Frugal Village Forums banner

Fancy a Natter?

Tags
fancy natter
19K views 328 replies 11 participants last post by  britbunny 
#1 ·
Hi everyone and anyone,

How are things in your world at the minute?

Things are generally good with me, there is still some uncertainty about DH's job - but his boss has been discussing some long term projects with him so it points to his job being safe but you never know. I'm also looking for a job, but at the minute I'm looking for something I want to do rather than just any old job, but obviously there's not all that much about just now.

But other than work everything is brilliant. We all love the new house and the new area, getting out and about lots. Plus we have the bonus of quince and blackberry bushes in the garden *yum yum*
 
#117 ·
Thought this flickr album might be of interest. Lots of photographs of Lancashire. Some of Blackpool looking lovely, mostly of the Preston/Blackburn/Burnley/Ribble Valley area. Really nice pictures, well worth a look (not taken by me though!)

Search results for lancashire

I love the pictures of the Panopticons, these were built a few years ago and there was one for the different areas of East Lancashire - The Ringing Singing Tree in Burnley is great. Wind travels through the pipes and creates sounds, very eerie but fun at the same time. I also love Halo (the UFO type thing) this is visible for miles as it glows green at night and it right up on top of the hills in Rossendale.

Hope you like them!
 
#120 ·
How are things across there?
How are things with your dh's work?
Has he heard anything definite yet?
I have been watching 'have I got news for you' and they seem to be getting sharper and sharper. They also commented on 'workfare'.
This program gets better and better.

Thanks once again for the recipes (and the explanation of the carrots) and the slideshow of Lancashire - it was really beautiful.

Just thought I'd give an update before we go to London on Wed.
Things seem to be spiraling out of control in our (extended) family.

We just heard last week (even though it has been going on since Aug) that dh's brother is (going) bankrupt. This is mainly because he co-signed on the shop that his ex-wife started. I don't know if you ever read any of my threads on the 'family' part of the forum regarding ' psycho' but this is the psycho wife's shop.

The shop has gone belly-up (as so many here) and because he co-signed he is being followed for money. Because she doesn't have any income (she is on benefits), he is having to pay everything.
The entire family is pulling together to help as much as possible. His youngest son (only one with her, thank goodness) will turn 6 on Wed but he has no funds to even finance food on the table, never mind a birthday party or gifts. So we all pulled resources and threw a birthday bash for the son at our (only) niece's house yesterday.
It was actually quite fun except for our niece who kept saying about all the stuff that she bought and how much she paid for it (so tasteless IMO).

We also learned that dh's only sister (he has 1 sister and 1 brother) had had a stroke at the beginning of Oct. Thank goodness it was only a small one and she is fully recovered but is not allowed to work for now.

We also only heard this last week. My mother in law is convinced she told us (believe me she didn't - she also didn't tell us about my brother in law).
Hopeless - so we have now agreed within the family that if something like this happens again that the person concerned will call the rest of the family or make sure that it happens since it seems we can no longer depend on my parents in law to pass on anything.

Further, today dh has figured out a way to initiate a talk with our oldest son over lunch to see if he can carry out a small miracle.
To be continued.....

This Sunday my father in law will be celebrating his 82nd birthday and our oldest son has been canceling all family things so that he doesn't have to talk with anyone. This has to stop.

Meanwhile Fiori has a complete planning drawn up for the time we are in London. Both dh and I will need a week's holiday when we come back just to recover.
Dh has a LOT of work to do in London and has meetings with all the international colleagues on Wed., Thurs., and Friday the entire day and on top of that, each evening there are dinners to attend. Both Fiori and I will be at 2 of them. In between all this he hopes to spend some time with Fiori.

After these few full and hectic days in London, the weekend after that Fiori comes home for her birthday (a few very busy days). The weekend after that dh goes to the US to give a training for 5 days.
He will be home on Dec 10th.

On top of all this my father in law is pulling us to do a lot of stuff - mostly play taxi and bring stuff around.
I will be doing as much of this as I can so that dh doesn't have to do it.

I have the feeling that if we (especially dh) survives this holiday season then he is one strong person.
Whew, I'm tired just reading it.

Hope you are having a more relaxing time of it.

(((HUGS)))
Avril
 
#121 ·
Wow, that's a lot of stuff going on!

Sorry to hear about your BIL, poor guy that must be really hard on him. It was really nice of you to get together to throw your nephew a party though.

It does sound like you're going to need a rest by the time you return from London. With everything that's going on you won't know if you're coming or going!

Not really any news about jobs... looks like it's going to stretch out for as long as possible. The efficiency people that are doing the rounds have to be finished by December 24th so we should know their findings but in term of everything else DH thinks it could stretch out until the end of the financial year. He attended a meeting yesterday and someone higher up than him said something along the lines of "...but then when you take over consultation...". So if that's true it would be interesting (he manages research at the minute). It would make sense for them to merge with consultation but who knows. It's not something he's meant to know at any rate.
 
#122 ·
Oh hello, I've stumbled upon another European part of the board.

I'm so confused with this place as it's huuuuuuuge but that's what I wanted. They'll be so much information here I'll be in my element sifting through it all.

I'm a stay at home mam from North East England, living with DH and my two little girls. We lost our house last year due to the recession so know we're trying to pull every bit of spare cash together to raise a mortgage deposit. Going to take years and years but in the mean time I'm doing a psychology degree so we've hope things will be better.

Look forward to chatting with you all x
 
#123 ·
Hi again,

Yes there are two international sections, I rarely venture into the other one. You have come to the right place, pretty much everyone is really nice (even me although I sound quite grumpy lots of the time). I have learned so much from being here over the years and hope you will too.

Sorry to hear about your house, that must have been really tough.

Look forward to chatting more soon.
 
#124 ·
Hi again,

You have come to the right place, pretty much everyone is really nice (even me although I sound quite grumpy lots of the time).

Sorry to hear about your house, that must have been really tough.

Look forward to chatting more soon.
BB, you NEVER sound grumpy.
You are one of the nicest people on these forums.

BFG - Sorry to hear about your house - hope that things look up soon. How far along along are you with your degree in psychology? My son is doing the same degree and is now in his second year he really loves it.

You will love it on here.

(((HUGS)))
 
#125 ·
Well we're back from London - absolutely exhausted. At the airport, Fiori was once again in tears and wanted to come back with us. It almost seems that the nearer the time it is for her to come home permanently, the more difficult it becomes.

London/Greenwich was a treat for me - being such a Christmas freak and Christmas here being much more low key especially till after 5th Dec.
Your stores are in full swing for Christmas.

One thing that I did notice or maybe I just didn't see it but there is absolutely no sign of a recession or things not going well, in London. The stores had rows at the cash desks and people were BUYING! - almost at a feverish level.
I bought quite a lot of stuff because it is a LOT cheaper in the UK than here.

Fiori and I went to the new Harry Potter film. This has been a tradition for us both ever since the first film came out. It was so weird to do this in London. However it was also a lot of fun since it seemed that all the 'die hards' came to the film too. So many people there were all dressed up as Hogwarts pupils etc.
We felt downright plain compared to them.

Both of us are indeed in need of a vacation after the weekend.

My father in law celebrated his 82nd birthday yesterday with a party a a local cafe/pub. All the family with the exception of Fiori of course were there, even our eldest son and wife. Our son avoided us but his wife came up to us and had a chat. We all avoided talking about the situation.
It was a memorable evening.
 
#126 ·
Glad to hear you've been having a good time and that the trip to London was fun. Harry Potter fans do seem to get into the swing of things which I think is good - why not! Having said that I have never seen any of the Harry Potter films, or Lord of the Rings, or Avatar, or any of those other huge blockbusters.

There's a few things going on here that are not huge amounts of fun at the minute but we'll know more next week so it's a case of wait and see.

There are plenty of good things going on too. The illuminations were back on in Blackpool this weekend as the tv show Strictly Come Dancing was held at the Tower Ballroom. I don't watch the show, but saw few clips on the local news and it looked amazing.

We've had strong winds recently and they have done some damage. The sails on Lytham windmill have been broken which is a real shame, I don't know if they can be repaired but I hope so. A few of the large tableau illuminations were damaged too - some are beyond repair and cost around ÂŁ10,000 each *ouch*.

We have a night out with friends this evening, I am not looking forward to it but it has to happen so we'll see how it goes. Wow, I am a little ray of sunshine today, lol.
 
#127 ·
and while I'm at it, I received an email from a "friend" this week and she was talking about the decor in my new house and said

" My taste is sleek lines, 'look at me' finishings and furnishings but I am fed up of that and would really love something more like your house"

I am trying to not read that as an insult!
 
#128 ·
Well, Fiori was home this last weekend to celebrate her birthday which is actually tomorrow, Nov 30th. She is dreading the day since it will be first time that she is alone on her birthday - birthdays are a big thing in Holland.
We had a party for her and her brother (birthday in Dec) on Sat. and it was a blast.
Some of our friends, most of the family and all of their friends came from 3 pm onwards. At around 10 pm Fiori, her brother Lloyd and all their friends went out.
They really had a blast.
However she is now on her way back to London (arriving local time 8 am).
I have sent a birthday card hoping that it arrives on time (sometimes it takes 2 days, sometimes a week) and just hope that she doesn't feel too lonely. I hope that they do something at the office where she is doing her placement.

Regarding your last post - of course I don't know what the inside of your house looks like, but if it were me and knowing my taste, I would personally take it as a compliment.

I too never watch strictly come dancing. We also have the same show (Dutch version) and we never watch that either. But I can imagine that it looked amazing.

How was your evening out? I hope you had a nice time. Usually when I don't feel like going out, I have the best time.

On a silly note (well for Dutch people anyway and my dh is walking around just shaking his head but did help us), I have my Christmas tree and decorations all done and up.
This is UNHEARD of in Holland since even real trees can't be sold till after Dec 5th (this is the date of our St. Nicolaas - not a typo - and the official gift giving for children). Because she is in London and is as big a Christmas freak as I am, she begged us to put up the tree while she was here. So here we are with the Christmas tree up and decorated and the house all Christmassy. Even Lloyd joined in and helped put up the tree lights outside. (We have a HUGE Christmas tree in the front garden and we fill it with lights just before Christmas.)
It is a beautiful sight and to be quite honest I am delighted that the lights are on outside and the Christmas tree is up and done - even though it is very early.
Things are different this year anyway. Normally dh and I and Fiori do the Christmas tree/lights etc. in the weekend immediately after Dec 5th, however this coming weekend dh will be going to Dallas for 6 days. Unfortunately I cannot go along even though I would love to go to Texas - maybe next time.

Is it as cold there as we have been hearing?
Here it is COLD and will only get colder - we have been promised
-8 degr. Celsius this Wed. during the day!!!!
We haven't had the promised snow but have been assured that it is coming.
 
#129 ·
I love the idea of extra early Christmas decorations and a party! We were out and about yesterday and a few people had put their trees up, but it was Advent Sunday so I guess that's as good an excuse as any.

It is cold here, yesterday evening it was about -6, but that was in a bit of an exposed area. At home it was -3. It's always a bit warmer at the coast apparently so that's a bonus! It's very cold and icy today too, there's hardly a cloud in the sky and it is so blue it's like summer. Parts of the UK have had a fair bit of snow but we have escaped it so far. Scotland has plenty (of course) and the east and south west of England have lots but it's kind of swept round us and missed us out. We went to East Lancashire to see FIL yesterday and they were starting to get a dusting when we left so I was glad to be driving away from it on the way home.

I kind of did enjoy the evening out on Tuesday. We went to a pub quiz with the usual people, but we were told in no uncertain terms by the lady of the couple that it was really difficult and I probably wouldn't get any questions right. Well that's nice isn't it! Anyway, I DID get questions right and they were questions no-one else got right. And furthermore I got one question right that no-one else in the entire place got right - no-one was more surprised than I about that, lol.

In the end we came second so we won some money which just about covered the cost of our drinks. Which was good as it was VERY expensive. They specialise in lots of continental beers, fruit lambics and all that stuff. Our friend told me there was a beer I would love so I bought it and it cost ÂŁ6!!! A regular beer would be around ÂŁ3-ÂŁ3.50 so I was a little surprised. But it was delicious.

Keep warm, hope the snow isn't too bad when it arrives. And Happy Birthday to Fiori for tomorrow.
 
#130 ·
Feeling a little down today.

It's Fiori's birthday and I have never not been with any of my kids on their birthday.
Even when Dimmen was in a clinic near Amsterdam (almost an hour drive from our house) - I got up really early, took a special birthday breakfast and arrived there just before he woke up.
(He was in the clinic to get his epilepsy under control.)
So I am having a little bit of a hard time today.

She was in tears on skype yesterday evening dreading her birthday away from home and it was hard not to cry along with her but to remain cheerful and try to cheer her up.
I will be doing the same today - staying cheerful when talking with her - no point in both of us sitting crying on the phone.
But I have to say it's hard.

Sorry for being such a wuss!!!:cry:
 
#131 ·
Bless you both. I hope Fiori manages to find some fun during today. It is snowing in London according to my friends down there so that's a good thing I guess.

I have no words of advice really as we don't really have family stuff going on so being away from family has never been a big deal for me. I think I count myself lucky in that regard.

Try to have a good day - none of this is forever!
 
#132 ·
It's actually not going as badly as I thought.

She sounds reasonably cheerful o the phone but both dh and I realize that - knowing her - it could turn around in a micro second.

At the office, she received various gifts and cards from her co-workers which she didn't expect but really cheered her up and we have said that she should take the chance to go out for lunch but the snow may hamper that since it is snowing really hard where they are.

We have sent flowers for her to the office but once again I hope the snow doesn't delay the delivery (she has no idea that they have been ordered).

We have also said that - if she wants - and we have pushed this as much as possible - she should ask her flat mates out for a drink this evening (pub literally within crawling distance so distance is not an issue in bad weather) and that we would pay the damage. (She isn't someone who would take advantage of this offer so it's safe to do).

So far so good.
If she is cheerful and having a good day then my day will also be a lot better.

(((HUGS))))
 
#133 ·
How did the rest of the birthday go? Did Fiori take up your offer of going out for drinks in the end?

We had about 7 flakes of snow yesterday and that was that. It is very icy though but DH can still get to work so there's no disruption up here at all. I feel sorry for people over t'other side of the country and up in Scotland where it's really bad. Having said that we have some friends in Scotland and they're teachers - the snow isn't upsetting them at all!

We had a bit of good news yesterday. DH's stepfather found out last week he has cancer and will be having the tumour removed in a couple of weeks (have I said this already?). He received the results of the scan thins week and thankfully it hasn't spread so he should be out of hospital on December 24th and home for Christmas. Depending on how scary the tumour is he might require some chemo but the doctor is more positive than they first were and the recovery time (chemo depending) could be as short as 4-6 weeks. What a relief, this time last week we were all in the pit of despair. Luckily for him we've bought him a thick book for Christmas so at least he'll have something to do while he gets over the op.

Hope the -20C temperatures forecast for the Highlands tonight don't come over your way.
 
#134 ·
Well the birthday actually went ok.
Our flowers arrived on time and she was delighted. Her co-workers made sure that she had a really nice day too.
She didn't go out for lunch because of the weather and she didn't take up our offer to go out to drinks or dinner for various reasons and also because she was quite tired so we stayed as long as possible on skype and just chatted with her.

The weird thing is that yesterday evening, the day after her birthday, she was more down than on her birthday itself.

It really does seem that the nearer we get to her coming home, the more difficult it gets.
I was really pleased that her birthday went well though.

I am really relieved for your dh's stepfather and all the family. Especially with him being able to be home for Christmas, what a great Christmas you will all be having.

Our big freeze really started on Tuesday afternoon and a little snow arrived in the evening and then froze.
It was such a joy to be out on the road (NOT!!).

We also had a cutting easterly wind on top of that (on Wed.)which gave us a windchill bringing the temp down so that it felt like -25.
It was COLD!!!!!!!

Yesterday (Thurs) we woke up to a deep blanket of snow. i have to laugh at everyone about the snow. It used to be that everyone loved having snow until last winter when we got so much that we got sick of it. So now everyone's groaning already.

However I braved the elements to get some grocery shopping yesterday and it wasn't bad because the wind had died down and the new snow was so deep that it wasn't slippery - yet.
Our schools are all open.

Today is actually the big celebration of St Nicolaas and Black Pete in schools.
If you would like some more info about this tradition I have found a link for you.

Lloyd (youngest son) will be playing a Black Pete at the school where 2nd son Timothy and I teach. It will be so much fun for him.

I would love to go and see the celebration but I don't really want to drive if I don't have to and the school is about 20 minutes drive from the house.
 
  • Like
Reactions: britbunny
#135 ·
Interesting day today, we didn't have any bad weather forecast for today but did have it for yesterday evening - we even had a weather warning - 'don't go out unless you absolutely have to'.
However, yesterday evening nothing much happened and to be quite honest we didn't follow the weather reports this morning, not expecting much.

Dh left for the airport in Amsterdam and it began to snow and it seems that the further north (direction airport) he went the worse it got. He is now at the airport, hoping that his flight at 1 pm (your time) to Dallas (stopover in Memphis) will leave in time.
But looking at Schiphol's schedule, there isn't a hope in h... that he will be leaving on time. Many flights, especially in Europe, are even being cancelled all over the place.

Even we are having a LOT of snow. Thankfully I got a LOAD of groceries in the house and don't have to leave the house till at least Monday.

How are things where you are?
 
#136 ·
We have had about 17 flakes of snow, but it is still very icy. We went to Manchester to the Christmas market yesterday and walking back from the train station was awful - and we had our good grip walking shoes on. I dread to think how people coped just wearing "normal" footwear.

We saw evidence of more snow around Manchester, but still only a few cm, nowhere near as bad as the eastern side of the country. It has been reasonably cold, I think the coldest we've had it about -6 but up in the Highlands temperatures of -20C were recorded!

One of our friends was stranded on the way home from London so decided to take refuge in a small pub and ended up having to spend the night there as the snow hit so hard. There are worse places to be stranded I should think. She seemed to have had a good time at any rate.

What happened with DH's flight? Hope he took off safe and well, it can be such a nightmare this time of year, if it's not the weather it's something else.

Anyway, I'm going to eat a huge breakfast now to soak up some of the mulled wine from yesterday. Speak soon.
 
#137 ·
Well dh arrived at a hotel in Memphis at your time 5 am this morning. His fight finally left at 6 pm from Amsterdam. He called just before take off and said that he was exhausted and he still had a 10 hour flight in front of him.

I was just so grateful to hear his voice this morning (he texted - I was awake and then called).
Of course he missed his connecting flight by HOURS. So he has a flight to Dallas this morning (US time).

Did you see my post before the one about dh's fight and the weather?
It's about our St. Nicolaas custom. The celebration at school was on Friday but the day itself is today.
Worthwhile reading if your are interested.

I think it must be a nightmare to become stranded especially if you are in the middle of nowhere. Your friend was lucky that she was near a pub.

I LOVE mulled wine. Did you make it yourself or buy it ready made?

Thankfully today - as was forecast - it has rained and the temps are above freezing - finally - so about 3/4 of the snow is away THANK GOODNESS. This still leaves a lot lying unfortunately.

However I hope that they get the rest of the forecast wrong and that it just rains the rest of the day. They have said that we should be getting freezing rain which will give us black ice on the road (always a pleasure).

I'm debating whether or not to go to the shops at midday to get some groceries - just in case.
Or not - I could always just hibernate and eat what I have in the house (enough) and do the chores that I have on my list for today.

The 2 sons that live at home deserted me yesterday evening to go out and then stay with their girlfriends overnight.

I forgot to mention that Fiori has become a little more adventurous. She has been seeing the sights of London. She firstly didn't want to all alone but for one reason or another she has decided to go.
She has been all over the place but yesterday she finally went to the museum that I had recommended and she LOVED it as I knew she would.
She LOVES history especially recent history. So I had mentioned that the Imperial War Museum in London is VERY impressive.
Well she finally went and she LOVED LOVED LOVED it. She was there for HOURS and even called during the time she was there to say how much she was enjoying it.

Have a great and relaxing Sunday.
 
#138 ·
Hi,

Yes I did read the page about St Nicolaas, it was interesting and a lovely custom. My first boyfriend was Dutch so knew a little about it before hand.

Glad to hear DH arrived safely in the States - even with a delay. Also good to hear Fiori is exploring a little. The Imperial War Museum is great, there is one in the North West now too - in Salford so it's good to have somewhere close to hand. It's near to The Lowry theatre so we got to see some of the reenactments they do. I didn't know they did them but we were at a concert at the theatre and went out for the interval and weren't allowed out on the balcony as there were people in army uniforms all around. It took a little while to figure out what was going on - when the explosions started it was obvious everyone was acting so we could enjoy the fun. Although it wasn't as much fun for the smokers in the group who weren't allowed outside for a cigarette!

The mulled wine came from the continental market held in the centre of Manchester every winter. It's really nice as it's situated throughout the city centre but is centered in Albert Square near the town hall. There's plenty to eat and drink, mulled wine, various beers plus hot chocolate and soft drinks. Cured meats, cheeses, and pies are for sale to take home but to eat on the hoof there's a hog roast, bratwurst stands, roast chestnuts, waffles, cookies, pancakes and confectionery of all kinds. There are also stands where locals sell their wares - costume jewellery, bags, hats, some beautiful alpaca wool socks and scarves and things like that.

Luckily for me at a small shopping centre up near the cathedral a vintage fair was underway when we arrived. Sadly we'd arrived by train so I couldn't buy too much, even though there was some lovely glassware and crockery of the era of our house. Still, something will show up elsewhere. I ended up with a new purse (from a stall I'd purchased from before), a picture for our spare bedroom and a carved wooden decoration for the Christmas tree.

It was a little busy for me yesterday - we usually go during the week, but it was still fun and we met up with a group of friends which made it even better.

I'm sure whichever choice you make will be the right one - you'll feel good to have ventured out for provisions or you'll enjoy being at home and making the most of the things you already have in. Today we are resting, I was so tired by the time we got home, it's 90 minutes on the train, including waiting time. DH is making some bread and I think we're going to have a nice cooked lunch. Other than that there's some ski jumping on the tv so we'll snuggle in and enjoy that.

Have a good Sunday!
 
#139 ·
Things have been hectic to say the least - that's why I haven't been on the forum.

Firstly, thank you for your Christmas card. You should have received yours too by now - post and weather permitting.

Talking about weather, I have heard that we are to get terrible weather as from Thurs. Oh Joy!
Just hope it is all gone and that flights are normal next Friday (great to say that) when Fiori flies home.

We almost lost my father in law last week. He has been having severe pain around his heart and has had a few small strokes as well. He refuses to call a dr since all of his drs have already said that they can do more for him except prescribe morphine to ease the pain. The last time something like this happened my parents in law did call a dr but that one wanted to take him into hospital which he refused saying that if he was going to die then he would do it at home.

Anyhow, he has been worsening since Tuesday last week and had quite a bad stroke on Wed.
I only heard about it on Sat. when both dh and were there and got quite annoyed at them for not calling even though I had called them and they hadn't mentioned it.

However o Sat. dh and his mother went grocery shopping and left me and our nephew (eldest son of dh's brother - 17) to watch over father in law. He started complaining of terrible pain and asked that I come sit next to him. He grabbed my hand and groaned and then let out a huge sigh and then it seemed that he wasn't breathing.
We were both convinced that he had passed. However I saw a vein in his neck with a small pulse.
After about 10 minutes he came too a bit.
Our nephew was extremely upset as was I.
I have never experienced anything like it before.

Dh's brother and sister were in London when all this was going on.

However it seems that he has pulled out of it all a bit and has come out of bed a little but he is in continuous chest pain and has a bad headache even with the morphine.

To be quite honest I would be amazed if he lasts till Christmas.
Someone here did say that they think he is waiting for Fiori to come home so that the entire family will be here but I don't know.

Dh's sister and brother are back thank goodness.
 
#141 ·
I agree with you. There is no quality of life for him with this and my mother in law is a wreck. She is putting on a brave face but is having a really tough time of it.
 
#142 ·
Just to let you know your card arrived this morning! Thank you so much, I love the card, such a beautiful tree. It has put a smile on my face this morning.
Apologies, my "enter" button is not working properly, I don't know why. We too are expecting the cold weather to return tonight. From the weather report I have seen the south east is to escape the snow for now so hopefully it will stay away for long enough for Fiori to get home safe and sound. DH's step father goes into hospital today and his operation is tomorrow so fingers crossed that will go well. Hope everything is well with you.
 
#143 ·
Glad your card arrived in time - the post is doing weird and (not so) wonderful things at the moment. Our post is on strike yet our mail is still being delivered.
However on saying that I have two deliveries supposed to be coming in from the UK from HMV and Amazon and they have been delayed.
Just hope they arrive in time for Christmas.

My father in law has rallied a bit more but my sister in law (a nurse) is very skeptical about the whole thing, she feels that he could go any time. He is in a huge amount of pain which the morphine is no longer helping.
I will keep your dh's stepfather in my thoughts.

Regarding the weather we had the weirdest thing. Snow has been forecast - and a LOT of it. It bucketed down this morning. It couldn't have rained any harder if it tried - almost tropical shower. It was over within 15 minutes. Really not expected. I have given up being surprised about the weather.

Going to have to go, I have to get to the garage for my car. I have to get all 4 tyres replaced. We have shopped around but this is the cheapest and best and it is still costing 800 euros - ouch. It is 200 euros cheaper than the dealer though.
 
#144 ·
Ouch, tyres are always an unwelcome expense.

Just to let you know DH's stepdad had his operation yesterday and made it through ok. MIL hadn't been able to speak to anyone when we spoke to her yesterday so we don't know anything about the operation yet. He was still very groggy last night so we're leaving it until Saturday to visit. But he is out of surgical recovery and back on the ward so that's good. We'll know more today when MIL has spoken to the doctor.

The snow has started, we even had some here which was a surprise so we're a little concerned about getting to the hospital for visiting. Luckily MIL lives on the main road the ambulances use to get to the hospital so she knows it will be the first to be gritted and kept clear so her access should be ok. As they don't have a car the taxi firm know her well and she gets great service from them, I have no doubt they'll do all they can to get her there even if the snow gets worse (they live near the Pennines so are prone to snow).

Thinking of you and your father in law at this tough time.
 
#145 ·
My father is law is up, dressed and walking around.
I should be surprised but if truth be told I'm not.
We have been there and back so many times but we all honestly thought that this was it. Heck, he thought that this was it.
This man is a walking miracle.

How is your dh's stepdad? Any more news?

Today I really need any good thoughts that you have.
Fiori has laryngitis and can hardly talk. She has gone to the office as usual of course.
Personally I think it is extreme nerves for her coming home and
normally she would be excited but because of the weather she is losing it.
We have said to her to go to her boss and ask if she can take the Thursday and maybe even the Wednesday off so that she can try and get home earlier - we would change the flights for her and just hope and pray that the weather will work along with her.
We have also been having a LOAD of snow and this has also been causing major problems with all transport.

I'll keep you posted.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top