - to get the message across that she was not lonely, just alone, every time the phone went.
I gave her a strong telling off, reminding her of the many folk who would give their eye teeth to have the ring of a phone breaking their solitude. And, in fact, not having to sign up to have a stranger/volunteer from a charity ringing up to chat.

I was pleased to hear that Doodle has a counselling course lined up. I guess it will be ultra-meaningful for you that the Hospice is running it. They are giving you so much support. 12 sessions = 3 months?

Barney doesn't like the cold and snow either, Jan. When finally he ventures out, he hugs the house where the snow has left a little unaffected path. He doesn't stay out for any longer than is 'necessary'.

You know what they say ixion - a watched pot never boils. Sorry maybe not the most helpful comparison. Whilst it may be the case that as you say none of the issues caused by the snow and freeze are essential to you they are none the less frustrating and, frankly, cause inconvenience. I'd hate if that isn't too strong a word to have the frozen pipes. We're lucky here, we've never had that happen to us but I remember it happening in my childhood home and my mother's reaction (😠). I do hope the delivery driver can deliver your groceries tomorrow 🤞and it's not too long before Barney feels comfortable enough to stop hugging the house when he goes outside.

Thanks for answering about the film Grammaretto. That's the film that was partly shot in your home and garden isn't it. No wonder you want to see it premier.
Well done for making it to the hairdresser's, you're doing amazing. I couldn't wait for a hair wash when I came out of hospital, clean hair is always one of those things that makes me feel better when I'm unwell. If I hadn't been so tired I'd have had my WP wash it as soon as I got home but I did wait to have him do it for me the morning after .*
I hope the sock gadget helps but that you won't need it for too long 🤞. As you know I had my operation before yours, in the last two -three days I've been amazed that I've been able to put my own socks on.

You're not wrong Kaimoana, going up the stairs after a hip operation is easier than coming down. I'm able to probably going against advice to walk up stairs as I did prior to my operation but dare not try to walk down them as I did just yet. I haven't walked up the entire staircase luckily I have a split staircase normally in case the physio tells me off when I next see her but I'm comfortable doing it so 🤞 I'm improving on track.
Poor Mepa, indeed. She obviously feels comfortable enough with you and knows how kind you are to feel she could ask if she could rest but what a situation for her to be in, to know that she has to work despite feeling so unwell 😟.

Doodle, you have iterated exactly the same thing an aunt of mine when my uncle died, that she was lonely, even when with others. I do think you're right though, you are coping a bit better than you were and even though I do recognise that you still struggle I am pleased that you are coping more. I hope the counselling sessions at the hospice help you even more X.

Wow Nfk, that's a great photo. I see what you mean about seal/mad surfer 😆. I'm glad you sat in the warm when you took your Camperbubble for a run, I know how cold it is where you are I wouldn't want you to catch a chill. Be careful.

Your new exercise class sounds promising Jan 🤞. The coffee shop sounds like it will provide an incentive to keep going too 😁.

I'm very tired this evening lobStars. My leg decides to play up in bed meaning it's not easy getting to sleep and 😤 my neighbour, predictably, is up to her old tricks again. My WP rearranged the bedroom furniture again today so I'm as far away from the noises she makes (but I've lost my padded wall 🤣) as I can be, so 🤞 I'll sleep better tonight.

Grammaretto I gather from the GM thread you’ve been venturing forth with your walking sticks to have your haircut. Bet you feel better for it but don’t risk another fall in this icy weather.
Today you were going to the community cafe. Is it busy now with people wanting a hot drink to get out of the cold.?
Lovely snowy photo from your garden
i love a fish supper. The only fish I eat is battered with chips. Nice you had friends round.
I shouldn’t feel lonely really. I’m amazed at the number of friends I’ve acquired over the last 8 months some I’ve known a while but we’ve become closer and some new ones. I have my very dear friend and close neighbour (we visit each other in our slippers) and of course our lovely family. It’s just sitting here in the evening when it’s quiet and the chair next to me is empty is when it really gets to me
Hope you got to see your film. What did you think?
Jan I’m so glad you’re getting some exercise classes. It’s nice to do it with others and if you get the chance of coffee and chat after, all the better.
i do my weekly shop Sundays too. It passes the time. Tomorrow I will head off from Waitrose to John Lewis where I might have lunch and buy something for my friends birthday.
Ixion you sound as though you’re marooned, How much snow have you had? I’m glad you have supplies I but the frozen pipes don’t sound too good. Hope you get that thaw soon
Yes I was surprised at the 12 sessions. I did feel a bit guilty having already had six with Cruse but the lady I spoke to said face to face would be different and they would probably cover different areas like what happened in the hospital which is still something hovering at the back of my mind.
Has Barney got any snow boots Ixion? You could knit him some little socks.
Cherry it’s so nice to see you posting again. Wow it sounds as though you’re making good progress with your new hip
I am pondering how you get downstairs if you can get up but not down again Are you marooned on the top floor or does WP have to bring you down with a fireman’s lift? *
Do hope you get a peaceful night tonight.
Kaimoana I hope you’ve been ok today. I’m wondering where the globetrotters are now. They are certainly getting about a lot.

Yes, Doodle I;m wondering the same thing -no idea where they are now.

I think there's a difference in being lonely and missing a specific person. It's 27 years since my DH died but I can still get very teary when I think of his wonderful sense of humour and how comforting his hugs were.

Can you post pics of those models?

I was inspired by you Jan to look for activities for the less able but although there are some, I don't fit into any category - but I'll keep looking.

Yes ixion Gubbins has been a snow bunny since before she could walk. They "go to the snow" as we say, every year:
www.mtruapehu.com/
www.whakapapa.com

dear Cherry don't overdo it; slow but sure. Do you think pain in your leg at night could be helped by glug-glugging water and perhaps magnesium to relax muscles?

I can't remember who posted, Oooh Ron,"
"Yes Eth"
It set me off on a 1950's trail of nostalgia. Very useful since I've spent so much time in bed with a hottie (stop sniggering in the back row!)

Sunday lunchtime featured Ted Ray, Jimmy Clitheroe, Jimmy Edwards, Frankie Howered and more - inextricably linked in my mind with the aroma of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Here's a couple of websites you might find joyful.
www.turnipnet.com/whirligig/radio/index.htm#:~:text=1950's%20British%20Radio%20Nostalgia

and

www.orbempercy co.uk/grams/grams_6.htm

I loved Life with the Lyons (didn't they have a Scottish maid called Aggie?).
Mrs Dales' Diary;
Life of Bliss with dog Psyche (Percy Edwards) and so many more.

If you have Libby at your library and remember the spooky voice saying "Journey into Space" (the voice on not-spooky David Jacobs) you can download 'Operation Luna" and re-live those scary 7pm sci-fi tales.

I thought your bad neighbour had gone Cherry 😲 🫨

You hadn't mentioned her in a while.

I hope you got some sleep.
I managed a little.
The film was good. Homage to the workers in the Mill. A work of art. It will do the rounds of film festivals and after a year or so will probably be
on YouTube

It was funny seeing my house as the backcloth in several scenes. Close ups of the cobwebs which I was forbidden to clear. 😂

I mentioned to a friend that I was looking for an exercise bike and not only am I to borrow hers but she wanted to bring it here today!

I can easily drift down memory lane Kaimoana. I can remember most of those shows. Ron and Eff ... 😂😉

DS3 is coming to stay in a week or two. There's always something to look forward to. I'm going to try to reserve tickets for a Burns Night ceilidh not the dancing kind

Not much happening today here. What's everyone up to?

I've had an uncomfortable few days. My youngest son went for a check up in cardiology and discovered his pacemaker wasn't functioning properly and had a loose wire. They wouldn't let him come home and so he's been in hospital 3 days and now has a new and different pacemaker and also an ICD.

We've been on grandchildren duty so that his wife could sit with him. The hospital he went to is normally an hour away but there are so many roadworks it's taking much longer - an hour and a half on Thursday

I want to be the one who sits with him really and quietly I've been quite anxious here as he's had to make decisions that he wasn't ready to make. His wife finds it hard to ask difficult questions and as there is only one tiny study about his condition I wanted him to have as much input from the medical team as possible... and of course he may be a dad of 3 but he's still my baby.
I keep telling myself that she will now be (and SHOULD be) his "number one" person and assuming all goes as it should do, she will be his rock when my husband and I are long gone. I am truly grateful that they found each other.... even though I haven't been able to see him since Thursday!
Anything I can do to take the pressure off her is fine by me. I love her for loving him.
I know he got home last night so that's great news

Anyway I'm grateful that the very busy cardiology team found a space for him 🙏

He can't drive for 6 months. It's going to be very awkward for him but he's still here to find it awkward. 👍

I've found ot hard to put this in writing to be honest.
I hope to see him today
❤️

NotSpaghetti hugs and cwtches.
It must be so difficult not being with him but you soon will be able to now he's home. ❤️
I hope he makes a really good recovery.

It's hard for you not being his go-to anymore but you will always have a role as the wise matriarch? the calm friend? the adoring grandparent? chief cook and bottle washer, I could go on.

2 of my potter friends visited me yesterday. They are enthusiastic to say the least. I wanted to have a nap but they were a whirlwind of activity.
My undercounter fridge has been repacked so that I can reach the things I use a lot. Much was chucked out. Bins emptied, shopping done, even a new TV!
I'm never that kind of visitor myself.

Thanks Grammaretto, I know his wife would want to include me but I also know that they need to do things as a couple.
I always feel that wives/ husbands/ partners of my adult children must come first. This is actually a bit selfish of me as they are my insurance for my child's future happiness. I dip in where I'm confident that I'm genuinely useful.

I've just had a message asking if we'd like to go over this afternoon. 😃

Perfect NotSpag 🥰

If you take food, take enough for everyone. I remember feeling sidelined, probably irrationally, when DMiL brought DH her darling boy, an individual little casserole on her first visit after he'd come home from his big cancer operation 25 years ago.

Oh my.
This is an amazing thread, positively oozing friendship and support and one of the reasons I turn to it every morning to catch up (Thanks, Kaimoana, for your 'overnight' posts!).
Wasn't Aggie played by Mollie Weir?
As for hotties, my lip these days are sealed🤐

I think Nfk should scoop us all up in her camperbubble and take us for a run those that can along the coast to blow away the cobwebs.
Do us all a world of good!

Lots of hugs needed for Gang members currently🌻

PS We have drips! ☔️

spitalfieldslife.com/2025/01/12/flowers-of-2024/

Hope you find these cheering!

Grammaretto!
DMiL brought DH her darling boy, an individual little casserole on her first visit after he'd come home

😬😬😬😬😬

The flowers are really lovely! - and so nice to see the changes through the year.

Grammaretto I can't believe your mother-in-law did that!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I am over feeling cross on your behalf now though! How ridiculous! - my feeling is that if I look after my lovely daughter-in-law then she can look after my precious son much more easily

Yes! I took over a family sized cheesy pasta bake concoction yesterday and basics such as bread/milk fruit.
My 3 year old granddaughter drew the shopping list. 😂
I "forgot" the Honey nut cheerios - but did get a reduced packet of strawberries she said were "very important"

Loving the flowers ixion

DS1 popped in with the dog and brought me some soup . Unfortunately most of it had spilled in the car.
He lit the fire and told me about his DS driving progress having taken him out for a lesson.

I have been trying to report a burst pipe which I noticed today. It's not my house this time but the nearby Town Hall. Water has been spurting out for hours. Thankfully it's warmer now and the water won't freeze.

I hope those of you 'Up North' and in the other snowy parts of the UK get the thaw promised by the forecasters and hope even more that the pipes haven't burst. We've had hard frost - including on the salty beach - but no snow. Sometimes being in the driest part of the country is an advantage.

Do be careful Grammaretto and Cherry with your new bionic bits. You seem to be progressing very fast. Do make haste slowly. Please!

Kaimoana, you are right. There is a big difference between being lonely and missing that certain person. The other part of you. Evenings are the worst. Hence I have a dog. I was an only child and my dog was like my sister, so I've always been close to animals. And now Kira takes the edge of the missing. The bereft-ness. She gives me something to concentrate on and look after, although she is getting very bossy. Nagging me to tell me when it's meal time, and even when to go to bed! Having her company has been my salvation. Everyone is different but one thing seems to be the same. So many have told me that the missing doesn't go, it just fades into the background and you somehow learn to live with it. Today I did a bit more sorting out, which meant going through papers with DH's writing on. His voice talking. Hence this afternoon I had to walk away from it and take Kira for a walk with my DiL and their dog who's Kira's best mate. I do feel better now.

I've just seen on the tv that the man, (and his partner and their dog ) who was filming the fire surrounding his LA house got out ok. They stopped showing it and I feared the worst. So very sad, but maybe it will be enough to persuade the rich who live there, that it's time to pay attention.

And did I see 18C forecast in Scotland tomorrow??

Just thought I'd pop back to say my son is doing well. 🙌
I am very relieved. His wife looks exhausted 😩 - I will be cooking again tomorrow I think.

Thank you for your kind words and messages - I do feel a lot better for having seen him "in the flesh" as it were
🌞

Kaimoana you’re obviously still not feeling well. I hope things improve soon. You’re right. I’m not really lonely I just miss DH. The flat is so quiet now, not that he was noisy but everything is just so still.
All those names you mentioned. I remember well. I will look forward to your links.
Went for lunch with church friend today. We had to send the food back twice as it was cold in the middle. I don’t mind eating reheated food but it must be done properly.
Grammaretto I’m glad you got to see the film. Must have been exciting seeing your house in film.
I hope you get on well with the exercise bike. That maybe a good idea with the current weather not being suitable for going out much. Don’t overdo it though or well enter you in the Tour de France. 🚲
* Glad you have friends and family keeping an eye on you. *
Notspaghetti I’m sorry to hear about your son. It doesn’t matter how old they are we still worry about them. It’s good they found out his pacemaker wasn’t doing its job properly. I have mine monitored by a gadget in the bedroom. I have no idea what it does or how it communicates with the pacemaker team. But it’s got a green light on it so I’m hoping it’s working ok.
My original pacemaker had a loose lead and I had to have mine replaced too. I hope your son makes a good recovery. Glad he’s home and you can go and see him soon. Hopefully that will put your mind at rest a bit.
Ive now just read that you’ve seen him. So pleased 😊
Nfk I would love a little dog for company but can’t have one here in the flat. If I go to our sons, they both have dogs and I get lots of cuddles with them there. Evenings are strange aren’t they. I try to keep my mind occupied so I don’t think too much.
Ixion your lips may be sealed but I know what you’re thinking 🤣🤣
Yes a drive by the coast would be lovely.
Hope your drips don’t become waterfalls

just looked at the flowers Ixion. The 19th May ( the day DH died) shows delphiniums. They are probably deep blue but in the photo they look purple. Purple was DHs favourite colour