Diary summary week ending 26th November

[louisa maud]

Jebber, you have hit the nail on the head, any fayres are exhausting,  preparation,  the day and the clearing  up, I have been bending over my spare bed ticketing up my goods for my £1  a ticket stall,  resulting in backache, everyone gets a prize, lots of goods worth well over the £1, I buy lots of things reduced but still worth the money, I have several really nice soft toys I bought, some still got labels on at £6.99   for the children's pound stall, we have no passing passengers on foot or by transport so we have to rely on advertising  and word of mouth.

LM

[Jebber]

Louisa, like you, we don't have passing traffic, so word of mouth and advertising are very important. We do however serve lunches, they  have proved extremely popular and now have quite a following. That brings the people in,  consequently they also spend at the stalls.

Again, hard work is involved, and we are very  grateful to the people concerned. It's my great regret that I can no longer  do my share, but  I do try to compensate in other ways.

[River Tyne Lass]

I hope your Church fayre is a resounding success on Saturday LM.
I also hope we hear from Viktoria soon and that the call was reassuring.
I'm just having tea now and will be off to nightshift soon.  No sign of bus strike ending. 
another bus service I can get to work was late last night.  One man at the stop was just on verge of ringing a taxi when it turned up.  I still got to work on time and was glad to get there; it was so cold.
I'll be glad when all the gas pipe work is finished in the street; it feels like it is going on indefinitely.  The rain seems to leach the dug soil and the road and pavements is covered with a soily type residue.

[louisa maud]

Thank you all for your kind words for Saturday, beginning to think I am to old for this lark but hey ho hopefully it makes the church some money,  we are short of younger helpers.

Yes Viktoria, where art thou?, hope all is well.

It is quite icy  cold here this evening.

Wasn't aware we still  had bus strikes, we don't seem to here but I haven't used a bus lately but what a nuisance, no one wants to hang about in the cold

Keep warm everyone.
LM


. .

[River Tyne Lass]

Yes, there is a bus strike here.  It is very inconvenient.  Boss at work has had to revise some of our shifts so people can still get to and from work safely in reasonable time.  So for the duration I have no 10 pm finishes.  That is kind of them.
Strikers have been offered an increase but it has been rejected.  As a consequence other services are fuller and so sometimes slower in turning up.  So sometimes now you have to get a bus to somewhere where you don't really want to go and then get another less busy bus to your destination.
The other day I went to see SiL who lives in a village.  I waited over 1 hour and 20 minutes over scheduled time.  I was frozen to the bone but kept hoping it would come any minute. When bus driver came he said that bus had been taken off.  Really I wish they would revise that time table to meet what they can realistically supply.  The timetable that's up currently is over ambitious and like a work of fiction at times it feels like.
Poor sister in law, who is waiting for hip op can't manage long waits anymore  and quite a few times has had to ring for a taxi after 'no shows'.  She said to me the other day "It's not cheap being disabled".

[Viktoria]

Thanks everyone for kind wishes.
It is a sort of natural thing after a heart attack, I have done very well really...Yesterday ,two ECGs ,loads of blood tests ,and the Dr is feeling my lowered Thyroxin dose is too low,so try without Beta Blocker and raise Thyroxin.and we will see
We were seven hours in A&E, but so busy .
You do see life!

A woman ,accompanied by two Police Officers,needed the loo,went in alone but did not come out!Door locked inside.
Security were called and door opened, WOW—— what a mess.,!
Two cleaning ladies spent an hour cleaning and sanitising ,the woman was escorted away but came back later ,with a paper cup.
I thought she was getting water from a dispenser ,but no! It was sanitiser and she was drinking it! Well it is alcohol based.
Them two gigantic Police officers came in one in front one behind an equally large man in handcuffs, oooer!

Then a young man in a wheelchair was pushed in by a middle aged lady, AND, ten more women ,I do nor exaggerate !
They took umbrage when it was explained there was not enough room and only two people could stay with the casualty.
Lots of shouting and umbrage taken in buckets full, but only two were allowed to stay.

Two very elderly frail people came in with a member of staff from the care home where they lived.
The husband had a walking frame, the wife was in a wheelchair ,she needed the loo quite a number of times during our very long wait( seven hours) .
The husband would then get into the wheelchair ,it was like musical chairs but although very sad also hilarious when eventually their turn came they had forgotten who was the patient and who the one accompanying ,but of course the member of staff from the home said it was the lady , who refused to be
separated from her husband ,it really was sad but also funny ,I could see The Two Ronnies!
My son waited all the time and I was so glad ,there is no proper well lit parking at Fairfield Hospital now, building work in progress, all temporary paths etc I know I would have fallen as it was so very dark.He had to keep moving the car and paying again ,he couldn’t re feed the meter where he was ..
But not bad news really ,only what is to be expected and it does seem the problems can be lessened.

Hope all are well, and the Christmas Fund raising events proved profitable.
Our Band Concert next week,on my husband’s Birthday -would have been 92.

Well kitchen to tidy ,and I got mixed up re daughter’s Birthday, phoned this morning, but it  is tomorrow.
Viktoria, (I think!) .

[louisa maud]

Good to hear from you Viktoria, what a day you have had seeing all sorts as it were, makes us realise what hospital staff have to put up with.

I got in a muddle with a friends birthday and forgot it,   2 weeks before I gave her a little gift, not for her birthday but as I don't see her very often I had kept this gift,  her WhatsApp's were very infrequent, then I was my birthday and I received a card  not much written in it, I sent her a message thanking her 2nd November,  not heard from her since  I think I have upset her about not sending  a card, so I am going  to have to remember birthday cards in future, I don't want to upset my friends.

LM

[Viktoria]

Yes, my long term friend in Wales seems to have taken umbrage, I forgot her B/day but it was she who said don’t let’s bother anymore.
I did not really agree,it was her and her husband and children who were at Manchester Airport, to see us off to Belgium,have never forgotten that .
So I still sent cards up to this year ,when I did forget, since when she is very cool!
She usually sends a Christmas greeting via my iPad, I still send cards.

I can’t be bothered being petty so will still do what I want to do.
We have been friends for 66 years.

I do miss the Fayres etc at Church but so few helpers now, it is the lifting  of iheavy tables and boxes of white elephant stuff — no young men nowadays.

Well time is creeping on so to bed .Goodnight everyone.
Viktoria.

[candleflame]

Morning all
Re Christmas cards, I’m still sending them, but they’re definitely getting fewer and fewer as folk either don’t reciprocate or they say they’re not sending cards anymore. We used to worry that if we didn’t get one back, that something had happened, especially those who would be in their 80’s or 90’s, but it’s the younger generation who aren’t sending them anymore.
We still do presents for close family but price limit is £10. Children get presents of whatever we choose. I think it’s lovely to give a small gift - doesn’t have to be expensive or tricky to buy and then everyone has something to open at Christmas, however small.I know money is tight but I’m always concerned about folk who live on their own and who families have decided not to give any adult presents. Surely even a bar of chocolate or a packet of favourite biscuits from eg Aldi shows they’ve been thought about? #feeling old.