WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

Hope the new week is kind to all...

Lindybird: How distressing for your friends who moved to a town house. My sister and BiL have a lovely house in the country but are thinking they should be closer to services/family - all in Bucks - and are very concerned about the options.

Lynette: Was this your former family home that's listed and has been in limbo for a year? You mention a landlord who went broke....

Hot here these last couple of days and more to come, but still, we've had a nice summer. Got my "project" table in from the garage tonight with an eye to starting on the dreaded sorting and culling of photos taken over the last - um - decade.

It was granddaughter's birthday today. She went out with her coworkers last night but didn't have a great time. She now works with people in detox treatment and apparently saw too many party types throwing back the booze who reminded her of her clients.

Anyway, best thoughts for all for the coming week.

  • OH read that someone has come up with a badge for tube travellers. It says "TUBE CHAT" and is to indicate to others if a person wants to talk or not!!!!! Now in my part of the world most of us just assume everyone is up for a bit of a chat. Anyway this badge has met with mixed reports. Felt like weeping for those who thought others chatting would make the journeys far to noisy for them to cope with. What solitary lives they must lead.

    It did remind me that when visiting a chatty friend near Bournemouth she told me she would occasionally go out for a walk and that when passing others everyone would look away. How very sad. I hasten to add that I am sure this isn't true of everyone.

  • dibnlib: Had to smile at Tube Chat idea. I was thinking about Lindybird's Awful Cousin and thinking that if someone had spent a day or more with her, they may well not want to chat or listen to anyone.  :-))  I can chat or not - depends who it is; must confess I have been known to disappear behind a large shrub when certain neighbors are on the horizon...

    Lindybird: Thanks for Margo update. Assume you're all packed with appropriate number of shoes and that your OH will be wearing coordinating pants and shirts.

  • I've just been trying to decide which tiny bottles of toiletries to take.  Bits of things all over the bed! Didn't realise I had so many, either - will have to use some of t he smaller amounts up at home.

    Not sure how many shoes I can fit in, Annette! Have plenty laid out but not expecting to take them all.

  • Good Morning, All.  Dry and quite bright, here.

    I saw the item about "Tube Chat" Dibnlib, and I thought it was sad, too. When I lived in Bedfordshire as a child, no one seemed to chat to anyone unless they been introduced!  When we moved to Liverpool, my mother entertained us with tales of people on the bus who had spoken to her!  She was fascinated that everyone was likely to turn to you and make remarks. I've been to London in recent years and was struck at how miserable everyone looked on the trains, no one spoke, nor even made eye contact :-(

    Annette - Anyone who met Awful Cousin would come away glassy eyed. My dear sis in law has been astounded at how she can keep up the talking, often repeating herself, and her utter selfishness. She is completely oblivious to how she has forced herself upon the family, and ignores the fact that 30 years ago, had no contact with us all whatsoever: she was busy then and never gave us a thought.

  • Just read about the man who is giving out the Tube Chat badges. He is disappointed at the reaction of the public, which he says is only 80/20 in favour of it. Even his own wife says she'd rather read her Kindle on the Tube than talk to anyone! He says that he has even seen people on the street who he has worked with in offices in the past, who walk by without speaking to him!

  • Good morning all

    Thank you for pics and chat -

    I hope that OG and EE have finished the church newsletter and that LINDY will find room for her shoes!

    I will try and do more replies, should do them in the morning when feeling relaxed! OH and I are so tired at the end of the day, the effort of communicating via lip reading is exhausting especially as we are both amateurs at it. Strangely enough, until recently, I didn't think that we talked much to each other, lol. Suddenly there seems to be so much to say! I agree about people in general not speaking in the street etc or in the supermarket. A lady started chatting to me about potato varieties the other day which quite startled me. We are all so wrapped up in our own little worlds,these days, it seems.

    I'm determined to scroll back and have a look at AQ's travels. AQ- I saw on the BBC news page a,couple of days ago, that the whole of SA was without power. Then no more news, until you spoke about it. Yes, dinner by candlelight sounds romantic until it is a necessity.

  • ANNETTE   I know what you mean. A friend used to try and hide behind a tree if she saw a couple she called "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" She knew if they saw her she would feel obliged to complete the dog walk with them at a snails pace and with endless idle chat. Now, hiding behind a tree was not easy as she wasn't the slimmest, but she tried anyway.

  • LINDY Apparently  when London held the 2012 Olympics, the tube was full of people chatting. Perhaps the chap wanted to bring this back to life. Off for coffee in a mo- no swimming again. I so looks forward to The Fitness Club reopening on Tuesday.

  • Dear All

    First of all thank you for your thoughts and I have truly needed them this week. Life is extremely difficult following my Sister's diagnosis of Cancer (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma).! and it is also evident in one lung. Had an appointment yesterday to set up the chemotherapy sessions. Before she got to see the Doctor she collapsed and had to be rushed to a side ward. The reason for her collapse is the fact she is nauseous and constantly vomiting which means she has not been able to keep any food down and so she is terribly weak. They set her up on a drip immediately and gave her something for the sickness through the drip. Later on in the day she was able to come home having been given some different medication for the nausea. Have spoken to her this morning and she woke up not feeling sick. Unfortunately they have now had to delatyed the chemo as she is just to weak and her body would not cope. She has eaten a little yesterday evening and this morning but can only eat small amount. Her weight has dropped alarmingly so they have told her to uo her calorie intake but it will be difficult. I am devastated to ser so ill. I have wept buckets this week for her but try not to get too emotional when we speak as she gets very upset as well. The appointment for the chemo has been made for the week after next.

    Last weekend I started to feel awful and when I saw the Consultant she said my blood count was very low. Not sure how I managed to walk into the hospital, my OH though I was going to collapse. She upped the units of blood of blood to 3 and after 7 hours I began to feel more with it. Feeling better now but sleep is difficult to come by as I am so worried about my sister.  

    Have had a quick look through and can see there has been good and not so good new for some. Sorry I am not able to reply personally to,you all but as ever you are in my thoughts.

    Take care.

    Love Margo X 

  • Still busy - so just a quick one from me.

    MARGO - sorry your Sister is so bad - can't they feed her up on special foods (I think they can be supplied on prescription) to up her calories in preparation for the chemo?  Sorry that you got so desperate for your transfusion this time - but pleased it helped you straight away. Prayers for you both.

    Just wanted to wish LINDA and her OH a good holiday.  Hope all goes smoothly with flights to board the cruise ship and that you both enjoy the new experience.

    Another meal and concert for us tonight at Langholm - Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham celebrating 30 years of playing Scottish music together (fiddle and accordion for those Sassenachs among you!)

    Have edited above - suddenly, while showering to go out, I realised I had called Aly's fiddle a violin - what an insult!  But I was in a hurry - still am!)

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!