Time to Chat Day by Day

[Lizzie48]

Hallo everyone, we had rain yesterday afternoon, it is now actually cooler!! Very welcome!!

Enfys, I am no help at increasing calorie intake, my problem has always been the other way round! Don't you get referred to a dietician?

I have been to the circuit training, luckily much cooler in there as well.

Oma, it will take a while for your MIL to get back on her feet, is she allowed to smoke in the hospital anywhere?

I think I will go to the library, see what is new!

[Oma]

Enfys
My MIL has been told to put on weight but if we didn’t make meals and put them in the freezer every week she would live on Bacon sandwiches and cigarettes.
mind you she is eating well in hospital.

Lizzie
No there is no smoking anywhere but she hasn’t had a cigarette for a while so she said she’s not bothering when she comes out ,
She told Bs sister to give all her cigarettes to the girl next door , fingers crossed she means it.

Daisy
I love listening to GS playing the piano , I wish I had learned .
That and another language.

The tiredness is I think lack of sleep and the stress of his mam , plus his sisters are being a pain ,
Messages going back and forth and me being in the middle ,
but that’s another story of families not getting on.
I have told them enough I’m having no more to do with petty squabbles.
The latest is all over changing the locks on his Mams door because the key in the safety box on the wall for emergency services has gone missing ,
The boys for security want to change them but the sisters are kicking off and don’t want it.

Its just an excuse to quarrel with them too , too much like MIL.

We have been looking for days on line and in DIY shops for a new letterbox.
Ours isn’t a standard size , we thought we would never get one ,
Then we noticed our neighbour had changed theirs so B went and asked where he got it.

It was a little locksmiths on the industrial units not 5 minutes from us , so we have just been and he had the exact size .
He said he doesn’t keep many as they are such a strange size and sit on the shelf for years .

We bought that and a new door handle to match .

[Plantaholic]

Oma, how wearing for you and B if his sisters are not able to discuss things sensibly. There is a possibility that Mil will not be able to stay in her house. How many children has she got? I am amazed Mil has been able to give up smoking when she smoked so many for so long. Well done for finding the letterbox. Mine has lost a spring and doesn’t close properly, I really ought to do something about it. Not sure what is involved in replacing it.

DD, GD2 and Sil have gone to London. I wish DD would take over some of the gardening but she shows no interest at all. Sil and I keep it looking reasonably tidy, we have a lot of high hedges, Sil has bought himself a new high reaching ladder. I am finding it a slightly dangerous and tiring pastime which I used to love, I have to do it in spurts now and employ someone occasionally. I was burning the weeds in the large courtyard when they left for London, I made it clear that I found it a chore now. MIL, my OH and myself used to keep it so productive and colourful.

[Nanto2girls]

Plant, if the garden is getting too much,could you get a gardener.
It would help your SIL as well.

I got a load of towels dry earlier,had to keep an eye on the weather,it kept looking a bit iffy.

[Plantaholic]

Nanto I do have a lady who will do a bit for me at the end of the growing year and in the Spring, she is just a friend and an enthusiastic gardener. That’s £20 an hour and can’t do much in 2 hours. A couple of hours once a month should keep things under control.

[Gemini]

Plant and Oma, my mum was a lifelong smoker like Oma's MIL and she saw it as the most important item of her shopping. She stopped smoking before going into the care home as she was ill in bed and had never smoked in bed. Once in the care home and recovering we thought she would miss it but it seems she never did. It could have been different had she gone back home I suppose.

Oma try not to let the family squabbles get to you. Well done finding the post box!

Plant your gardener sounds a good idea. My OH did something similar for an older couple for a few years.

Lizzie, no smoking in any UK hospitals. I don't know if they are all the same but the hospital here doesn't allow it even in the grounds, which I feel is a bit harsh.

I feel quite tired/relaxed after my exercise and massage. OH's turn to cook so I can relax now.

[Daisy]

Gam, you deserve some relaxation after all your recent childcare. I know we all love our GCs, but it can be hard work, and different ages have different needs pulling you in all directions.

I think our local major hospital has a couple of shelters for smokers and vapers.

Plant, I feel for you over your garden. I guess we just have to make it as easy as we can for ourselves (which reminds me I need to mow the lawn today!). Would it help to have someone to come in and maintain the hedges once or twice a year? That's a big job and difficult as well. It would free your SIL up to do others bits.

Oma, it sounds as though those sisters need to hear a few home truths - although it probably wouldn't help overall family relationships. I hate being piggy in the middle like that, even when everything is amicable. Once a key goes missing it seems common sense to change the lock. At least you've got your new letter box sorted. What colour are you doing the door?

Lizzie, did you find anything interesting at the library?

Enfys, I'm sure the new lady will benefit from the lovely social contact, and the actual knitting. It's very hard to eat if you don't feel hungry, but as Gem suggests, adding cheese to a meal helps, and there are lots of way you can add an egg into a dish. It sounds counter intuitive, but the right kind of exercise adds muscle weight. Do you ever eat out with a friend? I think the social aspect helps you to enjoy food more. I guess most of us (like me) would willing give you a few pounds if we could.

Nanto, my washing has dried as well - but more to go out now - I decided to wash all Eva's bedding before Bailey comes to stay for a week!

[Lizzie48]

Plant, the place that I do coffee for have volunteers for all kinds of jobs that need doing, including gardening!

Gem, I am not sure about smoking here in the hospitals, I do know there used to be one room that smokers could use but that is long ago, I have just read, smoking isn't allowed indoors anywhere nowadays, from next year it won't be allowed on terraces, playgrounds, sport parks etc etc

Oma, I hope the lock problem gets solved with no further arguments.

I am going to do coffee later, probably won't be busy so I will be home at 8pm.

[Plantaholic]

Daisy, My sil is only interested in the heavy type of work in the garden, he isn’t a flower man, although e did plant a row of Salvias in their part of the garden. He prefers the mowing and hedges.

[Nanto2girls]

Blimey, its like winter in our part of the world.
About 5ish it was really windy,but it seems to have calmed down a bit now.

[Oma]

Nanto
it’s the same here very windy and dark

Plant
There are 5 siblings , 3 boys and 2 girls ,
One of his brothers cut himself off from the family about 35 years ago , he didn’t even come to his Dads funeral .
Martin and B are very close but not with the sisters .
Although B is civil to them they absolutely hate Martin and blame him for anything and everything.
they had a big falling out with him years ago and although I don’t think anyone remembers what it was about now they still hate each other and won’t talk to each other.
His sisters are very opinionated and bossy just like his mam,
I don’t get involved with the disputes ,

I can understand about the garden,
One of the reasons we liked this house is the small garden , one border is enough for me .
If we still lived in our other house the garden was so big I couldn’t have managed it now.

Daisy
We have decided on ultramarine Blue with chrome handle and letterbox.
Bet you will have your hands full when Bailey comes to stay,
Do you walk him and Eva together or separately?

Gem
At least you don’t have to cook tonight you can put your feet up and relax 😀
Is S doing anything special?

Lizzie
Was there many at he coffee sessions tonight ?

[Daisy]

Oma, the colour sounds lovely, and will go well with chrome fittings. What a pity B's family don't all get on. I don't blame you not getting involved. Although Bailey is a border collie he's very quiet and docile. I haven't walked them together in the Forest for a long time so I'll take them out separately at least for the first day or so and see how he gets on. He's not used to the livestock like Eva is, but I'll keep him on the lead. If he's ok, I'll take them out together, and save my legs a bit!

Lizzie, it always sounds as though where you do to do the coffees is very well set up with volunteers for anyone in the community. It's such a good idea and I think we could do more of that sort of thing in the UK. We have a Repair Shop session in the village about every 3 months and the local hospice has a group of volunteers who help people in their homes with shopping etc, but your facility seems to offer a lot more.

Plant, well at least he's doing some of the very big jobs, even though they are easier to get paid help with. A friend of mine in the village has been looking for someone just to do a bit of weeding every few weeks and she's found it very difficult. Did the Salvias do well? I wonder if that might encourage him to grow more flowers. You never know.

Nanto, it's been chilly here today, and very windy. I've had a cardigan on most of the day and even closed some windows this afternoon. I got the lawn cut although it was touch and go. I'd forgotten to charge the battery and I only just finished when it ran out.

[Lizzie48]

Good morning, Oma, I do the coffee for the administration group, very interesting and busy last night, I am the "hostess". I open the door to them, get their names etc then look at the list to see who they have an appointment with. I provide them with something to drink, one lady was so pleased with me last night that she told me I was "sweet"! At my age!!! I do enjoy doing it though, a nice lot of people to work with.

On a Friday I do the coffee for the art group, they start again in a fortnights time.

Daisy, if we want the "handymen" to help we have to book them, there is a charge, I think €3 for 30 minutes. I have had them do a few things for me, fixing taps (when it was under the sink, I can't kneel) etc, I do know the gardeners are appreciated. There is also a taxi service we can book, for hospital or other visits, well used as well.

Plant, get someone in to do the garden more often, try the local sites, you don't want to be doing too much, I know if it doesn't get done you will try it yourself, too tiring.xxx

Oma, families (people) can be strange!

Daisy, I went to the library to sort my account out, I can't access it on line, I still can't so I will return this afternoon to get it sorted, then there will be a liberian there , volunteers until 2pm. I was thinking of joining the one in Delft as it is huge, but, that does mean I have to regulararily, so, I will stick to the one in the village.

Oma, your door will be very smart, all being well...........the renovations here will be happening next year and those include a new door!

I want to go to the gym then hairdressers at 9am.

[Nanto2girls]

Good morning. Very windy this morning, the weather not me.
Looking over to the west, there are some very dark rain clouds.

Oma, the door will look smart when it's done.

I'm going to make a start on some winter meals for the freezer, while I've got an almost empty drawer in the big freezer. Making some mince hotpots today.

Dinner is homemade steak and onion pie from the freezer, mash veg and gravy.

[Oma]

Morning Nanto,/everyone.

Nanto
Your very organised with your winter meals ,
B has been making loads for when his Mam gets home , well if she does if not we will use them.

Daisy
Just as well the battery held out , you would have kicked yourself I here was one patch left 😀

Lizzie
We could do with a volunteer group , the council did have a service but it stopped , Bs mam had them in to paint her living room it was £10 for the day .
It was well used but they had more requests than volunteers so couldn’t keep up with demand .

GS2 gets his GCSE results today , he text just after 6am to say he couldn’t sleep and was so nervous.
I told him he will be fine and not to worry but that doesn’t really help does it 😀

Shopping this morning then hospital tonight.