Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 November 2023

Agree with the comments on here re Christmas. It can be such a difficult time when a member of the family has been lost. We also hate going anywhere on The Day and have been resisting invitations for years. Not sure about this year, though.

I've struggled through today as my OH came back from holiday with a head cold, and yesterday I began sneezing on the way home from seeing our family. Today I've streamed and slept. Then slept and streamed. Not got much done at all except popped out for a joint of meat so we could have roast beef for lunch, which my OH cooked.

So glad I don't have giant spiders, my idea of a nightmare! Although I wouldn't kill them. Pat, you will indeed enjoy the scent of the bulbs you were kindly given. How nice.

Rosie our granddaughter is growing fast. She is very lively and chatty. Like a lot of children, she ate the icing on top of her piece of cake first!! Our son had been labouring away to build a fancy piece of bedroom furniture for Tomasz, it has a bed up high with a ladder incorporating a bookcase, with a neat desk below it on which to do his homework. It took a long time to build due to the mangled English on the instruction sheet!!

Monday morning again. How the week goes!

Thinking of Heather and hoping she has a better week this week. Hopefully some progress. Where is AQ? I hope all is well with her, and her OH.

Dull skies here but dry here. We had a mild weekend for November but very wet again.

LINDA - I'm here. . .  there and everywhere. OH assessment today for AgedCare in home. blah blah. I don't expect wonders with a reluctant OH. This arvo my last Physio for arthritic fingers, I just need to find time for the regular exercises. BTW welcome home but too bad about the post-holiday head colds.

Morning all:

Diane: Tx for the link re dog illness; not good but the 'silver lining' is that it's mostly seen in kennel-type situations rather than domestic pets.

Lindybird: Take care of yourselves. I bet you saw a change in Rosie since your last visit. How tall is she? Ms. D is shooting up like a weed (they were here over the weekend). I put a chair from Ikea together a while back: It was relatively simply because it was all pictures and arrows, etc., hardly any words at all.

AQ; So sorry your OH is reluctant about home care. Can you pick and choose the types of care and maybe overrule him so some things are easier for you?

Off to sort out the world.....

LINDA – sorry about the headcold! Looks like Rosie is growing up to match her face.

ANNETTE – I don’t like those furniture instructions which are all diagrams and arrows – I prefer to follow words!

AQ – I can understand your OH’s reluctance for home care – here in the UK it’s all offered for the convenience of the carer, not the cared-for person – makes me feel I have already been written off – although I did agree to the waiting list for baby-sitting on the understanding that I can always refuse on the day!

I have had a very sore left shoulder today, not sure what brought it on. Quite a battle to sit, stand, use computer, hold a book etc. Cleaners came; one of them asked what I had done to hurt it so I told her thet if I knew that I would not have done it! Evidence that I feel quite fed up with the pain.

OG: Hope the shoulder issue resolves itself with a couple of days rest. I didn't think I'd like the Ikea assemble-by-pictures approach, but it sure beat some of the mangled English instructions (missing verbs, etc.) that came with some other things - mostly small-name electronic items. Your home care set up sounds more like respite care for EE rather than anything that would help you.

Lindy - so sorry you and your OH have got head colds since you have come back. I hope you get better soon.
AQ - it must be very difficult for you and your OH to come to some agreement re home care.
OG - sorry about your shoulder. Hope it eases off soon.
I have had a day at home today cleaning my bird bath, scraping leaves and doing a multitude of other small jobs. Tomorrow “a man” is coming to do other jobs which I am unable to do like cleaning the gutters. I hope the forecast for dry weather is accurate as 2 of the other jobs are also outside.

ANNETTE, OG, RUSTY - Like yours, our Aged Care is for the carer and to keep the other at home as long as possible. Services are vague – I suspect they don’t want to offer anything specific lest we ask too much! I imagine going to set up a kitchen without knowing what is in the shop. Stove, fridge, sink, yes, but if I have never had a kettle, I won’t ask for it, will I? The biggest problem is that OH is anti-social and has never liked people around. And the “help” won’t include the annoying things – finding his lost whatevers, chatting about nothing. “Me-time” is all very well but my outings are followed by Mr Grumpy. Regardless, I am out to lunch with Friend today, leaving a ham, cheese & tomato sandwich plus pills for his lunch.

OG – Don’t feel you have been “written off”. You are central to all the care arrangements. If EE didn’t have extra help, where would you be. {{{HUGS}}}

AQ, Difficult decisions re home care. Worth a try ? Would it help you?
Agree with OG, home care quality varies. Judging by experiences of members of family and friends, much depends on the individual carer. Some have been excellent, others not so good. They all seem very busy.There are good reliable agencies available, but at a cost.
I think the system in Scotland may be different. I do not know about the "baby sitting" service.

OG, I agree, I prefer to follow instructions in words. I do not understand the diagrams.

Lindy, Lovely picture of Rosie.