Archive for August, 2007
Friday, August 31st, 2007
My favourite saying at the moment is "I am nothing if not . . . . . ." Makes me feel good about myself I suppose.
Well today I am nothing if not resourceful.
I don’t have the use of a car during the day, hubby needs it. I’d already had a lift off my mom to the library and completely forgot that I needed to go to the butchers down the road.
When I mentioned to the children that we were going to walk I was met with one yes, one maybe and one no. Plus our pushchair was still in the car with hubby.
Needing my lamb chops for dinner I had to get creative. And yes I know I could have made them all walk, but wasn’t in the mood for any moaning or cries of "pick me up".
So I decided to get out the wheelbarrow. Yes, that’s right the wheelbarrow. This was met with a lot of enthusiasm as you can imagine. I washed it out, dried it and put padding in it along with two cushions and a blanket.
I managed to get all three of them in quite cosily and then discovered we had a flat tyre. We found the pump, sorted it out and got back in again.
I then held my breath in the hope that the wheelbarrow would actually carry the weight. And took the pump for good measure.
I was pushing the equivalent of my own weight (goodness knows how those ants do it!) so had to stop a few times. Luckily it was down hill to the shops and I had already agreed with my son that he would walk up the hill to save my back. His weight alone is 4 1/2 stone.
We had lots of smiles from passing people and a few happy comments. My sister told me they were laughing at me and called me a lunatic, a sentiment for which was echoed by my friend (the lunatic part that is).
However, the children were really happy, thought it was a bit of fun and we now have a new toy to play with in the garden.
I shall worry about my bad back in a couple of days but you can’t say I haven’t done my bit for the environment. The only carbon from us was of the dioxide variety from me panting there and back!
Posted in General | 7 Comments »
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
I had titled this post Goodbye Davey Grey but I always think Goodbye is too final. I never allow friends or family to say Goodbye when they leave my house either. Bye bye, tara (if you’re from Brum), see ya, catch you later, anything really but not goodbye.
You see I have lost a little friend. I’m hoping he’s gone home now and that he’s safe, but he’s been part of our lives for the past week or so.
Davey Grey landed in our garden, tired and lost. We gave him a drink and luckily had the right type of food to give him.
If you haven’t already guessed, Davey Grey is a racing pigeon.
I contacted the Royal Pigeon Association through their website and read all the details on what to do if you find a racing pigeon. I even found out who his owner was. But, unless the bird is contained they don’t want to know.
Every night he flew away and I would think that’s it, he’s gone home. But every day he would be back. You shouldn’t really feed them more than a couple of days as they will think you’re the new owner and I did stick to this in the hope that he would fly home.
However, he didn’t and as we couldn’t contain him, I thought the least I could do was allow him some nourishment and water. He would land on the patio looking for food, wait patiently while I served his dinner and then fly off after getting his fill.
He didn’t even mind me hosing the patio while he was down. But, he wouldn’t let us get close enough to catch him. Wise bird.
I have heard that owners of these birds don’t usually keep them if they come home late. I’m hoping this won’t be true in Davey’s case. For a youngster (see I’m an expert already) he was very intelligent.
Only landing for food and then flying to be off the ground against any potential predators. In fact he would often land on our roof or the neighbour’s roof, knowing he would be safe and resting up.
It’s not uncommon for them to hang around a little while and as I haven’t seem him since Sunday I hope he is well and rested and found his way home.
So thank you Davey Grey for bringing a little cheer into our lives. Maybe next time you’re in town?
Oh yes and if you wonder why the name Davey Grey. The children nicknamed him Grey because of his colour and I added Davey because of the singer. Quite catchy really! (Or a little sad.)
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
About a week ago I visited the blog of Misslionheart where I felt deeply saddened for her. She was harbouring what appeared to be a shameful secret. The photos here highlight her sorry plight.
And the shameful secret? Eating her favourite chocolates while no one was looking.
Misslionheart you are a woman. Women eat chocolate. Embrace chocolate freely and feel the lurve.
Just to prove this, at a big expense to myself and my self esteem, I devoured a big piece of chocolate cake in public. I felt you needed to see that it’s okay to love chocolate and to eat it freely. 
I did this for you and for all women afraid of eating chocolate in public. (Oh the pressure.)
In my world ALL chocolate is fat free, calorie free and NEVER sits on the hips!
Posted in General | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
They could have ended up in the section Not So Good Service when I originally wrote to them a year ago in May 2006.
My complaint was that they had stopped selling the Volvic lemon and lime flavoured water that had sugar in it. Instead they had removed them from the shelves and decided in their wisdom to replace it with water that had added sweeteners. This is an extract from that letter.
"What I really liked about this product was that it was a more natural product not using any form of sweeteners. I am a campaigner for real sugar and am against sweeteners of any kind.
So you can imagine my dismay when I went in to our local Sainsbury’s to stock up only to find the shelves full of ’sugar free’ water. What!!!!!!!!! I wouldn’t mind but even your website states ‘no artificial sweeteners’, so what are you doing? Worse than that the sticker with sugar free on it is small enough that I missed it when buying some last week. But then again I wasn’t expecting it to have changed to an ‘unnatural’ state."
My letter was on the whole friendly and I threw in a couple of pictures to lighten it up. The response I got back was basically customer demand had dictated the change. This always sticks in my throat a little when companies say this, because I wonder where they get the information from and just how accurate it is. Anyway, they had stopped doing it and I stopped buying it. End of story.
Not so. I received a letter dated 30 May 2007. I will quote part of it here:
"Thank you for contacting the Danone Waters consumer careline with your comments about Volvic Touch of Fruit. Since the move from sugar to sweeteners in April 2006, we have been listening carefully to all the consumer feedback we have received.
You weren’t the only consumer to ask for the return of Volvic Touch of Fruit Original and as a result of this, we are pleased to inform you that we will be reintroducing Volvic Touch of Fruit Original (with sugar) alongside the current Sugar Free product (with sweeteners) as a dual range from early May 2007 . . . . . .
. . . . .The dual range will be identified through clear colour coding on packaging: green caps and labels for original and blue caps and labels for sugar free.
This move is reflecting a wider consumer trend, whereby the UK population is split between those who prefer sugar (42%) and those who prefer sweeteners (58%). At Danone Waters, consumer choice is paramount and this is why we have decided to office Volvic Touch of Fruit in a choice of original (with sugar) or sugar free (with sweeteners). . . . . .
The survey was conducted by AC Nielsen homescan survey, February 2006. This is interesting as I wrote after this survey had been conducted, yet it had taken all this time for the company to change their mind. Would it have anything to do with the fact that nearly half the consumers preferred sugar and possibly chose not to buy it. That would have been a real decrease in sales.
Anyway, they have changed their minds, which is great. And . . better than that they sent me £3 worth of vouchers to spend on the water.
Result I say and thanks for listening.
Posted in Good Service | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was phys ically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah."
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him."
Posted in A Little Smile | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
Never one to normally go out on Bank Holiday weekend, hubby and I decided to take our youngest out for the afternoon. Her brothers were having a great time away, so it seemed only fair to give her a treat.
As newly joined members of English Heritage we decided to flex our card and visit one of their properties. We settled on Witley Court.
We were not disappointed. In its heyday it would have been an absolutely magnificent building. Due to a fire in 1937 much of the building was destroyed and, along with the gardens, was left in decline. It actually bought a tear to my eye just walking round. (Mind you just lately anything can bring a tear to my eye!)
The Woodland Walk.
View across the lake.
View across the lake from a different perspective.
The fountain. (Not at full force here.)
The house and fountain.
The fountain comes on every hour for 20 minutes at a time. We had great fun running through the spray of it and because it was such a gorgeous day, we had rainbows too.
It also has it’s own church and tea rooms (always good to have good nearby!).
Posted in General | 6 Comments »
Monday, August 27th, 2007
Before I get into my next post, I have chosen who to pass on a nomination to for the ‘Nice Matters Award’. When I read back on the site that gives out the award the originator Genevieve Olsen had given out 7 in one go.
To remind you the award is for . .
. . those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!
I therefore thought Genevieve Olsen wouldn’t mind if I handed out two of the awards. The first nomination has to go to Anne Brooke who has been one of my longest blogging buddies and always gives out good advice.
I wish I had half of Anne’s nous and no nonsense approach for many situations. And Anne is certainly a positive influence in the blogging world. If you’ve never read any of her blogs, get over there now! And if you have read her blogs then you’ll know what I mean. Sharp witted, funny and very entertaining. Her writing makes every day seem exciting.
Plus she’s a really good author. Have I ever mentioned Pink Champagne and Apple Juice! Check it out. (Or have a sneak look at Pink Chit Chat.)
My second nomination goes to A Place for Everything written by Misslionheart. Her mix of funny and practical posts definitely inspire and she has also been a great supporter even keeping me company on-line late at night when most people are tucked up in bed.
So to both of you thanks for being such good bloggers, well deserved.
Posted in General | 4 Comments »
Friday, August 24th, 2007
Well! What a great way to finish what has been an odd week. I found out today that I have been awarded a Nice Matters Award from Cathy.
Cathy found out that it originated from this site, Genevieve Olsen. and this is what the award is about:
"This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!
That alone made me feel good, but then I read what Cathy had to say about my site and I am extremely flattered by her words. Thank you so much Cathy.
"I can honestly say that the writers of all the blogs that I read regularly are equally deserving of this award. After a lot of thought, I have decided to nominate the lovely Sue at Tea, Friends and Chocolate, who runs a multi-sectioned blog for women which is just like meeting up with your best friends. She even welcomes other writers penning columns or entries for her blog and I’m sure it will continue to grow as a blogging community. Step up to accept your well-deserved award, Sue!"
As it’s rather late in the day now, I shall nominate tomorrow after a good nights sleep.
But just one more time THANK YOU SO MUCH CATHY for my award. I shall go to sleep with a smile on my face!
Posted in General | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Firstly may I say a big thanks for the kind comments and support messages from both my online and offline friends. Sorry I didn’t update yesterday. I wasn’t much in the mood for writing and decided to have an early night.
I think it was down to emotional exhaustion!
Anyway mom and sis went to the doctors yesterday and saw the lovely lady doctor I recommended. And guess what. Mom’s blood pressure showed as normal. Apparently it was high when she went into the doctors and then came right down. The initial reading could have been stress on moms part as she had been upset that morning realising that this could have been the first day of recovery.
Our doctor has prescribed some stronger tablets, with caution, as she’s not convinced mom is suffering from constant high blood pressure. But, she has given my sister the task of monitoring her BP three times per day and noting down what activities mom has been doing just prior to it being taken.
My sister now feels very important and has her clipboard and pen to the ready.
Mom has to go back to the doctors next week with the readings and then they can take it from there. She also phoned the consultants secretary and found out that he hadn’t been at another hospital, but actually went on holiday on Friday !!
That aside it looks like they won’t make mom wait for the operation ie go back on the waiting list. Once her BP is in check they will ‘fast track’ her through so to speak. That’s not the words the secretary used, but basically they’ll fit her in as soon as possible. So that’s good.
She may still get the operation sorted before my sister has to go home. So fingers crossed
Posted in General | 7 Comments »
Monday, August 20th, 2007
. . . . but not in the ha ha sense.
At 7.15 am I was with my sister and mom at our local hospital to help mom settle in for a hip operation that she had been booked in for.
She’d had the phone call yesterday to confirm that a bed was available and she’d been given the green light.
We duly went to the admission lounge and after seeing no less than 7 different people and waiting for reams of paperwork to be filled in, awaited mom’s turn to be called down. We were lucky, she was first on the list and should have been down in theatre at 9.00. However the doctor had ended up another hospital for some reason so she didn’t get taken down until 10.00 a.m.
Not to worry.
Her blood pressure had been slightly up, so they told her to take her blood pressure tablet and then checked again. It went up even more (189 over something). Assuming it was probably nerves, they still agreed to take her down.
Sis and I walked down to theatre, said our farewells and came home.
Half an hour after we got home we received a phone call asking us to come and collect mom. Even after having a pre med her blood pressure was still too high and they cancelled the operation because of the potential risks ie stroke, heart attack or death.
Mom was completely devastated especially after all the build up and the nerves. Sis and I feel completely zapped and the whole day is flat.
Don’t get me wrong. We would rather they didn’t take risks with our mom. But this has a real knock on effect.
The hospital were great but they said mom has to go back to her GP to sort it out before they can continue as there has to be an underlying problem. The fact is, she has been under her doctor for a while for this problem, so what’s gone wrong?
At her pre op assessment her BP was slightly high, but within the realms of being okay. But if you have a history of having high BP wouldn’t you want to double check the patients before they turn up for the operation.
This is such a blow to us as mom has been living in constant pain for goodness knows how long. It means going back to the drawing board and having to wait yet again.
Plus, my sister had extended her visit to England to help look after mom post op. She has put her life on hold until the end of October this year specifically for this purpose. If mom doesn’t get another appointment until after this time my sister will also be gutted.
She can’t take any more time off and it’s not like she lives a couple of hours away.
Tomorrow sis will accompany mom to the GP looking for answers. I’ve given her the name of the woman I’ve been seeing as she will act on things (this is the same GP who has arranged for me to have further tests).
We were upset about mom going into hospital (as you do), but now we’re feeling emotional for entirely different reasons.
Mostly we are upset for mom.
Posted in General | 11 Comments »