New Year Poem

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

"Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!"

And he replied:

"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."



So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night

And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.



So, heart, be still!

What need our little life,

Our human life, to know,

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife

Of things both high and low

God hideth His intention.


Marie Louise Haskins 1876 - 1957

Sean

Sean has been in bed for a few days, with a temperature and heavy cold. He has been really unwell, and it upsets him because he is so unused to illness. This is only the second episode of ill health in nearly a decade of knowing him. He won't listen, though. I have told him to stay in bed and rest because then the body will have energy to heal itself. But as soon as he starts to feel better, he is beset by "oughteries" and jumps out of bed and starts working. Then he is upset when his symptoms come back worse than before, driving him back to bed.

I really hope he gets well soon, because an unwell Sean is a sorry sight to see.

A New Addition to the Family

Kate and Nigel have adopted a neutered 5 year old Patterdale Terrier. He belonged to an old man who died, and his wife can't bear the reminder of the dog's presence. He gets on well with cats and children, is well housetrained and has been well treated. He is affectionate and likes to be a lapdog, although there won't be much chance of that in their busy household.

There is more information about them here and on Wikipedia

His name is Denim

After Christmas, not New Year yet.

This first photo just has to be called Mother Love.



Tonight it is Friday 28 December, and as it was Friday, we had our usual Family Night In. Well, sort of. Michelle was at work, Kate was tired after Christmas and I have a bug and don't feel well, so it ended earlier than usual. Still, it was very convivial and everyone was in a good mood. Sean also has this bug that has been doing the rounds, and he is hardly ever ill. Its knocked him for six though. He had to go to the dentist to have a crown glued back into place. Apparently, it won't last for too long because of some technical reason, so he has been referred to an Implant Counselor. An Implant Counselor?????? I have never heard of such a thing!! Apparently, x-rays will be taken and Sean will be counseled about what an implant involves so as to help him make an informed decision.



Wendy was having great fun unpacking my mother's bag tonight. She always takes her Zoo book to Josie to read to her because there is a snake in the book and Josie acts frightened and Wendy loves the reaction! My old kettle died and Wendy fished it out of the rubbish and adopted it. What horrified all of us is that she knows how to operate it! She has never been anywhere near the kettle on the counter top. She took the limescale filter out of it and pretended to use it as a phone, and she is trying to point to the element and say the word. She can't yet, but she is trying.



She was in a great mood tonight even though she is cutting another molar. Kate says she has been 'a little cow' about going to bed at the proper time. She insists on her "babies" coming with her. You should see her with the "babies". She rocks them and feeds them, pushes them in their pram and when it is their sleep time, she lies down with them, speaks soothingly and strokes their heads. Just exactly how she gets settled to sleep. She is so tender with the dolls, and it is so sweet to see.

After all that Heavy Feasting

So that was Christmas 2007

Well, what happened on Christmas Day?



My Mum came to my flat to have a snooze after church so that she could enjoy the afternoon at Kate and Nigel’s. Sean arrived from Tonbridge at 12h30. Both he and Josie had sore throats.



We got to Kate and Nigel’s at about 1pm. The house was sparkling clean. Michelle and Richard had stayed overnight so as to help with cooking, cleaning and looking after Wendy.

The funniest thing was what they did to Sean. They have been teasing him for years about Pink Fluffy Handcuffs. This year they gave him some with the inscription “Better late than Never”. We all had a lot of fun with it and Sean was a jolly good sport about it.




There are always disasters at big celebrations. Kate’s oven is impossible. It either gets too hot and burns everything or it is too slow to cook what has to be cooked. She had already had to throw away roast potatoes because they had burned, and had another batch in. When the turkey was cooked, she sliced it and put it in a Pyrex dish and put it in the oven to keep warm while the second batch of roast potatoes was cooking. We all heard a loud CRACK and she ran to see what was happening. I thought she had scalded herself because she burst into tears. I went to help her and found that she hadn’t scalded herself. The CRACK had been the Pyrex dish shattering. She had to throw out most of the turkey because of the risk of people eating glass splinters.

Poor Kate was frazzled but I must say she rose to the occasion. She Triumphed through Disaster. We all had a very nice lunch indeed. Luckily turkey was not the only meat on the menu. The Pyrex dish shattering was not her fault and was quite unexpected. You are supposed to be able to cook in Pyrex and they are designed to withstand the heat of cooking. It must have had a flaw in it somewhere.




Richard put in a lot of work washing up at the kitchen sink.
Michelle was sweet and funny and helped the day go well just by being herself.
Sean said he had never seen Nigel look so well and happy.
Josie was reading Little Black Sambo to Wendy. Sean bought her the book and Kate is worried about trouble if somebody sees such a non-pc book in the house.
Woozle had a lot of fun. Her best prezzie was her doll and pushchair. Michelle had bought her a “Messy Play” kit with paint, chalk, crayons, playdough, shapes etc but by that time, all Woozle wanted to do was to play with her “Baby”. Michelle got her a wonderful outfit. A red dress with heart shaped patch pockets with matching tights and a cream blouse to go underneath the dress. She looked splendid in it.


There are too many photos to put on the Blog, but you can see the Online album here:

Christmas 2007

Run-Up to Christmas

Caelyn and Nigel wanted to host the Family Christmas at their house this year. They have done an enormous amount of work and preparation. The shops have been heaving, so Nigel thought it would be a good idea to go to the 24hr Tesco in the middle of the night because he was sure it would be fairly empty. He was wrong. He got there at 01h30, and it was heaving. Only 3 tills open with queues stretching right to the back of the huge superstore. Plus, they had run out of certain items. Nigel went back at 06h30 because Tesco was expecting new stock to be delivered at 06h00.

This is madness! I really don't agree with 24hr shops because the staff deserve to have a family life too. And if the shops weren't open 24hrs, people would jolly well start planning their shopping better as they did in the decades before such insane opening hours. This sort of thing steals family life and makes alcohol too freely available and encourages muggings. Nigel could hardly park his car in the huge parking lot in the middle of the night as there were no more spaces left.

As for family health, Wendy has a cold, Caelyn has earache, Michelle hasn't quite shaken off her virus, Josie has a sore throat and a cough and I feel more unwell than I have for years. Sitting up is a problem because of sore hips, nausea and dizziness. Feeling so unwell, I am glad that Caelyn is doing Christmas at her house.

Sean is busy with his family today, but is coming to Folkestone to pick me up to go to Dover tomorrow. He has to rush back to Tonbridge because he has to have an early start to take his daughter to the Airport on Boxing Day. There are problems with flights because of fog, so I hope she gets on her plane ok. She is off with her orchestra to do a tour of China. This will be her second musical visit to China. Sean's son is on University vacation. He is doing a postgraduate certificate of education, which will qualify him to be a teacher. As Murphy would have it, he is having doubts as to whether teaching is really for him. I hope he finishes the course even if he never works as a teacher because an extra certificate can only stand him in good stead in later life. Nobody knows what life is going to throw at them and every qualification you have is an insurance against hard times.

Twas the Saturday before Christmas

My Mum came round to drop off some Christmas stuff for Nigel to take to Dover. He and Caelyn went out to buy the vegetables for Christmas and Josie and I stayed at home with Wendy, who was asleep. When she woke up, she enjoyed reading with Gummy and Father Jack. Michelle was paid today so she did all her Christmas shopping and apparently, town was heaving! I can well believe it.

Sean tells me he was in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge most of today, also getting his last minute shopping. I told him I've had enough. Next year, we will order groceries online at the end of November so as to be able to get a Home Delivery booked for Christmas Eve. This running around heaving towns is for the birds, and best avoided. It does nobody's nerves any good.



See how contented, comfy and cosy Father Jack looks? He was purrfectly relaxed and he hadn't been contending with the hordes in town. He had very sensibly stayed indoors, and you can see he hasn't a care in the world. Folks could learn a lot from our fine feline friends.



Here is Caelyn wrapping a present for Lisa. Present wrapping has been a problem, because Wendy loves to grab the rolls of paper and wrap herself up in them. Its a great game for her and she is so cute with it that although we know we probably shouldn't let her do it, we enjoy the fun she has, so we don't try too hard to stop her. Just the occasional feeble, very half-hearted protest to pacify our sense of "oughtery".



The day ended with poor Nigel being hag-ridden!! You have to feel sorry for the guy!

(He loves it really)

Angry with God

Sometimes things just get too much for us. We are overwhelmed, overburdened and overwrought. Like toddlers at the end of our tether, we yell in fury and kick and pummel with our fists. Like toddlers, we turn our rage on our Parent. Like toddlers we pummel and beat against the loving breast of God, encircled by his arms as he holds us tenderly until our tempest is spent and we weep healing tears as we receive the comfort He has been waiting to give us.

He understands us and remembers what we are made of.

Feeling Christmassy

moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures


moar funny pictures

A Beautiful Story - There is GREAT love in the world

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to
know who sent it, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4
year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed
Abbey.
She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to
heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she
dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in
heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I
am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is
my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and
addressed it to God/Heaven.

We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on
the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to
get the letter all the way to heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few
days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I
thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch
addressed, "To Meredith , " in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it.
Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies."

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its
opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I
recognised Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in
your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in
heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending
it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to
remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you
write it and sending it to me.

What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Dr Greensmith on Post Polio Syndrome

PERMISSION TO FORWARD, REPOST & USE IN NEWSLETTERS.
Please urge your listowner to post everything even - perhaps especially
- things they personally do not agree with for fair balance.
If any of my postings is being censored, or selectively edited out, by a
listowner, you may wish to join my M.E. Chums list to get the whole unbiased
picture.

Daily Mail Letters.

The theory that M.E. ( Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is caused by a persistent
virus, or one that remains dormant, or recurrent, whether it is Post-Polio
Syndrome (PPS), is not quite as new as the title of Victoria Lambert's
article ( After polio, a new condition now causes crippling pains ... and
doctors can't treat it, Daily Mail, 18 December 2007) suggests.
Nevertheless, hers is a more intelligent piece than M.E. sufferers and
researchers are accustomed to, containing the sort of thinking that is more
likely to lead us to the cure we all hope for.

The similarities are tantalisingly inviting: the estimated number of
sufferers is about the same; the presence of inflammation is common to both
and the symptoms of exhaustion and muscle pain are remarkably similar.

It puts M.E. research squarely in the 21st Century. It is most logical to,
first, seek an explanation for medically unexplained symptoms and then
suggest appropriate treatment towards cure instead of following the Dark
Ages approach, as we do now, of disbelieving that M.E. exists or attributing
it to a psychiatric cause, rather than admit ignorance and offer only
ineffective management techniques of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and
Graded Exercise Treatment (GET) because that is all there is available and
which maintain the number of people remaining ill, provides employment for
psychiatrists and satirical comedians and keeps M.E. sufferers the butt of
cruel stereotypes and myths.

Yours sincerely
drjohngreensmith@mefreeforall.org
Dr John H Greensmith
ME Free For All. org

http://tinyurl.com/2tpgv6

18/12/07 - Health section

After polio, a new condition now causes crippling pains... and doctors can't
treat it
By VICTORIA LAMBERT

When mary McCreadie was 38, she developed such severe aches and pains in her
arms and legs that she couldn't walk or even lift a cup of tea.

"It sounds dramatic, but I thought I was going to die," she recalls.

As it was, Mary, a musician, spent the next four months in bed, sleeping 18
hours at a stretch.

Her GP was unable to diagnose the illness, but Mary convinced herself it was
the result of working "ridiculously" long hours.

Scroll down for more...

She was referred to a Harley Street specialist who said it was ME. Mary
followed the medical advice and rested as much as possible.

Her condition gradually improved and eventually she was able to take a
degree in literature and music. But the effort exhausted her, and ten years
ago, she collapsed with the same symptoms as before.

From being able to walk her dogs for five miles a day, she was reduced to
using a wheelchair to get around.

The instability of her muscles also left her with a severely arthritic hip.
Her beloved piano had to be sold because she was no longer strong enough to
play it.

Then, three years later, after fruitless visits to numerous experts
including immunologists, neurologists and physiotherapists, Mary saw an ME
expert � 18 years after her first collapse � who said she didn't have
'yuppie flu' at all, but post-polio syndrome (PPS).

"It was a blow, yet I was relieved," says the 57-year-old from St Briavels,
Gloucestershire.

"At last, I knew what was causing the myriad aches and pains so many doctors
had dismissed."

Mary is one of around 120,000 Britons who suffer from post-polio syndrome.
Despite the numbers affected, very few doctors know much about it.

They've assumed, like most of us, that as the polio virus itself has now
been eradicated in this country, it is a health concern of the past.

But the long-term effects of the disease � rife in the UK in the Fifties �
can be as debilitating as the disease in its early stages.

Post-polio syndrome is the name for a collection of incurable symptoms �
including muscle wastage, muscle and joint pain, and mental and physical
fatigue � common to many who have suffered from the full-blown disease.

When the symptoms recur, it may be 20-40 years after the initial disease.
Circulation may be impaired and breathing can become difficult due to
weakening chest muscles.

Everyday life becomes difficult � even muscles not weakened by the polio
become fatigued.

"Our bodies degenerate with age," explains consultant neurologist Dr Stephen
Sturman of City Hospital in Birmingham, who has a particular interest in
PPS.

'If you've taken a hit earlier and already lost a large number of nerve
cells, you only need to lose a few more and you'll notice the effect.

"This is what we call neurogenic weakness � one of the causes of PPS."

Another possible cause is inflammation in the nerve cells, brought on by the
immune system's response to the original infection.

Sometimes it can be caused by a complication of the earlier polio � for
example, the spine may have been left twisted, which causes premature ageing
of the vertebrae.

As a result, up to 70 per cent of post-polio syndrome sufferers live in
constant pain, according to a survey soon to be published by the British
Polio Fellowship, a charity set up to support people with polio or
post-polio syndrome.

However, it takes an average of six years for anyone with the syndrome to
get a proper diagnosis.

There are also very few centres where they can seek specialist help.

The complication in Mary's case was that she wasn't officially diagnosed
with polio as a child.

She was nine when she contracted a mystery virus that had caused a high
temperature, a stiff neck, an aching head and partially paralysed her left
side � all classic symptoms of polio.

Doctors visited Mary every day for three months, yet no one mentioned polio.
It wasn't until she mentioned this 'mystery illness' to the consultant with
expertise in ME that PPS was diagnosed.

This is not unusual � there are a small but significant number of polio
sufferers who do not have the typical paralysis and instead present with
flu-like symptoms.

However, Hilary Boone, 60, should have found it easier to get a diagnosis of
PPS. She knew she'd suffered polio, aged five, in 1952.

Her condition was severe; she was partially paralysed from the waist down,
and had to learn to walk again. However, through sheer determination she
became a swimming teacher, a lifeguard, gained an orange belt in judo and
even joined the police force.

Then, 20 years ago, Hilary slipped on a school floor. The simple accident
left her with a weakened body which doctors could not explain.

Her muscles lost strength, she felt tired constantly, yet every doctor she
saw told her there was nothing wrong. Finally in 1995, Hilary mentioned her
childhood illness to a locum doctor.

"There are some late effects of polio," he told her. "You need to see a
neurologist."

It took a further two years to get a diagnosis of PPS, and the delay, she
believes, may well have cost her years of good health.

Hilary has since set up an organisation to help other sufferers, the
Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network, and given five international presentations
on the syndrome to doctors.

But she is disappointed that she has been unable to make headway with the
British medical establishment.

It seems PPS is often simply not on anyone's radar.

Nursing Standard, the weekly magazine for nurses, has just published a
report suggesting ignorance is the problem.

Before the introduction of the polio vaccine in the early Sixties, the
Standard points out, there were regular outbreaks of polio.

NOW the sufferers of these outbreaks are filling waiting rooms needing
procedures such as MRI scans others of their age do not, yet doctors simply
don't recognise that they need special care.

Indeed, the medical profession seems reluctant to admit the syndrome exists,
thanks to a study by the Mayo Clinic, in America, published in the Lancet
ten years ago.

Based on research into 50 polio survivors over five years, it claimed the
syndrome was much rarer than previously thought.

This caused many doctors to dismiss their patients' claims, yet several
leading neurologists have since cast doubt on the findings.

Dr Sturman believes the scepticism arises because there is no clear test for
the condition.

However, he says, new tests are beginning to show some kind of "unique
abnormality" in the affected nerves of PPS sufferers, perhaps paving the way
for neurological tests.

Fast diagnosis is important, as some elements can be reversed � the right
physical support can keep a weakened leg muscle going longer, so the patient
will be less likely to fall over and break a bone.

Graham Ball, chief executive of the British Polio Fellowship, says:
"Sufferers need access to a pain clinic, but also need to see specialists
about their muscle wastage and atrophy."

Hilary's challenge is to get the diagnostic process simplified and speeded
up.

"We need to change the way we manually test muscles � they should be tested
to the limit of endurance, not to an arbitrary figure. And sufferers need to
speak up more, too."

Her lowest point came when she learnt that one doctor had marked her down as
a fantasist � that her suffering was all in her mind.

"That was simply cruel," she says.

Mary McCreadie, too, was told she was a malingerer and that her illness was
imaginary. Now, seven years on from her diagnosis, Mary is positive.

"Yes, the future is daunting," she admits. "With more support from the
medical profession, I am sure I could have lasted longer without needing a
wheelchair and suffered less mental anguish.

"But there are plenty of people worse off than me, and the hospital I use
now, Nevill Hall in Abergavenny, is fantastic.

"I have lots of friends, I can still listen to music and go to concerts even
if I can no longer play. I have a pretty full life considering."

British Polio Fellowship, www.britishpolio.org.uk; Lincolnshire Post-Polio
Network, www.lincolnshirepostpolio.org

Proudly South African

YOU ARE PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN WHEN:

You call a bathing suit a "swimming costume".

You call a traffic light a "robot".

You call an elevator a "lift"

You call a hood a "bonnet"

You call a trunk a "boot"

You call a pickup truck a "bakkie"

You call a Barbeque a "Braai"

The employees dance in front of the building to show how unhappy they are.

The SABC advertises and shows highlights of the programme you just finished watching.

You get cold easily. Anything below 16 degrees Celsius is Arctic weather.

You know what Rooibos Tea is, even if you've never had any.

You can sing your national anthem in four languages, and you have no idea what it means in any of them.

You know someone who knows someone who has met Nelson Mandela.

You go to braais regularly, where you eat boerewors and swim, sometimes simultaneously.

You produce a R100 note instead of your driver's licence when stopped by a traffic officer.

You can do your monthly shopping on the pavement.

You have to hire a security guard whenever you park your car.

When you are a victim of crime and say: "At least I'm still alive".

You know a taxi can move twice it's certified number of people in one trip.

You travel 100's of kilometres to see snow.

You know the rules of Rugby better than any referee

To get free electricity you have to pay a connection fee of R750.

More people vote in a local reality TV show than in a local election.

People have the most wonderful names: Christmas, Goodwill, Pretty, Wednesday, Blessing, Brilliant, Gift, Precious, Innocence and Given, Patience, Portion, Coronation.

"Now now" or "just now" can mean anything from a minute to a month.

You continue to wait after a traffic light has turned to green to make way for taxis travelling in the opposite direction.

Travelling at 120 km/h you're the slowest vehicle on the highway/freeway.

You're genuinely and pleasantly surprised whenever you find your car parked where you left it.

A bullet train is being introduced, but we can't fix potholes.

The last time you visited the coast you paid more in speeding fines and toll fees than you did for the entire holiday.

You paint your car's registration on the roof.

You have to take your own linen with you if you are admitted to a government hospital.

You have to prove that you don't need a loan to get one.

Prisoners go on strike.

You don't stop at a red traffic light, in case somebody hijacks your car.

You consider it a good month if you only get mugged once.

Ruwandan refugees start leaving the country because the crime rate is too high.
You consider a high crime rate as normal.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from SA.
VIVA !!!!!

Snoozy Woozy

She had had a lot of excitement and a long day so even though she had had a nap earlier, she was tuckered out and wanting to curl up for a sleep. Her Mum and Dad took her home to her own bed.



Caelyn had a lot of kidney pain tonight and she hasn't got any more pain medication. She has to see the Dr to get another prescription on Monday.
She and Nigel very kindly picked up something at Argos for me. The queue was out of the door and it took 45min for them to be served. Not very nice when you don't feel well. They are sweet to have done it though.

Woozle found her earmuffs and Richard put them on for her. He wasn't well, poor luvvie. Full of virus and a dodgy tummy. He was amazed at how her vocabulary has expanded in just a few weeks.



Lovely photo of Woozle. Pity about the dog's backside, but he is always near her when she is here. I usually cut him out of the photos, but I couldn't do that with this one.



Goodness! What are those two gazing at?



Then they began 'wrestling' with each other. Nigel spent the evening sewing. He repaired his coat and trousers and did some sewing for Richard too. I didn't offer to help because it was black thread on black trousers in poor light. I'd never see what I was doing.

Woken up from a Nap

She had just woken up from a nap in these photos.



I'm glad she had a sleep because she had had a long day.

Family Night In

Terrie came round in the afternoon just after I had finished cleaning the house. Kate and Nigel needed to go shopping, so they left Woozle with me and she was as good as gold and full of fun. Its so nice to see her well again. The virus she had seemed to last forever. Michelle, Richard, Josie and Steve have the bug too and its really not very nice. I am still recovering. Feeling pretty OK except for deafness in the right ear and a cough. Poor Michelle phoned. She was at work and she sounded dreadful. She went to work because she knows the company would have difficulty finding a replacement to work a Friday night shift.



See this little imp in her "house"? I told you she was full of fun this evening. This is the Woozle we know and love so well.



She went to a Christmas party this morning at Home Start in Dover. Pfizers had bought a whole lot of kids toys and Woozle got a Fisher Price telephone.

The man who owns the flat upstairs has moved and rented the flat out to some people. He owns the garden, forecourt and driveway, but everyone in the block has a 'right of way' to walk through the rear garden to access the Park behind the block, plus to walk on the forecourt to put garbage in the Wheelie Bin.

The upstairs owner has rented the forecourt with its parking space to a commercial company who have been parking lorries in the driveway. They are huge, and cause the following problems:
1. No one can access the communal Wheelie Bin.
2. The dustmen won't be able to get to the Wheelie Bin to empty it.
3. Andy upstairs can't get his bicycle past the lorry.
4. Caelyn can't get Wendy's pram past the lorry.
5. My elderly mother with arthritis and a dodgy heart has to go to next door's garden and climb over the wall to get to my front door and
6. I can't get my Mobility Scooter in or out, so I am stuck here. I wouldn't be able to climb the wall to get out through next door's garden either. I'm sure they don't want people using their garden like that either.

The block is run by Circle Management, who are apparently not interested according to Andy-with-the-bicycle. Today he asked me how to get in touch with my landlord who is the Freeholder. The other flats in the block are owned by people on a Leasehold basis, and before Mr Upstairs moved out and rented the flat upstairs, I was the only tenant in the block.

This is a most unsatisfactory situation but I have a feeling it could be sorted out without too much fuss.

Life is seldom simple

Caelyn and Nigel are both doing well in College, as they should, because they are both working hard. Woozle loves her Nursery school so much that she just says "Bye" and runs off with a wave when she gets dropped off. She is very active and advanced for her age, so Nursery is great for her.

What is the problem? Well, they get a small grant towards the fees but found out today that they will have to "top up" the fees by £75pm. Plus, they now have arrears to catch up with. They could manage the "top up" if they didn't have to pay quite so much rent. So they are looking for a cheaper place, but I'm not sure they will find one. And I think they have forgotten how traumatic moving house is. Students don't expect to be flush, but things are biting a bit deep now.

Caelyn doesn't want to give up her course. I hope it won't come to that.

A very domestic picture

Jack is hogging the newspaper. Kate is trying to read the Blog and Wendy has a book she is hoping her Mum will read to her.



Things have been going well for her at nursery school and she is over that horrible virus she had, thank God.

Kate has moved to the other group in college. Same course, same tutors, just different days. She likes the group and is working hard.

Nigel's class are going Paintballing tomorrow, to try to build up some team spirit. I think they will be sorry as it is outdoors and the temperature is minus 6 at the moment. They will be out for hours, even if it rains. He is looking forward to it but I reckon the old sweetheart is going to freeze. I'm shivering just thinking of it.

Animals Still

Sorry about the chromic aberration, but I wanted you to see how Jack has been pinning people down in really awkward positions lately. He is so soppy and loving that it seems really nasty to move him no matter how uncomfortable you are.



Poor Nigel is being beseiged!



Careful, Brak! Nigel is a bit apprehensive about what could happen ...

Think of Lesley and Lil

Lesley is a dear, sweet, caring breeder of beautiful Siamese. She only lets her cat have a litter every year or two and she and the cat, Tigerlily or Lil, have a very close bond. Lil went into labour this morning. Things did not go well. Three kittens were born but then Lil took really poorly. She still has kittens inside her and she is being operated on by the Vet now.

Lesley is trying to feed three very tiny newborns. Her son, Tim, is especially close to Lil so he is upset too, as is his brother. Indeed, she is loved by the whole family. This is a heartbreaking time for them, so spare a thought for a drama that has no important World-impacting significance but which touches a very painful place deep inside.

Spare a thought or a prayer for them at this worrying time.

UPDATE:
Lil is home, purring, with two more babies, Thank God!
She has a family of five to bring up. She is a fabulous mother so Lesley can relax a bit now.

Animals!

I was having a cup of tea this morning when Jack for some reason best known to himself, sat on my shoulder and settled down for a snooze. I wonder if that is all there is to it though, because he was snuggled up and purring over my right ear which is painful and deaf with this virus I have. The frequency of a cat's purr is supposed to facilitate healing. In fact, there are some frequencies in common with a physiotherapist's ultrasound machine which is used to treat pain and promote healing.



Caelyn, Nigel and Wendy slept over so they could get her to Nursery by 08h00. Caelyn was up having tea with me this morning when Brak began whining outside the shut bedroom door. Wendy was waking up and starting to make soft little noises. It was Brak's whining that alerted Caelyn to Wendy's wakening. He and Wendy have quite a connection.

Royal Mail Statement re Christmas Stamps

Royal Mail statement:

'We have become aware of an incorrect assertion being made about the motives behind the sales of our Christmas stamps.
There is absolutely no intention on our part to suppress sales of the Madonna and Child stamps in order to be able to claim there is low demand for religious stamps in future years. Indeed, we have produced tens of millions of them, and we want to sell them!! We have given publicity to both types of Christmas stamps, and the availability of both has been widely covered in the national and local press. Furthermore we plan to have the Madonna and Child stamps available every Christmas in future, alongside each year's "special" set, which will continue to alternate between religious and secular themes.

She's 21 months, and that's Official!

Our little Woozle is 21 months old, and that's official. She is so cute, determined and bright as a button. Caelyn says she frog marched her and Nigel to the door saying "Coat. Shoes. Brak!!" (Translated: I want to go to Granny's house to visit the dog, Brak. Those two have a great bond.)



When she was ill, she would wake up between 8 and 9pm with a very high temperature which had to be dealt with before she could settle back down to sleep. The consequence of that is that she is completely out of routine and it is very difficult to settle her in the evening. Tomorrow she will be back at Nursery which will tire her out so Caelyn and Nigel are hoping that it will help her to get back into a proper routine. They need Woozle-free time to do their College coursework as well as having time for themselves and each other.



She keeps saying Bath Please and won't rest until she has been bathed. If she is tired and you ask if she wants to go to bed, she nods and says 'please'. I've never heard of a child doing that before. Caelyn was never going to have an ordinary child, was she?

Stephen's Gift

My brother Stephen and his wife Margaret live in Australia. I was surprised a couple of weeks ago when a box was delivered from The Times Wine Club. I knew I hadn't ordered anything from them. Then I saw it was a gift for Sean and Sue from Steve and Margaret. I waited till Sean was in Folkestone so that he could have the pleasure of opening it.



Sean was thrilled to bits. The wine came in a nice wooden box with a sliding lid and a soft rope carry handle. Sean says that the Red wine is particularly good and must be kept for a special occasion.



We both think it was a wonderful, warm gesture. We appreciate it and thank Steve and Margaret very much indeed.

Faithful Old Friends

I have a virus, mostly in the respiratory tract. My right ear is so blocked that I can't hear anything with it and the left ear isn't too acute either. I have coughing fits when I can barely breathe and almost throw up and I feel quite unwell, but have had a great weekend.

Michelle spent Friday night with me and we enjoyed our time together. On Saturday, she and Richard cleaned the flat as I hadn't been well enough to do it and it had to be done because if it isn't, Sean has terrible sneezing fits. I really appreciate what they did. My Mum popped in for a while in the afternoon.

Sean and I had a very quiet evening in. He brought some soup and bread and we ate that and just enjoyed being together. The weather is absolutely foul at the moment, and the storm water drains weren't coping with the amount of rain. There was hail and a bit of lightning. Sean took Michelle to work because the weather was just too bad for her to have to get a bus and walk to and from the bus stop. He was bowled over because she called him her Knight in Shining Armour and two other nice things (but I can't remember what they are).



We gave Michelle's workmate a lift home then we went to Brickfields for a simple and good lunch. Sean took this photo of Fat Jack, Brak and me on the couch before he left. Those dear boys are so loving and good to me. Jack is so dark you can hardly see him, but he is by my shoulder.

Caelyn's college days have changed and she will be going in tomorrow with Nigel, so they are sleeping here so that Wendy can be dropped off at Nursery at 08h00 tomorrow morning. Wendy is over her viral bug, thank God. She is teething but not suffering too badly this time.

My Gmail Account

I was shocked to discover yesterday that my Gmail Account had been disabled. I explored the Gmail Help section and discovered that they would disable an account if the user violated the Terms of Service. I knew I hadn't done that, but wasn't very hopeful that the issue would be resolved. It meant I had no access to my online documents, photos, contacts names, email addresses and telephone numbers. I was also locked out of my Blog and had no way of telling everyone that it was due to a Google Glitch. Anyway, alls well that ends well. My account has been restored. I'll paste their reply here below:

Hello,

Thank you for your report.

Gmail accounts may be disabled at any time due to violations of Gmail Terms of Use. Google reserves the right to suspend a Gmail Account or the entire Google Account if Gmail Terms of Use are violated.

Recently the Gmail team launched several features intended to detect and prevent breaches of our Terms of Use, such as spamming.As a result, a number of users who may have not been acting in breach of these terms were affected. The issue has since been resolved, and these users have had access to their accounts restored. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

To review Gmail's Terms of Use, please refer to http://mail.google.com/mail/help/terms_of_use.html

Poor WooWoo!

Poor little Wendy still isn't over her virus as it was a severe and long lasting one. The poor little mite is now cutting another tooth and is sore and is having diarrhoea with it. Poor little kid! She needs a break!

I am at the computer because my fever is breaking and I am bathed in sweat. In about 45 min. I will bath and settle down.

The weather was bad today, with winds so strong that Kate could hardly walk in them. She had been to the dentist for quite a lot of work - root canal, crowns and such. She is to go back in January for the rest of the work to be done.

As the weather was so foul, the Port of Dover had to be closed so there were hundreds of lorries parked up on the motorway, waiting for the ferries to start sailing again. There was also an accident so the road to Dover was at a complete standstill for hours today.

Virus

Wendy has just spent two nights fever free. She is still not her usual bright and bubbly self but she is trying to be cheerful.

Unfortunately, Kate, Nigel and I have symptoms. Aching head, burning sinuses, joint and muscle pain and sore glands, general malaise.

Something weird happened last night. I was very well wrapped up and the central heating was on. I was so cold my hands turned blue and numb. I have read several articles which say that someone with ME loses control of their body temperature. As a temp is going up, a person feels intensely cold, but that wasn't what the problem was. I really was objectively cold.

If there is silence on the Blog for a while, that is the reason why.

Wendy News

Kate has just phoned me. She and Nigel were told to take Wendy to Buckland Hospital. They saw the doctor there, who confirmed it is a virus. He said there is a lot of it about and they can expect it to last another 5 days or so. They have to keep her dosed up with paracetamol to prevent her temperature rising too far too quickly. When they were at the hospital, there were 4 other young kids there, all with the same problem.

Caelyn won't go to College while Wendy is as sick as this. Wendy probably shouldn't go back to Nursery until the New Year so that she has time to build her strength up. She probably got the virus at Nursery anyway - kids pass each other bugs of various sorts all the time.

Its just as well that she hasn't had to go to Nursery from when she was tiny. Also, she is still breastfed, so her mum's mature immunity system will be making antibodies against this virus and those antibodies will be passed to Wendy through the milk to help her fight this virus. Other babies aren't that fortunate. They would be much more sick with it, and heaven knows that Wendy has been really bad so I can't bear to think of those other poor little kiddies.

Michelle and Richard are coming to help nurse Wendy next week when they are off duty, so Kate and Nigel can catch up with some sleep. Thank God for the extended family! My Mum was on standby in case she was needed too, so there are a lot of people who love that child who are prepared to help her through this. Again, some kiddies aren't that fortunate. At times like this, you can only thank God for His mercies.

Silly Pics

I am too worried about Wendy to settle down to sleep, so I was looking at the icanhascheezburger site. Here are a couple of pics from there. They gave me a good laugh.

Wendy is ill

Wendy is ill. Her parents took her to their GP on Monday, and he examined her and said it was a virus and to keep her comfortable.

On Thursday night when she was here, her temp shot up to 40.7 and she had red eyes and a rash - looked a bit like the beginning of measles. They took her to the Royal Victoria Hospital to see the GP on call. She examined Wendy and agreed it was "just a virus".

Last night her temp shot up again, and she was vomiting with it. We eventually got the temp down, but it was frightening.

Tonight Kate asked me to call NHS Direct as she has no credit on her phone. They called her back and are sending a doctor round to see them as her feet and hands are blue and cold, meaning that she is in shock and her blood is being diverted to her vital organs.

I am waiting to hear what the Dr said. I think she ought to have Blood Cultures taken while she is still so feverish. Kate and Nigel have been taking shifts in sitting up with her and they are worn out, with worry as much as anything else. She has been quite ill for 6 days now, and babies don't usually stay as sick as that for so long.

When I know anything, I will post it, but in the meantime, please pray for them.

R.I.P, Eileen

Eileen O'Donnell passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning.
She was an online friend. A Catholic lady who had lived in South Africa for years and who loved Siamese cats. She suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and then cancer.
She was a gentle, soft-hearted lady and although I never met her, I will miss her.

May she rest in the Peace of Christ, and may her children and grandchildren be comforted in their loss.