General Chat

Hi Jean nice to see your back just had amazing bouquet of flowers from my cousin in Cornwall ,was,nt expecting them at all its huge i have yet to meet her yet the last time i saw here i was only 5yrs old she is now 85 and not in good health,i cant get over getting these loverly flower already had one from my school friend in cornwall
hope your all well and i wish you agood weekend
Dutchxx

Jans mum has brought us huge bouquet of red and yellow roses for our wedding anniversary which is on monday ,realy chuffed with the flowers so far have took photos of them
Dutchxx

Hello ladies.
My goodness Dutch your house must be looking and smelling like a florist shop. You lucky girl you,to be surrounded by such beauty,and scent.
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A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DUTCH,AND TO LIZ, FOR TOMMORROW.
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Hello Jeanie my lovelie. I am so sorry you were not feeling to good during your holiday.
Panic attacks are horrendous, and then to get a bout of the back door trots,
and to top it all to hurt your back as well. What the ecky thump are we going to do with you.
I am sure you will feel a lot more comfortable,now that you are home. We all seem to feel a lot worse when we are away,at least in the comfort of your own home, you can just strip of and lie in bed till you feel better.
But if we are away,we feel guilty because our OH's are not enjoying themselves.
Get some rest my love,and come back fighting.

Marie I don't know what is happening with this site. Both Sallie and I have had problems with our posts going missing,before we have had a chance to send them. It seems that genes are having quite a few hick ups just lately.
It's good to hear that your bruising is now fading,and that you are getting back to your old self.
It sounds like you are not having very good weather at the moment,with the frosts etc.
We have been extremely lucky here in the south east,not to much rain,and lots of lovely sun.

Sallie you keep up that good progress, don't let it beat you. You have come so far.If panic tries to creep into your subconcious,knock it to the back of your mind and ignore it. I know it is not easy, but you CAN do it,
as you have proved to yourself.
I hope Jennie continues in a good way, now that she is no longer having the injections. They must think she is able to cope, or they would surely have given her something else to take instead. Fingers and toes crossed for her.

Hi Ann, Huia, Liz I hope you are all well.
Love and best wishes, Mo xxx

Hi Mo

and everyone


The little family has borrowed our car and gone out for the afternoon ............ J has a physio appointemnt (her wrist is hurting), and then they will take rime to visit one of the lovely Japanese-style gardens we have on the unveristy campus.

Re posts disappearing as you are typing them ........... I've had that happen, both on here and elsewhere.


I think, only think, that what happens in my case is that the side of the finger tip catches the CTRL key ... and that whooshes it

The CTRL key on my keyboard is just underneath the SHIFT key at the left of the keyboard, and it is fairly easy either for part of my fingertip to catch CTRL or for my little finger to catch CTRL. I'm a 2 or 3 finger typist, so the little finger waggles around!


s
xxx

Hello Girls,

Late coming on here today, I was so tired this afternoon, that I had a nice nap. Alun and I went to Derby on the bus this morning, we got there before most of the shops had opened. So the first place we went, was to one of the indoor market's there----they have some lovely butcher shops there, so got a joint of pork for tomorrow. So by the time we did that, it was time to have a cuppa---so off we went to our favourite place, for one.
Spent another couple of hours getting the things we went for, and then got the bus back to Ilkeston. So then Alun decided that we would get the few bits that we needed before getting the bus down. So as you can imagine, I'm well and truly 'cream crackered '.

Jean, I'm really sorry that you didn't feel well enough to enjoy your holiday.
You have my sympathy, having those panic attacks. As you know I feel as though they have blighted my life for eighteen months, along with agoraphobia----although the counsellor told me, that it's part of one and the same thing.
So Jean I really feel for you, and hope that maybe you might be able to see someone, if you can't overcome it on your own. I'll be thinking about you and I'm always here if you need to talk.
Maybe later on, towards the end of the summer, you might feel better to cope with another holiday, just take things, a bit at a time.
Hope all is well with J and D, and that they are both feeling okay.
Sending my love to all three of you.

Marie, pleased to know that you've had your stitches out and that the green bruising is slowly disappearing. I hope all your family are okay. How is your new grandchild coming along? I hope that his mum is fine now.
As Mo has said, I've been having some trouble with the messages that I have written. Sometimes, just as I've been about to finish writing a message to you all, it's been whooshed, for no reason that I can tell. It's so maddening after spending time writing it all, then for it to disappear before I can send it.

Dutch, what a lovely surprise to get two beautiful bouquets for your birthday, tomorrow. I hope it will all go well for you, and that you'll have a wonderful day.

Mo, I'm glad that I'm not the only one, losing my messages. Alun told me that I must have done something, because it wouldn't have just gone. But I know I didn't do anthing on the computer, to lose them, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. lolol!
Have you heard anymore from your daughter and family since they arrived at their hotel? I hope they found that it was all okay, and that the hotel is good.
Tomorrow, I must do some ironing before I start on any cards, because once I start on those, I forget about all the houshold jobs that need doing.
As Jean as said, I've become hooked on card making. I must say though, that I think making them , has helped me cope and get over the last six to seven months.

Liz, I've received your pm, thank you. Have you got anything planned for tomorrow? It would be lovely if you could go somewhere nice for a day out.
I hope OH, wil suggest taking you somewhere, if it's only just out for lunch.

Ann, hope you are having a great weekend with the family.

Huia, hope all is well with you, and that you are enjoying the work at the Hospice Shop. Take care!

Sylvia, just in case you look in, I hope you are all having a great family get together. Sending MJ lots of hugs and kisses. xxxxxx

Debbie, hope the boys have returned home safely, and that they both had a great time with their friends. Hope that both Luke and Sophie are okay.
It won't be long before you go away now, will it?

Take care everyone. I'll speak to you tomorrow.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxxx

Hello all,Sorry to hear you became ill Jean such a pity I hope you recover soon.
Sylvia,I hope you are all well and that you have a wonderful time with your Family and that the weather shows its good face for you.
Sallie you are doing so well keep up the good work.
Debbie what Island do you live on? I watched a programme last night on the Isle of White it looked very nice I hope your children are all well.
Liz Is it your Birthday to-day? if so Happy Happy birthday.
To Dutch also as I think it may be yours as well or perhaps it is your Anniversary? Congratulations or Happy Birthday.
Ann how is everything with you? still scrapbooking I see, I popped in on the thread and had a quick look. I am still knitting I have a Jumper to sew up for Emily.
Hello to Huia and also to my Pal Mo the page is jumping around and I can't see what I am writing so I will have to say goodbye.LOVE & HUGS
Mariexxxooo

Good afternoon everyone.
Sallie you are certainly getting about now. I have had two txt's from my grandson from Spain. Apparantly the hotel they are in is really lovely. But this is only the beggining of the holiday,and by the end of it it all could change.
I had a phone call from my brother this morning, things between him and his wife are not to good at the moment. So he has come to stay with us for a couple of weeks, so that they can both sort their heads out.
It's such a shame,as he has two young children,and they are finding it difficult to understand why mum and dad are arguing all the time.
As you can imagine it was panic stations here,as we have not quite finished decorating the spare bedroom out.
So it was a question of quickly clearing the room, putting the curtains up, and making the bed up. At least he has got somewhere to rest his head.

I hope Liz and Dutch are enjoying their birthdays.

Hi Marie, good to hear from you. Hope things are still going along o.k down under.
Are you still doing your aquaerobics. And are you still losing the weight.

I hope our Jean is o.k today (((((((((((HUGS FOR JEAN)))))))))))
Love and best wishes to you all. Mo xxx

Oh my lord girls, since I spoke to you earlier, we have had a crisis.
My 17 year old cat vanished at dinner time,and we found her at tea time, huddled under the BBQ, howling out loud.
I phoned the PDSA, and we rushed her straight up there.
The vet had her in straight away.
Then she told us that Misty had had a shock, and had suffered a heart attack, but that she also had a cancerous lump in her stomach.
We couldn't understand why we had not felt it,but she said it was high in the abdomen,and we would not have felt a thing.
She did say that with meds, they could get her over the attack, but with the cancer it was a different story. And they could not guarantee her not suffering another heart attack.
So we opted for her to be put to sleep. It would not have been fair to put her through it all.
So I am feeling very sad now. She has been a member of our family for 17 years now,and I will miss her.

Hello Girls,

Oh Mo, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, bless her. We become so attached to our pets, because they bcome part of the family, so it's only natural to cry and feel very sad when we lose them.
I hope your brother and his wife can sort out their differences, especially for the children's sake. I'm sure they must be upset about it all. At least your brother's got you that he can rely on, for somewhere to stay, until hopefully, he and his wife can can get things sorted between them both.
It's good to hear from your grandson, that the hotel the family are staying
in, is very nice. So lets hope it will continue that way for the rest of their holiday, and that the travel company will decide to keep them at that hotel.
Beside the fact, that another hotel might not be so nice, they don't want or shouldn't have the inconvenience of moving.


Marie, yes I feel as though I've come a long way since January. Although, there were times along the way, that I thought that I would never ever, get better again. As I think I've said before, making cards has certainly helped me to help myself. If you know what I mean? I must admit though, your hobby of knitting, is far less messy than card making.

I hope our Jean is feeling a bit better now that she's home. I just feel so much for her, going through panic attacks and every other feeling that this illness deals out. At times it's like living in another world, from everyone else. It's deffinitely not a nice world either.

Joyce, I hope you've had a lovely birthdayday with Jan and all his family. You still have tomorrow to look forward to.

Liz, I also hope you've enjoyed your birthday too. Did you go where you wanted to and have a meal somewhere that you like eating at?

I hope that everyone else is alright. Take care!

Speak to you all tomorrow.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Mo, I am so sorry to hear about your cat, what a shame and a shock for you that it happened so suddenly, you will miss her I know but it was the right thing to do as you would not have wanted her to suffer.

Sally that was a long shopping day yesterday, no wonder you were tired.
Marie, yes still scrap booking when I find the time, still enjoy it and also making cards.

Jean I am sorry you were poorly on holiday, such a shame for you both. Hope you are feeling better now.

Mo, I am confused (normal state really), I thought your grandson was going to Lanzarote, was that the holiday that the hotel was overbooked?
Anyway pleased to hear he is enjoying his holiday.

Sylvia, hope J gets her wrist sorted out OK and that they enjoyed their trip out.

Joyce,hope you have enjoyed your birthday with all your flowers and a happy anniversary for tomorrow.

Hi all


Mo ..... sorry to hear about your cat, but you did the best and kindest thing for her xxxxx


We've enjoyed having the family here this week, but will be glad of a bit of a respite while they go to stay with family friends on Vancovuer Island from tomorrow to Saturday. MJ is putting on the poundage, now weighs around 17lbs ....... but has been allowed to develop into one who rules the roost.

He cries,

they jump immediately (especially daddy)


grandma and granddad are keeping their lips zipped!!




We did have a lovely afternoon earlier today ....... we went to look at 2 places that J worked on when she worked as an architect for a year in Vancouver 2006/7. She had not seen either of them in any kind of finished state before.

One of the buildings was in the Athletes Village for the Winter Olympics last February ..... now being reno'd for sale. Looked at one of the show suites. Pretty nice, lovely view ................ but over-priced in my mind.

Then down to the gritty part of town to look at an old hotel that she planned a renovation on. It was opened last year as what we call Single Room Occupancy ............. ie, housing for people on social assistance who wouldn't be able to get into accomodation elsewhere because of drug/alcohol/mental problems. It was originally built ca 1900 as a very spiffy hotel ......... it looks very spiffy again! Would have loved to go inside it to see what it was now like. The plan for its occupants now includes practical and medical help to get and keep clean of addiction.

When J first saw it, the top floor had been inhabited by pigeons for many years .......... it cost something like $500,000 (ca £200,000) to clean the guano!

Then out to campus, and OH bought some more native plants to go into his "native garden", ie one half the front garden!

They leave for the friends on the Island tomorrow, so it will be back to normal for us ..... until Saturday when we pick them up from the ferry.





sylvia
xxx

Sorry for causing confusion Ann. My grandson is in Lanzarote, for the ten days they had booked. It was the fact that the hotel was over booked, and they had to be moved to a different one,and then the initial booking was only for 7 days and not 10. But it all got sorted in the end.
My grandaughter came back from Turkey, the weekend before my grandson went to Lanzarote on the Tuesday.
Confusing I know.

We are going back up to the PDSA ,tommorrow, as we were in such a state yesterday, that we forgot to leave a donation. We felt so guilty when we realised last night.
Thank you all for your support.

Oh my lord Sylvia, it's so hard for us grandparents to keep our lips zipped,
when we see the mistakes our children are making with our grandchildren. But we have to. They have to learn the hard way.
Enjoy your few days peace and quiet.

My goodness Sallie, as much as I love my brother, I could shake him at times. I am now wondering just how long he is going to be staying.
I really don't want to be seen as taking sides. He has not even told his eldest two children, that he is with us. My problem is, how do I explain things to my own family,if they pop in to see us.
I dont want my lot speaking to my brothers two eldest, when they are unaware of what is going on. Oh problems problems.

Bye for now girls, be back later, and hopefully we will have heard from Dutch and Liz, to see how their birthdays went.
Coooe Jean, ((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

What confused me Mo was that you said you had two texts from your grandson in Spain. Anyway hope they enjoyed their break, do you know what hotel they were in?

Once again Ann, I am sorry for the confusion.
The hotel they are in is. TIMANFAYA PALACE HOTEL,PLAYA BLANCA, LANZAROTE.
Cor what a mouthful that is.

Hi Ladies,

Sylvia, hope you and OH enjoy your little break until Saturday. As much as we love our children, there are times, when we think that perhaps they don't always do things the way they should be done. Alun can let it go over his head, but at times I find it difficult to keep my mouth zipped up. I know it's best not to say anything, just let them get on with it, and let them learn the hard way.
Lovely to hear that MJ is doing well, and gaining weight----he must be heavy to hold for too long now.

Mo, hope both you and Roly feel a bit better today. I'm sure the PDSA understood why you forgot to leave a donation, and I bet that you weren't first to do that, nor you won't be the last. You did the kindest think for your cat, at least you know that he isn't suffering now.
Families, there's always something to worry about. It seems as though, by your brother not telling his older children, he's put both you and Roly in an awkward position, which isn't very fair to the both of you.

Ann, I would have been okay on Saturday, if we had come home straight away from Derby, but it was that extra time up town, that did it. Glad to hear that you had a lovely weekend with your daughter and son-in-law, it's lovely to see them.
We have Jennie living 6 miles away, so that's great. but with Richard living down near Heathrow, we don't see him much. So I know what you mean, when you say it would be lovely to have your children living near.

I hope everyone else is alright today. I'll say bye for now, might pop on later.

Love and best wishes. Sallie. xxx

Sorry forgot to add, that I hope Joyce and Jan, are having a lovely day, for their 11th Wedding Anniversary, today. Joyce I hope you're feeling better today, than you were yesterday.

Love, Sallie.xx

I'm posting this in case any of you want to participate.


I emailed GR on Saturday re a survey that is apparently being conducted through GR's page on Facebook. I got an answer this morning. First, my pm to them, and then their answer



Subject : Feedback
I understand from other members that there is an online survey ....... on FACEBOOK. I refuse point blank to join Facebook, it is having serious privacy concerns here in Canada, and is under investigation by the Federal Privacy Commissioner. Please can you tell me why you are conducting an online survey through such a site. And also, how may I participate in that survey. I have been disenfranchised by you ...... and so have many other members. I am not the only GR member who is not a member of Facebook. Is this a deliberate way to again only get information from a select group of GR members? I did suggest in an earlier email to you that you should contact GR members through the email addresses that you have. This would ensure that only active members would contribute to the survey as they are the ones who will have maintained their home email addresses with you. On an open site such as Facebook, you are likely to get a weird collection of responses. I look forward to receiving a reply from you ..... and hopefully, a chance to participate in the survey.



Dear Sylvia

Thank you for your email.

Please find below a link to the survey that you refer to.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22AXVZ2AAJ7

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Nia
Genes Support Team



So it sounds as if there will not be a survey done through THIS site.

and we have to go to that exterior site if we wish to have a say in the future of GR ... or to make comments.


I did look at that link .... and it says it will take about 20 minutes to answer about 20 questions.





sylvia
xxx

Hi all

it certainly is hard being a grandparent ... especially when you have a son-i-l who is somewhere at the high achieving end of autism .............. he must be very high achieving, he's just about to get a PhD!.

But he has a lot of autism traits .................. obsession, completely focussed on "things of current interest" (MJ at the moment), and rather controlling. I've heard him many times telling J that he thinks it is time for MJ to be fed/put to bed etc. He is also ultra sensitve to anything that might even sound like criticism.

On the one hand it is lovely to see the father so heavily involved .............. but yes, they have already built a rod for their backs!


It is another lovely day today, and this weather is supposed to last right through to at elast Monday next week.

We had a total fire ban brought into effect for most of the province on Friday. The fire risk everywhere, even in city parks is Very High to Extreme. That means no open fires, no campfires on camp sites, and cooking in the open only on a camp stove.


We will soon be leaving to take them to the ferry.


sylvia
xxx

Sylvia, J must be very placid not to let her OH's controlling ways get through to her. Actually as he gets older it surely wont be good for MJ to be the centre of attention all the time. As you say, we Grandparents do have to bite our tongues at times if we are all to remain friends!!!

Mo, Playa Blanca is very nice, much further South on Lanzarote than Costa Teguise where we stay but we often drive down there. I think i have seen that hotel, quite a big one.

Sallie I am sure you are right about Mo not being the only one to forget a donation in the circumstances, I bet most don't go back either.

It is now almost 24 hours since anybody posted.

Yesterday I met a friend for an early lunch in Papakura. I had to phone her as she was late. She had forgotten! She does work so is a busy girl. After a nice lunch and chat I went up the road (drove) to the Super Clinic where a doctor with nice warm hands had a feel of me. Then I had the squish, uggh, then back to the waiting room, then they did an ultrasound on the suspect side. Afterwards the nice doc told me there was nothing wrong so I could stop worrying. I hadnt been worrying at all, as I had a feeling all along that it was nothing to worry about.

After my big day out I thought I would sleep without a sleeping pill last night, but no such luck. Got up at 2 a.m. and had half one and applied more ointment to my itchy legs. Finally got to sleep. I wish we could get to the bottom of these itchy spots and get rid of them. I am sure that is half the trouble with my sleeping.

I am going to have a short visit to Phil today, then do some shopping and come home. If I dont fall asleep while I am out! If I feel very sleepy while driving I will pull over somewhere and have a sleep. Must remember to put some cushions in the wagon.

Huia.