It’s been a lovely week weather-wise but as for the rest of the world, it seems things are getting crazier by the minute…
Life feels a bit surreal at the moment… there’s every day life which includes enjoying the sunshine, going on nice walks and generally feeling lucky to be alive and then there’s the stuff going on out there in the real world – children starving in Gaza, Israel’s seemingly disproportionate bombing and latest fight with Iran, the plight of Ukraine and the Russian invasion… then the US joining in with the war against Iran and a President that really makes me nervous… there seems to be an never-ending load of bad stuff happening (I forgot to mention the terrible Air India plane crash last week – I don’t watch much news but don’t seem to have heard all that much about the 50 or so British citizens who lost their lives… sadly, I wonder if that might have been different had they all been white British?) – it’s easy to forget all this crap is going on and how much suffering there is out there… The sad thing is, I know that if I were to think about what’s happening out there, in the big wide world too much, it would be too depressing… how awful it must be to be actually living through this stuff, with no way to avoid it or stop thinking about it… I really feel for those whatever their ethnicity or religion ❤️
Sorry – that was a bit of a heavy start to my blog but waking to the news that Trump appears so happy to have bombed the nuclear sites in Iran is not the best way to start a Sunday… I am not openly religious but am praying that all these leaders come to their senses soon and reach some sort of mutual agreement…
Anyway, what sort of week has it been for me? A bit mixed if I’m honest… I’ve done a few nice walks, done a bit of baking, crocheting and enjoyed a bit of time in the garden…
Last Sunday (15 June), after a nice walk “around the block” with Pete, I spent the afternoon finishing off making some Millionaire Shortbread for Mum.
I last made this shortbread when Dad was still with us… I’d made it in a square tin that time so it was pretty thick and a challenge to get your chops around (see pics on left!). That time, I took the ‘slab’ to Mum and Dad’s mid-afternoon so we could have a piece with a cuppa and then left the rest in their fridge for them to enjoy on the days to come… When I went back round to theirs about 6ish that evening (something I used to do everyday so I could cook their evening meal…), Mum was looking decidedly green 🤢… it didn’t take long to realise that, without Dad knowing, she’d polished off all of the Millionaire Shortbread during the afternoon (in around 2.5 hours!).. No wonder she looked a bit sick 🤣 We surmised that she must have kept forgetting that she’d already had some and, seeing it sitting in the fridge, thought she’d have a bit before someone else finished it… she must have done this 8-9 times though! Ho Hum – what I learnt that day was to not leave anything like this in full view of her again! 🤣🤣🤣
My new, improved version was made in a smaller tin this time so was more of the usual thickness you might see on display in cafes… I went to see Mum on Monday (16th June) and she loved it, managing to scoff down two pieces during my time with her! The good thing about using a bigger tin, there was also plenty for Pete & I to have too and left-overs which have gone in the freezer for another day – yum!
I have been to the Chiropractor twice this week and, on Wednesday (18th June) told him confidently that I could feel the treatment was starting to work… I shouldn’t have tempted fate in this way as ever since, my neck pain seems to be worse than ever… it could of course be that I over exerted myself again at the allotment on Thursday but I was only picking strawberries for God’s sake… Pete says I gotta keep up with the treatment but am feeling a bit fed up that it now doesn’t seem to be working… but it’s early days I guess?
I had a call with my niece Emily earlier in the week which was nice as I don’t often get to speak with Chris’ family. I had actually missed a message from her on Monday night where she’d called to informme that my brother Chris was in hospital due to having a low white blood count… of course, by the time I woke her up on Tuesday morning (it was 10.30am! Teenagers! 🤣), my brother was back home as the hospital had been packed… It was good to speak to my niece and catch up on her version of what is happening with her, my nephew and their family although, thinking about it now, I am not sure what the outcome of my brother’s trip to the hospital was, even though, after I messaged him on Wednesday, he did manage to WhatsApp me a reply saying he was ‘alright’… I must give him a call sometime as, like all my brothers, none of them ever call me! God, I am in a moaning mood today!
On Thursday, after the allotment, I went for a nice walk followed by lunch & a snooze in the garden. Pete got an email from the estate agent with his fortnightly report on our house not selling… he confirmed that many people were still looking at the online house advert (which we obviously know as we can see that on the dashboard ourselves…) but was at a bit of a loss to why these were not turning into viewings (which is his job to know – grrr…). His only suggestion was that we should consider dropping the price due to the market slowing down… Pete messaged back to say we didn’t want to do that as we are in no real rush to sell – although it would be good to get the ball rolling! Anyway, about 30 mins later, the Estate Agent messaged again to say that he understood our instructions and, as if by magic, someone had requested a viewing! A nice couple came for a look round on Friday afternoon and seemed to like the place (although I wasn’t convinced, Pete felt more positive about it)… when we later checked the feedback online, it says they ‘liked it’ (note: the best you can put is that you ‘loved it’ so maybe not a good sign of an imminent offer ☹️…) and that the garden was ‘beautiful’… which it is! Ah well, the wait goes on…
Yesterday (21st June) marked my third anniversary of being alcohol free – that’s 1096 days! If I am honest, and I think I’ve said this before, it doesn’t feel like three years whereas, during lockdown, when I did the 1-year, no beer challenge, 12 months felt like forever! It’s funny what you get used to!
Yesterday also saw us journey over to Liverpool to meet up with our Louise’s maternal side of the family following the death of Pete’s former brother in law… the man I know as ‘Uncle Billy’.
On the way, we got delayed on the M6 due to an accident and noticed lots of people standing on the bridges as if looking at something or waiting for something to come along… it took us a while to realise that people were waiting for the Dave Day 2 bike procession in memory of Hairy Biker Dave Myers… there were thousands of bikes which went past us in the opposite direction (heading from London to Barrow in Cumbria). We watched them go past over a 6 mile stretch once our side of the motorway started moving, without stopping so there must have been thousands of them! Looking at Dave Day 2 online today, they raise money for the NSPCC Childline and Cancer Research which can only be a good thing! More info here:
Before heading for Rainhill in Liverpool, we went to see our friend Ruth. Although she is, of course, still seriously ill, she looked so much better than the last time we visited a few months ago and it was nice to have a catch up with Pete’s God-daughter, Kim who has been doing a fantastic job looking out for Ruth and keeping her spirits up! Thank you Kim!
Our delay on the M6 meant we were a bit late getting to Rainhill but we made it by mid-afternoon. Uncle Billy had not been well for a while after having had a stroke a few years back which left him physically weakened and suffering from confusion / frustration. A month or so ago, he fell into the road and was unfortunately hit by a van which saw him hospitalised. Speaking to “Aunty Sandra”, Billy’s wife, yesterday, it seems that he had another stroke before he died. Sandra and Billy, like my Mum and Dad, had decided they didn’t want a funeral, opting for one of these pre-paid cremation plans. So yesterday was like the wake – in the local (The Holt in Rainhill) where Pete used to drink with his brother’s in law Billy and Geoff, when he came home from leave from the Army. It was a lovely do in the pub and it was good to see grandson Aedan for a little while before he nipped off to town to meet up with his mates, Louise and Lee as well as seeing those from Billy’s family who I don’t know well but have always made me feel welcome. We also got to enjoy cousin Gina’s singing (she’s very good) and have a bit of a dance before heading home. RIP Uncle Billy – you were a nice man with a wonderful family and were obviously much loved by all who knew you…
Today (22nd June) is Mum’s 83rd birthday and I will be going over to see her soon with her presents… there’s not really much she needs these days and certainly will not remember her big day, whether she gets presents or not. I will be lucky if she even remembers my visit… but I will know we did all these things together and that’s the point!
I don’t know why but I have been having one of those weeks where Mum (& Dad too) has been on my mind a lot and I worry about whether I am a good daughter or not, if I should visit her more often etc etc… Often when I visit, the first thing she will say is “Where have you been?” When I tell her I have to get going at the end of the visit, she still often says “Will you be long?” or “You’re not leaving me here are you?” and, although I know she will be absolutely fine and will forget she has even seen me a minute after I am out of her view (I know this as, during my visits, if I pop to the loo or up to her room to get her something, when I come back to her, she greets me as if she hasn’t seen me for weeks! 😆) it makes me feel sad…
If I am honest, although I enjoy visiting her, I do find it challenging as there is not much we can do together – especially now that she cannot get into the car. I am not good at just sitting without doing anything… even at home, when I watch telly I am usually doing something else at the same time… and therefore, I often find my visits a bit of a struggle – it’s one of the reasons I only go once a week. I definitely need to be better at just sitting with her and listening to her ramblings which are often just random words, perhaps the start or end of a sentence which make little sense rather than the whole sentence… I try and decipher what it is she is trying to say but am often flummoxed as, when I ask if this or that is right, she obviously can’t remember what it is she was trying to say.
Anyway, I am sure she will enjoy opening her presents in the moment she does it and I will make the most of that today. Who knows how many more we will get to enjoy together…
The weather has been very nice this week… I should be feeling on top of the world but am not… can you tell? The whole world seems crazier than ever and I am feeling what I best describe as “a bit flat”. Ho-hum… I will get over it and just need to pick myself up and keep trudging on! Onward and upward as they say…
Before I go… another Birthday wish to our friend Jane Fleet for last Tuesday – I am sure you had a great celebratory week Jane! Can’t wait until the big party next year! 😁
All the gubbins… 
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