OliveOyls 82 day challenge

Karmacat

Hi OO

Glad you managed to walk to work, but sorry you're feeling blue.... maybe its the spat with Popeye last night? You miss him so much, and even tho you skyped him after the spat, its bound to get you down. Oh, and drinking without eating!

I have to finally shift myself off the computer and prepare to get out of the house ( :eek: :eek: :eek: ) just remembered I haven't paid my tax yet, *must do that - got to find out how much I owe. Okay, Im not leaving the computer, but I *am* rifling through papers while the kettle is on.

I hope your day gets better, OO, take care.
xx

beanielou

Hope you are feeling more like yourself now

hypno06

Sorry to read about the extra days.......but glad to read that you are improving the walking time - you will be jogging round before you know it.....x

boredofbeingathome

Hi Olive, cant believe i haven't seen this before..a riveting read.:T

just wanted to wish you well on your challenge.
I hope he appreciates it all.

I sell on Amazon as well, and would avoid the 1p listings like the plague..no profit from the postage as Amazon snatch that back in fees, and you have to think of packaging as well..in fact you would be paying them to take your book!

A fellow gardener as well..should we compare bean sizes:rotfl: :rotfl: well i reckon i could match you on weeds, as this weather does seem to favour the weeds.:o
BOB X

beanielou

Hi BOB.
Fab thread this is.

OliveOyl_2

Day 24
Morning guys, thanks for all your kind words and it's nice to see you here

Yesterday was a long and sometimes emotional day with my mum. I got on here to read some of the diaries, but didn't post or login - I would hate my parents to see this moan about them, so didn't want to leave any hints on their computer
There's a chinese explanation of life and responsibilities that goes
"You start life with no responsibilities, and as you add years you add responsibilities. And as you reach middle age you are at the peak, you are (usually) responsible for your young family, your employment and you are also responsible for your parents. As you get older you offload more and more responsibilities onto your children until you return to nil responsibilities."
My children are getting more independant it is true, but my parents need me more and more. I find it distressing, the deterioration in my mum. Who didn't even remember having lunch as we walked away from the restaurant. I have siblings who are either not seeing this, or are too busy to visit them.

You know that granny that Catherine Tate does? she's all charming and then gets hugely spiteful? That's my mum! So when my brother visits she tells him how lucky she is that he can spare the time, how she never sees me :eek: how nobody visits her. She sounds charming and rational. Brother leaves and I get told how awful he is, how she hates his wife and children, how he never calls. (he phones once a week, but has a young family and lives even further away than me)

My father tries very hard to look after her, but after 51 years of his every wish being granted by her he struggles to lose a fairly selfish streak that he has. Or maybe carers get like that? He is incredibly me me me in his conversation. For instance when she cries (about 5 times yesterday) all he can discuss is how upsetting for him it is Yesterday I'd planned to take her out for lunch and then have a stroll along the beach, but he gave us such a complicated shopping list that we were too tired after visiting 3 shops in the heat that the walk on the beach was out of the question. We came home worn out. I'm down there every fortnight, S-I-L is taking him shopping on Thursday, but he didn't want to wait for his stuff!

Thanks for letting me ramble. Normal [strike]whinge[/strike] service will be restored in the next post.:D

OliveOyl_2

[
A fellow gardener as well..should we compare bean sizes:rotfl: :rotfl: well i reckon i could match you on weeds, as this weather does seem to favour the weeds.:o
BOB X[/quote]

my beans are This big. (broad beans, an entire packet - 3 plants )
my carrots are beautifully entwined with bindweed - which I promise you I had dug completely out of that bed in April.

no use competing with me on the veg patch. I got 2 asparagus spears this year (9 plants)

OliveOyl_2

hypno06 wrote: »

Sorry to read about the extra days.......but glad to read that you are improving the walking time - you will be jogging round before you know it.....x

jog :eek: :eek: :eek: what an AWFUL suggestion

hypno06

Hugs to you OO, parents can be very *trying* at times.....and the energy that this absorbs from us is incredibly draining.

I hope that you can get a bit of "respite" today x

Karmacat

Hiya

Oh Olive, I feel for you, I really do.

You and your brother are talking, yes, so you're keeping things straight between you?

Just thinking about the complicated shopping list.... when my dad was deteriorating, the shopping just didn't matter. My brother would take my mum to the hypermarket, and she'd stock up on vast quantities of anything and everything. And her sister, who mercifully lived 4 doors away, would buy little bits of fresh stuff and share them with my mum. I suppose if your dad hasn't had to think about this stuff before, he's just living to what he's used to.

I'm so, so sorry that your mum has gone downhill like this. Feel free to whinge as much as you like.