A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Spendless

I've been having a problem with cluster flies around several of our windows both upstairs and down. Fly spray wasn't fully getting rid and even the spiders seem to be sick of catching them. This morning saw me hitting the nearest big supermarket early for cleaning products with a fragrance they'll dislike (having googled this yesterday). Only supermarket is in in middle of a refit and you can't find anything - exactly why has disinfectant been moved away from air fresher and is now at the other side of the store opposite bread?! Surely all 'cleaning/freshen up' items would be kept together??! No wonder there was a sales assistant wandering around with a lollipop sign saying 'here to help' 

At home armed with products bought I fetched up a list I saved a few weeks ago on '40 things people notice when they walk in'. Not that I'm expecting anyone to walk in - other than my parents to pick up the dog when I'm next at work - but I thought if I work through this list then I'll also see the benefit. I was struggling at first as the list seemed to jump areas  and my mind doesn't work that way so I dabbled here and there but now I'm part way through the lsit  I see it returned to those areas and was literally listing the things in order that people would probably notice, so starting with the smell of the home, the state of the entryway and clutter by the front door. My home currently smells like a mix of the lemon cleaning fluid I bought and candles burning one of which is lavendar. I have barely seen a fly - though maybe they've just all moved upstairs as I haven't tackled there yet. 

Having forgotten to take the HMRC cheque in to town last time I was working, I asked at the post office counter in the village and they said I could deposit it there but this was in an envelope that I put the sort/account numbers on and I can't see it appearing in the bank account yet so now I'm worrying it could get lost and wishing I'd just waited till my next shift and gone to the bank. Energy company have refunded our credit. Mr S insists he asked them for £500 so why have they sent £499? Why keep £1 back? Having never asked for credit back before I am wondering if it works like a bartering scheme and you're meant to go in asking for more than you actually want as a starting point. My Dad refuses to pay by DD for this reason and isn't bothered when I point out to him he therefore pays more for his energy. 

Most of Nan's party food has been used up now. I bought a supermarket curry yesterday, didn't make it myself  cos just me here  and added the rest of the Indian snacks to it and had that for tea. The coleslaw/potato salad which I didn't find that nice anyway and a couple of sandwiches ended up getting binned. I just have cheese which will get used up in various dishes and a handful of crackers left. 

The link to claim the vouchers from the survery came through, looks like they're love2shop vouchers you receive. 


Right back to tackle the rest of my list.  

badmemory

Does the above mentioned supermarket also have about 10% of the fridges & 25% of the freezers just empty with nothing happening.  I was told they were doing them like aldis did a while ago & putting "doors" on everything to save power.  My last conversation with the person with the lollipop was why do they have spices in with the tins & not any sort of baking products & that is part of the store they haven't moved yet.  It isn't a year since the last shuffle either.  I wonder how long it will take them to realise that some of just shrug our shoulders & go elsewhere when they hide things.  Tea & coffee in the cereal aisle anyone!

in_need_of_direction

It can take a few days for a cheque paid in through a post office to hit your account. Don’t panic yet

Spendless

Thanks for the reassurance in need fo direction  re cheque put into post office. Not showing yet.

badmemory - I didn't really check the fridge/freezers other than think 'they're in an odd place' yes arguably right at the end of where you finish your shop but not with other related stuff. Yes they have doors on now, though my nearest Aldi doesn't.  It's  still 'open' fridges and freezers you lean in to there.  My Mum said exactly same thing about baking items not being grouped together. I wonder if it's a strategy to make us walk all the way round the store picking up other items as we go - groceries have become too expensive to do that! I'm with you, make it complicated and I will just go elsewhere.  

Oh my gosh following that list to sort the house out has really worked. It isn't a deep clean of rooms, it's not even a cleaning plan just a list of what (the author believes) a visitor to your home notices. I worked through it best I could whilst also cleaning all windowsills with a strong lemon cleaning product and then lighting candles. When I went to sort upstairs I extinguished the candles (my Mum dislikes them as she's convinced they'll start a house fire - no wish to be proving her correct!) and despite my poor sense of smell, can still smell the fragrance to the point I went and checked candlehad really been put out. Fingers crossed it has done the trick, barely a fly and just a few dead bodies I vaccuumed up. Haven't done everything on the list, so will probably work thru some more tomorrow am working later today) I can't believe what a difference it has made, just addressing little things. Last night I felt really cosy after a shower in my PJs watching TV with just the dog for company. 

This plus the new carpet has definately helped with well being, I can physically tell my mood feels lighter, so I decided it was also time for me to rejoin Slimming World. I was going at the beg of this year but stopped when I lost my job not wanting to justify the cost. I almost joined last week but regualr consultant wasn't there. I had a voucher which gave me a free membership joining fee so long as it was used by this week. 

During yesterday's 're-set' I came across £2.50 in a coat pocket (ages since I last found loose change!) and in a bag that I now realise hadn't been used in over a year my fav card holder and it that a driving license! 

In more concerning news Nan has now lost her door keys. Though she can walk with a frame around her house, she needs a wheelchair for outside her house, so is housebound unless someone takes her out. Only a few days earlier she lost her mobile phone and a couple of weeks ago her purse with money in. Despite a search by my parents none of these items have turned up. I'm in 2 minds about this, I'm aware that this can be a sign of dementia as my other Nan displayed the same behaviours and was in a care home for the last 8 years of her life. Mr S has suggested a ring doorbell so we can at least rule out people we don't know visiting but Nan has no internet - in fact I think Nan only owns about 5 things that come with a plug! I do know all this is wearing both  my parents out, who are elderly themselves. . 

KxMx

You  have the option of making a safeguarding report to trigger a social services investigation into Nans welfare & needs and see about getting them to put into place appropriate long term care.

Your parents if they want to continue are entitled to a carers assessment which will look at their own needs. 

Your Nan also might need to be presented with choices which don't include her preferred option. 

My own health was broken (again) extremely badly by Mum's hospital admission number 5, so badly I knew if I allowed that to happen again there may be no recovery next time.

As such I stepped back from admissions 6 & 7 to focus on myself.
I rarely volunteer for anything and take at least overnight if not longer to consider any requests. 
It hasn't been easy but it was the right thing to do.

We faced the same situation, temporary care is provided out of Hospital funded by NHS, as a tactic carers then come later and later, find Mum already up, medicated, eating (with insulin and other meds she can't wait hours past waking) declare her independent then stop the care.

Post hospital care is only ever temporary up to 6 weeks anyway, then the local authority take over assessment and funding (where needed) . 

Spendless

Thanks for that info KxMx. I'm going to have a ponder about this over the next few days but I think I'm going to have to have a difficult conversation with my parents over it. 

I think the last twice Nan had been admitted the post care carers came for around 10 days last time and a day and a half day the time before (the previous 2 winters).