A Lovely Weekend Away!

We have just returned from a lovely weekend away in sunny Scarborough.  We were extremely lucky with the weather, while in the South they battled with heavy rain we were basking in late summer sunshine. 

We booked three nights away at a Hotel called the Rivelyn. It was OK, apart from the usual problem of a very hard bed!! I have become used to our lovely soft mattress, a hard bed means that I always get up with an aching back.

This was the first time that dad had been away this year, he had been worried that he might be struck down with his re-occuring 'condition' where he ends up in hospital until it clears. We also had Beth and Harry with us, so packing the car with luggage, mobility scooter and five adults was a bit of a challenge! 

On the Friday afternoon after an uneventful journey we arrived and took a walk along the prom.

Scarborough is a very colourful place but its also a working port with fishing and pleasure boats.

On Saturday morning we drove into Whitby to have a look around. I was surprised at how busy the place was, it was packed with people and it was quite hard going for Dad using his scooter, the combination of people and cobbled streets was difficult. I really wanted to get another photo of us at The Victoria Image. I have photos of us going right back to when Beth was 4. Over the years we have had photos with Mum, Dad, Laura and Carl and all combinations of those!! I was so pleased with the photos that they took this time!!

Its fun to get dressed up ! Beth was able to pose in two separate dresses, I think next time I might op for a light coloured dress! ( I am radical!!!)

Later in the afternoon we headed up to Goathland and found the North Yorkshire Birds of Prey exhibiting their birds on the green. Beth and Harry decided to hold a bird each. Beth's bird is a baby snowy owl called Eddie, he is only 83 days old and still growing his adult plumage. Harry held a hawk, she was a very fine looking hawk called Bonnie. Bonnie is a cross Gyrfalcon - Saker Falcon and according to the falconer she is rare and expensive. She was stunning and beautiful! 

It was a great experience!

We finished up with fish and chips on the quayside, a lovely day out!!

We travelled back on the Monday, Dad was tired there had been a lot of lugging around and he hadn't been able to have his afternoon nap, so he was pretty tired on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening his 'problem' cropped up again and we ended up back at the Lister Hospital. He is still in being treated at the moment, so we are back on visiting duties. I am just very thankful that it happened when we got home because if it had happened in Scarborough we would have had to travel to Middlesborough!!

Thank goodness for small mercies!!!

Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend.

Catching up....

I think its true to say that this year has been a particularly hard one, not only for us, but also for lots of other people as well. We started with so much hope and expectation, not much of that came to fruition. 

Sadly on the 7th of December Mum passed away. She finally had her repair operation on the 6th of December and on that evening she was uncomfortable but talking to us. They had told us that she was being looked after in intensive care as a precaution. When I left at the end of visiting time, I felt positive, she looked like she needed a good nights sleep, but was with us.

When Dad and I went in the next morning we were met by the ICU Consultant and his team. He explained that overnight they had been having serious problems stabilising her, her heart was racing and blood pressure dropping, they really needed that to be the other way around. They told us that she was at crisis point and they were not sure they would be able to turn things around. We decided to call the rest of the family in, she wasn't fully conscious, but she was opening her eyes and squeezing our hands when we called her.

By the afternoon she was noticeably less responsive, she didn't seem to know we were there. The Consultant said that they were still giving her drugs but they were having no effect her heart rate was climbing and was running at 150/160 bpm . She had an underlying heart condition which had come back with avengence. The Consultant said that at this point the best they could do was make her comfortable and allow her to slip away. It was clear to us that she was not with us, the heart monitor was racing and although she was breathing on her own she was struggling, they were giving her oxygen. From that point it was a very quick 3/4 of an hour before she passed away. 

It was pure devastation all around very hard to comprehend how we had ended up here. 

My over riding emotion was anger, anger at how she had been treated by the East and North Herts NHS Trust, who had simply failed her when she needed it most. The irony of it all is that the actual fall that lead her to this final situation was an accident, she was adamant it was no ones fault, a pure accident. The previous incident at The Lister Hospital despite being reported was going no where fast until the point where Mum passed away. They have now some 9 weeks later phoned to say that they will invite us in to discuss the outcome of that investigation!!! I have no faith in their ability to investigate themselves, and I have no doubt about the outcome of whatever investigation they have 'carried out' . In the past they have only ever got their act together once we have gone outside to either the National Press or our local MP. So I am not holding my breath. 

I am not sure what to do going forward, part of me wants to move on and part of me wants to stand and fight, but I am not sure I have the fight left in me to do anymore of that. I am recovering from a major operation and if I fight them they will close ranks and it won't bring Mum back . I am very very sad that the last months of her life were so unhappy. 

So I must try and take the positives from this situation. Mum is no longer in pain and I pray that she is in Heaven with my sister and all the previous relatives that have gone. 

I will remember all the positive things and the fun times we had and how her positive influences have shaped me and my family. It has made me determined to live life to the full and not to put things off because its simple one day tomorrow will not come and it will be too late. I will try and do as much as I can now and not live to regret the things I did not do!! I need to gather myself and make some important decisions. I am a child of the 60's which put me and my fellow baby boomers at great risk as once we get to be elderly the NHS will be less equip to deal than it is now. 

On the 19th of December we celebrated Mums life at her funeral. We had a lovely Church  service at St Bonaventure in WGC. Father Norbert knew Mum, he visited her in hospital and had been the butt of her plain talking (as he called it!!) she had told him a couple of days before her passing that life in WGC was agreeing with him too well as he was putting on a bit of weight!!! Because he knew her the service was personal and a great tribute to Mum. Beth excelled herself, she was the only one brave enough to get up and pay tribute to Mum in the form of a Dear Nan, letter. She was fantastic, although it was an uplifting and funny letter there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time she finished. 

The Church looked beautiful with both Christmas and pink flowers, we had asked people to wear a little splash of pink so Beth said it was obvious looking out at the congregation that people had done so. 

Looking back on the day I would say that we did her proud, we made the floral displays so we could use flowers that she loved, we included pink her favourite colour and it felt warm and comforting rather than bleak and upsetting.

We are blessed with fantastic friends and family who all attended the service. They have been so supportive of both me and dad, I have had a steady arrival of flowers and cards over the past weeks. Friends have stepped up to the mark and helped with flowers, cakes, transport and just being there and able to step in when the going gets tough. I can't thank you all enough for all that you have done for our family.

We are hoping for a better 2014, Rest In Peace Mum, you are missed.

xxxxxx

History repeating itself.

We are having a terrible time of things at the moment and I am so cross with the NHS (the part of it that is causing us a problem) This is an exact re-run of a situation that happened three years ago when mum broke her femur for the first time. 

Recently mum was admitted to hospital initially to have a knee replacement, before that could happen she contracted a urine infection, so she was transferred to The Lister hospital in Stevenage where she received in patient treatment for that infection. While she was there she was assaulted by one of the nurses who seemed to think that she should not have wet the bed, despite having an infection and no one answering her call bell. The other patients in the bay reported that she was slapped and left exposed on the bed, one of those patients got up with a broken leg and went over to cover her up. I am so angry with how she has been treated. I reported the incident to the Matron and to this date we have heard absolutely nothing, not a letter , not a phone call, NOTHING. We are not living in a third world country, this is 2013 in Great Britain. Mum was frightened to say anything because she had to stay in hospital there so declined Police involvement despite the hospital calling in the Police. If I had been there I would have ensured that action would have been taken, but I was not.

She was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth the 2nd hospital in Welwyn Garden City where she subsequently had her knee replacement. She recovered well from that until last Thursday when in the care of the Hospital she fell and fractured her ankle and femur (again) She has been in considerable pain and initially fell foul of the weekend intervening because as we all know no one becomes ill at the weekend the NHS simply shuts down and goes to skeleton staffing, so she had to wait until Monday for an operation. We then started to be told that she had a complicated fracture and she would need a specialist surgeon to deal with it, She was Xrayed and waited. Tuesday morning they decided to operate and when she was seen by the anaesthetist they called the operation off. The bloods were wrong and she needed several transfusions to build her up. That was done straight away. We have no complaints about that the operation needs to be as safe as possible, we were not seeking to force them to carry out the operation unsafely.

What truly ticks me off is the lies that were trotted out to us we have been told that there hasn't been a surgeon available because of the complicated nature of the operation, so how did that anaesthetist call off an operation where there was no surgeon?? We were told she would be transferred to a specialist hospital, then they couldn't go ahead because they didn't have a clear X-ray, apparently it had been asked for but no one had taken her there!!! You can see the X-ray department from her bed, I could have pushed her there myself. 

We asked when the operation would happen, we were given more half truths (if I am being generous) downright lies. we have had every excuse that they could muster while quite clearly no one knew what was going on!! They couldn't even tell us which consultant was dealing. 

Throughout all of this Mum has been sat in bed drugged up to the eyeballs in a great amount of pain. She is mentally and physically going down hill and we are seriously concerned for her. 

The very best crap excuse that they have come up with is that the surgeons can not operate because they have lists full of elective surgeries!!!! If they don't operate on those people they will breach the 18 week rule and the hospital will be fined!!! I can not believe that they can use such a crap excuse to keep a 77 year old woman in this position.

This morning I phoned the hospital and had a very full and frank discussion with them, I also contacted PALS and my MP. this has started to get results. Mum is deaf in both ears and while in hospital she has lost both hearing aids, these are the tiny in the ear aids which cost £1500 each. We have them insured, but the insurance company need a letter from the hospital to say that we have reported it to them. I asked for that letter nearly five weeks ago, five weeks where Mum has not been able to hear properly, five weeks where she has not understood what is being said to her. I have chased up this letter , an incident report, because I am pretty sure they were thrown away by staff changing the bed. on a weekly basis, it has not been forth coming. How dare they leave her essentially deaf because they can't be arsed???

Her operation is supposed to happen tomorrow and they have told us that the surgeon dealing is Mr Harishbhai Parmar. He looks to have a good track record, so I hope he has a good nights sleep and that he is able to repair the damage.

Please say a prayer and spread this message, people should be made aware of how the NHS treat our elderly vulnerable people, IT IS DISGUSTING.

Home Visit and Reaching the Summit!

Yesterday Mum visited home for the first time since March this year!! It was a major arrangement by the Hospital. I was there when she got there in the ambulance. It took two drivers, two physios and a social worker! Once they had got her over the thresh hold in a wheel chair she was able to walk to the arm chair in the front room. She sat and had a cuppa while the physios went upstairs and arranged the bedroom furniture.

Next she had to walk to the stair lift and get on it. That was a little harder but not impossible. With a bit of a shuffle she got on and got upstairs. Getting off at the top was easy and she walked into the bedroom.

The bed is a fully adjustable hospital bed so they put it down as low as it would go and Mum sat on it after a bit of a struggle she managed to get both legs on and lie back. She was also able to get back up again afterwards. So all in all it was a very sucessful day. All we need to wait for now is for Social Services to arrange the carers and she will get a home date. There is light appearing at the end of this very long tunnel!!!!

Carl has been out of contact for three days now, we had expected this as it was very unlikely that there would be a signal up Kilimanjaro!!!! According to my calculations he should have carried out the climb to the peak this morning at dawn and is likely now to be on the way back down again. I hope he has taken loads of photos!!!! His fund raising is going well and I know that there are pledges that he will collect once he is back.

He has now raised £1210 !!

Please check out his Just Giving Page

HERE

New Car New Week

Last weekend Dad and I went out and found him a new car. He wanted something that was a bit higher and a little more comfortable than his corsa, he likes our Zafira, Ruby, so we went and had a look at a few of those!! He needed an automatic and this blue one fit the bill. This week it has been converted to hand controls and he is now up and running. The brakes are little on the sharp side, but he'll get used to it!!!

On Wednesday we went into Hospital to speak to the physios, Mum is making slow progress and she is keen to get home. They won't discharge her until she is safe to walk and not fall over. It looks like there may be a fair way to go with that one. Today she was taken back to the QE2 where they have Xrayed her again and she was seen by the consultant. They have told her that the bone is slowly healing but they estimate at least another 6 weeks for there to be noticeable healing. There is still some infection and that is slowly getting better. I think there are a huge number of hurdles for her to over come and I am not sure that she will ever be able to do so.

Why do Weekends go so Fast?????

The weekend takes ages to arrive and then in a flash its gone. We look forward to it all week and then in no time it has passed us by. I really wish they were longer. The past week at work we have been bombarded with pension issues. I had expected to be able to retire at 60 when I started my working life all those years ago and as such I have paid into several pension schemes to enable that to happen. A few years ago the government decided that we were all living longer so they would equalise the retirement date for men and women. Men were retiring at 65 so they started to move the women's retirement age towards that. So for a few years the age I could go at moved to 62, still not too bad.  Well now that date has moved again and I am looking at being 66 before I can retire. Its a real problem, it now feels like I am never going to get there so what is the point of having a pension I am not overly likely to see?? who knows how many people die before they reach 65??

I feel its particularly unfair because when I started I made my plans, I think they need to apply the changes to people who are starting work and not to those of us who are already nearing the end. I feel like I will never get there!!!

This weekend we spotted the trees by the back door moving without the aid of any wind, I thought it a bit strange and thought it was some birds on the bird feeder. So I looked a bit closer and spotted a pair of mice clinging onto the wire and having a good feed!!

It was quite difficult to photograph them as they had arrived as it was getting dark. Since last week they have been back every evening and I realise that they have been coming for a while. We had spotted evidence of activity below the feeder but we had assumed it was the pigeon as he had tried loads of times to get nuts from the tree!!

This afternoon we visited Mum in the Herts and Essex Hospital, she is doing well but is struggling with depression and the stresses and strains of getting back on her feet. We have decided at work to send her post cards to cheer her up. So today she had an array of cards from all my work friends. If anyone out there wants to send her a post card, please feel free, She is Mrs Maureen Botwright, Cambridge Ward, Herts and Essex Hospital, Bishops Stortford. Herts (I have no idea of the post code) She collects post cards so all would be welcome!!!

Have a great week.

Where has summer gone????

This weekend has been a complete wash out, we have had heavy rain and then some more. Carl has been trying to get his tent dried out after the camp last weekend. It has been erected on the trampoline and although the outside is dry the inside had gallons of water trapped there. I have turned it over and I hope that can be packed away some time soon.

Mum seems to be settling in well at the new rehabilitation hospital. I feel much happier with her there, to start with the staff seem less rushed off their feet. There are Doctors available and the place is modern and bright. Mum has been taken out to have her meals in a dining room and the two ladies in her bay seem fine. Today Dad drove over for the first time and took Keith and Nicky. She seems to be happy and keen to make progress, so I am hoping that she keeps that thought!!

Today is Fathers day so I called around to see Dad this morning and gave him his presents and card.His garden is looking good, he has a load of tomatoes on the go in the green house and some are even quite large still have a way to go before the will be edible!

He has a fantastic display of roses today you could smell the fragrance on the wind.

My favourite colour for roses in the whole world is orange, you just can't beat a vibrant orange rose. My friend Madeline always manages to find me gorgeous orange roses for my birthday !!!

 This little bush is smothered in buds, the flowers are beautiful when in bud, but once they fully open up they are no where near as pretty.

Dad is particularly pleased with his sweet peas they are all purple and a bargain. They cost him a pound for a ropey looking pot full of seedlings which he has nurtured and grown in to great display!

This week I am away at conference again, it will be nice to check out the sites and delights of Manchester. I just need to confirm which hotel  am in and I will be set !!

Have a great week.

A busy start to the weekend.

Yesterday I had an interesting day at work, we went to Chelmsford and ended up in an interview with a solicitor for around 6 hours!! It poured with rain and the return journey by satnav took us to all sorts of places that I had never heard of before. It should have been a simple journey but we ended up in country lanes and it took an age to get home.

After work I went around to see Laura and help her sort out her flat. She has been on the waiting list to move into a one bedroom flat, but its not happening at the moment every one she applies for is taken by someone with a higher level of need. She had started to pack, so now she has loads of boxes everywhere and things had got out of hand. So I helped to sort things out and clean up. It took until 8.30pm just to get that sorted, I hope she keeps things nice now.

Mum has now transferred to the rehabilitation place in Bishops Stortford. We haven't visited as yet but she has spoken to us all on the phone and sounds very positive. She has been out of bed in a wheelchair so she has a bit more freedom. She will start physio proper on Monday. We plan to visit her this afternoon.

Both Tom and I have not had a good night I have been up a couple of hours and its only 5.30 now!!!

 We received sad news yesterday about the loss of Toms cousin Liz. She was in her early fifties.She had called us before we went on holiday to say that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she had been told that it was terminal. She was going into hospital the week we were away for them to carry out radiation therapy to see if that would help. She sounded her usual self, upbeat and still very proud of never having had a day off sick in her life. The day we left she passed away quite unexpectedly. Because we were away we were out of contact so we continued to try and call her for the past two weeks on her mobile phone. Finally yesterday we were able to speak to my sister in law who told us what had happened. They had tried to call us and give us the date for the funeral but there hadn't been anyone in. Liz's mum is Toms sister and she is quite elderly and has alzheimers she doesn't understand what has happened.

I think we may have to try and catch a few hours later on today.

And Breathe......

I have had a very pleasant couple of days away at a conference in the not so sunny town of Reading. It rained and then it rained some more, but it didn't matter. I had a day of speakers and and workshops yesterday followed by pre dinner drinks (with a dress code of smart!!!) followed by a nice dinner with more wine and then after dinner drinks!! I had a very nice time!!

Today was more of the same with fringe meetings that were very informative. It certainly explained a few things to me!!

I was lucky enough to be able to travel back with a colleague which made the trip go faster.

I will be going to Manchester next week for a week long conference, Its simply that time of year!!!

Tonight Mum has been moved from the QE2 hospital to The Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishops Stortford, this hospital has a rehabilitation department and we are hoping that Mum will get back on her feet and get back home before the summer is over. She was keen to move and we will support that decision even though its over 20 miles away which will make visiting difficult.,

Laura is still pretty sore, but getting better, she is having the dressing changed everyday at the doctors and will have to have the district nurse in over the weekend. She is getting better .

We spotted this bird in Stavenger, what is it ?? It was quite big is it a crow??

Will I Ever Get a Spare Five Minutes????

I sometimes wonder what is going on and how I come in for all sorts of problems. This week has seen my daughter end up in hospital with an emergency operation. On the plus side it was dealt with quickly and efficiently. She had a pain in her back, which turned out to be an abscess, she had been put on heavy duty anti biotics, but these didn't have much of an effect. She ended up going to Accident and Emergency and they whisked her straight off to surgery. She was very brave and had the procedure under epidural. She is now feeling much better, but is facing a little time to have the matter heal up. 

On the same evening that we were visiting her, Mum had a funny turn, she had a pain in her chest and she ended up being put on drugs and oxygen and the Doctors carried out an ECG. We have seen her tonight and they have ruled out another heart attack, (they carried out blood tests) she is feeling very fed up and sorry for herself. 

I hope we are moving towards a resolution with her, generally she is doing much much better and I am hopeful that she is close to being moved to rehab. 

Tomorrow I have some time away at a conference in Reading and next week I am away at National conference in Manchester. It will be nice to have a break!!!

I can hardly believe that we are nearly two weeks on from our holiday where we were treated to views like these from the deck. I am going to go back there sometime soon and the next time I am ordering bright sunny weather so that we can see all the scenery in all its glory!!!

They have landed.

The first leg of his holiday is over, he has now landed in Sydney, Australia. He seems to have been lucky with his flights, this is the second one to arrive slightly early!! I expect they are both tired there is something tiring about sitting on a plane for 12 hours.  Both of the flights I have been able to track on a flight tracker on my iPhone which is amazing technology!!

Just before he left Hong Kong he sent me this picture by email, I am not sure where it is (apart from in Hong Kong) but one thing is certain I would not have any desire to find out what was at the top of those steps!!!!

I hope they have a good few days in Sydney.

We didn't visit Mum tonight but she has text to say that she has stood up twice, so that is progress, hopefully small steps very soon.

Its Gone Again!!

This weekend has gone in a flash !! Why does that always happen??? Its been quite a productive one. I have been beading and because the weather has been so blustery I have been washing.  I managed to wash and dry all the bedding from Carl's room including quilt, under blanket and sheet and quilt case. Put them on the line and they were dry within the hour!!

I tried a new technique to make a glass topper for a ring. Its quite easy although I did make a mistake on a couple of them, I didn't allow the glass to drop down enough. That said I am very happy with the results!!!

I like this one it reminds me of peacock colours!

This one will go with my necklace!!

Yesterday Dad and I went into see Mum in the afternoon and we were not sure what we would walk into. She wasn't very happy but she was more determined to get out of there. We did some exercises with her and got her legs moving. She was sitting in her chair but I did them I think its the only way we can get her to concentrate and get cracking. Perhaps she has turned the corner.

I have heard from Carl today it seems that they are experiencing some terrible weather. He said that they have never seen rain like it. They are being battered by some big storms, thunder, lightening and winds. He text me to ask if I could look up the weather online as he thought they might be heading for a cyclone and the big worry was that they had booked an evening on a cruise across the bay. As it happens they were experiencing the wrath of tropical storm 'Songda' which was sweeping through the area. The weather info said they had issued a 'Red warning' for rain. I haven't been able to find out what that means, but it doesn't get any worse than a red warning!!! Carl says they have got some spectacular photos !! Sarah has said that they have found a fantastic Cath Kitson shop, I like a girl that has her priorities right!!!!

Moving on....With a Little Help From My Friends!!!!!

This week has passed in a bit of a blur. I have been working and then afterwards we have had something to do each evening. This has made the week fly by.

Carl seems to be having fun in Hong Kong, its definitely a place I would like to go to now that I have heard from him and I am happy that he is OK. He has posted a few photos on face book to prove he is there!!!

He posted this one on the afternoon he arrived, the taxi had its own supply of lucky bamboo and very lucky goldfish!!!! Very odd.

Today he has been to a building called the Peak which has fantastic views over Kowloon harbour.

I am very envious of him!

Last night I had a much needed evening with my 'girlfriends' we had a Chinese and a catch up. Madeline is recovering after her hip replacement. She really seems to be doing well. We had a real laugh and we were both crying over certain incidents!!! Sue had a belated birthday present from me and Sandra treated us all to a rendition of 'With a little help from my friends' A charity recording of the song performed for cancer research by the staff of Barclay's Bank. It wasn't half bad and Sandra even managed to get her famous catch phrase in right at the end -'Oh I say' !!!! I will buy a copy its got blackmail potential!!!!

So tonight was the first night in hospital to visit mum for 4 days we walked into her crying and in a dreadful state. It seems that today she had been out of bed in her chair for 7 hours and she was fed up and said she didn't want to go on. He leg is much better no bleeding or weeping and essentially dried up and ready to go. Mum is being firmly encouraged to get herself mobile but she has lost all confidence and seems to give up at the slightest hitch. She doesn't seem to be able to tell us why she can't make her legs work, its a combination of lack of confidence and pain in her knees. She hadn't told the staff about the pain so they have not given her extra pain killers. So its a vicious circle. What is certain is that if she doesn't somehow get it together she will not end up getting home and will end up in a nursing home. I am at a loss as to how I can encourage her to try. She seems unable to make the transition from patient to person who is able to make some effort to do things for herself. I hope this is something that we can overcome :(



One Step Closer..

Today Mum has made a step forward, she has been moved out of her cosy bay on Lemsford ward and into a new ward in The Princes wing. This new ward is a step forward as this is the place that you go to have more physiotherapy, intensive physiotherapy. Last time she never made it into this ward, they decided that she would never be able to learn to walk in the short amount of time that they were prepared to allow and bundled her off to the QVM.

So she had just been transferred when we arrived and it was all a bit strange for her. She has been on the same ward for nearly eight weeks and now she is starting over again, getting to know the staff and getting to know the new routines. On the plus side she is in a bed near to her friend Mary who transferred to Princes to weeks ago. I expect they will be able to swap hospital stories!! Mary has already told us that she now can get up everyday so that is perfect inspiration for Mum.

Mum is still on anti biotics, but the wound has not bled for about 4 days. There are still 4 clips to be taken out but all in all I am pleased that she has taken a huge step forward!!

Le Weekend!!!

The above photo is for my friend Karen, she is an Ace Baker and I was telling her about another friend (Anna) who has made this cake for her daughters birthday. It looks stunning and if there is a baker who can pull it off, its Karen!! So take a look at this BLOG full of great cake ideas!!

My week has been a strange and somewhat difficult one. Mum has had good and bad days in equal parts. She has been out of bed just about every day and on one day they even hoisted her to her feet and she stood for the first time in 7 weeks. Once upright she was able to move her good right leg, but not the left left , still its good progress and we keep reminding her of that. Just when we feel that we have got her boosted up again and keen to fight on, the lady in the next bed passed away during the night. Its terribly sad, she had been ill and we saw her go down hill in front of our eyes. The problem with her passing away is that it has an effect on everyone else in the bay its all very sad.

So here we are staring another weekend in the face, I have lots I want to do, but no doubt I won't get any of it done!!! Happy Weekend!!!

Nearing resolution.

Yesterday Keith and I had another meeting at the QVM hospital in an effort to sort out the complaint that we made to them when Mum was resident a couple of months ago. We made our complaint they had a meeting with us and listened to what we had to say. We then waited for them to reply to us in writing addressing the points raised. That never happened despite us chasing things up it went into a big black hole of nothing. That was until we asked our MP, Grant Shapps to take up the case on our behalf.

As soon as he sent them a letter things started to move, there was a lot of back pedalling and yesterday we met with them again to allow them to explain how the whole process had gone wrong. They are unable to keep track on complaints so they simply don't try to. If they are not continually chased up they stop and move onto something more exciting instead. Yesterday they presented us with a list of things that they have changed to address the problems that Mum had in there. They range from asking staff what they think they could do to improve (that came back as address the lack of staff) They are now listening to what patients say, so if they say they do not feel well then that is perfectly acceptable they will not feel forced into doing something that they don't feel well enough to do. They have a more integrated approach to care with the physios forming part of that after all washing and getting up is a physical activity and will aid recovery. Finally they will now tailor a recovery plan to each patient based on their requirements and not what they think their requirements are. So if you have never run a marathon what is the point in trying to get you fit enough to run one now??? In mums case she needed to be able to walk enough to get her home, not climb stairs as she is never going to have to climb stairs! So as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it is very likely that Mum will end up back there once the QE2 has finished with her. Lets see if they do as they have promised!!!!

I would also like to thank Sue for obtaining a souvenir Royal Wedding Plate for Mum, she obviously knows all the best shops!!! Thanks Sue.

Making Buttons.

I went to Flame Off a few weeks ago and saw a demo by a lovely lady (Julie) who taught us her technique for making glass buttons. I have enjoyed having a go and I am sure given more practice I will get better. I spent so much time concentrating on getting the petals right and cutting the hot glass, that I seem to have lost the basic skill of placing dots!!! I am sure I will get better, I can only do two at a time as I only have two mandrels!!!

At last some good news for Mum after her operation yesterday the surgeon has said that he is encouraged with the wound and that he has stitched everything back up and is hopeful that will be the end of things. He is so sure that he has said that Mum can sit on the edge of the bed for a while today in preparation for finally getting out of bed again after seven long weeks.

Celtic Harmony Camp

Today we decided to take a trip to The Celtic Harmony Camp in Brickendon they were celebrating Beltane festival. This is the beginning of Summer and celebrated by the Celts and nowadays the Pagans. We had often talked about going to this camp as it has interesting things going on, so it was nice to finally go while they were holding a festival.

The first thing we tried was Archery, we bought a bag of gold replica coins on our way in and paid with those. Beth had never had a go before and once she got her eye in she was good. On the way out we had another go and had a competition, we had 12 arrows each and the idea was to aim at the pig and the one with the most arrows in the kill area was the winner. I went first and my first shot glanced off the pigs nose and went into the nearby target, I missed with one shot but the other 10 all hit the target within the 'kill' area. It was a big challenge for Beth and although she did very well and scored quite a few hits, I won by a fair few. We might look into going to the Archery club they hold there.

Beth had a go at pot making and apple juice pressing.

We did weaving and made a Beltane Summer crown out of reeds and Ivy. We then had lunch at possibly the slowest cafe in the world. They had advertised a hog roast but the kitchen was under pressure, the queue moved at a minus speed. We gave our order after the people in front but they got their buns after us!! They were so disorganised! The rolls were nice and we sat under an oak tree taking in the village green with the Maypole and story tellers. The weather was lovely and you almost felt like you were back in old England leaving presents for the Fairies in the woods.

There were pens with farm animals, baby chicks and sheep and goats. This owl was by the Apple presses, it seemed remarkably calm and people were able to approach and touch him. When I tried to take a photo he was a bit camera shy and turned his head!.

It has been a lovely day.

Mum went down for another opeation on her leg this morning and we are still waiting to hear back from the hospital to see how it went. She was a bit down yesterday as the lady who had been in her bay since she went into hospital nearly seven weeks ago has been moved to the Princes wing, which means she is one step away from home good news for her, but Mum had struck up a friendship with her so that will be a loss.

Can't believe its back to work tomorrow. :(

Feel Good Factor.

This weekend has been dominated by the Royal Wedding. I am still amazed at how many people celebrated and did something. The crowds in London were huge and estimates say that there was over a million people in central London and watching the event on big screens in Hyde Park. We have cleared up our garden but still have some bunting up on the trampoline. Talking of trampolines, Beth and Carl have been getting some mileage out of it, they have been bouncing around and playing a kind of volleyball on it. Beth posed for this beautiful picture!!!

Mum has had a rough couple of days, she was taken back to theatre yesterday to have a central line put in. They have been having a terrible job getting blood into her because her veins keep collapsing, so it was back for the line to be fitted. She is really fed up with everything and who can blame her. She asked for me to take her in a memento of the Wedding but I can't find a single thing in any of the local shops, I thought that there would be things like commemorative biscuit tins and that sort of thing, but nothing. I will have to keep looking.

Carl has decided that he will fly out to Amsterdam and stay for a week with us during the summer, easy jet are doing a return trip from Luton for around £60 so he has booked. Its a long time since all three kids have been on a caravaning holiday with us!!!

Roll on Summer!!!

It just keeps happening.

Yesterday Mum finally had her operation, went down early, had a general and then into recovery all by 11am. Dad had called a couple of times and all seemed to be going well, up until the point they told him she was in surgery again. I then heard from my brother so I called the hospital and they said that she had been in recovery when she had another big bleed and required a further operation. Poor dad was in a bit of a state so we had to go into the hospital until we were sure she was back. She got late afternoon. Spoke to the surgeon who said there was no single point of bleeding but lots of little ones, they had sealed as many as they could and have now packed out the wound and will try negative vacuum pressure pump to encourage healing. When we saw her last night she was disorientated by the drugs and when Dad told her to leave her oxygen mask on, she said 'who asked you Doctor Bob'!!!!  All she was worried about was not missing the Royal Wedding! I have checked with her and she has watched it on her little TV this morning.

We are going to have 'tea' with Carl and his girlfriend, plus some friends. We have decided to wear Red White and Blue and home made hats. I have made some crowns, Hunny is getting into the Royal Wedding spirit, Carl painted her claws red and she is wearing a red football top.

Congratulations to William and Catherine!!