Oh my goodness what a lot is happening.
I heard yesterday that child benefits in the UK are going to be tackled and that so many people are up in arms.
I thought that Oct. 20th was the date for releasing the reforms?
Maybe they are doing it the way that our government does it, namely 'leaking' out things in advance so that the shock isn't too big when it is all finally presented.
Our government is still not installed. One of the parties in the possible coalition (Christian Democrats) is mostly having trouble with working with Mr. Wilders. I believe that they will discuss it ONCE AGAIN today. The whole country is getting sick of it all. Enough already, just do what is necessary and get governing.
Something that I had apparently missed and what hasn't been given a lot of coverage here is the raised terror alert in the UK (plus some other countries including the US).
Finally I saw it on our news, it was a minor news story - the tube strike in London got more coverage.
What you are wondering is the problem since if memory serves me correctly this happens every so often. Well, a part of the placement contract that Fiori has with her university is to contact the school if this kind of thing happens.
When you consider that most of the students of her year are abroad in varying places, they have received a LOT of emails about the raised terror alert.
Today the university board will be meeting to discuss the options. There is a possibility that she will have to come home. I said to her that she has to get guarantees from the school that she doesn't have to go back next year because there is no way in hell (sorry) that we will be doing this again next year.
I am EXTREMELY curious what they will say.
Our oldest son is continuing to keep us occupied and not in a nice way.
We had lent him money mid-Aug. to help him move back into his appartment (very complicated - don't ask). We had arranged with him that he would pay back € 500 per month till Dec. 31st. In Aug. he paid back € 100. Ton decided not to say anything hoping that he was 'finding his feet'. When Oct. 1st had arrived and we had heard nothing in between and no money had been transferred, Ton sent a text to him asking if he had forgotten the money. We got the reply, 'will not be repaying'. Ton is really upset especially since we have discovered that he is on vacation this week, abroad.
Another thing that is keeping us more than occupied is my parents in law.
Don't know if I wrote about this before but we are encountering some problems (health and otherwise) with my parents in law and now it seems to be escalating. It is really getting both of us down - more Ton than me since he has never really had any problems with his parents at all, ever.
They are both 81 and my father in law especially has had a LOT of major health problems since he was 58 when he had his first quadruple bypass.
Since then he has had multiple heart attacks, numerous bypasses and stents put in, has had two strokes and to be quite honest most people are amazed that he is still alive.
In the last year or so he has become increasingly nasty to me, my mother in law and my sister in law. I am the only one of the three who will not tolerate being treated like that and say that to him.
My sister in law is starting to do the same.
My mother in law is like a doormat sometimes.
However now it seems that their (especially her) mental health is now also going downhill. We first really noticed it in the 3rd week of Aug.
I had called my mother in law for a chat and during the conversation I had asked if they had arranged for a taxi for themselves for their upcoming river boat trip. No she said, Ton had offered to pick us up. I found this strange since Ton and I had discussed the very thing that morning and he had asked me what they had arranged since he had heard nothing.
I called him at the office and told him what had been said. He knew nothing. To cut a LONG story short, he couldn't manage that day because of appointments and I picked them up with Fiori.
Oh they said in the car, I thought that you couldn't take us, because you were so busy. Believe me the topic had NEVER come up. The same with picking them up the week later. They said that I was to tell Ton to pick them up at 9 am at the same place.
(Once again he knew nothing.)
At 8 am we got a call on the day that they returned to ask where Ton was. They had firstly called the office at 7.30 am.
Well we picked them up (Ton had taken a day off and had planned to go golfing later). When we got to their house we sat and had some coffee with them and out of nothing my father in law started on at me about something - really agressively - absolutely not important - about why was I meddling in the conversation. The fact was that Ton had just asked me something and he hadn't heard it (he is going deaf). I said this to him that I was only answering a question that had been asked. He just scowled at me.
Normally we go to their house on Sat. to do grocery shopping with them - at least I try to go, but about half of the time Ton goes alone.
We asked about the Sat. (2 days away) when we had returned them after their river boat trip, but they said that they didn't need anything and that was good because we had a LOAD of things to do because Ton was going to London early the next morning.
So we said that we wouldn't be coming by on Sat. and was that a problem since it was their wedding anniversary but they said that it was ok since they weren't doing anything special anyway.
I sent a nice card and wrote a nice sentiment in it.
This all happened on Sept. 2nd. Between then and now we have been to their house a few times including the weekend that Fiori was home. Fiori insisted on going to see her grandparents since she loves them very much.
Fast forward to Sept. 29th, the day after our wedding anniversary.
My parents in law are usually very attent regarding a telephone call or card. This time nothing.
In the evening the telephone went. Ton picked up the phone. It was my mother in law. She wanted to ask something about keys and afterwards Ton said, didn't you forget something yesterday.
What she said.
Well our wedding anniversary, Ton said.
Oh she said, I remembered but we couldn't do anything and I'll let you see on Sat.
Ton is never really curious about anything but this time he was.
On Sat. he went to his parents. His father was sleeping. Ton went with his mother grocery shopping and during this he stopped at a store and asked about something.
My mother in law asked what he was asking about. (It was a possible gift for my mother for Christmas.) My mother in law was extremely aggitated about this and asked why we bought a Christmas gift for my mother. Well Ton said in all honesty we always get really nice gifts from my parents in law for Christmas and we always like to send a nice gift back.
Oh his mother said. You don't buy us anything,
Yes said Ton, we do, we usually buy you some bottles of wine or champagne since you always say that you have everything.
However, he said, you haven't been buying gifts for anyone for years.
That's different she said.
Ton was confused.
Later at the house, she said, the reason why we didn't do anything for your wedding anniversary is that neither you or Avril came by on the day and you only sent a lousy 'cold' card (her words) with hardly anything nice written in it.
He had seen the card before I sent it and it was a nice card, suitable for the occasion and with a really nice sentiment written in it (by me).
Ton got up and walked out - extremely angry (and believe me Ton is almost never angry).
He knew that his brother was going to be there later that day so he called him and warned him about what had happened.
Yesterday (Oct. 4th) she called him at the office and asked how his head was (???!!!!!).
He said that he had no idea what she was talking about.
She then asked if he was at the office (Mon - late morning), yes, he said and then she hung up without saying anything further.
Ton has no idea what is going on.
We have noticed lately that she can't handle anything anymore - not even going to the dentist for a check up for example. She then has to take to her bed to sleep for 2 days.
She cut her leg on a seemingly very sharp ring that she has (a small cut - about 1/4 inch) and she became extremely upset and had to go to bed to recover - again 3 days.
I mentioned all this to my mother and she said that it seems to be very similar to what they experienced with an aunt of mine in Scotland just before they discovered that she had Alzheimers.
Personally I have no idea what it could be.
Is it 'just' old age? Or is it indeed something else creeping up?
Any ideas?
Sorry to burden you all with this.
I am so grateful just to be able to vent this on here.
(((HUGS)))
Just re-read this and saw how long it is - sorry!!