Forward Ho!

[LadyA]

Lovely pic.

We get lovely sunsets here too. It's 10.30 now, and still not quite dark. Almost mid-Summer! Which means that................it's just a few short weeks now until the nights start getting longer again!! And we're still waiting for Summer weather!
It was bright and sunny here today, but there was what we call a "lazy wind" - it would go through you for a short cut! Made it quite unpleasant. I did stuff indoors mostly. I now have a big quiche (with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese) and a very large lemon drizzle cake to be cut in squares. Haven't made quiche in ages. And I did some ironing, although not all of it. And did a little cleaning and tidying. Do you know something? The only person I've spoken to all day was the girl on the checkout in the supermarket! That's a very unsettling thought!

 

[esmeralda]

Beautiful sunset Izzy.
Quiche and Lemon Drizzle cake sound delicious Lady A. I can imagine that if Nick was no longer here there would be days like that for me when I would only speak to someone in a shop. Maybe I need to get another dog. You are always speaking to other people then. Hope you aren't too unsettled LadyA - I suppose it's yet another difficult step in getting used to the changes we never wished for. Much love, Es
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[LadyA]

Church in the morning was hilarious! Two older ladies were visiting for the first time. They chatted away loudly throughout the service! Commenting on the songs, "Isn't it great! You'd feel so free, wouldn't you? ", to things the pastor said in the sermon "Oh, I'd say he's speaking from experience, would you? " Then one lady's phone rang and she clomp clomped down the church apologising to everyone as she went, answered the phone in the back of the church and we could all hear her conversation! Finally the pastor, who was losing his train of thought, had to ask them to quieten down a bit as people couldn't hear him!

Nursing home on my way home, but William slept through my visit. The care assistant said he was tired after eating a full lunch. And she said he ate a full breakfast too, which is unusual for William.
When I got home, I had some quiche, then mowed the back and front lawns. And then took my deckchair to the deck with a magazine, my sunhat, and a Magnum icecream! Read for a bit and then snoozed in the sun for a while. Think I'll sleep well tonight!

 

[truth24]

Good for you, LadyA. Specially the Magnum bit. We have a couple of regulars who chat all through the service too. They are both so deaf that their 'whispering' is audible to all. Can't believe William's appetite has improved so much.

 

[LadyA]

Good for you, LadyA. Specially the Magnum bit. We have a couple of regulars who chat all through the service too. They are both so deaf that their 'whispering' is audible to all. Can't believe William's appetite has improved so much.

Oh, there was no attempt at whispering! It's a very lively church anyway, held in a converted pub.

 

[Saffie]

The best mushrooms are wild ones. None of those from a shop seem to have the special smell or taste that you find in the ones from a field.

Lady A, your William is amazing! x

 

[LadyA]

The best mushrooms are wild ones. None of those from a shop seem to have the special smell or taste that you find in the ones from a field.

Lady A, your William is amazing! x

Yes, agree about the mushrooms - but I wouldn't trust my knowledge of mushrooms not to poison myself!

 

[LadyA]

Lovely lovely weather! Visited William this morning. He's in good form, but his chesty cough is getting worse. :-( They are giving him his nebuliser four times a day, and being so careful with feeding him. They said that one day he ate almost full meals - but he is on small meals, about half a full portion, because they found if they give him too much on the plate, he eats even less! Most times, he manages about half the small portion, and then gets supplements too, which sometimes he eats and sometimes not.

All afternoon, I spent working in the garden, mostly weeding the enormous veg garden. It had been very neglected when William was in hospital. Then watering the veg and polytunnel. After tea I was well ready for a lovely sit down in my deck chair on the deck, in the evening sun. Smothered in Factor 50, with my big shady hat on, of course! :-D

 

[Kjn]

I'd be terrified picking wild mushrooms , I panic seeing the red white spotty things

My dad eats for England ..or Europe these days
Sounds lovely place that deck

 

[truth24]

Weather really cold here today. No time or inclination for gardening in the wind so a morning visit to an old friend who is now housebound, then afternoon Pilates session. It never fails to amaze me how I feel that I've done a really good workout after lying on the floor doing exercises that aren't at all strenuous but obviously strengthen muscles. Hope tomorrow is warmer.

Is there any chance that William's cough will get any better, LadyA?

 

[Kjn]

Pilates has the wrong name..energizer,

 

[esmeralda]

Lovely image of you sitting on the deck in your floppy hat LadyA.
Nice in the garden here this evening actually, very still. Bats were about.
Staff at William's CH sound so lovely and caring. No wonder William is so settled there.
You must be very tired after all that hospital visiting and then having to catch up with the garden, so glad you are taking an opportunity to have a bit of a rest. Love, Es
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[LadyA]

Weather really cold here today. No time or inclination for gardening in the wind so a morning visit to an old friend who is now housebound, then afternoon Pilates session. It never fails to amaze me how I feel that I've done a really good workout after lying on the floor doing exercises that aren't at all strenuous but obviously strengthen muscles. Hope tomorrow is warmer.

Is there any chance that William's cough will get any better, LadyA?

Perhaps I should take up Pilates - need something to strengthen my back and core muscles I think.

No, Verity, I fear William's cough will not be getting any better. They said at the hospital that he's "silently aspirating" - particles are getting into his lungs, even without him being aware, or without him choking, because they are so tiny. But they still cause problems. Also, William has always suffered terribly in the Summertime from asthma. Bad enough that there have been times when I've been within a whisker of calling an ambulance for him - because in those days he refused to use inhalers or nebuliser, until he actually felt himself that he was about to die of an asthma attack! Then I would manage to persuade him to use it, and every time - every single damn time! (scuse my french!) he would be astonished that the medication worked!! And this was even long before dementia struck. He was like a broken record (scratched cd?) - all he would say was "Hundreds of people have been found dead, with their asthma inhalers still in their hands! That proves that that medication is dangerous - it's the medication in the inhalers that's killing them!! Well, not me!" And I would keep trying to explain to him that they were found dead with their inhalers in their hands because they probably hadn't used the inhaler in time! Everyone explained that to him - but no! he knew better than everyone, and he was right! Only when things got dangerous would he give in and use it. Honestly, the number of times I came close to giving him a good slap!

 

[Rathbone]

Finally caught up with you LadyA and delighted to hear that William is surprising you all by turns. I am holding you both in the Light every day for the bits that are not so positive and sending a big hug and lots of strength to you. Particularly liked the Magnum rewards for all your back-breaking hard work outside. Love, of course. X Shelagh

 

[LadyA]

Another glorious morning here - although they say it's going to get colder again at the weekend. I have my (well, William's) laundry out, and am planning a quick trip to Tesco and then tackling the garden again. I want to try and reclaim my big flowerbed, which the lawn has completely overgrown - not to mention the thistles, nettles and buttercups! But first, I want to finish weeding the vegetable plot. Only the carrots & parsnips to do, which have to be done painstakingly by hand, because dau put the rows a bit too close together for the hoe!

 

[mabbs]

you put me to shame, I also need to get on with the garden small as it is, but havent had the energy, hoping the sun will continue to shine for a few days and encourage me to get out and do something, before the weeds take over!! enjoy your day and so pleased to hear William is better.

 

[LadyA]

you put me to shame, I also need to get on with the garden small as it is, but havent had the energy, hoping the sun will continue to shine for a few days and encourage me to get out and do something, before the weeds take over!! enjoy your day and so pleased to hear William is better.

Stress makes it very difficult to find energy for anything else! So I'm not surprised you can't find what it takes to get gardening at the moment!

I've spent the whole day out there today, as I had some help from young people from William's church! We got so much done! The guys cleared the chicken pen of the thistles that were taller than me, which would have been several days work for me on my own. Meanwhile I and a couple of girls finished weeding the vegetable plot and then started reclaiming my huge flowerbed. We made good headway. And as tomorrow is our 21st wedding anniversary, I planted two nice lavender plants in our honour!
Here is the mysterious gardener, minding her skin, and the flowerbed gradually emerging again from the lawn which had completely grown over it:

 

[truth24]

What a glamorous gardener, LadyA. Like the border too.

 

[LadyA]

What a glamorous gardener, LadyA. Like the border too.

You can't see the icky track pants and Birkenstock sandals on the bottom half! The flowerbed is something like 10 feet diameter, a big circle in the middle of the lawn. Not sure why we did it that way - there used to be a full grown eucalyptus in the middle of it, I think that's why. The bed was around the tree. But the tree died and we cut it down. Now the big lillies have just grown right over the stump. I am awful for just letting perennials run rampant!

I got a lovely little fuschia yesterday in tesco for 90c! It was "dead" for lack of water. So I brought it home, trimmed it down well, and soaked it in a basin of water for a couple of hours. It perked right up and is now planted in the bed outside the kitchen window, with the roses.

 

[Kjn]

Lovely pic of you lady A , lovely bed too. I let things take over too that's what they want .