🦞🦂 Lobstars 🌟 still shining bright 🦞🦂

Anyway, after that I went for a swim... might be a while before I get there again. And then on to my mother-in-law who had been taken out to the park by her carer as it was sunny (Hooray!) but not too hot... and had stayed out for tea.

Got three forms finished and signed and in the post and then my husband and I treated ourselves to a lovely meal at a local family run Italian restaurant on the way back.

All in all a very good day.

No Doodle it never goes away but over time, you learn to manage it and eventually cover it up a little with layers of good memeories - and you have friends helping.

Doodle, I think there is something very comforting about a Hospice.
My mum used one for a couple of short stays. Although she was ultimately able to die at home the hospice felt so very safe. I was profoundly grateful for the time she had there.
I know if it had been close to me and not 4 hours drive away I would appreciate its quiet calm.

Thinking of you.
💐

Notspaghetti Hope all goes well for you hip op and you make a good recovery. Have they given you any idea of how long it will be before you’re up and about

Your meal out sounds nice and a pleasant afternoon for your MIL Thank you the hospice is a lovely place of peace and calm
Kaimoana i do Treasure my memories. I am very lucky with my friends too 💕
Grammaretto have you been working in the local shop recently. Hope you’ve had a good day

Is your operation this week NotSpag?
If so I hope all goes well for you.

I had a dinner party tonight which was really nice. I made Cullen skink (thick fish soup made from smoked haddock) and Cranachan (raspberries and whipped cream with 3 magic ingredients of toasted oatmeal, honey and whisky.)

My df brought her DD and 2 Helpers, and my 2 Helpers, another friend who is very funny. My new Helper arrived today. She seems OK. I hope she is happy.

I worked in the shop yesterday but today the project for my house was launched with a public meeting.

I hope all Lobstars have had a good day.

Hello,
Yes - my op is on Wednesday. I'm trying to sort out the house (not alone - along with my husband!) as it's full of stuff that I know is in the way.

The horrible toilet raisers and chair lifts have arrived and yesterday I was looking at pick-up gadgets (think litter pickers).

I'm feeling vaguely sick about it now. Not the surgery as in the mechanics of it (the engineering and butchery! ) but I'm definitely anxious about the anaesthetics.

I know I have to get it done.
I had a lovely week away with the family and loved the rock pools, building the sandcastles, the dykes, reservoirs and water courses but was a beached whale once stranded on the sand as I struggled to get up - even with help! 🌊 🤽‍♂️ 🦀 🐚

Good luck for Wednesday, NotSpag!
I think one of the worst things about an op is the anticipation. You dread it, your tummy churns and everything seems to be against you.
BUT, I have found that the anticipation is always worse than the op itself. (I speak from experience, having had several). So, stay calm, think happy thoughts, and it’ll be over before you know it. 🌺

Good luck for Wednesday NotSpag.
The only gadget I had to buy was the sockaid. I wouldn't have managed without it. Ofcourse my op was NewYear so freezing cold and I was glad of my boots with zip sides.

Grammaretto i love the sound of your pudding. I don’t like fish so not keen on the main course (I could have two puddings) sounds like quite a party. I’m sure it was enjoyed by all. Where is your latest helper from?
Notspaghetti i do Hope al, goes well Wednesday. Yes you will need a lot of paraphernalia to cope with post op. I’m sure the anaesthetic will work well and it will be over before you know it.
Kaimoana hope you are ok . Hugs 😊*
I’ve been to church this morning then this afternoon DS1 came to help clear my balcony before it’s painted. dGD1 came too which was a lovely surprise.

Thank you everyone for your cheerful support.
I have bought a sock aid thing but seem to be unable to use it without having my toes thoroughly squashed, Grammaretto. I can't use it and still be able to wiggle my toes!
I've tried and tried.

How nice to have help with the balcony, Doodle.
Just in case anyone offers me help over the next few days I think I should collate a list of similar jobs!

I made my own 'sock puller-upper' from a plastic bottle and some tape. The commercial ones were both too expensive and too small for my fat legs

Didn't need it for very long though. The tough nurses had me up and walking within hours of my op and I was home the next day.
Fortunately I have always been agile enough to touch my toes, so I think that helped.

DH used to wear elastic knee socks. Only he could get them on. It was a tug of war every day. I’ve noticed that my socks seem to shrink after the first wash. Put them in when new and they’re fine. Once washed I struggle to get them over my heel.
Been for coffee with he Christian Fellowship this morning. Nice people and very friendly, spent the afternoon sorting photos. Sleep well all

Well done you Kaimoana. I couldn't reach my toes for weeks afterwards but I found the sockaid did the trick sometimes with extra aid from my grabber.

Today I have an appointment back at orthopaedics because of this new hip/back/bum pain.

I must fly metaphor
😂🤣

Have a good day everyone. 😊

Apologies for the silence. I have been under the doctors and very nice it was, too both home and away but have continued to follow - and read, too. A book a day, so far. 'Brat Farrer', ' My Family and Other Animals' and other annual reads. Comforting and predictable, effortless to follow.

Hoping everything goes well for the Op, NS. You'll have to just watch the garden for a bit, hopefully warm-ish weather will help the convalescence. Are you happy that your MIL will be well looked after?

Doodle, when do your art classes start again? Do you have an eye on any other activities for the new term?

Grammaretto, hope your orthopod appointment is helpful. Hopefully nothing 'mechanical' after your THR. You have always done so well since. Sorry, that came across as patronising. It certainly shouldn't have! How did your weekend At Home go? Any progress with Music Man?
Is your new helper a Ruthless Declutterer?

My mother always had a traditional way of preparing socks to put on.
Very difficult to describe, but it left one able to put one's foot completely in the foot part itself then unpeeling the rest over the socked foot, ankle and up.
She was horrified that I used to fold them together and turn over at the cuff to secure in the drawer.
Her method completely flummoxed my father when they were first marriage. (And yes, she did do all his laundry).

Kaimoana, how is your son's job search going? This must be such a hard time for everyone. And your (new) leaves, have they come?

No reference, please, to Our ⚽️ Team.
Dire performance thus far😡

^My mother always had a traditional way of preparing socks to put on.
Very difficult to describe, but it left one able to put one's foot completely in the foot part itself then unpeeling the rest over the socked foot, ankle and up.^

My mum too.
I used to do it for my children when they were small so their little toes didn't get squashed.

I bought a sock helper as recommended by the hospital physiotherapist. It is SO efficient my toes would be numb if I used it.

I have spent some time reading the hips and knees thread over the last few days and it has made me feel quite sick. I'm not sure I do well reading other's experiences and think I'm better with straightforward factual stuff which demonstrates the way the needle goes in the spine, the type of stitches/clamps etc!

The hips and knees is not for me.
I can feel my pulse racing!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202508/medium-5oieoj-1000032657.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202508/medium-6gbc56-1000032664.jpg

I'm at the station waiting for my train. I came early so I could visit the Andy Goldsworthy exhibition now that most tourists have left.

It's difficult to describe but I loved it.
Yesterday I had to judge our local annual art competition. Only one winner from 50 entries. That was hard. Andy wouldn't have won!

Here are a couple of pictures I took.
The second is entitled red flags. He dyed canvas with earth from each American state.
The first is a passage through a hedge.

I hope your operation goes well tomorrow NotSpaghetti. Easier said than done, I know, but try not to worry, anaesthetists are highly skilled, you'll be in good hands x.

Evening all.
Grammaretto how did your appointment go?. Do they have any idea what’s causing the pain?
Wow judging the art competition. That’s some task. Hope you found a worthy winner. Very difficult I would think as everyone’s idea of art is different. I would not have got on well at the exhibition. I like landscapes and watercolours anything like your pictures would have had me flummoxed but I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
ixion good to hear from you. Sorry you’ve been under the doctor (that made me laugh) . I do hope nothing serious is wrong and you are on the mend. How strange, I used flummoxed in my reply to Grammaretto and here you have used it in your post. I really struggle getting my socks on. I swear they shrink as soon as you wash them.
Oh dear our team not doing well. Must be the fault of the cheerleaders.
Notspaghetti my darling DH had many operations over the years. His one stipulation was that no one described what they were going to do to him. He just let them get on with it.
I do hope all goes well for you.
Dear Cherry lovely to hear from you too. I do hope you’re doing ok.
My nose is itching and it won’t stop and nothing I can do helps. It’s because I’ve been to the dentist and she injected three times into my upper gum. Now it’s wearing off my nose is numb but itches how weird.

Itchy nose, Doodle?
That means you will be coming into money.

From your loving friend Ixion💐

Doodle will be rich! Ooh goodie. You can splash out on your lovely family and friends and your Lobstar pals

It was a long day but after an examination and an xray it's been decided that I have inflamed tendons in my bum and must go easy on the long walks for a while. I should do gentle exercises and swim. I wish I enjoyed swimming. I'll try.

I chatted to people on the train and bus which sped up the journey. I waved at Marydoll when the train passed near her. My Helper had cooked soup and made pancakes so I was well fed when I got home.

I think you'd have liked lots of the competition paintings Doodle although perhaps not the one I chose 😉.

Thinking of you tomorrow NotSpaghetti I hope it all goes smoothly for you. 🤞 🍀

Very good to see 🍒 and ixion xxx
Sorry about our team. More cheerleaders?
🎉🎊 ⚽️⚽️⚽️🏆🥇🥈🥉

Is this a hip op NotS? If so, many are now done with an epidural, so speak to your anaesthetist about this option.
Naturally, they add a 'Don't Care a Hoot' drug so you can chat with the surgeon

Oh Cherry, and other jolly crustaceans, thank you.
It's had to be moved to the 10th September and it's all my fault!

I did a really stupid thing this morning.
I'd remembered what to take and what not to take drug wise, I'd scrubbed my body with an antimicrobial wash for 3 days, we had changed the bedding (all of it) for 3 days wand washed nightwear every day and washed every stitch of clothes I was wearing. I'd been using facecloths to dry my hands and squirted cream up my nostrils 3 times a day...

THEN...I called the chemist to order a new pack of edoxaban (anticoagulant) for after the op, and noticing that today was Tuesday and the pill was still sitting in it's labelled place, I simply popped it into my mouth (whilst waiting for the pharmacy to say the order had gone through) and swooshed it down with a nice big glug of water...

Surgery cancelled until 10th September.
🙄