🦞Lockdown friends still together🦞

Skin issues are so tedious aren't they. I really feel for you all - arms, feet... everything. And of course skin is all over us! (thank goodness!)


I really hope you all get well soon.

The salicylic poultice sounds laborious but if it works!

I think the best thing to get rid of verrucas when our boys were constantly getting them, was to have them frozen off.

Ah well what do I know. I once wanted to be a doctor or a nurse and now I have 3 DiLs who are all health professionals.

I had a long chat with DDiL 2 yesterday. She despairs with her DD#2 who only wants to leave school ASAP and hardly does any study. She sits her GCSE in a few weeks. She has been accepted at football academy next year so I daresay the academic stuff doesnt seem necessary for her.

The Edinburgh DGC are still doing well at school but going through that grunting stage 🤣😂

I have a helpx couple arriving at the weekend. They are Aussies. I may have told you that before.

Tonight the school concert so I will need to find my bus pass which has vanished

Have a lovely concert Grammaretto - it's a privilege to see our grandchildren grow and develop

I am lucky to watch the DGC growing up even though I don't see them often enough

I only knew one DGP who we left behind in NZ when we left when I was 10. I still remember her fondly.
She was with my cousins for a bit longer

I was going to visit my very poorly df today as it's her birthday but she already has visitors and is tired. I may try tomorrow

Kaimoana I’m off to buy some Salicylic acid as soon as possible. I will try this. I have a corn under my little toe that’s been there for years and is quite painful at times. I will certainly give this a try. You always come up with such interesting things.
Notspaghetti I’m looking into those clothes too. This is becoming a very interesting thread. Advice of all sorts
it’s awful feeling so tired all the time isn’t it. I have to be up by 7 most days as I am out and about a lot. My only lay in day is Monday. I need to go to bed by 10 to get enough sleep. Glad you’re going to see your GP. It may well be your meds.
Grammaretto I agree with you about the freezing but I’m not sure surgeries do that any more.
Maybe your DGD isn’t at the right place for studying at the moment. Some children need to do other things then go back to education later.
It sounds as though she’s a good football player though
Nice you are having a couple of new helpers. Be nice to have some company since your lodger moved out.
Enjoy the concert
Hope it’s not too distressing seeing your friend tomorrow
Another busy day for me. Church this morning then lunch with DIL and mum after, Tomorrow is art class then knitting. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going half the time

That's the Spirit doodle dear, keep busy with what you enjoy

While we are skiting about wedding clothing, my wedding dress was made by Clemence & August, or what we nicknamed Cheap & Awful = C&A.

It wasn't new, about 2 years old and very shabby on the day I wore this Crimplene creation; dingy white top and baggy navy skirt.
Why so horrible? My parents insisted, even though I had a pretty whie dress made by my lovely mother in law.

Having worked for years with teenagers and have 5 in my family, , I well know that it is better to allow them to follow the path they enjoy. Exams and, if really necessry, academic qualifications can easily be obtained later. Parent are brainwashed into thinking everything lower than university is inferior and push reluctant students down that path - often causing huge, sometimes life-long resentment and estrangement.

Moreoever, only a small percentage of graduates ever use these qualifications. And numerous catch-up courses are available if needed later when the young are more mature and able to cope.
My own DGS was/is a talented footballer, left school when offered a scholarship in the US. Came home when that was over and is now, after college, a PE teacher.

Allow your child to be happy and be supportive, even if they want to change horses half way. Love and suppor beats criticism and obvious disappointment any day.

Neurologists tell us the brain doesn't develop properly unto they are 20 or more, which seems to idicate they should be allowed to be children (as they were in the old days) and enjoy life.
Key of the door at 21 is early enough - many families decided 25 was better.

Why do you think insurance premiums are so high for young drivers? Because they are reckles, have no ability to assess the future; their own or others - thye act like the children they are
Premiums come down at 25 for this reason.

Nevertheless and sadly, I'm sure parents with continue to ride roughshod over young dreams, insisting on what they want, as did my parents. They will reap what they sew.

Gosh, that sounds grim but I am sure we've all seen young lives ruined by parental imposition when what the poor kid needed was support, encouragement and love..

I'm glad you had a good trip out to your Elders group, Kaimoana. Hoping your new Doctor's appointment brings you a diagnosis and a remedy. I read somewhere that many skin eruptions (for surely that's what you've got?) are caused by stress (indeed) but that it's like a vicious circle. Stress>flare up>increased stress> increased flare ups ... and so the sorry saga goes round again.

Verrucas? That brings back the memory of junior school swimming baths and the merciless teasing of anyone who had the misfortune of their mum making them wear a rubber sock on the affected foot. I wonder if you could buy a matching pair- and they could have become a fashion statement - tho' maybe not in the 1950s.
Ditto the ignominy of those nail biters painted with gentian violet. They had a hard time too. There were some fearful bullies in that school when our beloved reacher's back was turned.

Are you healing, Doodle? Do hope so.💐

I remember watching a documentary a while back on boys in (granted) one of the Premier Leagues and being staggered by the commitment the staff showed to the educational side of Academy life. I had naïvely thought that the sole emphasis would be 100% football development, but we were shown proper classrooms and structured lessons too, with an acknowledgment that many of the lads had deemed professional football as an escape from the rigours and routine of the schoolroom.
Additionally, a Consultant Surgeon colleague, Chairman of the Division, Medical Director etc etc had a teenage son at a prestigious and not cheap Independent School, and bright to boot
Everyone assumed he would have an unfettered pathway into Medical School and beyond comme père but he left after a clutch of A levels and entered an apprenticeship as a plumber. He was determined to set up his own business and retire at 35. I'm sure he was going to be very popular.

I ventured into M and S yesterday, obliged to purchase a pair of baggy shorts for my upcoming NHS physio first visit (of 3 freebies) for my hip, which is causing me much grief. I scuttled round the 'Exercise' and 'Outdoor' lycra and leotard rails before grabbing a pair which I think are made for runners. 🏃‍♀️
LOL.
What do I wear for hips? I asked my shoulder/neck physio.
Shorts, she suggested, or big knickers😱. Shorts it was.

I ambled past the plethora of jeans.
I had just got my head round styles - boyfriend, cigar, horseshoe, barrel leg etc -when a new arrivals rail caught my eye.
The carrot leg🤦‍♀️.
A quick Google told me that they are 'wider around the waist, hips and thighs.'

Coals to Newcastle?

Moving swiftly on..

ixion spot on and a hearty for the shorts.

*Kaimoana how are you feeling now are those spots any better?
Is your Ds still enjoying being in the UK? *
Ixion thank you yes I think my arm is on the mend. I took the dressing off tonight. Bit of a battle despite soaking it in water . It was a proper dressing, about 3” square and one designed not to harm the skin however it had adhered itself quite strongly to me with a sort of sticky glue effect. Finally got it off. Part of the arm is still raw but certainly healing. I’ve put a different dressing on it now as it’s stopped bleeding and I hope it will dry out and scab over.
*Well I’ve heard it all now. Carrot leg. I’ve been through the bootleg, tapered, crop, wide straight leg but never heard of carrot leg. What next, radish leg, very wide around the knee. Potato leg, makes your nether regions look like a sack of potatoes, avocado leg bigger at the bottom than the top.
Oh for a pair of plain trousers that just fit. 🤣*

Kaimoana how are you feeling now are those spots any better?
Is your Ds still enjoying being in the UK?

You are sweet to ask but I'm afraid the answer has to be negative.
I feel lousy and because one of the symptoms is loss of appetite, that's made it worse. I forced myself to eat a mouthful of good quality plain yoghurt yesterday (nearly made me sick and usually I love it) and today 2 tbs of oats (ditto)
Other than that, just water.
I feel I'm going downhill rather rapidly like a runaway horse
My doctor's appointment was cancelled as she was sick so now it's on Tuesday.

I haven't heard from DS for a week but he's on 12 hour shifts and just seems to come home go to bed and 8 hours later go to work again.
I often cry for his situation, it must be breaking his heart to be away from his darling daughter and not much better for me but what can't be cured, must be endured.

Wish I could add a bright spot to lighten my answer but quite frankly, there isn't one, it's just plough on from day to day knowing that some day it will change.

Doodle have sent you an email about easy, painless removal of sticking plasters

So sorry to hear you are so rough and have no appetite Kaimoana

I don't feel great myself but think it's temporary

I have s streaming cold so had to cancel everything including the last ever ceilidh dancing class tonight. Our teacher is retiring. She is 80 so I suppose she's allowed to. Her DS lives in Wellington, like mine, so she probably wants to visit him again

I was also freezing as my radiator didn't work I left a message with the plumber but then I managed to press a few switches and it came on again
Then my lodger came to tell me the washing machine in the flat is leaking all over the floor
Although she has officially moved out she's staying on for an extra week while she paints her new rooms

I can't imagine carrot legs, ixion
Legs like tree trunks and like sticks, but not vegetables *

I watched Adolescence tonight. It's a netflix drama showing a scary side of modern life with youngsters being obsessed with social media and boys as well as girls growing up with twisted ideas of what their roles are in society

Your poor arm Doodle. I hope now the bandage is off it will heal quickly

Night night 🌙 😴 everyone

Oh dear Grammaretto having a cold is the most miserable of things isn't it?
And then, to cap it all, your machines rebel!
Good job you already had a call to your plumber.
p

Carrot legs is very strange but then, when anyone has a debilitating stroke people often say, 'he's in a vegetative state' or worse 'no better than a cabbage'.

Very odd, a strange visual image and etymologically totally inaccurate - and yet it's become common usage.

I like cabbage

Kaimoana only you, bless you, could bother to send me information about safely removing plasters, whilst feeling so absolutely awful yourself.
Since the beginning of this thread you have always gone out of your way to help us all. Looking up things, giving us helpful advice and caring for us all. How I wish we could all reciprocate now and make you well again. I’m sending a big but gentle group hug for us all.
Im so sorry your appointment was cancelled. I do think you would be seen quite urgently. You don’t sound at all well. Not being able to eat will soon make you run down.
I do hope your son is in touch soon and he can make the trip home to see you and his girl
Grammaretto, you too. Another poorly lobstars. I shall have to round up Jeeves and dispatch him with some of his home made remedies to help you. Sorry you’ve had to cancel so many plans.
Oh dear I’m sorry about the washing machine. That’s all you need. I hope the lodger was able to clear it all up.
I know many who have seen Adolescents and rare it very highly for its acting and subject matter. I’ve not watched it yet. *My arm is much better thanks. Still an open area and bleeding a bit but on the whole I think it should be better soon
Ive had a busy day today. Walk with walking group then coffee. Church to help with church lunch and washing up. Hospice to deliver some items. The new Range shop just to see what’s there. Then Waitrose for my food shop and finally home just in time to get my dinner. DS2 having a great time in New York for his 50th.

Well it's. Mothering Sunday this weekend and I was planning to go with my husband to visit his mum however one of my daughters has complained (gently) to me that she never sees me on Mother's day! Honestly, my mother-in-law is 101 in a week and my daughter has (I hope) lots more years to spend with me

Also, it's not exactly true that she never sees me as (like her siblings) she usually pops over for an hour with a card and flowers/chocolates or similar - she seemed to want me to herself!
And she has a little daughter who (presumably) wants to make a fuss of her with her daddy.

Anyway, have now agreed to drive 45 mins to go out with her on Sunday which I'm sure will be nice but what a saga. It has to fit in with another family event on the same day and the clocks changing. Now her sister wants to come along too It doesn't feel like a relaxing day!


I do feel very blessed to have loving family (who are close enough to visit) and want to make a fuss of me. I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit ungrateful but am still struggling with this medication which wakes me up in the night and "gives me dreams"... basically I'm very tired with it. I do have an appointment to talk about it with the GP next week so that's good.

Kaimoana you are in a much worse position with your "boy" so far away. At least most of my children are not so distant. I'm sorry your body is struggling so much just now. I wonder if this prolonged and complex skin problem is partly stress related? You have had such a lot to contend with recently

Grammaretto, what a trial. It's miserable being ill but having no heat does make everything feel worse. I'm pleased it got going in the end.
How sad to miss the last dancing class though - no doubt you will bump into your teacher locally in future though?

I hope the leak is easily remedied. Not as easy as putting the hose back into the sink though I suppose! Did others ever have a washer that jumped around as it washed/ spun and where you had to hook the hose into the sink? I was talking to my mother-in-law about those only this week. How lucky I am not to have to worry about flooding every time I use the washer!
I remember my husband buying a gadget that was designed to keep the hose in the sink by looping and clamping said gadget round the tap (replacing the old strip of fabric I'd taken to tying it on with.). It had a chain on it

Oh how amazing my first automatic washer was! I remember watching a whole cycle!

I hope you are managing OK with your arm Doodle. I think my skin is a lot thinner suddenly. It seemed fine until quite recently really. Your are is obviously "on the mend" 👍

Ixion, I think you mentioned stress and skin problems only the other day (re Kaimoana) apologies for repeating this. In retrospect I think my husband's operation was instrumental in the massive flare up he had. He didn't seem so emotionallyexhaustedbut his body had definitely been under stress

How is your very ill friend doing Grammaretto? I hope you got to visit on a quieter day

We seem to have a lot of poorlies in the San at the mo. I shall put Jeeves in his favourite nurse's outfit and send him round later for those in need, whilst Matron's back is turned.

Oh, and a plumber for Grammaretto. My mother, in the early days, didn't have a washing machine (altho' Grandma had a twin tub. All that heaving of steaming, wet, soapy washing from washer to spinner.). Her choice - she didn't mind the hand washing but preferred to have the laundry spun dry. Or should that be spin dried? I do remember the spin dryer, a Creda Debonaire. 🤷‍♀️. It would scoot across the kitchen floor and I would have to perpetually site the bucket under the blue rubber water outlet: when older and chunkier, I would be allowed to throw myself across the top to immobilise the blessed thing. I used to pretend I was a circus acrobat ...

Mothering Sunday tomorrow- to those of you with children close by, I hope you have a Special Day.
At church, we used to be given a little posy of either primroses or violets to take home for our mums. For some of the Sunday School attendees, this was as close as many got to the beauty of real spring flowers.

To those whose children are either geographically or emotionally distanced, my heart goes out to you.

To those of us whose mothers are long gone but not forgotten, a 🕯️ and a hug.

Thank you Ixion- what a lovely post. Those of us who had thoughtful kind and generous mothers were certainly the lucky ones ❤️

I hope your physio goes well - with or without the big knickers!

Notspaghetti oh yes that bought vivid pictures back for me. I used to tie the hose to the taps to try and prevent it jumping out of the sink., The whole machine moved when it was spinning. I also remember using those wooden tongs to lift boiling nappies out for, the washing side to the spinning side.
Hope you have a lovely time with all your family. Yes it’s very lucky when they’re reasonably close by.
Im hoping to see both our sons tomorrow
Thanks Ixion. I had a lovely mum. So lucky.
Nice to hear from you. Have you heard from Cherry recently or seen her at the footie. We miss her
Kaimoana and Grammaretto I do hope you are both feeling a bit better today.
Hope the flood has been cleared up and the machine back in working order.
I had a nice lunch out today with a friend but tonight my eyes are very sore again so I’m off to bed now, Up very early tomorrow for communion at 8 (or 7 in old money)
much love to all 💕

Hello Lobstars,
I'm much better thanks
But my df isn't better. She has lost the use of her legs. I visited her yesterday and took a couple of her other friends

I binge watched Adolescence while lolling on the sofa. I did think it was thought provoking. It shows how ordinary people, like us? can suddenly find that they don't know their own children at all.

And that children who have not been abused or suffered disadvantages can, driven possibly by the power of social media, commit awful crimes

I would love to hear that your skin is recovering Kaimoana
And your arm too Doodle

What a lovely family you have NotSpag!

It was Gaelic café this afternoon. A couple of new people came

Tomorrow is the very last concert at our art centre before it closes forever

*The arts will continue ofcourse but
the closing of the building with its beautiful concert/ exhibition room, excellent café and sunny garden will be a great loss*.

I doubt I will see any of my DC tomorrow. I may see them over the Easter holidays,. I hope so

I have Helpers arriving on Monday so I hope the weather improves and they can work in the house and the garden without freezing

They are Australian 😂🤣😅

Mother's Day is May 11th here.

I was in NZ on your Mother's day on one of our visits We went to Christchurch Quaker meeting where we were invited to join a work party who were trying to rid a nature reserve of non native plants -gorse and rhododendron and possibly heather.

I had a card 2 weeks early from DS3. Nothing from the others. I don't expect anything

Mother's day coinciding with losing an hour's sleep. Hmm 😒

Grammaretto I’m so sorry for your DF. It gets worse doesn’t it. How is she coping. It must be so hard for you seeing her struggling.
I have heard many people say Adolescents has some amazing actors in it.
My arm is indeed in the mend now Grammaretto, I just have an ordinary plaster on it now. I’m just waiting for it to scab over. (Look away those of nervous disposition) it is a lot better.
Im sorry your theatre is closing. So many places shutting down. It’s sad.
Nice for you to have some helpers now your lodger is moving out. Hope they are good workers
Sorry you didn’t hear from your other children. Lots of people don’t seem to do anything these days. I am lucky as our sons live so close by they don’t get a choice about seeing me 🤣🤣
Kaimoana lots of love and hugs to you
Hope all the lobstars are plodding on ok