Chatback #14

[sparrow100]

Morning all! Fat pony day again, looking forward to retrieving my coffee thermos I left there 2 weeks ago...Thanks for the good wishes, I think yesterday went well though driving back on that little sleep was nightmarish.

You've had a real go through the wringer Cad- hope Mrs C has a bell upstairs to summon you. Though I'd never give one to my OH cos he'd never put it down! Very glad she's home.

Thinking of those of you with parents who are stuck in hospitals. Social care just seems broken.

Hopefully today the sun will be out - someone's plonked a load of unwanted cloud over south London.

[Snoop Puss]

Bright, bright, bright here already. But another serious frost. I'm going to have to harden off some plants that are ready to go out. Have the most beautiful broccoli seedlings I've ever grown - probably because they've been sleeping indoors with the tomatoes! Anyway, they'll be sleeping out the night and going out in the ground this weekend. I just love broccoli... Probably my most favouritest green veg.

Paid drudgery today, but never mind. I've got my gardening notebook beside me, a promise of fun to come.

Have a good day everyone.

Edited to add: glad the interview went OK, Sparrow.

[lottie dolly]

Morning all,dry here again,pleased the MRS is home Cad,so sorry to hear about what others are going though,here is a basket of huggs,prayer,tea,coffee and cake,help yourselfes,it has no bottom.

[1Bee]

I work in the NHS (non-clinical). You have no idea how lovely it us to have a conversation with people who understand the issues and have sensible views.... ;-) High five to you, Bigmal. Good bed management is essential and sometimes feels like the holy grail.

CG I'm so sorry. I really wish you could have a chat with a someone I know who had terrible trouble finding a good place for her husband with dementia. Eventually they found the 'right' fit and it transformed everyone's experience. Big hugs to you.

Cad, I know you don't feel like it right now, but please write down what happened and present it as feedback to the hospital. Quite apart from inadequate care for your wife it sounds like inadequate care for the lady with an obvious mental health need, too. Fail all round. TOP TIP please get in touch with the local Carer's Association (google it...) as they will be able to help you with many things. They may also be able to hook you up with a Carer's Emergency Card which means if (god forbid!) you became ill or had an accident while Mrs C needs your care, she would be looked after in the short term while things got sorted.

I have had a massive grumpy attack the last couple of days, so I've booked myself tomorrow morning off to go and have a session on the plot. Planning to get the rest of the tatties in, and fleece the ones already planted, as it's going to get cold in weeks to come...

Have a good one, grapes.

[Containergardener]

Evening
Been a proper April showers afternoon, the wind brrrrrrr. I have been in the GH until relatives of OH arrived to spoil my fun .
Thanks bee..I know where I want him but waiting list as always , mums just had another bad day in there today, he has the start of a pressure sore though hasn't become one yet, only appeared when he went there. He was wet , no socks, he was not a happy bunny at all, again she mentioned podiatry for his toenails..they said oh someone comes in every few months or you can pay privately for someone to do them. He is diabetic . Manager wasn't in for me to phone as had done a nightshift on duty.
Thank gawd for the garden !

[JanieB]

I don't know what to say. Cad I'm glad your oh's home, she will get much better care from you. Snoops (((hugs))).

My background is medical. My dad was one of the first 2 doctors employed by the NHS. My mum, her 2 sisters and my grandmother were all nurses. I had a place in London to study medicine but messed it up.

Things are so different now. The staff in hospitals are so caring but also so busy. When I took a friend into hospital a couple of years ago he was very disruptive. It wasn't because he had a mental condition but because he had cancer which had got to the stage where he had been unable to eat for so long he didn't know what he was doing. The staff couldn't keep him still enough to sedate him. I'm only saying this as the Russian lady may have been in a similar condition. My friend died 2 days later.

Subject more cheerful. I went out and bought strawberry plants as the ones I'd planted hadn't germinated. The tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, squashes had. Not all of them granted but enough. Today I looked, I'm going to have a lot of strawberries.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Have a good day

[Cadalot]

Morning All, A district nurse came after I explained that it took me 20 minutes to get Mrs C upstairs and that no I can't get her to the local medical centre and that we were not provided with dressings by the hospital for a week, and that her legs are covered in a number of blister some 2 & 3 Inches in dia and that I'm worried about possible ulcers forming. I informed them that one split during the night and despite having towels under her legs it made the mattress wet.

1 Bee I will send in an account via PALS as you say if they don't receive feedback how can improvement be made. I think the nurses and doctors there are great but they are working in a system that is not supporting or helping them the do their job effectively. As an ex council officer I know what is like being in that position and complaints affect Key Performance Indicators and that's all that the upper management that are not at the sharp end understand.

Today I have to try and catch up with work, arrange for an electrician to visit to give me a price for a new socket at the top of the stairs for the stair lift and then get on with decorating the hall and stairs, get them re-carpeted before the stair lift can be fitted.

[Nicos]

Mornin Flon'all

Go on....hands up...who has got the sun today?

Domestics again for me today.
Huuuge job of clearing the junk room which has a bed hidden somewhere in there

Guests over for a pre Easter Sunday nosh up this evening...they have provided the leg of lamb! Generous or what?

[Nannysally99]

Morning everyone, sun is out - for the moment.
Cad, I do hope things settle down for you both
My transplanted leggy seedlings have all survived. I have one of those grow houses. When can they go in there?
I wouldn't mind, as this is not the first time I've grown from seed is it. Memory problems are a pain in the butt........

[Containergardener]

Morning ...

No sun here .
Still awaiting a delivery from yesterday , work today and hoping to sneak off to GC some point.
Nanny what are they?

[Nannysally99]

They are tomatoes, kale and sprouts CG

[Containergardener]

I'm no expert so someone may correct me...I've only done kale and sprouts once , I think I put mine in GH last yr when we still had cold weather in May and I'm a lot colder here than you (Scottish border).
Toms , well as long as it isn't going to be really cold I'd say. Are you potting them on?

[JanieB]

Morning all. Nicos, it's brightish but not particularly sunny.

I've just received the citrus trees I ordered about a month ago. When they were delivered I assumed from the size of the very small box that it was one very small tree and that the other 2 trees would be forthcoming. Having opened the box there are 3 tiny trees. Very sweet. Never mind, they will grow. They just won't look the part for a year or two. Now to find some suitable pots, compost and citrus feed.

[sparrow100]

Morning all - We had sun here early on but now it seems to have vanished. I had a couple of hours early digging while Small Child and her daddy were snoring away.

Bike rides and egg-painting are on the cards today. I have 18 blown eggs waiting ready, though we also need to figure out a means of hanging them when they are done.

Hope you all have good days - nearly the long weekend!!