Diary > Sunday 23rd May

[Roobarb]

I'd been hoping that as I didn't have any ill effects from the first Covid vaccination I wouldn't from the second one. My hopes were dashed.

Despite not being able to get warm earlier, after I'd had a bath and got in bed I was having the opposite problem, too warm although my skin didn't feel hot. Felt exhausted and soon went to sleep, only to wake at 1.30 am. There was a light showing behind the curtains, it went off and back on a couple of times. Looked out of the window to see what it was, it was my security light that shines on the patio. I could see that a bit of the creeper that grows up the fence was blowing across it in the wind and activating the light. I couldn't leave it like that, apart from the fact that it would keep me awake it might disturb my neighbours. The last thing I felt like doing was going out in the garden but there was no option so I put some clothes and shoes on, went out with the kitchen scissors and snipped the offending bits off.

Was feeling pretty rough at that point, got back in bed, woke up every two hours after that. Don't know what time it was when I took some paracetamol as a headache was developing. Felt quite weak when I eventually got up but not overheated. Just rested then until lunchtime when I was hungry.

In the afternoon I decided to go for a short walk, was still feeling a bit spaced out. It was bright but there was a chilly wind. Spent most of the rest of the day just reading, doing nothing doesn't come easily to me but although I was okay I didn't feel like doing anything strenuous. Finished my book, The Foundling by Stacey Halls. I've read it quite quickly, I enjoyed it although not quite as much as her previous one, The Familiars. Was gradually feeling better towards evening but still gave the wine a miss.

Hoping to be back to normal on Monday so I can do some gardening although the forecast isn't looking too promising.

[Caw1]

Oh dear Roobarb sorry to hear you were feeling the after affects from your second jab... I had heard that it could be the case... then having to go outside at that time in the night to deal with some greenery goes beyond the call of kindness to neighbours!
A rest during the day should hopefully do the trick and after a good nights sleep I’ll keep fingers crossed for tomorrow...
I’ve read The Foundling too and I preferred her first book... new one out now called Mrs England not read it yet...

Well having not posted for must be over a week now I thought it was time to rejoin the diary thread... I’ve not caught up much with what’s been going on with everyone so I hope everyone is doing ok... apart from all this appalling weather... we’ve had the heating on from time to time and even had an open fire last night 😱😳.. nearly at the end of May for heavens sake...
I’ve been busy with my new cousins trying to find some links and lots of chat back and forth... been very exciting and lovely to finally find a branch of my Dads side of the family...
This past week I’ve been down at my daughters in London... first time in her house since Feb last year.... so excited to visit them and my grandsons were beside themselves.... never had so many involuntary hugs from them before... the main reason for the visit was to make the boys new bedroom curtains... a task in itself as the fabric was a handmade design of the stripes and actually circles of a zebra ....
I got on very well on the Thursday with them breaking the back ofthe work... lots of hand sewing hems at tops... Friday morning I woke up with the mother of migraines which I’ve not suffered from for a number of years... thankfully I have some miracle prescription pills that work fairly quickly... so by mid morning I felt a lot better although they do always leave me feeling tired and a little fragile for a few days. We finally finished them after the boys had gone to bed so they went up on Saturday morning... they were suitably impressed, my daughter was delighted and I was relieved they were ok! I returned home on Saturday afternoon and have felt quite tired today and just taken it easy... so that’s why I’ve been off the radar for awhile...
OH enjoyed his peace and quiet for the three days I was away but did admit he’d missed me! Aww how nice!
Today has been a mixed day, chilly, sunny and wet... I can’t believe how the garden has grown over the past week and so much needs chopping, weeding and tying up! All the blossom from the crab apple has virtually gone... the peonies just about to flower... hope they don’t get battered by all the wind and rain over the next few days... my alliums are out now but in a sheltered position so hope they’ll be ok. The strawberry plants have got so many flowers on that it could be a bumper crop if we can keep the slugs from getting to them first!
Our friend M who is having chemo has coped with it well and is hoping to go home for a short indefinite period at the end of this coming week which is good news... then back in for another dose of chemo before stem cell treatment,,,,
My friend C with the knee problem from the fall in her garage has been for an X-ray so hope they can sort her out as she’s in a great deal of pain... added to which her 94 yr old mother has just had a second cateract op and C’s been staying with her... her mums freezer packed up so she’s had to remove all items and get a new one ordered...some people don’t have much luck...
Not really much else to report...

Caroline

[DianaCanada]

I have just posted to Saturday‘a thread...oh well.
Sorry to hear both of you, Roobarb and Caroline, have not been feeling well.  How inconvenient to have to get up in the night to fix something. Caroline, I had noticed your absence, and wondered if you were okay.  Other than the migraine, sounds like you had a good trip to London.  Wonder if you drove or took the train, are there any restrictions on the latter?
Mentioned in my Saturday post I did a little family history today, found my father’s second cousin died in WWI in the torpedoing of the Royal Edward ship in the Aegean. There was a huge loss of life. He was only 22, married with two babies.  Very sad.  KG I believe you helped me with this branch, his grandfather died fighting a school fire on the Isle of Man around 1870.
Must go, nightly yogurt awaits, and dog is waiting to lick out the container- he is giving me impatient looks.

[Ruskie]

Oh Roobarb, I’m sorry to hear you’ve been so unwell. It still surprises me that the effects from the vaccination can differ so much between people, but I suppose it’s the same with all vaccinations - it’s probably just that this one is being delivered quickly en masse and people are talking about it more.

I’m afraid I would’ve left the trimming till the morning too and just hope the neighbours had heavy curtains. Presumably this is on the side of our nice neighbours? 

I noticed your absence Caroline, and thought it must have been due to your skills being required for curtain making. I don’t suppose you took any photos of the curtains in situ that you would be willing to share? Do you think that sewing the black and white fabric might have been the cause of your migraine? Like Diana, I wondered if you drove or trained it down to London?

Dogs can get very antsy when waiting for their treats - yoghurt pot “lick outs” are a favourite in this house too.

I managed to do a few things on Sunday - ventured out to IKEA - not my favourite place due to the huge crowds but there are always some interesting ideas on display. We just bought a couple of useless items.

Decided to grab an early lunch at an American style burger place. I don’t think I’ve had a burger out for about three years. It was quite enjoyable.

Watched “Cheat” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9131136/ which I thought was pretty good. Took dog for a longer walk than usual. Luckily there were no embarrassing incidents.

I received a message from a DNA match distant cousin. Actually it is odd - she is a match with my father but not me. That seems to happen every now and then.

It’s very rare that someone contacts me, so it is quite exciting especially since she matches on my father’s paternal side, and we know very little about that branch of the family.

Her great grandmother’s maiden name is the same as my surname, and our families came from the same part of the world.

The problem with finding out our connection is my lack of knowledge. The farthest back I can go is my great grandfather and all I know about him is his name, year of death, and occupation. She is a 3rd to 5th cousin match with my father, so fairly distant, but I am hoping she may be able to help me expand this side of my family.

[Caw1]

Thanks for your concern Diana and Ruskie... yes I did take photos although not easy with the curtains shut! Had to put lights on as they’re blackout ones... I’ll add a picture here for you.... I drove down.. wouldn’t dream of using public transport plus I took my sewing machines and all associated clobber!
Think the migraine was probably mixture of stress, not drinking enough fluids and rushing around...

Ruskie do hope you’re able to glean some information about your fathers side of the family from this DNA response you’ve had, it’s always exciting when there is hope of learning more... will keep my fingers crossed for you.
We have a trip to IKEA coming up as need more shelving for my work room... covid restrictions got in the way last year so we never went!

Diana - hope you are feeling better with your back/hip problems now, perhaps you’ve managed to get some physio?

Here are the curtains
I can’t seem to get the pic the right way round.... sorry... perhaps Gadget will come to my rescue again!
Caroline

[KGarrad]

Mentioned in my Saturday post I did a little family history today, found my father’s second cousin died in WWI in the torpedoing of the Royal Edward ship in the Aegean. There was a huge loss of life. He was only 22, married with two babies.  Very sad.  KG I believe you helped me with this branch, his grandfather died fighting a school fire on the Isle of Man around 1870.

Ah, yes! Dixon Brierley. Died February 1868.
I still have all the documentation I found, on my PC.

[Mowsehowse]

Hi Caroline, good to see you back. Well done on the curtains and very sorry about the migraine... awful affliction. 
Somewhere I worked had another staff member who lived close to me.  A few times she was felled by a migraine at work, and Personnel summoned me to drive her home, giving me the rest of the day off.  Better for me than for her!!
Hopefully you will be feeling better today Roobarb.  Like Ruskie, I am fascinated by the diversity of reactions recipients have noted.
So marvellous for Diana and others to have solid information about ancestors, rather than only bmd dates, though in Diana's case the stories are so sad.
Lashing rain and gale force winds here for the entire day, so just pottering around doing not much.
We haven't turned off the night storage heaters yet, and it was cold enough to put the living room heater on for a short while.  Sudoku skills improving, and started another Maggie O'Farrell I picked up from the library last week.
Around 8 p.m. the rain diminished enough to venture out for a brisk stroll. A small group of oyster catchers passed us calling to each other, and landed on the rocks nearby pecking around in the seaweed for food. 4 cruise ships at anchor though the sailing ship left during the morning.
Hoping for brighter days soon.
Ruskie: you "received a message from a DNA match distant cousin. Actually it is odd - she is a match with my father but not me. That seems to happen every now and then". 
Because every child receives DNA from both parents, each generation has about half DNA the parent had from each grandparent. Thus the quantities are diluted very quickly, and after a few generations the amount of shared DNA in cousins becomes negligible.  I think some of the companies don't register 1% or less as being a match.

[Ruskie]

Yes that’s correct MH, but the amount of DNA passed down can vary too. As an example, I’ve noticed a few people which my daughter matches, but I do not and she is obviously a generation below me. Looking to try to find an example and of course I can’t find one. I will try to remember to look later when I am on my PC. 

Caroline, the curtains look fabulous. I really like the pattern. It’s versatile and timeless, and the boys shouldn’t get tired of it like they would with some cartoon type character or other fad which would date in no time. Very nice.   

Traffic around London must be a nightmare Caroline. I can’t believe I was ever brave enough to tackle it.    Mind you, public transport is a nightmare too, and having the car gives you more flexibility of course.

PS. I spy a tiger’s bottom and a little blondie in that photo. 

[Roobarb]

Good to see you back Caroline.  How exciting for you to visit your daughter and family after all this time, the curtains look terrific, so unusual. Sorry to hear about your migraine, what a relief in all ways that you got over it quickly with the aid of your magic pills. It's amazing what the garden gets up to when we don't see it even for a few days, particularly at this time of year.

Good to have found some new family history information Diana, what a very sad story. Hope the heat there subsides a bit to a more comfortable level. I'm pleased to hear that your vaccination rollout is going well.

Ruskie, I'm afraid the early hours foray into the garden wasn't entirely unselfish, I wouldn't have been able to sleep with the light going on and off, it's quite bright. Yes,it's the nice neighbours side! One thing I did do yesterday was to chop off lots around it to avoid a repeat performance.
Good for you to have had a trip to IKEA, a change of scenery even though you didn't buy much.

What dreadful weather for you again MH, you seem to have had the brunt of the winds, we've only had it breezy here. Good that you managed a walk out eventually, very much hope your weather soon improves.

I'm feeling much better today thank you everyone, the sun is shining too after some rain last night.