Chatbox 2

[Oma]

Morning ladies hope everyone is well and has a good day xx

[Gemini]

Good morning Oma, and everyone else
I am finally getting over cold number 3 of the season!

Oma, I hope B is feeling a bit better today.
Daisy, I hope your GDs are not too poorly today.
Plant, good to know the doctor has an answer, I know you want to know the reasons for your recent falls.

GS1 day. I will collect him from preschool as usual and bring him back here. I will take him home late afternoon instead of giving him his tea here., as I am going to GDs school nativity play at 5. DD1 is in London and SIL is working from home, so it fits in well for me dropping their son home before going on to his cousins school.

[Nanto2girls]

Good morning.
Didn't get to sleep till about 4o'clock, so didn't wake up till ¼ past 7, so must crack on.

[Gemini]

Slight change of plan. My car won't start. OH is playing in a golf competition and therefore can't be reached., so SIL is collecting GS and bringing him here. Thank goodness he was working from home today! If OH is home in time she can drop GS home and me at GD's school this afternoon. If not SIL will have to come back for us both. The best laid plans, eh??!!

[Nana]

Morning. Just popping in quickly to say hello. Off to GS1's school play this afternoon. Tissues at the ready.😘

[Libra Gran]

Envious as I can't see Tarens nativity, allocated seating only, obviously parents first. I do get to see and hear Menna at the church playing her violin at the older childrens concert. Gem glad your cold is going. Daisy hipe the GD's feel better soon. Oma love to Brian, hope you find him even better today. ZIZI at least you haven't missed the meal, we all do those kind of things, so much going on in our heads I think.Oh Nan2 you must be shattered, try and get some rest when you can. Ive walked the dog, made a curry for tea now going to glance at the paper before round 2 school pick up.

[Enfys]

Just watching the lunchtime news, the absolutely devastating events in Aleppo....women and children being slaughtered in their own homes ...makes me want to weep and rage at the same time. Then the next story comes up....the train strike which is apparently about, and I quote the reporter "who will close the train doors"!!!! What is this world coming to, I want to shout at those involved...for goodness sake, get your priorities right. I know I'm ranting, but am so upset at the moment, we are all so very lucky to have our homes, families and a safe life.

[Mimi]

Enfys I know what you mean . On the BBC news app in big headlines is all about the train strike , which lets be honest is an inconvenience for those who have to travel by train, but life is wonderful here compared to life Aleppo.
And where was the news about Aleppo on the app, in a little box, with little headlines!

[Mimi]

We have spent most of the morning tending to OH's parents graves, my mum, nan and sister's grave and dads memorial plaque. Flowers and little Christmas trees had been placed so it's all tidy there for a while.
We are now completely worn out. OH has a back ache and I have a backache and my hip hurts.....honestly there isn't enough good bits on each of us to make one fit person!
It never used to be like this !

[Plantaholic]

I agree it is terrible news from Aleppo, it doesn't seem right that we are building up to enjoy a family Christmas. I don't know how people can be so cruel to these helpless people. As the the trains, well it beggers belief.

[Nanto2girls]

Hubby refuses to watch any news programmes.
Daisy, hope the GD's are feeling better.
Hoping for good news from Oma today about B.
Washed the window frames,windows and curtain pole. Ironed the new curtains and got them hung. Cleaned the said room, them put the Christmas cards up.
Tree and decorations will have to wait a day or 2.

[ZIZI]

Well I have had a busy day with one thing and another. I have put my compensation claim into Wren kitchens but they sent the form in PDF and I just could not convert it to word so had to print and hand write it, then I couldn't scan it. Well finally got that sorted in between organising work experience, raffles on sites, ready for work placements, Open Doors visits etc. Only to get a message from Wren saying that they will not deal with our complaint as we had gone to the ombudsman and need to liaise only with them. Errr no we haven't gone to the ombudsman actually. Before we went to Barbados I sent an email asking (for about the 6th time) for a claims form and saying that if there wasn't one sent by the time we got home I would go to the ombudsman but I haven't actually done anything. So fed up with this bruddy company. I know there is. Lot of angst in this world and this is very small but for goodness sake can't they get anytng right????

[Plantaholic]

This ongoing hassle for you Zizi, it will be a good day when you get finished with them.

[ZIZI]

Enfys and Mimi - events in Alleppo are terrible and yes we have a good life here compared to them which is why so many people from other countries want to be here and that is not a political statement it is a fact. What I will say is that the rail strikes are pathetic, in my opinion it is nothing to do with who closes the doors but more to do with the unions trying to wrestle back the power they had previously which I sincerely hope will not happen (yes that is political). Whilst waiting on a station for a few hours or not being able to get to work due to no trains does not sound that difficult there are a lot of people travelling in the areas affected who are on zero hours contracts I.e. Only get paid if they have worked the hours and who are depending, for their families, on the money they should be making, on the other hand it has to be said that train and tube drivers make a lot of money so why should they give a stuff what is happening. Nobody is going to be made redundant, they will all retain their nicely paid jobs. My own line into London a tube (Piccadilly) currently has severe delays due to wet leaves damaging the wheels of the trains. I wonder why it is only the Piccadilly line these leaves have picked on to take trains out of service? All the other lines running along those tracks seem to be running OK.

Coming back from town the other day there were four tube trains which were completely rammed and I just couldn't get on. A man who also had the same problem (I think we were probably too polite to push and shove people out of the way to be honest) said to me "when the next train comes in I will say go and push you and you just keep going whoever is in the way and I will be behind you". It is awful but we did and we got on the train after waiting almost half an hour when trains are usually three minutes apart.

Going back to Aleppo, it is shocking that there are people who think it is right to kill women and children (and men) who are completely defenceless and are no threat to them at all. I don't know how that is ever going to be resolved because nobody seems to really be taking ownership of it (as they say these days).

[Daisy]

In a day when I haven't had much time to see or hear the news, I've also felt very upset by the tragic plight of people still in Aleppo. How can one human being (or group of) be so merciless to others. I have never been able to understand the 'war' mentality and I don't think I ever will. I think it was Channel 4 news tonight which showed row upon row of men who had been 'selected' for questioning. You know they are likely to 'disappear'.

Against this the rail strikes (and the Crown Post offices, and I believe, Argos delivery drivers) seem, and are, petty and remind me of the sort of crazy labour disputes we had in the 60s. Annoying, inconvenient to many, but not on the scale of the Aleppo situation. But, this morning on Radio 4 I listened to someone who was obviously very distressed who had had to give up a much loved job because of the stress and panic attacks caused by the repeated strikes and appalling service on Southern trains. There were reports of others who had been sacked, a student unable to get to her university to sit exams and numerous others. These people clearly felt helpless pawns in a game in which they had a high stake but no power.

I know there's a huge leap in the levels of inhumanity and suffering between the 2 situations, but there is that inability to see someone else's point of view.

By the way, I'm not trying to make any political points here - just observing some of the worst human traits in different circumstances and different degrees of atrocity.