The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

pollyanna_26

Money I know you like to keep up with what's happening in the world .If you haven't already you may look at Frances Ryan's Uncomfortable Truth article for today's Guardian online .
I have been speaking about hospital related including travel subjects . When it comes to public transport and all other areas of the things we all took for granted you will see some things which explain some of the things you ponder about in her words .
I never let anything I read or hear change my awareness of things I personally see every day .
Many will disagree with her words but it may give food for thought to some .
I will not take the thread in a different direction again as there are many here in need of support or even a giggle or two .
polly

monnagran

silvasava wrote: »

The trouble with public transport is that they have to cater for everyone in the area. I used to work about 7 miles from home - took an hour and a half on the bus and 15 mins by car. Is it any wonder so many people have cars now? NM - I really feel for you with the horrendous journeys you have to make on top of dealing with your health problems.

OK ladies - a chuckle for you. Downstairs in the kitchen this morning I heard an almighty thump - DH thought it was me or the cat, I thought it was him or the cat! Neither - we have a double hook in the bathroom held on suction pads and it drops off reasonably regularly - twigged what it was so went to open the bathroom door and the bl**dy thing had stuck to the tiled floor. Cue me lying full length on the landing with a nail file poking under the door to release the sucker - every time I got one unstuck the other would stick. Took me about 15 mins to open the door. Hooks are now in the bin and I'm having a cuppa!

Silvasava, that is hilarious. It's what I call a " Does everyone do this?" moment.

Years ago I had to remove many coats of old-fashioned whitewash from a ceiling before emulsioning it. I knew that every spot of whitewash had to go or the new coat of paint would blister and peel.
I attacked that ceiling with every implement and solution known to man. As I stood at the top of a step ladder, bent backwards, scrubbing above my head with a brillo pad, (I was desperate by that time) with liquid whitewash and soapy water splashing all over me, into my eyes and hair, running down my arm, dripping off the end of my nose and into my mouth, I paused, slumped over the top of the ladder, nearly dead with exhaustion and aching in every muscle and thought, " Does everybody do this?"

I have had cause to think that at various moments in my life.

Silvasava, I reckon that lying on the floor trying to lift 2 suckers with a nail file under a jammed door qualifies as a "Does everybody do this?" moment.

silvasava

It's so gratifying to know I am not alone! Monna when we moved into this house our living room ceiling had polystyrene ceiling tiles stuck on it - we scraped them off but they kept breaking up and kept sticking to the pair of us with the static - when we got them all of DH had a brainwave and decided to sand the ceiling.............. Abominable Snowman comes to mind and it took weeks for the dust to clear. Ah the fun and satisfaction of DIY - you don't know is what you've missed Softstuff!!

burtha

Like the "sucker" moment :rotfl:

Yes 9 dogs , 2 inside ( 1 that's in retirement and my 1 that's stupid and thinks it's a cat , who will not pick up ) English springer spaniel and cocker spaniel, then the 7 in outside kennels, 1 yellow lab , 3 cocker s , 4 spaniels, plus 2 cats , 10 chickens ... 3 kids still at home plus 1 dil to be ( eldest ds plus dil, saving for a house) , thankfully that eldest dd and sil and dgd live 2 mins away ...second grandchild due sept ...
Oh and nearly forgot the Hubbie , although to be honest sometimes we are like ships that pass in the night ... with work,club,teanagers transport and social life ... but great fun ..

Sneaking a coffee before I go to a meeting, ... Day was going ok till the youngest wonders why I won't spend 250 on a pair of football boots ...teanage mini strop ,muttering as he walked away and I have made him eat jacket potatoes tonight ( youngest 2 hate them , so sad ) ...:rotfl:
he knows he can't win and will be fine with the offer of cheaper ones , .. After cake and a conversation....joy

Hard_Up_Hester

And I thought I was crazy when my kids were younger we had 28 guinea pigs, 3 chinchillas, 1 rabbit, 2 fancy rats, 2 gerbils, 1 hamster and one mouse!

Yet another discussion with knickerless neighbour re fence repairs, she's not happy that some of the old fence has been repaired and some has been replaced, until the wood weathers in the slats aren't all the same colour. I ended up telling her to F O and shut the door in her face.

On the subject of husbands I may want to rehome mine if he carries on! I had 2 days work to do today as I wasn't at work yesterday, I was up just after 5 making breakfasts and packups, I started work at 6:30 finished at 2, went to DD2's to collect DGD's dancewear, went to bank to draw out money to pay fence man. Collected my L&M from work took him home to wait in for Mr T delivery. Collected 2 DGD's from 2 different schools, took them to dance class
My beloved then can't reply to an email (because he's replying to himself!) Then he asks if I've paid the fencer, booked his next hospital appointment, ordered his repeat prescription, organised the boat insurance and sorted out the boat licence!!!!!
I know he can't use the phone until he gets his new hearing aids next week, but when exactly did he think I was going to have time to do all this, give me strength!

nursemaggie

Hi Polly. I have forgotten how to crochet. As I am feeling at the moment I am not exactly doing much knitting. I will have to do a bit of two needle knitting to have a rest.

I can't knit on a bus or a train first thing in the morning it is far too crowded to not poke anyone I would have to have a pair of those 5 inch long knitting needles they make for kids in toy knitting sets.

I may not be able to do anything about the long journey but I have persuaded my consultant to put me back on the Afternoon clinic. Now I don't need to get up before I go to bed. I can take my time and not have to worry about a rushing commuter knocking me down. We do have a train to Manchester every 20 minutes. That's the average. Sometimes you can miss one and there is another in 5 minutes.

Cotton may have been King once but these days we are a commuter town for Manchester. Property is cheap both to buy and to rent.

Money don't you have any pronouns but I and Me. I have done this journey both on public transport and by ambulance. for nearly 3 years mostly every six weeks plus two CT scans a year. I think they will be more often for a while.

As Polly says the Christie is arguably the best Cancer Hospital not just in the UK but in the world. It has been there a long long time. I have not read the posters about events this year because they are not for me so far but I think it is having it's 200 year birthday. That may just be the charity and not the hospital. It's an enormous place most of it less than 30 years ol. There is an area that is obviously 1930s architecture rather covered up with modern stuff so it cant be of any merit.

My consultant specialises in the cancer I have and is one of only 5 specialists in the UK.

Having hung around waiting for Transport home for hours lots of times I have an idea how many people a day have transport. It will be about 100 a day. The Christie is only one of 30 odd hospitals within the Greater Manchester area. Others will not have quite so many going for treatment every day but the logistics of moving all those people around every day must be a nightmare. I am not surprised Ariva lost the contract. I don't think they had any idea what they were taking on.

Unless I start getting infections I will stay with public transport for now.

Silva I could do with those hooks. I have decided we need two hooks behind the front door so we can both put our keys on them. We only have one fob for the entry system so whoever is going out takes the set with the fob. I went to Mr M a couple of days ago and forgot to give them back. I went out this morning with both sets of keys in my pockets.

I had a coat on with a mac on top because of the weather today. One set of keys in the coat and one in the mac, did not notice so I locked DS in :eek:. It's a good thing we have a back door, He could have been stuck if we had a fire, though I am sure the firemen would get him out.

monnagran

burtha, your house sounds remarkably like mine 30 years ago. Minus 9 dogs! Only I dog and 2 cats, 2 sons and numerous friends who seemed to think that I was running some sort of youth hostel. I used to come home and count the trainers at the foot of the stairs to see how many I was feeding that day. And yes, one day there were 13 trainers.

It was manic, I was exhausted but it was fun. On mothering Sunday I used to have many more than 2 cards on the mantlepiece.

If I complained my mother used to say, "I suppose it's no good telling you that you will miss all this one day." She was right of course.
So I will say it to you. When you are tearing your hair out and long for everyone to go away and leave you alone just remember - you will miss it all when it stops.

Of course, by then there will be the grandchildren.....................

x

monnagran

nursemaggie. just to say that I think you are wonderful. You tell us what your life is like in such a matter of fact way without any whining or complaining. There can't be many people who could be so pragmatic under those conditions.
Well done on getting your appointments changed to afternoons. I bet you managed to do it without any unpleasantness or self pitying demands.

You have my unconditional admiration.

x

nursemaggie

I knew I had missed something. I put my clothes horse behind the front door out of the way. It does not take up much space. I have had to move it.

Every time I went shopping with my shopping trolley I must have been knocking it with the wheels. Would catch it with my wheels and it would fall across the door while I was gone. So I certainly laughed at your antics to move your hooks. I have quite a problem shifting the clothes horse to get back in the flat with only about an inch of space round the door. The Hall? is not wide enough for it to fall flat but it keeps tripping up over it's own feet.

Tomorrow my new curtains will be a year old. Why do I tell you. They have been draped across the back of the sofa for year tomorrow.

moneyistooshorttomention

nurse maggie,

I was expressing sympathy and trying to be helpful.

I won't bother then.....