Today I've mostly bin...

[SparkOut]

Travelling overnight visiting down in Kent.

Dad's not great. They sent him home from hospital yesterday, to have ECG as outpatient next week. Today he is lucid at times but he's dropping off in mid-sentence and with food in his mouth. Paramedics coming out, might take him for his ECG now instead of next week. I think probably best if they just left him with an oxygen cylinder for the moment. Dunno.

He's had massive pulmonary embolism in the past, with additional saddle embolism, so only has about 30% lung efficiency. He has got some heart failure, not Covid.


And paramedics have just left, he's a lot brighter. Better news, all tests are done and results pretty good considering.

[Bunnylump]

Oh gosh, I hope he's OK SparkOut. It's all such a worry for the "olds" at the moment, isn' t it? I do hope his improvement continues.

My Dad recently had a stroke after having to come off his Warfarin in order to have the ear operation. The completely annoying thing was that he is exceptionally on the ball about these things (he's the only person I know who not only reads ALL the leaflets with every medication he's ever prescribed, but also has a book where he can look up to see if there are any contraindications for taking different drugs together!) and had SPECIFICALLY asked the consultant if coming off the Warfarin temporarily would be a potential stroke risk. He was told it would be fine...

[LAT]

Oh dear, that is a worry SparkOut. I do hope your dad is OK. That's a long trip you had to make.

And a worry for you too Bunnylump. I hope your dad also makes a full recovery.
As you say, it must be an anxious time for everyone with elderly parents.

[SparkOut]

We had planned this week to come down anyway. It's Monkey's 21st birthday on 3rd

[Bunnylump]

Oh my gosh! Monkey's nearly 21?! How time flies! Do send my best birthday greetings!

[LAT]

Happy birthday to Monkey from me too.

[SparkOut]

Driving. Seems weird to be headed home in this direction.

[Bunnylump]

Gosh, don't envy you that drive! Have a safe journey.

My day is proving to be exceptionally tedious. Continuing to dig out tree roots and brambles for 150 feet for a new fence. Urgh.

[LAT]

How's the fence coming on? And how are your hands and back?

[Bunnylump]

Urgh, we've hit a major technical problem. Our neighbour seems to have built a retaining wall for his patio on OUR land and where the fence should go. Not looking forward to this confrontation.

[chazzie]

ouch - sorry to hear that

[LAT]

Oh dear! That is a pain. Good luck with resolving it!

[Bunnylump]

So, instead of doing that, we went to visit my niece, had a nice walk, and then had my sister in law round (she's been in Portugal since Feb) for drinks in the garden. Very cold but at least there were lots of stars to look at and lots of wine!

Yesterday we saw my children, both of them at the same time! Whoop whoop!

I'm so unaccustomed to this social activity I'm finding it hard to cope. So now back to (almost) square one as of Monday.

[LAT]

I'm not sure it will make much difference to us. The largest group I have met in was 5 when we went out for a meal with daughter, son and his girlfriend on Friday evening. Our favourite restaurant had reopened that day, just in time to go for a meal with K who had been staying with us (but gone again now ) and son and gf decided they would like to join us.

I'm not sure what feels normal life now.

Glad you have managed to catch up with your family bunny.

[Bunnylump]

...Gobsmacked. Totally out of the blue, I received a hand knitted blanket from a friend that I haven't seen for about 15 years! What a lovely surprise! What completely discombobulated me was that it had been sent from Fort William. For just one fleeting and very confused second I thought that Sparkout had had his needles out!

[Bunnylump]

And now, it seems, I have got so confused you would not believe. It just so happened that I made TWO cards for friends in difficult circumstances last year. And both with the same name...so I guessed the wrong one!

so you guessed it, it WAS from the SparkOut household, just from Mrs SparkOut! To give you an idea of scale, the thing on the right is my guitar! So lovely, and such a wonderful surprise. I'm still smiling!

Sarah's blanket.jpg (320.51 KiB) Viewed 1290 times

[SparkOut]

As the guitar is mostly cropped out of the picture, the blanket is the perfect size to wrap around your legs when out in a wheelchair. Speaking from experience, not suggesting you're decrepit.

[LAT]

Wow! How lovely!

[Bunnylump]

As the guitar is mostly cropped out of the picture, the blanket is the perfect size to wrap around your legs when out in a wheelchair. Speaking from experience, not suggesting you're decrepit.

The rate I'm going it won't be long... But it's actually the perfect size to snuggle on the sofa under whilst dossing about reading a book or watching TV when my husband is insisting that I don't need the heating on!

[Wulfruna]

... and much deserved, indeed . Your thoughtfulness and care was very evident just when the Sparkouts needed it most.
It is a beautiful thank you and very appropriate!