If we ever needed purrs

"Lesley" wrote in message
oups.com...
On 14 Jul, 15:36, "Joy" wrote:
Lots of purrs for starters. I can only guess at just how hard it is for
you, physically and emotionally, to be caught in the middle like this.
When
you said Dave mentioned going back to Grant House for a week my first
thought was, "She could use the rest."

I am sorry to say it was my first thought as well!

No reason to be sorry. You're likely to end up in the hospital yourself if
you don't get some kind of break pretty soon.

It's too bad you can't get somebody to stay with him for a week and just go
somewhere by yourself and do whatever you want. There are probably a
million reasons why that can't happen, but I really wish it could, for your
sake.

Joy

On 15 Jul, 12:24, "Joy" wrote:

It's too bad you can't get somebody to stay with him for a week and just go
somewhere by yourself and do whatever you want. There are probably a
million reasons why that can't happen, but I really wish it could, for your
sake.

Trouble is nowhere really to go....there was a time when I could have
gone home to mum for a week of her home cooking (or takeaways..my
mother was not the best cook in the World by a long shot when we were
organising her funeral, none of us could think what to say about her
and the vicar said "Her cooking perhaps?" and we simaltaneously agreed
"No" apart from her cauliflower cheese which was mentioned in her
eulogy)

Anyway who else would put up with Sarsi for a week? (Never mind Dave!)

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:

there was a time when I could have
gone home to mum for a week of her home cooking (or takeaways..my
mother was not the best cook in the World by a long shot when we were
organising her funeral, none of us could think what to say about her
and the vicar said "Her cooking perhaps?" and we simaltaneously agreed
"No" apart from her cauliflower cheese which was mentioned in her
eulogy)

LOL, I remember that story.

I'm afraid we would have the same problem with my mother! (Minus the
cauliflower cheese, that is. Mmmmm... cauliflower cheese....)

Joyce

wrote:

I'm afraid we would have the same problem with my mother! (Minus the
cauliflower cheese, that is. Mmmmm... cauliflower cheese....)

Apparently my niece has the recipe- I keep trying to get invited for dinner!

Would you believe it? Back at the start of May, they fitted a rail on the
stairs outside the flat. Dave's used it maybe twice- last night he thought he
would try so he leant on one rail and it came off the wall!

So I've had to call the housing to ask them to fix it- more time off work!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

--
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On 15 Jul, 12:55, wrote:

I'm afraid we would have the same problem with my mother! (Minus the
cauliflower cheese, that is. Mmmmm... cauliflower cheese....)

My neice has the recipe- I keep angling for dinner round hers...

(Sarsi's confused at the moment, I've just put toilet cleaner down the
toilet....where else would I put it? So I shut the bathroom door to
keep the cats away - I don't think they'd lick bleach but nothing
those two do will surprise me so better safe than sorry. Normally
Sarsi gets shut in the bathroom when she's got over excited and
started to trash the living room (What can you expect from a punk
kitten- she'd be a disaster in a hotel room) but today she's been shut
out of the bathroom and she's looking very puzzled about it!)

It's not been such a bad week in some ways, Dave now knows if I feel I
have to I will make certain calls so isn't it better for his dignity
he does it before I do?

Tuesday morning through it was my turn to give authority figures an
earful. Monday I was coming upstairs and because I had a load of
shopping and my knee was still stiff (It's getting better but I
haven't had a reply from the supermarket yet nor do I expect one) I
put the hand on the new rail the housing fitted about 8-9 weeks ago so
that Dave can get up and down the stairs- he's used it twice so far

And one of the supports exploded out of the wall....if Dave who hasn't
quite mastered balancing yet had been holding it, he would have
probably fallen downstairs. So Tuesday the housing officer got quite
an earful from me. and they scurried forth and repaired the damage the
same day. Turns out the two longer sections of the bannister should
have had a support in the middle and the faulty one, the second
longest, hadn't had one put on so it broke, Also the new carpenter
said it should have had bigger screws in it, so he went round and
replaced all the screws and insisted on cleaning up afterwards and
covering the hole in the wall where the original support had come out.

They had fun getting in through, I told them Dave couldn't answer the
door but they could try ringing Esther's bell- Esther is always happy
to help. Alas, Esther wasn't in so they rang the bell to the flat
downstairs. Downstairs did what they always do looked out of the
window so the carpenter could see someone was in then didn't answer
the door...unless it's for them, they never do, the carpenter called
his office and they called downstairs and asked them to let the
carpenter in. The woman from the housing who called to check it had
been sorted (She couldn't apologise enough but her main concern was if
Dave had been hurt probably worried about being sued) and asked me why
on Earth wouldn't the people downstairs let someone in? I just said
they've always been like that- it's a household with a split
personality, the husband goes away sometimes for months at a time and
when he's not there, his wife and kids are okay but when he's back,
the arguments are spectacular and very loud and last half the night
and you can't talk to him. He'll tell you what he wants you to do but
if you say anything he doesn't want to hear he goes into one and
starts yelling (He once spat at me for asking him not to leave
mouldering kitchen waste in the communal hallway)

Another thing we've agreed on is division of labour in housework.
Dave's now accepted I can't do it all and he's helping where he can.
He can do things like pick rubbish off the sofa and bin it or wave a
duster around and I'm doing 15-20 minutes a day which isn't too bad
thus far some order is taking shape in the flat...well almost order- I
needed a pair of tights this morning and I know I brought some and
they are in a carrier bag in the bedroom but I can't find them because
I moved some other stuff on Thursday to find a new purse I'd brought
(The zip on my other one died).

Thursday Dave finally got galvanised into action when a woman called
from the builders to annouce they would be coming Monday to rewire the
flat. Well first of all we'd been told only the week before the work
wasn't starting for another 2-3 months and secondly, no-one told us
they were going to rewire as well! Massive mess and possibility of
being without electric for a day or so (as I said to Dave once things
are better if they have to cut the power off for a night then we'll be
able to go out and get something to eat and sit somewhere with lights
on but at the moment, he'd be sitting in the dark and he could very
easily fall over especially with the cats)

Dave says the woman was yet another example of someone who expects you
to drop everything. Dave pointed out he couldn't get downstairs to let
them in and she said "You'll just have to". Dave asked if she meant he
would have to dive out of his wheelchair at the top of the stairs and
bodysurf down to the front door.

She also said the reason the work had been moved forward was they'd
had a lot of cancellations and Dave said "People going on holiday?
What if I was about to go on holiday?" and she said "You could cancel
it"

(There seems to be a lot of this especially in the health service. If
I had £5.00 for every time someone has expected me to drop everything
to work around their schedule over the last few months ...we would be
going on holiday)

So Dave called Nancy his OT, she wasn't there but the person he spoke
to has arranged for the work to be put off for another month.

He also checked in about the sore bit on his foot and was told it
sounded like it was drying out and he should apply aqeous cream (I buy
that in bulk these days- thankfully it's cheap) and keep an eye on it
so he has and it seems to be settling down.

Nothing yet on the crutch front but Kluas is supposed to be calling
tomorrow to bring Dave up to date. We had a long talk about this. Dave
doesn't want to complain to his MP (even through he gets the
impression Nancy would approve) but he feels he's become forgotten and
it's depressing him especially as the main advice he's had repeatedly
was he should not sit at home all day and get himself back in trouble.
I said I didn't think the staff could be blamed if he complained after
all, he's not had any physio for 2.5 months simply because of waiting
for someone higher up to sort the crutch out because that's the next
stage and the DOT team can't do anything until that's sorted but he
does feel he's not getting a decent service and in a way he would like
Coco and the gang to come back because at least when they were coming
every day he felt he was making progress and now he's worried about
backsliding,

Anyway he's talked to them and it'll be interesting to hear what Klaus
has to say but I've told him if Klaus can't come up with a timescale
for things to get moving again and stick to that then one of us will
be emailing our MP and once again if he doesn't I will!

Still I had a good day yesterday. Found several excuses to head into
Stratford in get the new Harry Potter (Not bad), got the Fabulous
Furballs a new water dish (One of those big ceramic one's , which we
hope is too heavy for Sarsi to play football !) and saw the dress of
my dreams. It's been one for a while now since I first saw a picture
of it and noted it was from Evans, which means they ought to have my
size but then I didn't see it in the shops and when I did they didn't
have my size and anyway I couldn't really justify £50 on a dress that
would only be for special occasions

Anyway they had one in the sale rack, it was all tangled up with other
items so it took me 5 minutes to dilligently untangle it all the time
thinking it wouldn't be my size but it was! And at half price, I can
justify that!

So I retired to my local hostelry the "Bow Bells" and had some
potentially good news about the place. Basically Colin (mine genial
host) and Barbara (Mine not so genial hostess) want to end their days
in Malta...preferably sooner rather than later, they're in their late
50's and want out of the pub business.

As I've said before if there's one thing that worries regulars at any
local pub it's when it's possibly going to be on the market since the
local developers just love to turn them into flats...

But in a decision that echoes Victor Kiam (Excuse spelling- you know
the guy who liked Remington razors so much he brought the company)
Jools has decided to buy the pub. Well he put his bid in yesterday
morning, he does have the money and he thinks it will be worth a go so
we're all waiting to hear whether that goes ahead

So it's not been a bad week..things seem to be moving along

Once again watch this space time!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:
On 15 Jul, 12:55, wrote:

I'm afraid we would have the same problem with my mother! (Minus the
cauliflower cheese, that is. Mmmmm... cauliflower cheese....)


My neice has the recipe- I keep angling for dinner round hers...

(Sarsi's confused at the moment, I've just put toilet cleaner down the
toilet....where else would I put it? So I shut the bathroom door to
keep the cats away - I don't think they'd lick bleach but nothing
those two do will surprise me so better safe than sorry. Normally
Sarsi gets shut in the bathroom when she's got over excited and
started to trash the living room (What can you expect from a punk
kitten- she'd be a disaster in a hotel room) but today she's been shut
out of the bathroom and she's looking very puzzled about it!)

It's not been such a bad week in some ways, Dave now knows if I feel I
have to I will make certain calls so isn't it better for his dignity
he does it before I do?
snip
So it's not been a bad week..things seem to be moving along

Once again watch this space time!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lots and lots of purrs and hugs,
Polonca and Soncek

On 25 Jul, 12:43, polonca12000 wrote:

Lots and lots of purrs and hugs,
Polonca and Soncek-

Thanks Polonca and Soncek

Let's hope this finally sends I've been trying 3 times- luckily these
days I put the whole damn thing in Word before sending it so if it
doesn't work I can cut and paste it rather than having to re-type the
whole thing. At this moment, I started trying to send at 6.30 and it's
just past 8.00!

Yesterday I was on the bus going shopping and I choked. I swallowed
and something went down the wrong way so there I am seeing purple,
eyes streaming, wheezing, coughing, spluttering etc and of course, not
one person had the presence of mind to pat me on the back.

When I finally could breathe again, I realised my back didn't hurt so
much so maybe that fixed it. It's still not 100% though, I don't know
whether it was pushing the chair over the cobblestones or putting
things out by having to walk funny after doing my knee in but my back
has been agony. I'm okay sitting down (and ironically when I carry
anything heavy-then again at this moment, there's only me to carry cat
litter etc so that's a blessing in a very heavy disguise) but once I
start walking it feels like the small of my back and my right hip
aren't in the proper position and they really hurt. On Friday I was
walking from the station to the "Bells", which is a 5 minute dawdle (6
if you stop to buy a paper) and it took me 15 minutes because 4 times
I had to stop and lean on something/sit down for a moment

But thanks to nearly choking to death it seems to be getting better.
So at the moment, I have a busted back and hip in recovery (I hope- my
friend who is an orthopaedic secretary and can get me into a Wednesday
morning clinic at short notice is leaving at the end of August so I
have to make my mind up about taking her up on the offer), my knee
still isn't quite right (and they have not even bothered to apologise
though I notice there are now more non-slip mats in the supermarket
doorway so they may have taken note) and my shoulder is playing
up....and I just realised my massage guy always takes August and half
of September off!

To top it all I've had the sort of bug where when I doze off and I
feel a cat get on my lap and lie down, I look and make sure it's not
Oscar. Still I've got the whole of next week off....And it looks like
we'll have the people round to put the new windows in then....bang
goes my idea of a peaceful week with long lie in's but as Dave says it
makes sense for them to come round , I can let them in and of course
(this is the trump card) I can make sure the cats don't get
out....I'll be going back to work for a break!

Still next Saturday if all goes well I am going to have a day at the
seaside! I am going to Hastings to see my brother Jim and Ron (my
yuppie younger brother) is coming as well! Ron just got an MA in
Business Administration from Oxford and due to having had to pay his
way for a whole year, jets back to Hong Kong to work in a couple of
weeks so I am hoping it will all come together!

On the Dave front I finally did something I had sworn I would not do.
Wednesday, after 3 mornings of Dave's moaning and sulking about how
there was no point in calling the DOT team because they'd given up on
him and having him take his bad mood out on the nearest person i.e.
me...I called the DOT team....I said if Nancy or Klaus wasn't there I
wouldn't leave a message I'd let it go, so leaving it in the lap of
the Gods.

Nancy answered the phone and Klaus was sitting next to her. They were
nice and we had a chat which I made them promise they wouldn't tell
Dave but later on I told him, he was okay about it but whether that
was because I had steak on at the time....Moral: Choose your position
carefully

Anyway Nancy is trying to get some sort of alternative accommodation
sorted out while the work is being done. This is despite Dave telling
her no, he doesn't want to leave the flat and all our stuff and anyway
the housing aren't prepared to consider the cats....She says they're
all terribly worried if Dave sits in the flat all day staring at the
ceiling he'll just put himself back into hospital to which she got the
somewhat icy reply "And you think I'm not..." And it won't be safe for
Dave to be in the flat with all the work going on. Apparently she's
having a problem getting it through to the housing if they come round
at the moment, Dave can't simply pop upstairs or over the pub when he
needs the loo when they shut our water off for 24 hours...Whoa! Sod
Dave, you mean I might have to get up and go to work without a wash?
And not be able to use the toilet until I get there? Not my idea of
fun- we used to have that the first few years we lived in this flat
because our landlord with their usual level of competence had not
lagged the pipes where they came into the building so you could
guarantee in the first cold snap of winter, the pipes would freeze
over- I used to be a lot fitter than I am now and my shoulders still
ache at the memory of filling the 40 pint containers we used to brew
beer in (not successfully, the best you could say for our efforts was
they were cheap. One year we managed to brew an almost completely non-
alcoholic bitter that tasted like fruit punch!) at the garage and
dragging them back over the road!

I told her what Dave said to me (as usual he says one thing to me and
something else to someone else- he'd left her thinking if they could
get it in writing the landlord would let us back in after the work was
done and wouldn't count it as a breach of the tenancy so they could
raise our rent- then he might move but he's told me "over my dead
body"- which given how nasty he's been isn't the wisest comment to
make) if he could only get the crutch sorted out and be confident with
it so he could go out on his own then they can come round. He accepts
they have to do the work but if he had the ability say to go visit a
friend/go down the pub for lunch/just go for a short walk/use Esther's
toilet/whatever then he'd be okay with it so it all comes down to the
crutch

At this point Nancy put me onto Klaus.....

Klaus first of all said he thought Dave had been treated badly and he
would call to apologise and tell Dave what was going on as soon as he
had finished talking to me (He didn't until Friday) but he was hoping
this week he would get the paperwork because they have finally
approved the work ! Oh and apparently although the hospital workshop
could have done it because due to financial rules they had to put it
out to tender- it's going to cost £200.00 even through the DOT people
are providing the materials (The crutch and the handle so someone is
getting that money to weld things together- it would have been quicker
to teach me to weld! And I am notoriously clumsy!)

So that was that..

Klaus called on Friday, he was just waiting for a phone call, then he
was going to drive the materials and the paperwork to the place
himself to make sure nothing else went wrong. He did apologise to Dave
for the mess and said he wouldn't blame Dave if he complained. I think
Dave is going to wait until it's sorted out then do it, perhaps
someone else won't have the mess he's had. He was going to call back
later in the day if he had any news but he hasn't yet...I hope that's
because he was too busy driving and not because the paperwork still
hasn't come through

So if all goes to plan (One plan has to!) Klaus will be round soon to
sort out the crutch if I'm off work maybe I can follow Dave down the
street with the chair and really get things going again! Then if we
can just hold the housing off until say the end of September so he can
deal with them and let them in and have the option of going out...

We'll see...

On a lighter note, Dunzi and Sarsi think it's their birthday...Last
week I brought them this lovely ceramic water dish, so this week
having got paid I went and got the matching food dish and also new
litter boxes. So this morning, they got all three!!! New litter boxes,
new water and food dishes! And a trip over to Lewisham yesterday (the
one where I nearly choked to death) revealed Purina One (favoured
munchies) now has a beef flavour so I now reside with two very happy
cats. Also I got a throw for the bed, in this weather it's too hot for
a duvet so normally we manage with a sheet but it's been cold enough a
sheet isn't warm enough so I got this lovely chenille throw, which
will lie on the bed right now and keep us warm and the shade of gold
matches our sofa so we can use it in the living room. For the cats
point of view through they can now get on the bed and snuggle up and
knead without screams because their claws go through the sheets

Another week, maybe better news coming soon

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:

On 25 Jul, 12:43, polonca12000 wrote:


Lots and lots of purrs and hugs,
Polonca and Soncek-


Thanks Polonca and Soncek

Let's hope this finally sends I've been trying 3 times- luckily these
days I put the whole damn thing in Word before sending it so if it
doesn't work I can cut and paste it rather than having to re-type the
whole thing. At this moment, I started trying to send at 6.30 and it's
just past 8.00!

Yesterday I was on the bus going shopping and I choked. I swallowed
and something went down the wrong way so there I am seeing purple,
eyes streaming, wheezing, coughing, spluttering etc and of course, not
one person had the presence of mind to pat me on the back.

When I finally could breathe again, I realised my back didn't hurt so
much so maybe that fixed it. It's still not 100% though, I don't know
whether it was pushing the chair over the cobblestones or putting
things out by having to walk funny after doing my knee in but my back
has been agony. I'm okay sitting down (and ironically when I carry
anything heavy-then again at this moment, there's only me to carry cat
litter etc so that's a blessing in a very heavy disguise) but once I
start walking it feels like the small of my back and my right hip
aren't in the proper position and they really hurt. On Friday I was
walking from the station to the "Bells", which is a 5 minute dawdle (6
if you stop to buy a paper) and it took me 15 minutes because 4 times
I had to stop and lean on something/sit down for a moment

But thanks to nearly choking to death it seems to be getting better.
So at the moment, I have a busted back and hip in recovery (I hope- my
friend who is an orthopaedic secretary and can get me into a Wednesday
morning clinic at short notice is leaving at the end of August so I
have to make my mind up about taking her up on the offer), my knee
still isn't quite right (and they have not even bothered to apologise
though I notice there are now more non-slip mats in the supermarket
doorway so they may have taken note) and my shoulder is playing
up....and I just realised my massage guy always takes August and half
of September off!
snip
Another week, maybe better news coming soon

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Please go see the orthopaedic doctor, Leslie!
Best wishes and purrs,
Polonca and Soncek

Please go see the orthopaedic doctor, Leslie!


I'll think about it but it seems to be settling down.I just tried and
I have a full ROM (Range of movement) and most of it pain free (some
mild stiffness at full extension) I think part of the trouble at the
moment is a lack of exercise.... I don't mean carting a ton of
shopping or general getting about but usually a few times a week I put
some music on and dance (Did modern dance training when I was younger)
and have a good work out but at the moment, with Dave in his chair and
his frame in the way I can't maybe I should. When he was in hospital
and I was doing more pushing of chairs etc than I am doing now at
least when I got home I could do that and I didn't have more than the
odd twinge.

And going to see the orthopaedic surgeon (Don't call them doctors they
get annoyed!)? I worked with these people for over 3 years! I think
I'd sooner not bother! Thing is I probably need physiotherapy rather
than surgery (i.e. I need some space to stretch and flex) but they
would prefer to operate as it is their raison d'être after all. I
guess I could ask the physio attached to my clinic if I could just
have a go at their gym I think I need some core stabilisation work on
my back (Best one is sitting on one of those large ball things- we
used to have them at where I used to work for a while and they were
good!)

At the moment its settling down it was probably just the cobblestones
and walking with that bad knee but even if it gets worse I am still
dubious about going anywhere near an orthopaedic specialist because
they will insist on surgery and whilst (As I say I worked with these
people) they do a good job there are occasional side effects and these
surgeons consider a degree of urinary incontinence as an occasional
side effect, which I don't think is as minor as they make out

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:
snip
Yesterday I was on the bus going shopping and I choked. I swallowed
and something went down the wrong way so there I am seeing purple,
eyes streaming, wheezing, coughing, spluttering etc and of course, not
one person had the presence of mind to pat me on the back.
snip

When you were seeing purple was it anything like this?
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/0...o-much-purple/
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk