Just heard of the latest member of the family to arrive. Stanley Thomas Deluce, weight 6lb 10oz, born to my great niece. Although mother had to have an emergency caesarean, both mother and baby are fine. That makes me a great great uncle at the tender age of 59. I was an uncle at the age of 8 though. Stanley came hot on the heels of Alaister Henry Alker, weight 8lb 7oz, born to another niece a few weeks ago.
Itās a shame that my mother didnāt live to see these two births. Stanley would have been her great great grandson. She died on Christmas day just gone aged 88. She always loved France but unfortunately couldnāt come to see us in our new house due to ill health.
Itās been a slightly difficult few weeks of ill health for my mother, but a quick rehydration at hospital yesterday made her perk up like a newly watered plant. Just wondering where weāre going from here.
In my experience of much-loved elderly relativesā¦ worrying about going to the loo too often during the day, or going at all in the nightā¦ they would stop drinking ā¦ thinking this was an easy solutionā¦ aaaargh. Itās very worrying when you think someone is ālosing the plotā¦ā such a relief when itās just water-phobiaā¦
Hope your Mother stays perkyā¦ and monitor the water/fluid intake (if you can)
She has about 60 seconds of short term memory, though occasionally things do lodge there and remain for longer. Itās even possible she doesnāt remember the hospital visit yesterday - last night she didnāt remember the weeks of intermittent pain and frequently retiring to bed during the daytime over the last 3 weeks.
I am grateful that she herself is still in there, rather than the dementia stripping away personality as happened with her father.
Ahā¦ I do understand something of what you are going through. Been in similar situations with 3 beloved oldies.
I learnt to take every day as a gift but, sadly, itās not always what we hope to receiveā¦
Yes @Stella @Ancient_Mariner Iāve been through that with my father who kept his usual cantankerous self over a period of several years with dementia until a few months before the end. At least with mother, she was sharp as a pin right until the end. It was her heart that was the problem.
Edit : I didnāt really mean to introduce such a maudlin aspect to the thread, but today Iāve been musing on both life and death for obvious reasons and itās the first time Iāve been able to write something down about my mother.
thatās good news in itselfā¦
and Iāll add a little cheerful news to all thisā¦ Spanish Orange Cake is cooking gently in the oven.
the neighbours are licking their lips in anticipation and OH is planning how to keep a decent portion for himselfā¦
Thereās a lot of good in shared experiences when theyāre like this, even though they are often tinged with pain.
Iām getting much better at making my own bacon
1.5Kg of my latest home cure. Itās taken a while to improve the flavour but Iām getting there. Itās just drying at the moment, and will be ready to be thick cut tomorrow. Going to try adding some honey next.
I remember having theseā¦
Yepā¦ sorely missed.
A couple of days ago I gave assistance to a PelegrĆn and now my name is on YouTube thatās touched me. thahttps://youtu.be/IDvvxOyB2d0
Played my second Gospel Bell gig of the year last night.
Cheerful Newsā¦ That which was lost has been found !!!
A friend told us (through her tears) about her young cat not returning home for 2 daysā¦
Seems sheād seen him playing with a mouse which might well have been poisonedā¦ and her imagination was running riot.
As we have keys to several unattended properties, OH and I spent much of yesterday searching for āa bodyā, but hoping he was just trapped somewhereā¦
Huhā¦ wouldnāt you know itā¦ the little chap wandered into his home this morning, without a word of apology.
His owner was so overjoyed and made such a fuss of him, the little beggar might think it worthwhile to play-hooky againā¦
A pic from last night.
The lass in the red jacket is from Ukraine, and her family are staying with the couple to her left in the picture.
Yes, mine have been outside for about 10 days now. Have quite a few flowers. Also, I have two small peppers about 1cm long and lots of flowers. Tomorrow, the chilli plants are going outside as it was 28C this afternoon here, and it seems to be set to continue for a while.
Gave up reading my pond thermometer some months ago as the inside of the tube within which it is gradually got so mucky as to make it unreadable. Yesterday I took it out and, with some fiddling, managed to extract it from the tube. All cleaned up inside (with a tightly rolled wash pad held tightly with long nosed pliers) and out with washing up liquid and it is just like new and clear as a bell.
Pond temp 18c air 22c and I will check it every day now. But keep it out of the water until I pass with Jules when I will put it in and then out again later when I go for my swim.
Your plant looks great. You know about pinching out?