🦞🦂 *What are we up to?*🦂🦞

Another to express my concern about your circumstances, Kaimoana, tho' I sense a certain resignation in your tone.
I am sure someone, somewhere has the answers for you.🤞

A lovelyYomp? for you today, Grammaretto. You do have some lovely countryside around you.
How's the decluttering and where are you up to with Music Man's planning submissions?

Hope the very different planning is going well for NS and NN.

And Doodle, what have you been up to? 🍰?.

Debating whether to go to an inaugural Knit and Natter tomorrow afternoon locally.

Downside - friend won't come as she reckons she can't knit and natter at the same time🤷‍♀️

Upside- there will be cake.
.

I don't see much of my new lodgers Doodle but I hope they are settling in.
The granny flat is self contained and I come and go through my back door so we don't have much opportunity to run into eachother. We text if we need to speak. 😊

I went out with my walking group today. It was 4.9 miles but felt more like 9.4 miles to me! Lots of hills but fabulous views.😅

Kaimoana could you have some device like Alexa who you could ask to phone people for you?

Kaimoana i think Notspaghetti has answered the WhatsApp question. Do you have a mobile phone? No I’m not sure how you’d use WhatsApp with poor eyesight either. A real problem Your son must be worried about you living there without any support apart from the carers.

What about moving with your other granddaughter, is that still an option?
Oh yes wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all meet up after all this time.

Notspaghetti what a lovely verse.
Grammaretto have you seen much of your new lodgers? Any helpers coming soon?

Yes Grammaretto. It really is lovely. And as both my mother-in-law's parents (and family) were Swedish it felt like "going home"...

Me too NotSpaghetti I wish we could meet at Kaimoanas.

What NS suggested does sound doable.
DS in NZ speaks to me on WhatsApp but lack of eyesight is a bummer.

Here the RNIB it almost wrote RNLI have a lot of aids and gadgets which I acquired for DPiL who unfortunately weren't able to use them easily. There was one radio type player with big bright yellow buttons for ON and OFF which I envied.

I have just wished my DSis a happy birthday a day early. Luckily she was amused. She's in Paris having a wonderful weekend.

And I think I have been charged twice for my phone so I am the last person to have a clue about technology.

I loved that song with or without knowing what the words mean.
Thank you.

WhatsApp is an app for phone (and can be used by linking to a desktop if you have a phone number).
It can make calls through wi-fi.
It means I can call my son in the Philippines with no charges - and can also do video calls.

I don't know if you can voice activate it but it's worth asking him to find out. If not, maybe there's be some other voice activated "over the internet" option which would make calls free

If you have a phone can you "dial" via a gadget (such as Alexa)? - maybe by saying "call so-and-so?

Sadly I'm not very techy. And of course different countries offer different things

I wish I could visit for a chat

"I’m surprised your son hasn’t found a better way to keep in touch."

He's tried and if you can suggest something which doesn't need eyesight, we'll consider it gladly.

Can you use WhatsApp?

What's that? Does it need sight?

Do you have any neighbours who could check on you at the weekend.

Nope. Besides, they are all elderly and infirm and have enough problems of their own without taking on mine. Mainly though, we don't see one another so I hardly know them.
In fact I wouldn't know them if they came to my door - its not that sort of community here.

Yes Doodle, 25 for the reflection. But "any number" for the order of service. Apparently.

It's translated as "Just One Day" - not sure how good the translation is though as don't speak Swedish.

Just one day, one moment at a time
What a comfort, whatever comes to mind!
Everything rests in my Father's hands.
Would I, as a child, be worried then?
He who carries for me a father's heart
Gives to every newborn day
its fair share of joy and pain,
both from effort and pleasure.
For each special time with special grace.
He wants to bear each day's worries,
He who is called both Strength and Counsel.
I can save tomorrow's care,
Although uncertain, my path is visible.
"As your day, so shall your strength be,"
This promise he gave me.
only by your promises, dear Lord,
Do not waste my faith and my comfort.
which is kept in the Word.
Help me, Lord, that whatever happens to me
take from your faithful father's hand
just one day, one moment at a time,
until I reach the good land.

We hit the same problem about licence too Notspaghetti also with the celebrant. Having said that the end result was beautiful and I think DH would have approved.
Have you checked how many photos they will allow for the service. We had 25 I think which had to be fitted in a fixed time frame. There was only so much time allowed per funeral.
Kaimoana i too am concerned that you are not able to communicate easier. I’m surprised your son hasn’t found a better way to keep in touch. Can you use WhatsApp? Do you have any neighbours who could check on you at the weekend.
Notspaghetti that weaving loom looks an amazing price of equipment. I’m very impressed.
Grammaretto like you my landline is going now. I don’t use it and I think it’s stopped working anyway.
Been for lunch with friend today. Quite mild out here.

That song is beautiful NotSpaghetti. It made me teary even though I didn't understand it!
Can you play it at the wake instead?

My DH wanted a particular version of the Burmese National Anthem for his funeral.
Unfortunately we couldn't find it.
We left the crematorium to Westlin' Winds, a favourite Burns' song.

Yes, what's the latest Naughtyneine?
🤞

Funeral plans are progressing - but the very nice funeral director is a bit like a headmistress if your ideas are a bit different or if you want to OK things strp by step.

She was very keen to stress that everything was up to Gordon but finds it difficult to accept that he doesn't want a photo of his mum on the cover of the order of service (for example)

And you can only use music/hymns that are under licence so although he has permission from the artist to use a YouTube recording of her singing it still can't be used because it doesn't have a licence

He has found another version but it isn't quite so beautiful
This is the one he wanted:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVp9yqkRee0

I suppose it's so lovely and airy because she has a classically trained voice.
Collating photos is taking hours... I don't mind of course but they are still coming in!

I also hope internet can keep Kaimoana in touch with friends and family.

WhatsApp is great. I can phone my NZ son instantly with video option try to check his time first
It never fails to amaze me.

When I had to phone him after leaving my mobile on the plane, it cost nearly £10 for a couple of minutes.

I've given up my landline now.

How are funeral plans progressing NotSpaghetti?

How about your op NN?

I must get outdoors before dark!

Kaimoana I'm assuming you have the Internet as you can post on here.
We regular call our family and friends via WhatsApp and my son-in-law calls us somehow through his computer using anothrr free system.*

It might be worth asking someone who "knows things" about these things - as it's really nice to natter now and then.

Sending everyone a smile 😊 and a cheery wave. 👋

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202601/medium-73xdcl-1000044293.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202601/medium-13qg03-1000044292.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202601/medium-7vh7nz-1000044289.jpg

I'm afraid the weaving is an old piece, sorry to disappoint!

I was going to frame it but couldn't decide if I wanted it white on black or black on white. It's reversible.

I do love having it though.. and now seem to have an appropriate wall space to put it so no excuse... so after the chaos has died down I should probably do that.

It was Jacquard woven when I was studying. It's a very old computer driven loom. This photo is the same loom it was woven on - but the front-on photo is of my friend's work and there's one taken much later of the side of it with someone hand-tying the new warp on. There's one photo of a wider angle too showing a second jacquard loom and the accumulator stand which tensions the yarn begore the shuttle takes it up. In my day this sevond loom was set up as a "sample" loom so you coild weave (say) three design samples at once.

I loved working with the jacquard once you had sorted out the programming as it wove so easily it looked like a printer.

I appreciate your concern and care but when Telecom, in an obviously deliberate move to get rid of subscribers like me, decided to charge $200 per unit – and I had two) I lost my phone with its receiver and large press buttons for the legally blind.
I had no choice but to move to mobile even though I can’t see to use it.

A number was necessary however to allow me to dowload audio books, so the hefty monthly fee is not wasted.

I wear a pendant alarm provided by St John, again paid for monthly, which, if I am conscious during an emergency, a fall for instance, I can press.

A live voice speaks from a separate unit and if I answer, asks what the emergency is. This has happened a couple of tmes in the last 10 years but I was able to get up and slowly recover.

If I don’t answer, paramedics are despatched tout de suite and may also call my son if I am hospitalised.

My son uses Messnger to communicate but in fact if there is a real emergency the pendant is better.

If I am not conscious, there s nothing to be done and should this happen on a Friday after my homecae lady had gone, I would be totally helpless until she came back on Monday afternoon (unless Joe texts, gets no answer and assumes I am ill.) This is very unlikely, he will just assume the phone is beside my bed and I am in one of the other rooms.

No point in shouting either, no one would hear me

Hello lovely Lobstars!

You've been very creative and busy what with paintings and weavings.

I haven't. I played skittles today at the Sheep Heid inn. I think it might be the oldest pub in Scotland. Skittles was fun but I was very bad at it.

Tonight my df came for tea and we shared our Christmas holiday stories.

I am concerned that you have no phone Kaimoana How are you supposed to khain touch?

Night night everyone.

Ixion i like the birds. I would have preferred that to the miners lamp.
Kaimoana is it not possible for you to have a phone? What about if your son wants to get in touch, how do you manage?
Sadly that’s life most places these days. Care workers aren’t allowed time to do anything other than their basic jobs. It’s totally wrong.
;Notspaghetti what a wonderful piece of weaving. However was it done.
Grammaretto are your new lodgers well settled in now. Do you see much of them?

How lovely, NS.
How have you used the result?

Thought I'd just share this weaving, Ixion. It's representing my immediate family. My husband and I and our 5 children
It's one fingerprint of each person, intertwined and woven on a jacquard loom.

Your little birds made me think of it

ixion I love your little birds

Yes, my homecare ladies are lovely but order from On High now say "clients are not friends, just do your work and move on"
I don't want to compromise their position.

Doodle (I think) Can't ring anyone, don't have a phone.

You could use your charcoal for birdies instead, Doodle.

Then you'd only have to coat a finger tip.

(Photo refers!)

Evening all. Been to art class today. Worked in charcoal. No you can’t see it unless you look in my bin. Covered in charcoal dust all up my arms and hands. Not my favorite medium at all. Roll on watercolour week. Everything washes out 🤣