🦞🦂 Lobstars 🌟 still shining bright 🦞🦂

What a fascinating event, Grammaretto. You are blessed to live in an area so steeped in history. Will there be Highland Games?

I am sorry that I have no claims to Royalty interactions. I did escort my late mother to a BP Garden Party in celebration of her BEM, but we were only in the cheap seats. In fact, had there even been seats, we would have been happier. Intermittent showers, soggy and bumpy grass underfoot and absolutely nowhere to sit made the whole afternoon a bit of a nightmare. I wrestled my way to the food tent, where everyone had gathered cos of the rain, couldn't reach any food and returned empty handed to awaiting Ma. Not much fun if you're a relatively frail 91 year old.

To cap it all, I got bawled out by some sort of uniformed official for crossing the grass to read a rose label. What, I ask myself, is the point of labelling your rose beds if no-one can appreciate what they are ..

Pleased that you are cast-free, Doodle. I hesitate to mention it, but my splint (velcro-ed version?) didn't 'alf pong after a while. I don't think I am a dirty 🦞.
Maybe it was the heat of an island off the Great Barrier Reef to blame.
10 days before flying to DS and family, I tripped and fractured my wrist. Had it plastered, granted, but insisted that I could not attend for a review in 14 days.
At 9 days, I was allowed to travel with strapping and a splint, having emphasised that I was terrified of braining the baby with a POP in situ.

The officials at Dubai were definitely interested in the splint. I was actually really frightened to be whisked away from the body scan arch, no contact with the family, and marched by a couple of impassive and silent female security guards to an austere room. There, not a word spoken, sign language prevailed to insist on a splint Xray. Scary stuff.
Mind you, I think the whiff on the way back precluded any lingering with officialdom.

Is The Day June 28th 💒 , NN? How's the replacement venue shaping up?
Wishing you, of course, the very best.

Closing here to let a.n.other get a word in edgeways.
🤐

How is your DMIL, NS?
How did the long BH weekend go for the rehab?

Another fall. Sprained other wrist. Too painful to write. Hope be back soon

Good grief, Doodle.
We're on our way🍷🍟.

So very, very sorry for you😢

Ooh ouch! How awful poor dear Doodle.
I don't know what to say or how to help.
Sending love ❤️

Oh heck Doodle 😟.
I don't know if he'll be much help but I've alerted Jeeves and he's on his way to help you. Along with my love and gentle cwtches X.

Noooooooooo !! 🥺 Please tell us that one of your lovely family is looking after you. 😘 Love and hugs and get well. x

Oh, Doodle

I'll chip in with a royal story. My son and I had a brief but interesting chat with Prince Charles about the carrack Mary Rose.
My elder son was dressed as a longbow man for some important celebrations in St Columb Major.
The Duke of Cornwall was attending and told us about the longbows, in excellent condition, found on Henry 8th merchant ship.

On that same visit, I was in the small crowd (dressed as a nun, would you believe) when she came over to ask if we'd made our own costumes. She was wearing unusually heavy foundation makeup but at that time, no one knew what sufferings she was prey to, poor lass.

I've also waved at Princess Alexandra as she drove past us in 1958.

Doodle - love from me too!
What terrible bad luck.
Not something you want to be an expert in!

My mother-in-law (thank you for thinking of her) is making (mainly) steady progress. She is still not great but my daughter was told yesterday that she can now go outside in a wheelchair if she fancies it.
We shall see.

Physiotherapy did come in over the bank holiday weekend and spend some time working out what to do.

The speech therapist was off but gave her some readings to practice when in on the Tuesday- but I think she finds this awkward on a four bed ward...

The family are visiting in a sort-of rotation but she is still wanting to see my husband every day.

On Tuesday she had a very good and productive session with the physio but Wednesday Thursday and Friday were not so good as they thought she was too tired to do a lot. (I do wonder if they have lowered her BP too low for her?
Is that even possible? Her BP is always pretty high.

The bank holiday did fill me with dread and the ward is not so bad after all.
It was disconcerting though because there was (I think) a lady in end-of-life care next to her which she didn't need to see, and another with some sort of dementia who called out a lot. I feel bad that I wanted them both to not be there.
I gave myself a telling off.
Neither are there this week.

On the positive side:
The staff are getting to know her a bit.
She can see a green hill with trees on out of her window and heard a fox very early morning.
She is reading a bit more of the news and making notes about each day - listing what's going on.
The horrible swelling of her non-functioning arm is still going down.

The prognosis is still not great in terms of mobility but if she can get a bit better balance then the stairlift she is very keen on may still be possible. 🤞
The staircase is a 1970s open plan type so it will be on the more expensive side as there will need to be quite a few bends. I have now had a quote for this. The (poor) man was with me two hours as I had an A4 page of questions!
I know I should probably get another quote or two. 🙁

I felt very low about both her mobility and general mood on Friday as she told me that her consultant told her she was "doing well for her age". She found this patronising. And rather upsetting.
I have since spoken to everyone I could to point out that 3 weeks ago she was just three weeks younger and still gardening, shopping, walking into town and back with her rollator, playing cards, going to her book club, doing her own shopping etc.
Unfortunately not many people know active 101 year olds it seems.
I'm not saying that she didn't have problems but clearly she was, and is, pretty sharp.

Anyway, enough of this.
Love to you all...
Especially you Doodle - what a mess.
Hope and pray you have a steady recovery 🙏
I hope you are surrounded with love ... and practical help.

NotS You must be SO proud of her, an indomitable lady.

Her reading aloud physio is, I suppose, to alert the brain to remember and exercise jaw and tongue muscles.

In the old days, re-programming the brain after a stroke was deemed imposible - now we know it isn''t.

Her reading doesn't need to be at volume does it?, people will only think (if it matters) she's talking the book/page to herself.
I wish her all the very, very best, she is a inspiration to us all.

What a woman your DMiL is NotSpag I am sorry to be one of them. They who find it remarkable to find someone with such a keen mind and curiosity about life after being on this earth for 101years.

My DMiL was likewise an inspiration - reciting Keats the day before she died at 98.

"Much have I travelled in the realms of gold..." only she knew all the verses.

May her spirit keep shining!
I hope the stairlift is possible but if not, can she be on one floor?
MiL had to have help getting on and off the stairlift, latterly.

Grammaretto I do think I'm blessed to have been part of her life.

When she had a TIA a few years ago she found she couldn't play bridge as well as before so took up Bezique (?) which she hadn't played and subsequently has been meeting a friend to play each week.

She does have a study downstairs which could become a bedroom- but she said, last week, that if she'd wanted to sleep downstairs she wouldn't have bought a house!

Needs must however.
And she has running water and drains in the attached garage so could have a "wet room" if needed.

I'm hoping she will get stable enough to transfer to/from a stairlift - even if that has to be with help.
She is VERY keen to be home.

Kaimoana2 yes, and thank you.
Her speech is definitely improving. It was quite "wispy" at first.
She has been told to try to shout her words in order to increase volume to something more "normal".
We were also told to sit on her weaker side sometimes - not just the "better" one.

She is working hard.
That I know.

Ah, Bezique!
My grandfather taught all his grandchildren to play, and it was always a family favourite.
The younger ones were fascinated by the score cards which reminded me of our electricity meter in the cellar!

My father would never let me play Cribbage, as it wasn't a game for girls.
Maybe stating one for his knob was just too embarrassing to bear.

ixion that's so funny.
My friend taught me cribbage at school and I taught myself and three friends Canasta from a booklet - it seemed such a fabulously "cool" game for some reason!

I haven't played Bezique!

I have checked with my husband,
Yes it's Bezique she has been playing recently.

What an interesting name it is, Bezique - apparently from French bésigue and/or Persian bāzīgar ‘juggler’ or bāzī 'game’.

How interesting!

I think my grandfather's proper crib scoring board went to one of my cousins along with his fabulous aged bagatelle.
My father, his son in law, only had a cheap, pre-drilled one. My rôle was to break up matchsticks for them. to act as the scoring pegs.
Gosh.

My board is a commercial pre-drilled one.
It's polished but still "cheap" 😂

Sorry, I wasn't being disparaging, NS. My father loved his.

My grandfather's was pretty solid, with a brass top and pull up pins. A bit like the picture I eventually found.

Ha ha.
No I didn't think you were, Ixion - but some are definitely very lovely.

We have a beautiful backgammon board/box and a nice but simple chess board. The cribbage board is definitely basic!

Love to all. Nice to hear your news. Xx

Mea culpa, mea culpa,mea Maxima culpa.... I've been absent so long.
Life is pretty manic... I'm battling post surgery with a lost voice and yesterday my hip/ lower back decided to join in the general grottiness. Grrrr.
I've caught up on all your news now and oh Doodle you poor thing that is such bad luck. I'm not sure where you live but if it's anywhere near Somerset shout out if you need help
The wedding is looming...nerves are a wee bit frayed ...the dress will be ready next Tuesday... I've ordered 2 pairs of shoes from Vinted as the original ones are are a definite no no. I've also ordered some sort of thing to wear on my head...the jury is still out on the veil. My hair is the longest it's been for 35 years...I went from almost waist length to a crop and it's been the same since but apparently if I want to wear something in my hair I have to have hair to attach it to....hence the bay city roller lookalike who peers back at me from the mirror at the moment. Come July 1st and I will be first in the queue at the hairdressers.
Now as part of the the plans we have sent out the playlist for the guy who is singing at the evening reception... We've asked everyone to choose a song either that they would like for them or for the occasion ( so no DIVORCE or Breaking up is hard to do🤣)
So Lobsters here is your mission today, please send me your song ...and I will add them to the list...I really like the idea of you all being there with us in spirit ( and song).
Finlay has just appeared with what looks horribly like the box that has ( had) DH wedding tie, handkerchief and cufflinks in it. 😱😱😱😱😱

As requested Storm and Finlay chapter 2

Storm....Finlay...Finlayyyyyy.. Where are you little brother?

Finlay.... I'm hiding

Storm...well where are you hiding?

Finlay...behind that big black thing that Mum and Dad stare at in the evening and Luna tries to attack as she says some four legged thing is going to come out of the front of it and eat our food.

Storm...it's called a television...but why are you hiding behind it?

Finlay....Mum has gone mad

Storm... She's been that way for a VERY long time.

Finlay... Not I don't mean when she throws herself around the bedroom with not many clothes on and says... You can't beat a bit of ...I think she says Ah Ha to jiggle to in the morning. That's scary enough but this was worse.

Storm... What's she done?

Finlay...well we were sitting on the sofa and she was fiddling around with that box thing that she always has to have and that she gets very sweary when she can't find it and I've eaten the outside of it but she still uses it.

Storm...yep it's called a phone...and a word to the wise..if she does lose it...scarper as she will tear the house apart until it's found.

Finlay...well anyway she stopped tapping it and went down to my favourite place...you know the one with loads of paper at puppy level that I tear into minute pieces when she is on that other bigger box thing... especially when it looks like she is talking to herself while staring at it... ... Well then the thing on top of the big box thing started spitting paper out of its mouth and it was so fast Mum nearly dropped what she said was a vital page.

Storm...ok then what happened?

Finlay ..we went back to the sitting room and Mum looked at some of the spewed paper ...turned her head in lots of directions while she was looking at it ... turned the pages upside down ...then got on the floor.

Storm ...What? You mean like Dad does when he comes home from work and he plays with me and I leap from the chair to the sofa and back on the chair 10 times and charge round the room and Ned barks and barks and Mum comes in and says 'will you stop winding the children up'

Finlay...yes but then she turned over and lay flat on her back like I do when I'm asleep and she said goodness knows if I'll ever get back up again but if it helps with the pain I'll give it a go.

Storm...Oh Goodness .. What happened next?

Finlay...her leg shot out to the side of her and I nearly got booted under the sofa....her face went a very funny colour and she made some really strange growly sounds. Then she shot the other leg out and the log burner nearly got dislodged...she made some worse noises that time. Then she put her head back on the floor and seemed to try and push herself through the floor muttering words like core and abs.

Storm...oh no... That's what she calls stretching exercises.... She's been going on about them for months and how she wants to be able to do the things she could before she tripped over Luna and broke something that caused her to crawl around the place cos she couldn't get up the stairs and then she went away for a few days and came back with a stick.

Finlay ...why does she do them if they make her face go all funny and an odd colour and her tummy makes funny sounds. ..well I think it's her tummy.

Storm...it probably isn't her tummy so be warned...anyway what happened next.

Finlay....well I thought I'd help her. She stopped gurning and lay her head back and closed her eyes...I thought she'd died.

Storm....so what did you do?

Finlay....I threw myself off the sofa with the biggest jump I've ever done and landed right on those soft pillow things she has stuck on the front of her.

Storm....eek you landed on her lallies ..oops maybe not the best idea you've ever had little one.

Finlay....I know...she screamed and shouted what I thought was Oh Buddy..but I'm not so sure now as I definitely heard the word hell after it.

Storm ...then what happened?

Finlay.....I don't know for sure...I scarpered under here ... I think she tried to get up but a bit of her had gone into I think she said a spasm and when I peeped out she was walking like a crab towards the kitchen whispering what definitely sounded like is it too early for gin?*

Nn 🤣🤣 oh Boy Buddy Holly. 👋 love to all xx