Meanwhile my thoughts are going to you, my readers. I wish you all a
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
May it be filled with joy. I'm sure there will be the inevitable ups & downs in the course of it, but may the ups outweigh the downs.
HAPPY 2011.
Friday 31 December 2010
Late arrival
It finally arrived. I've been a bit anxious since one of my cousins failed to send a Christmas card. Had something dire happened to her? I had decided to phone tomorrow. Then yesterday the card arrived. I was utterly bemused to see the note enclosed was dated Nov 14. Yes that is NOVEMBER, not December. I know weather's been bad down south. Snow has caused much delay in postal services but that's a bit ridiculous. But at least my mind is at rest now. No need to worry about her.
Meanwhile my thoughts are going to you, my readers. I wish you all a
Meanwhile my thoughts are going to you, my readers. I wish you all a
Thursday 30 December 2010
At last
"It will be the 12th of Jan before we can come," said the voice from the Water Authority at the other end of the telephone line.
At this Dave erupted. "But we've already been half a week without water."
Eventually a compromise was agreed. They would come today, Thursday. This was Tuesday.
Dave continued to come round with his bucket & kettle. Yesterday he managed to find somewhere to buy the 5 gallon water containers you see in waiting rooms & offices. Now he only came with his bucket for water to flush the loo.
So we'd just finished dinner. The Fox was just clearing up, washing bowl on the go, when the doorbell went. Dave. No bucket, just a broad smile & a whoop of joy. They'd absentmindedly switched on the tap, forgetting the lack of water, & a trickle came out. The trickle wasn't particularly healthy looking but at least it was coming through. He was now confident things would be alright. Once more he thanked us for our help - he'd brought a bottle of wine round in the morning as a sign of their appreciation.
Since then, this morning the water in our cold water tap is considerably warmer as is the day, so hopefully all is flowing well for them. Now Dave just needs to wait anxiously in case there is any sign of a burst. Hopefully the water wasn't so long frozen to have burst the pipe anywhere. Meanwhile he'll cancel the appointment with the Water Authority.
What it must be like in Northern Ireland! And to think Dave & his wife were only away for just over 24 hours, leaving their heating on in their absence!
At this Dave erupted. "But we've already been half a week without water."
Eventually a compromise was agreed. They would come today, Thursday. This was Tuesday.
Dave continued to come round with his bucket & kettle. Yesterday he managed to find somewhere to buy the 5 gallon water containers you see in waiting rooms & offices. Now he only came with his bucket for water to flush the loo.
So we'd just finished dinner. The Fox was just clearing up, washing bowl on the go, when the doorbell went. Dave. No bucket, just a broad smile & a whoop of joy. They'd absentmindedly switched on the tap, forgetting the lack of water, & a trickle came out. The trickle wasn't particularly healthy looking but at least it was coming through. He was now confident things would be alright. Once more he thanked us for our help - he'd brought a bottle of wine round in the morning as a sign of their appreciation.
Since then, this morning the water in our cold water tap is considerably warmer as is the day, so hopefully all is flowing well for them. Now Dave just needs to wait anxiously in case there is any sign of a burst. Hopefully the water wasn't so long frozen to have burst the pipe anywhere. Meanwhile he'll cancel the appointment with the Water Authority.
What it must be like in Northern Ireland! And to think Dave & his wife were only away for just over 24 hours, leaving their heating on in their absence!
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Too little yet too much
And so Dave, our neighbour, keeps coming round, bucket & kettle in hand. His water supply has still not been restored. The great thaw has happened. Pretty well all the slush has been washed away after a night of rain. No apparent bursts have appeared. Dave has tried plumbers & the Water Authority. Everyone says the same thing - it's not our job. Dave & his wife have got to the stage of not caring whose responsibility it is, as long as someone sorts it out.
They've done very well. They dug up a lot of snow to use for loo flushing. They've now got the buckets & pans out collecting the rainwater as it falls. They don't like to pester us all the time. They want water to come from the tap when they switch it on. It's not too much to ask, is it? Apparently so.
Other neighbours will be returning home soon from their holiday breaks. I'm beginning to think they will all be queueing up at our door when they discover they, too, haven't got water.
Meanwhile the world has returned to its usual grey & wet.
We got to the Pub yesterday. Everyone seems to have had a good Christmas. All are already regretting the disappearance of the brilliant white winter wonderland with its bright blue skies & which has now be replaced by dark grey. In other words there's been a change of moan. Life goes on.
They've done very well. They dug up a lot of snow to use for loo flushing. They've now got the buckets & pans out collecting the rainwater as it falls. They don't like to pester us all the time. They want water to come from the tap when they switch it on. It's not too much to ask, is it? Apparently so.
Other neighbours will be returning home soon from their holiday breaks. I'm beginning to think they will all be queueing up at our door when they discover they, too, haven't got water.
Meanwhile the world has returned to its usual grey & wet.
We got to the Pub yesterday. Everyone seems to have had a good Christmas. All are already regretting the disappearance of the brilliant white winter wonderland with its bright blue skies & which has now be replaced by dark grey. In other words there's been a change of moan. Life goes on.
Monday 27 December 2010
The price of going away
I hope you all had as good a Christmas Day as we did. The meal was excellent. Den & Fran were in good form. The gifts in the crackers were worthwhile. Altogether a pleasant time.
Yesterday was quiet. At least until teatime, when the doorbell went. It was a neighbour, just back from a night away for Christmas. He was wondering if we had water, as they had none. I knew we had earlier on - I'd been busily doing the week's wash - but I went to check. Yes, we still had water.
He'd tried us as we were further up the mains water supply. Clearly any problem was between the mains & their house. He then went home, back to the task of finding a plumber on Boxing Day. The Fox popped over with a kettleful of water so they could at least get a drink. Later on Dave was back, seeking more water. They'd had no luck & would have to survive until today without a mains water supply, so we've become the water-hole for them.
They'd left the central heating on while they'd been away as they have a cat which they'd left in the house. Somehow an underground pipe must have frozen even so. The lack of flow of water for about 30 hours was sufficient to enable it to solidify. They are now just hoping not too much damage has been done & that something can be done to solve the problem today.
If nothing else the thaw has set in overnight. Everywhere is slushy, a condition encouraged by the rain & sleet we had earlier on this morning. In many ways it is more dangerous under foot than it has been so far.
I'll be glad to get back to more temperate times, a world of colour with green grass instead everything white. The novelty has more than worn off. For that matter a world which is just not so cold. Brr.
Yesterday was quiet. At least until teatime, when the doorbell went. It was a neighbour, just back from a night away for Christmas. He was wondering if we had water, as they had none. I knew we had earlier on - I'd been busily doing the week's wash - but I went to check. Yes, we still had water.
He'd tried us as we were further up the mains water supply. Clearly any problem was between the mains & their house. He then went home, back to the task of finding a plumber on Boxing Day. The Fox popped over with a kettleful of water so they could at least get a drink. Later on Dave was back, seeking more water. They'd had no luck & would have to survive until today without a mains water supply, so we've become the water-hole for them.
They'd left the central heating on while they'd been away as they have a cat which they'd left in the house. Somehow an underground pipe must have frozen even so. The lack of flow of water for about 30 hours was sufficient to enable it to solidify. They are now just hoping not too much damage has been done & that something can be done to solve the problem today.
If nothing else the thaw has set in overnight. Everywhere is slushy, a condition encouraged by the rain & sleet we had earlier on this morning. In many ways it is more dangerous under foot than it has been so far.
I'll be glad to get back to more temperate times, a world of colour with green grass instead everything white. The novelty has more than worn off. For that matter a world which is just not so cold. Brr.
Friday 24 December 2010
More festive at last
Maybe things are picking up.
We toodled up to the Pub. It was heaving with builders coming for the firm's Xmas dinner. It made it hard for the Fox to hear. Nonetheless there was good cheer. Al, our gardener, was taking a break from the Christmas baking. He comes from a family of bakers so that's his domain, especially at this time of year. Phil, the Whizz Kid, is full of the news of his twin grand-daughters, born just days ago. In came Paul & Cheryl with tales of their hens with their red Santa hats. Russell, the pie-maker, popped in for a brief respite. He was going to have to be up baking at 4am today. Pies are disappearing like hot cakes apparently. He cheerily told me not to burn the turkey. PD was full of invitations for us to pop round some time over the Christmas period. He still regrets that we won't agree to seeing the New Year in at his house. Good spirits abound. We had the news that the stopping & restarting of his heart had not worked for Rob, the landlord, though he had at least successfully revived (which he had feared) & is now safely home again. But even that did not stop the good cheer.
Once home we dug into a very nice minced lamb pie, homemade of course.
After dinner, we watched "The Andy Williams Christmas Show" on BBC4, a half hour of festive song. This we followed with an excellent bottle of Vouvray to the sounds of Dusty Springfield.
Suddenly the world is looking more festive.
Which reminds me of the most important part of this blog. I suspect I won't be writing tomorrow, so I shall take this opportunity to wish all my readers
We toodled up to the Pub. It was heaving with builders coming for the firm's Xmas dinner. It made it hard for the Fox to hear. Nonetheless there was good cheer. Al, our gardener, was taking a break from the Christmas baking. He comes from a family of bakers so that's his domain, especially at this time of year. Phil, the Whizz Kid, is full of the news of his twin grand-daughters, born just days ago. In came Paul & Cheryl with tales of their hens with their red Santa hats. Russell, the pie-maker, popped in for a brief respite. He was going to have to be up baking at 4am today. Pies are disappearing like hot cakes apparently. He cheerily told me not to burn the turkey. PD was full of invitations for us to pop round some time over the Christmas period. He still regrets that we won't agree to seeing the New Year in at his house. Good spirits abound. We had the news that the stopping & restarting of his heart had not worked for Rob, the landlord, though he had at least successfully revived (which he had feared) & is now safely home again. But even that did not stop the good cheer.
Once home we dug into a very nice minced lamb pie, homemade of course.
After dinner, we watched "The Andy Williams Christmas Show" on BBC4, a half hour of festive song. This we followed with an excellent bottle of Vouvray to the sounds of Dusty Springfield.
Suddenly the world is looking more festive.
Which reminds me of the most important part of this blog. I suspect I won't be writing tomorrow, so I shall take this opportunity to wish all my readers
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL
Thursday 23 December 2010
Festive gloom
Readers of the Fox's blog will realise we're having problems with raising much festive cheer this year. I think we've finally got the tree looking good, all the cards are out, many received, the freezer is well stocked, bird food supplies are replenished, all should be set for go.
I find myself trying to analyse why there is this absence of festive cheer. I've come to certain conclusions.
Firstly I suppose it is that Christmas should have a religious element in it, to my mind. Yet would I make such a fuss about anyone else's birthday? No. Part of it is undoubtedly that I've not managed to get to church since mid-November due to the weather. This means I've not sung any carols, seen the tree in church, lit the advent candles, heard the Christmas stories anew. I had hoped to at least get to the Carol Service but there was far too much ice for me. There is a steep ramp into our church which isn't salted or cleared - a very dangerous path in these inclement times.
Christmas used to be associated with certain rituals. Christmas Eve was always the Big Bake day, when my mother & I made plate size minced pies & jam tarts, as well as dozens of smaller ones - a time when she was exclusively mine, a rare event in the year. Come the evening my brother would join us to prepare the turkey. Christmas Day was my special time with my father when we would walk down together to the morning service at church while the dinner was cooking. But now both parents are dead, along with my brother. Even after setting up my own home with the Fox, certain rituals became established, the bottle of port on Christmas Eve, the special meal on the Day but now our tastes have moved from port, & certainly our capacity to drink it in such quantities is diminished, & the dinner is just too exhausting to make.
Other things I associate with Christmas are the getting together of families & friends, some of whom are rarely seen throughout the year. But now so many of the immediate family are no longer here, & so many houses are just not accessible for me now. We never had the children who should now be visiting.
Even the long break from work was part of the treat of Christmas but when you no longer work then that is nothing very special.
Instead of all these things that should make this time exciting, all I'm seeing is the long queues in the shops, especially the supermarkets. The sense of panic that radiates from all these stressed shoppers. Then there's the bars crowded with noisy over-indulged merrymakers. And in the midst of this there's anxiety, too, over friends - Jean, our friend with cancer should be hearing today whether her tumour has shrunk sufficiently for her to have an operation in January to safely remove most of it, & Rob, the landlord at the Pub, is having his heart stopped & restarted today in the hope of restoring a more normal heart rhythm. It isn't helped with hearing that the Fox's trip to the surgery yesterday was bad news so he will be seeing the doc early in the new year. Admittedly the nurse who did the test is young & very panicky about anything that varies the least bit from the stipulated norm, so there may be no real cause for concern, but that doesn't stop the worrying. At least my tooth is repaired & seems to be settling down fine.
Hopefully our Christmas lunch should be something special. The menu certainly looks good. I'm just hoping Den & Fran are in better mood than last year. Admittedly that was about the first time Den had ventured out since his stroke &, as far as I've know, he's in good health now. But Christmas is always a bad time for them as Fran's first husband, Den's best friend, died on Christmas Eve & tends to cast a dark shadow over the event for them.
No, despite all the above, I'm telling myself it will be a happy Christmas. Now the chores are done, we can sit back & get on to the fun.
I find myself trying to analyse why there is this absence of festive cheer. I've come to certain conclusions.
Firstly I suppose it is that Christmas should have a religious element in it, to my mind. Yet would I make such a fuss about anyone else's birthday? No. Part of it is undoubtedly that I've not managed to get to church since mid-November due to the weather. This means I've not sung any carols, seen the tree in church, lit the advent candles, heard the Christmas stories anew. I had hoped to at least get to the Carol Service but there was far too much ice for me. There is a steep ramp into our church which isn't salted or cleared - a very dangerous path in these inclement times.
Christmas used to be associated with certain rituals. Christmas Eve was always the Big Bake day, when my mother & I made plate size minced pies & jam tarts, as well as dozens of smaller ones - a time when she was exclusively mine, a rare event in the year. Come the evening my brother would join us to prepare the turkey. Christmas Day was my special time with my father when we would walk down together to the morning service at church while the dinner was cooking. But now both parents are dead, along with my brother. Even after setting up my own home with the Fox, certain rituals became established, the bottle of port on Christmas Eve, the special meal on the Day but now our tastes have moved from port, & certainly our capacity to drink it in such quantities is diminished, & the dinner is just too exhausting to make.
Other things I associate with Christmas are the getting together of families & friends, some of whom are rarely seen throughout the year. But now so many of the immediate family are no longer here, & so many houses are just not accessible for me now. We never had the children who should now be visiting.
Even the long break from work was part of the treat of Christmas but when you no longer work then that is nothing very special.
Instead of all these things that should make this time exciting, all I'm seeing is the long queues in the shops, especially the supermarkets. The sense of panic that radiates from all these stressed shoppers. Then there's the bars crowded with noisy over-indulged merrymakers. And in the midst of this there's anxiety, too, over friends - Jean, our friend with cancer should be hearing today whether her tumour has shrunk sufficiently for her to have an operation in January to safely remove most of it, & Rob, the landlord at the Pub, is having his heart stopped & restarted today in the hope of restoring a more normal heart rhythm. It isn't helped with hearing that the Fox's trip to the surgery yesterday was bad news so he will be seeing the doc early in the new year. Admittedly the nurse who did the test is young & very panicky about anything that varies the least bit from the stipulated norm, so there may be no real cause for concern, but that doesn't stop the worrying. At least my tooth is repaired & seems to be settling down fine.
Hopefully our Christmas lunch should be something special. The menu certainly looks good. I'm just hoping Den & Fran are in better mood than last year. Admittedly that was about the first time Den had ventured out since his stroke &, as far as I've know, he's in good health now. But Christmas is always a bad time for them as Fran's first husband, Den's best friend, died on Christmas Eve & tends to cast a dark shadow over the event for them.
No, despite all the above, I'm telling myself it will be a happy Christmas. Now the chores are done, we can sit back & get on to the fun.
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Food matters
After yesterday's dinner, I concluded I would have to revise my meals plans for the days ahead. The hole in my tooth hadn't particularly affected my pleasure in eating the Fox's dinner on Sunday, a salmon kedgeree, but yesterday's meatballs were hard going. The crisp chips & crisp edging of the meatballs & the pancetta in which they were wrapped, was difficult. I then spent the evening trying to get a small piece of minced pork from the meatball out of the cavity. So today the chips are off & I'm making a curry instead. Wednesday's slow roast belly of pork can wait. The last thing I need is crackling when I have a new filling, even if it's a temp.Instead the Fox is going to have a go at a kipper & egg filled jacket potato. Hopefully by then I will be able to eat without worrying about the effect on my mouth.
Meanwhile that other hungry feeder has arrived. Mr Blackbird arrived on the kitchen doorstep. His beady eye turned to me imploringly. So more food was thrown out. I half-expect him to be pecking at the door tomorrow for attention.
We did manage to get out yesterday. The tree is now decorated. But today is the challenge of a last trip to Morrisons, & hopefully to the pet shop for some more wild bird food. Mr Blackbird is clearly eager to be fed & we seem very low on supplies of wild bird food. That will never do. This is not the time to neglect feeding our feathered friends.
Meanwhile that other hungry feeder has arrived. Mr Blackbird arrived on the kitchen doorstep. His beady eye turned to me imploringly. So more food was thrown out. I half-expect him to be pecking at the door tomorrow for attention.
We did manage to get out yesterday. The tree is now decorated. But today is the challenge of a last trip to Morrisons, & hopefully to the pet shop for some more wild bird food. Mr Blackbird is clearly eager to be fed & we seem very low on supplies of wild bird food. That will never do. This is not the time to neglect feeding our feathered friends.
Monday 20 December 2010
Going out?
I picked up the hand free phone to take it through into the study - I'm expecting PD to ring any minute to see if we're coming out to play - when suddenly it rings. How's that for timing I thought. It wasn't PD. Instead it was an unfamiliar voice - the Fire Brigade. They'd installed a fire alarm a while ago & were just ringing to check all was well. Kind of them I thought but I assured him we checked the alarm regularly & it always bleeped, though it never did when I burnt the dinner. He told me great & again asked if we'd like them to come round for anything. Again I said no. It is only now dawning on me that what he was really offering was to do any shopping etc as, knowing I was an elderly or disabled person as I'd had to be to get the free alarm, they'd thought we might be having difficulties getting around due to the amount of ice & maybe running out of food supplies for example. What a kind thought. I'm all the gladder that I'd wished them Merry Christmas.
As for PD, I'm not sure if we'll be going out or not this afternoon. The road outside looks like an ice rink. We had thought we might have to go out. I managed to lose a bit of a tooth on the roast goose on Saturday. However, as my tooth is aching at a very tolerable level, I've not got an appointment until Wednesday. I suspect my Christmas present is going to be another crowned tooth! Exciting isn't it? But I will be relieved not to have a jagged hole.
Our other reason to venturing out is that we finally decided to get the Christmas tree out. The first thing we tried was the lights. Nothing. We checked all the bulbs were securely in. Light. The Fox draped them on the tree. Dead once more. Took them off, twiddled the bulbs, light came on, so put them on the tree again & once more the lights died. This time we couldn't get them going again so we're thinking it's time for some new lights.
I've also finally decided to get a turkey, for the new year rather than Christmas. Experience has taught us turkeys become astronomically expensive outside the pre-Christmas rush. One year I had thought there would be some good offers to clear the freezers, but no, they doubled the price instead. If we can get out we're thinking of a quick shop before the pandemonium of the last few days of food shopping before the festive season.
All depends on the state of the road. We're telling ourselves once we're out of our side road, onto the main roads, we'll be okay. Those roads will be well salted. Cars do seem to be managing to manoeuvre better today. Tyres do seem to be able to get some traction & not just spin around going nowhere. We'll see how it looks by this afternoon. I certainly can't see us wanting to be out late, when the freeze once more sets in. At least it's got u to -8C today!
All this cold has kept our avian friends busy. Yesterday the goose skin disappeared rapidly under the onslaught of a flock of starlings. This morning I looked out of the kitchen window to see Mr Blackbird sifting through the snow on the patio wall. I usually put the hanging feeders there when I'm filling them. I think he was hoping to find some escapee seeds. He doesn't usually like foraging quite so close to the house. My heart went out to him. I hastily got out some bread for him. Then I progressed to preparing our dinner - some meatballs with a festive touch of cranberries. There was a part slice of bread & a few dried cranberries left, so they, too, got scattered across the patio. It only took a few minutes before Mr Blackbird was back, with the wife this time, feeding happily. They really must be desperate in this cold.
And that's another reason to try to get out. We're nearly out of bird food & our avian friends definitely need feeding up if they're to survive this vicious cold.
And yes, I was right. PD has rung while I've been writing this blog.
As for PD, I'm not sure if we'll be going out or not this afternoon. The road outside looks like an ice rink. We had thought we might have to go out. I managed to lose a bit of a tooth on the roast goose on Saturday. However, as my tooth is aching at a very tolerable level, I've not got an appointment until Wednesday. I suspect my Christmas present is going to be another crowned tooth! Exciting isn't it? But I will be relieved not to have a jagged hole.
Our other reason to venturing out is that we finally decided to get the Christmas tree out. The first thing we tried was the lights. Nothing. We checked all the bulbs were securely in. Light. The Fox draped them on the tree. Dead once more. Took them off, twiddled the bulbs, light came on, so put them on the tree again & once more the lights died. This time we couldn't get them going again so we're thinking it's time for some new lights.
I've also finally decided to get a turkey, for the new year rather than Christmas. Experience has taught us turkeys become astronomically expensive outside the pre-Christmas rush. One year I had thought there would be some good offers to clear the freezers, but no, they doubled the price instead. If we can get out we're thinking of a quick shop before the pandemonium of the last few days of food shopping before the festive season.
All depends on the state of the road. We're telling ourselves once we're out of our side road, onto the main roads, we'll be okay. Those roads will be well salted. Cars do seem to be managing to manoeuvre better today. Tyres do seem to be able to get some traction & not just spin around going nowhere. We'll see how it looks by this afternoon. I certainly can't see us wanting to be out late, when the freeze once more sets in. At least it's got u to -8C today!
All this cold has kept our avian friends busy. Yesterday the goose skin disappeared rapidly under the onslaught of a flock of starlings. This morning I looked out of the kitchen window to see Mr Blackbird sifting through the snow on the patio wall. I usually put the hanging feeders there when I'm filling them. I think he was hoping to find some escapee seeds. He doesn't usually like foraging quite so close to the house. My heart went out to him. I hastily got out some bread for him. Then I progressed to preparing our dinner - some meatballs with a festive touch of cranberries. There was a part slice of bread & a few dried cranberries left, so they, too, got scattered across the patio. It only took a few minutes before Mr Blackbird was back, with the wife this time, feeding happily. They really must be desperate in this cold.
And that's another reason to try to get out. We're nearly out of bird food & our avian friends definitely need feeding up if they're to survive this vicious cold.
And yes, I was right. PD has rung while I've been writing this blog.
Sunday 19 December 2010
Snow, & water
The snow has finally arrived. It came Friday night. By the morning everything was under an inch of white, not much compared with most areas but plenty for us. So yesterday I was anxious when I saw great flakes of white descending. Then I realised it wasn't snowing, it was just windy. As the evergreens blew around, they scattered snow from their boughs in every direction like shaggy dogs after a swim. Today all is frozen, -15C. I nervously ventured off to the bird table to let them have the skin etc from the roast goose we had yesterday - delicious by the way. My feet never sank in the snow. It was just too hard. I'm pleased to see now that the birds have found my offering & are devouring it hungrily.
********************
As so often I wasn't sleeping so well last night. I switched on the radio, BBC World Service, "The Food that Feeds Billions". By the time I had listened to this programme I was desperate. Half an hour - it seemed like hours - on the subject of bottled water with appropriate watery sounds was enough to drive me to the loo rather than to the Land of Nod again. What a time to have such a programme on! I had to tell myself that most listeners would be listening in other time zones where it would come over as an interesting programme. To me, in England, in the middle of the night, it was just too liquid!
Thursday 16 December 2010
Surprise post
There is a great noise at the door. The post has come. It's not the usual Christmas cards. No this is a large official-looking envelope. The bathroom designs at last, I think. But no, the envelope is stamped "Lancaashire County Council".
I am somewhat bemused to discover it is about the proposed cuts in adult social service provision. It's a consultation document, a questionnaire. I haven't done this sort for work for years.
I used to do quite a lot of such work when we lived in Arnside. I did it on behalf of a local charity representing disabled people. I was even consulted on the green paper for the Disability Discrimination Act. In the process, such consultation gave me stimulation as I challenged some of the suggestions, amusement as I read disabled people had no need of accessible prison vans as they clearly didn't commit crimes, an awareness of what was available to assist disabled people as often I was dealing with questions of benefits & medical provision in the area, a sense of purpose & value as I adjusted to my own disability, a sense of achievement when some battles were won.
I'm just somewhat surprised to find myself being consulted now, ten years later. I assume it's just because we've made more use of social services this year with the Fox doing his carers' course.
However, having consulted me, the council is in for a shock. They seem to expect you to do a simple tick job on a questionnaire &, looking at the questions it is obvious that will be impossible to me. They lump too many things together.
I appreciate the council is going to be strapped for cash & need to make savings. But I feel it's one thing to increase the price for the hourly rate of £11 for care services to do essential things such as getting people up, washed, fed & watered, & which incidentally the user is paying almost the full sum already. It's quite another to increase day care services at a centre where apparently you are charged £5 a day which presumably includes a cooked meal, transport there, constant supervision, stimulation to some form of activity, & which is heavily subsidised. The former I wouldn't like to see increase as, over a course a day, it quickly mounts up to a considerable sum, as well as being essential for your well-being. The latter strikes me as a cheap day out if you can afford it & which isn't so essential, though clearly desirable for the sake of morale of the user, & to give hard-pressed unpaid carers some respite. In both cases means testing is essential in that often those with the greatest needs are also those with the least money to pay for the services.
Lancashire County Council had best look out.
I am somewhat bemused to discover it is about the proposed cuts in adult social service provision. It's a consultation document, a questionnaire. I haven't done this sort for work for years.
I used to do quite a lot of such work when we lived in Arnside. I did it on behalf of a local charity representing disabled people. I was even consulted on the green paper for the Disability Discrimination Act. In the process, such consultation gave me stimulation as I challenged some of the suggestions, amusement as I read disabled people had no need of accessible prison vans as they clearly didn't commit crimes, an awareness of what was available to assist disabled people as often I was dealing with questions of benefits & medical provision in the area, a sense of purpose & value as I adjusted to my own disability, a sense of achievement when some battles were won.
I'm just somewhat surprised to find myself being consulted now, ten years later. I assume it's just because we've made more use of social services this year with the Fox doing his carers' course.
However, having consulted me, the council is in for a shock. They seem to expect you to do a simple tick job on a questionnaire &, looking at the questions it is obvious that will be impossible to me. They lump too many things together.
I appreciate the council is going to be strapped for cash & need to make savings. But I feel it's one thing to increase the price for the hourly rate of £11 for care services to do essential things such as getting people up, washed, fed & watered, & which incidentally the user is paying almost the full sum already. It's quite another to increase day care services at a centre where apparently you are charged £5 a day which presumably includes a cooked meal, transport there, constant supervision, stimulation to some form of activity, & which is heavily subsidised. The former I wouldn't like to see increase as, over a course a day, it quickly mounts up to a considerable sum, as well as being essential for your well-being. The latter strikes me as a cheap day out if you can afford it & which isn't so essential, though clearly desirable for the sake of morale of the user, & to give hard-pressed unpaid carers some respite. In both cases means testing is essential in that often those with the greatest needs are also those with the least money to pay for the services.
Lancashire County Council had best look out.
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Tsunami attack
I was just in the midst of having a cup of tea with some cheese to finish off the meal, when the tsunami hit, a great wave of tiredness. I began to wonder if I would even manage to finish the tea before my eyes shut. It may only be 7.30 pm but it was clearly time for bed for me.
It came as a great surprise, when I eventually managed to prise open my eyes, to see the clock said 9 & yet it was daylight. I had clearly been in bed for over 13 hours. Most of the time I had been asleep. It had taken a while to get off, to make the transition from dopey to asleep. I know I followed the radio programmes until somewhere between 8 & 8.30 pm. I woke briefly to hear "Book at Bedtime" (10.45-11pm) but that was it.
Even at 9am I couldn't say I felt refreshed. In fact I feel just the opposite. My eyes are heavy lidded with a certain amount of gunk which wants to glue them shut. I have managed to do a quick bit of weeding in the front garden. It's green bin day so I thought I'd take advantage of the bin to get rid of some grass that's been irritating me when I've been to gather some thyme for dinner of late. Apart from that I've managed breakfast & now feel ready for sleep again. Fortunately the Fox is cooking today so all I need to do is find some wine & decide when the goose has to come out of the freezer for Saturday's roast.
I'm beginning to conclude yesterday's heaviness was not the result of over-indulgence but rather a letting go, the start of relaxation & exhaustion. I have been missing out on a lot of sleep of late. Clearly it's catch-up time. I don't feel ill just plain exhausted.
It came as a great surprise, when I eventually managed to prise open my eyes, to see the clock said 9 & yet it was daylight. I had clearly been in bed for over 13 hours. Most of the time I had been asleep. It had taken a while to get off, to make the transition from dopey to asleep. I know I followed the radio programmes until somewhere between 8 & 8.30 pm. I woke briefly to hear "Book at Bedtime" (10.45-11pm) but that was it.
Even at 9am I couldn't say I felt refreshed. In fact I feel just the opposite. My eyes are heavy lidded with a certain amount of gunk which wants to glue them shut. I have managed to do a quick bit of weeding in the front garden. It's green bin day so I thought I'd take advantage of the bin to get rid of some grass that's been irritating me when I've been to gather some thyme for dinner of late. Apart from that I've managed breakfast & now feel ready for sleep again. Fortunately the Fox is cooking today so all I need to do is find some wine & decide when the goose has to come out of the freezer for Saturday's roast.
I'm beginning to conclude yesterday's heaviness was not the result of over-indulgence but rather a letting go, the start of relaxation & exhaustion. I have been missing out on a lot of sleep of late. Clearly it's catch-up time. I don't feel ill just plain exhausted.
Tuesday 14 December 2010
All went well
In the end all went well. Lin's dad had his entry into hospital delayed so Lin was able to arrive with PD on time. Her dad was staying overnight at their house as he had to get into the hospital by 7.30 this morning & PD's house is nearer the hospital than Geo's. He was quite happy to have a quiet evening on his own while PD & Lin came out partying.
Ken, Linda's new man, seemed to fit in well. He seemed positively devoted to Linda. A sign of things to come?
The food was delicious. The goats cheese souffles some had as starters stayed well risen. The poached eggs oozed over the black puddings others had. All those who had the fillet steak were agreed it was the best steak they'd ever had. Meanwhile the meat just fell off the bone for those who had the slow-cooked lamb shanks. There were no moans about the turkey either. Puds were all very satisfactory. The cheese board included some Garstang blue (or so we think) which was delicious.
Lively conversation flowed around the table. An occasionally uproar of laughter erupted. Good wishes spread around the table, along with a flow of Christmas cards.
All in all a good time was had by all.
I'm now feeling the consequences. I feel rather heavy & bloated, definitely lethargic. Too much good food & wine I suspect. Still a blow-out once in a while does you good. That's my belief anyhow. But I am relieved to think I've planned to do a light penne & crayfish dish for dinner tonight. Light has appeal for me today.
Monday 13 December 2010
Things turn aggly
A sense of dampness pervades the air. It's one of those dark grey days that doesn't give much sense of light. It's not actually raining. It hasn't all morning, yet everywhere drips. The ground looks sodden. The trees drip. The bird table drips. The roofs drip. Everything drips.
Today we're off to the Christmas meal at the Pub. Already things are going aggly. PD has just rung to say his wife, Lin, will be late arriving, may even miss the first course.
Lin's dad is due to go into hospital today for a minor op. Last night he apparently got in a panic so Lin ended up staying the night with her father, trying to reassure him all would be well. His doctor didn't think the op was really necessary but Geo, Lin's dad, elected to go ahead. In his 90s, he's now beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have listened to his GP's advice.
So Lin will be taking her dad to the hospital this afternoon. They want to do a few preliminary tests today before the op tomorrow. In view of the state her father's already worked himself into, Lin feels she ought to visit him in the evening to make sure he's still okay. But that will inevitably mean she will be late for the meal tonight. She's intending to join us all as soon as she can. It's a pity but it can't be helped.
I wonder what's next to disrupt things.
Today we're off to the Christmas meal at the Pub. Already things are going aggly. PD has just rung to say his wife, Lin, will be late arriving, may even miss the first course.
Lin's dad is due to go into hospital today for a minor op. Last night he apparently got in a panic so Lin ended up staying the night with her father, trying to reassure him all would be well. His doctor didn't think the op was really necessary but Geo, Lin's dad, elected to go ahead. In his 90s, he's now beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have listened to his GP's advice.
So Lin will be taking her dad to the hospital this afternoon. They want to do a few preliminary tests today before the op tomorrow. In view of the state her father's already worked himself into, Lin feels she ought to visit him in the evening to make sure he's still okay. But that will inevitably mean she will be late for the meal tonight. She's intending to join us all as soon as she can. It's a pity but it can't be helped.
I wonder what's next to disrupt things.
Sunday 12 December 2010
More cold
I thought I would be going to church today now the snow had gone, but I didn't get there. I was late up for a start - the first decent night's sleep for weeks, not to be missed - so it would have been a rush. When I looked out of the kitchen window I remained hopeful. Then I ventured into the lounge & looked along the street. All was white - a really heavy frost & once more very slippy. I concluded I would be wiser to stay at home in the warmth.
So now, late morning, I decided to venture out in the back garden to feed the birds with the left over scraps of pork fat (see the Fox's blog), get some wine to chill for this evening & locate some cheese for afters. It was like walking over a carpet of crystal. The bright sunshine glistened on the frost. A kaleidoscope of brilliant colours flashed back. I had a quick look at the thermometer, -7C. Definitely cold.
The road, shaded by the houses along it, remains white. The only dark patches being where parked cars have moved off. We're certainly having a cold winter this year. Brr...
So now, late morning, I decided to venture out in the back garden to feed the birds with the left over scraps of pork fat (see the Fox's blog), get some wine to chill for this evening & locate some cheese for afters. It was like walking over a carpet of crystal. The bright sunshine glistened on the frost. A kaleidoscope of brilliant colours flashed back. I had a quick look at the thermometer, -7C. Definitely cold.
The road, shaded by the houses along it, remains white. The only dark patches being where parked cars have moved off. We're certainly having a cold winter this year. Brr...
Saturday 11 December 2010
More hopeful
I've not been on the computer for a day & the toolbar of the blogsite has changed. I'm no computer geek & trying to work out what all the symbols mean is an unexpected challenge for me. At least I'm starting to get something down without changing character size, font, colour, italics etc every other letter, by accident rather than design.
Readers of the Fox's blog will know of his hospital ordeal yesterday. Not long after our return home, the second bathroom designer arrived. He came up with some new, quite revolutionary ideas, which seem much more inspiring.
We now await the detail plans to see if we like them as much as we hope.
He's proposing moving everything. Then we would end up with a walk-in shower cubicle along the window wall, where the toilet & sink are at present. The sink & toilet could then go where the present bath is. That way we could have a spacious shower, which I could get into in my wheelchair if I should ever need it & there would be so much more space to get to the sink & toilet. A sense of space, rather than clutter, should pervade the room.
So fingers crossed things are looking a bit more hopeful.
PS I'm sorry about the white background for the first few words. I was trying to give a white background to it all but I can't work out how to do it. Neither can I work out how to make the white background of the first few words disappear. I can see the next few entries are going to be a challenge!
Thursday 9 December 2010
Building up
It's amazing how mild -8C can seem after a day of -14C. Who knows, before the day is out, maybe a little snow might have disappeared.
We meanwhile are busy on building up the internal fires. After a couple of days of chillied meals we're going for more traditional British fuel, a chicken & vegetable pie. It's all made up now, ready for the oven this evening.
This afternoon we're off to the Farmers' Market to collect some pork we've ordered for the Christmas period. The market usually is on from 10-2, but this one, as they did last year, is on from 1-6pm. In many ways this is a lot more convenient for us. The market is held in a church hall nearly two thirds of the way to the Pub, so we may even go on to there afterwards. I've got to get the final seating & food orders in for the Christmas meal we're having there on Monday.
Monday should be a lively evening. There's 13 of us booked. Linda, Dave C's widow, is bringing along her new boyfriend. I should think it would be quite intimidating for him. We can be a rowdy lot at the best of times. Linda seems quite serious on him so I do hope all goes well. In her mid-50s & full of life, Linda is far too young to spend the rest of her life mourning Dave. She'll never forget him & she knows he wouldn't want her to be miserable for the rest of her days.
We meanwhile are busy on building up the internal fires. After a couple of days of chillied meals we're going for more traditional British fuel, a chicken & vegetable pie. It's all made up now, ready for the oven this evening.
This afternoon we're off to the Farmers' Market to collect some pork we've ordered for the Christmas period. The market usually is on from 10-2, but this one, as they did last year, is on from 1-6pm. In many ways this is a lot more convenient for us. The market is held in a church hall nearly two thirds of the way to the Pub, so we may even go on to there afterwards. I've got to get the final seating & food orders in for the Christmas meal we're having there on Monday.
Monday should be a lively evening. There's 13 of us booked. Linda, Dave C's widow, is bringing along her new boyfriend. I should think it would be quite intimidating for him. We can be a rowdy lot at the best of times. Linda seems quite serious on him so I do hope all goes well. In her mid-50s & full of life, Linda is far too young to spend the rest of her life mourning Dave. She'll never forget him & she knows he wouldn't want her to be miserable for the rest of her days.
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Ups & downs
It was an odd day yesterday, a mixture of pleasure & disillusionment. As you already know, it snowed in the morning. By lunchtime it had stopped & quickly thawed away, not entirely but sufficient to make going out a possibility. So we went out.
First we went for another look at bathrooms. We're beginning to get the idea of what to look for now. I persuaded the Fox to get in some of the shower units & move around as he would need to when having a shower. The smallest unit we found was 800mm wide. Our bathroom would have to be a 700mm wide to allow easy wheelchair access past to get to the toilet & sink.
He tried one with an inward folding door - almost impossible to get around the door. Then he started to realise when he moved about he constantly seemed to be hitting the screens all the time. Admittedly he was well padded with layers of winter clothing - he may not the stick insect he was when we first met nearly 40 years ago, but he is not grossly overweight either. We came away thinking that we may be better off with just a wet room floor & a shower curtain.
I meanwhile had been trying to get under various sinks in my wheelchair. Most of the pedestals were difficult to get my legs around but to not do so made getting over the sink a strenuous stretch. I've come to the conclusion that maybe we would be better off with a half-pedestal or even a sink where the pipework underneath is uncovered.
We left the showroom saddened. We'd fancied a stylish modern shower unit & now it looks as though, short of knocking down walls into the kitchen or study & so enlarging the bathroom, we'll have to have a simple shower curtain. The Fox ended up feeling enormous & grossly fat. I pointed out he was very thickly clothed. That must have put on inches.
We retired to the pub for a bit of a breather & consolation. I'm glad to say our spirits revived with the dinner. The quick stir fry was delicious - for once it was as pretty to look at as satisfying to eat. The prawns, so unpromisingly blue-grey when they went in the wok, had become a gorgeous orangey red. This was contrasted by the fresh bright green of the Chinese leaves. Specks of scarlet chilli bits & of dark green of basil & coriander leaves flecked the dish. Then came the eating. There was the meatiness of the prawns, the fire of the chillies, the fragrance of the ginger & lemongrass, the saltiness of the Thai fish sauce, the acidity of the lime juice & the sweetness of the spoonful of sugar. Delicious.
First we went for another look at bathrooms. We're beginning to get the idea of what to look for now. I persuaded the Fox to get in some of the shower units & move around as he would need to when having a shower. The smallest unit we found was 800mm wide. Our bathroom would have to be a 700mm wide to allow easy wheelchair access past to get to the toilet & sink.
He tried one with an inward folding door - almost impossible to get around the door. Then he started to realise when he moved about he constantly seemed to be hitting the screens all the time. Admittedly he was well padded with layers of winter clothing - he may not the stick insect he was when we first met nearly 40 years ago, but he is not grossly overweight either. We came away thinking that we may be better off with just a wet room floor & a shower curtain.
I meanwhile had been trying to get under various sinks in my wheelchair. Most of the pedestals were difficult to get my legs around but to not do so made getting over the sink a strenuous stretch. I've come to the conclusion that maybe we would be better off with a half-pedestal or even a sink where the pipework underneath is uncovered.
We left the showroom saddened. We'd fancied a stylish modern shower unit & now it looks as though, short of knocking down walls into the kitchen or study & so enlarging the bathroom, we'll have to have a simple shower curtain. The Fox ended up feeling enormous & grossly fat. I pointed out he was very thickly clothed. That must have put on inches.
We retired to the pub for a bit of a breather & consolation. I'm glad to say our spirits revived with the dinner. The quick stir fry was delicious - for once it was as pretty to look at as satisfying to eat. The prawns, so unpromisingly blue-grey when they went in the wok, had become a gorgeous orangey red. This was contrasted by the fresh bright green of the Chinese leaves. Specks of scarlet chilli bits & of dark green of basil & coriander leaves flecked the dish. Then came the eating. There was the meatiness of the prawns, the fire of the chillies, the fragrance of the ginger & lemongrass, the saltiness of the Thai fish sauce, the acidity of the lime juice & the sweetness of the spoonful of sugar. Delicious.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Muffled
It's amazingly quiet this morning. All sound is muffled. It began snowing a few hours ago & is still falling. It's not very deep so far but nonetheless the deepest we've had it so far this winter. For the first time the taxi doesn't seem to have arrived to take a child who lives next door to school. At least there are no tracks in the snow to indicate it's been. I suspect that finally children in the area are being allowed their first day off - a chance to play in the snow.
My first task of the day was to get to the laundry room while I still could. I got out some prawns & cheese for dinner. I then popped to the garage for a bottle of riesling to wash it down with. At the rate the snow is falling I can't imagine wanting to venture out, let alone being able to, much later on today. I also hastily put out some bacon rinds for the birds. I suspect they're having a hard time of it at the moment.
I'm really looking forward to the spicy stir fry the Fox is making this evening. I suspect I will be ready for something with plenty of chilli in it to warm me up by then.
We did venture to the village pub yesterday. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the likes of Howard, a regular, who had to vanish outside in the sub-zero temperature to have his cigarette. He recently found a pub which had a separate shelter, with heating, tables & chairs, & TV, for smokers. He was envious of locals there. Neither of the pubs we usually go to have such facilities. Instead people wrap up well, hover outside the door & dive back in as quick as possible. I feel sorry for older people, pensioners like Little B, who are not about to change their ways & yet have difficulty coping with the cold, wet &, at the moment, ice.
My first task of the day was to get to the laundry room while I still could. I got out some prawns & cheese for dinner. I then popped to the garage for a bottle of riesling to wash it down with. At the rate the snow is falling I can't imagine wanting to venture out, let alone being able to, much later on today. I also hastily put out some bacon rinds for the birds. I suspect they're having a hard time of it at the moment.
I'm really looking forward to the spicy stir fry the Fox is making this evening. I suspect I will be ready for something with plenty of chilli in it to warm me up by then.
We did venture to the village pub yesterday. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the likes of Howard, a regular, who had to vanish outside in the sub-zero temperature to have his cigarette. He recently found a pub which had a separate shelter, with heating, tables & chairs, & TV, for smokers. He was envious of locals there. Neither of the pubs we usually go to have such facilities. Instead people wrap up well, hover outside the door & dive back in as quick as possible. I feel sorry for older people, pensioners like Little B, who are not about to change their ways & yet have difficulty coping with the cold, wet &, at the moment, ice.
Monday 6 December 2010
Whiter than ever
It's whiter than ever today. Over the weekend no snow fell. It has been very slowly melting away. But last night! Oh dear last night! Talk about cold. Everything is now covered with a thick sheet of ice. It's more dangerous than it has been. Over so much ground the snow had melted, leaving it wet. Now it is just ice everywhere, a giant skating rink. All the worse because it is only if the light catches it that you realise what is safe ground & what is ice. The trees too are covered in white. The covering of snow here was so light that I never really saw the branches lined with white. Now you do. All very pretty but also oh so dangerous.
Friday 3 December 2010
At a loose end
I've just rushed around, peeling potatoes & sprouts for dinner. I popped around to the compost heap, a little concerned by the light shower of small flakes of snow. I've got the sausages out of the freezer - thought I'd best go while I still could - & got some red wine in to thaw for this evening. All this to be ready for our morning visitor, another man coming to measure up our bathroom & produce a more satisfactory design for our new shower room.
Then the phone rang. It was our morning visitor. He wondered what the weather was like at our end. I duly told him - all major roads absolutely clear though our side road is icy, snow falling but very light &, even as I was speaking, it was stopping again. No cause for worry in other words. I didn't mention it was very cold, the thermometer outside saying -16C. Nonetheless he decided not to come as it is very icy where he is. I said fine. It's not urgent. We're not thinking of getting the work done until next year. He sounded very relieved. He'll give me another call on Monday to see how the situation is then.
Suddenly I have a clear morning with nothing much to do. Maybe I'll have a look at all the brochures we've already got. Or contemplate what to put on our next food shopping list. Or just disappear to India with my novel or Paris with my jigsaw. Just be lazy in other words. This is the life!
Then the phone rang. It was our morning visitor. He wondered what the weather was like at our end. I duly told him - all major roads absolutely clear though our side road is icy, snow falling but very light &, even as I was speaking, it was stopping again. No cause for worry in other words. I didn't mention it was very cold, the thermometer outside saying -16C. Nonetheless he decided not to come as it is very icy where he is. I said fine. It's not urgent. We're not thinking of getting the work done until next year. He sounded very relieved. He'll give me another call on Monday to see how the situation is then.
Suddenly I have a clear morning with nothing much to do. Maybe I'll have a look at all the brochures we've already got. Or contemplate what to put on our next food shopping list. Or just disappear to India with my novel or Paris with my jigsaw. Just be lazy in other words. This is the life!
Thursday 2 December 2010
Life goes on
We're still amazed by how little snow there is here. There are pavements which look as though they've never even seen snow, yet I don't believe they've been cleared. Pavements along the prom, where the shoppers are, remain white & icy. Our biggest problem is ice.
On Tuesday we went to the Pub with PD. We took him home as usual. He lives halfway up a hill. We stopped & let him out. That was a mistake. We nearly didn't make it up the rest of the hill. PD's just rung, cadging a lift to the Pub today. I've already told him, if we're taking him home, we're going up the hill above his house, turn in a side road there, & dropping him off on the way down. That way we should be able to continue down the hill with no problem at all.
We had similar problems yesterday when we went to our village pub. We came out off the car park onto a narrow one way street. When that road joined the wider road, we tried to turn left up the hill, but didn't have the traction to succeed. Instead we turned right, down the hill & came back along the clear main bus route. No problem. It makes us realise how lucky we are living on a level street adjoining a main road which is always well salted & gritted. It's the sort of thing you don't think to look at when you are house-hunting.
We also went along to yet another bathroom showroom locally yesterday. They were very helpful. We came back with an armload of brochures, all to be waded through.
Tomorrow, hopefully, another company is coming round to draw up some designs. We weren't very impressed by those the first company came up with - too clinical. This is another company recommended by the Occupational Therapist for design & provision of disabled bathrooms.
I already feel overwhelmed by it all. I'm beginning to question if it's worth the effort. But I suppose it has to be done. If nothing else I will be relieved to see the present avocado green suite go. I can't see us actually getting anything done until the new year & hopefully better weather.
On Tuesday we went to the Pub with PD. We took him home as usual. He lives halfway up a hill. We stopped & let him out. That was a mistake. We nearly didn't make it up the rest of the hill. PD's just rung, cadging a lift to the Pub today. I've already told him, if we're taking him home, we're going up the hill above his house, turn in a side road there, & dropping him off on the way down. That way we should be able to continue down the hill with no problem at all.
We had similar problems yesterday when we went to our village pub. We came out off the car park onto a narrow one way street. When that road joined the wider road, we tried to turn left up the hill, but didn't have the traction to succeed. Instead we turned right, down the hill & came back along the clear main bus route. No problem. It makes us realise how lucky we are living on a level street adjoining a main road which is always well salted & gritted. It's the sort of thing you don't think to look at when you are house-hunting.
We also went along to yet another bathroom showroom locally yesterday. They were very helpful. We came back with an armload of brochures, all to be waded through.
Tomorrow, hopefully, another company is coming round to draw up some designs. We weren't very impressed by those the first company came up with - too clinical. This is another company recommended by the Occupational Therapist for design & provision of disabled bathrooms.
I already feel overwhelmed by it all. I'm beginning to question if it's worth the effort. But I suppose it has to be done. If nothing else I will be relieved to see the present avocado green suite go. I can't see us actually getting anything done until the new year & hopefully better weather.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)