The Cybergarden - Late Summer Edition

[madmouse]

Sorry been unfaithful, lots going on. But making myself useful - here's your new thread x

Hi kizzie Thanks, I'm sure I will get my head around whatever they suggest...I think it's also because some of what's happening now reminds me of happenings as an inpatient. That was nice of them, shodatin - I think I'm just feeling a bit anti.

Hmm, I think I'm going to conjure some virtual leek and potato soup - cool enough for it here.

Hope you enjoyed the soup upward, it's my favourite variety, in fact I've been having it every evening for months! Never thought I'd choose the same menu for so long, and of course I have other foods available, but it seems to suit me - wish I could send half my panful to you for tomorrow, it's so convenient.

Hi kizzie! You are really lovely to go so far to build that special relataionship forr gps & dc . Hope you're not too tired after all that - have a soothing lemon balm That soup was gorgeous , thank you upward - good coincidence with shodatin's fave

Sorry the day hospital is so similar to the inpatient experience , upward & I hope the staff will soon be able to tha conclude that you're feeling better than they currently feel . I imagine it might feel intrusive but as usual , shodatin & kizzie have explained the rationale behind the practice made me look at it from different angles , so I hope their thoughts make you feel more at ease . Also , even if unpleasant , it will hopefully not last too long . Really glad the meeting is over with - may I ask shodatin to open a bottle of her non - alcoholic champagne?

Phew shodatin that your tiny great - nieces weren't going too far - still brave & hilarious of them , though . Thank you for explaining the current locations & the amount of preparation it all entails .
Ah , I'm probably misunderstanding this < bleary > but is your ds over there too , pending moving to Australia ? That would be very pragmatic of him , going where he has relations , but of course hard on you , though I fear you've already had to deal with him being abroad for quite some time . Or , is he in the UK , then off to Australia ? I bet I've got it totally wrong , so sorry Equally sorry for intrusive questions - please ignore if preferred .

Bustly few days here but am thinking of cybergarden & hoping you find the proposed change more helpful than anticipated , upward.

Lovely soothing sleep to Tianc , madmouse , kizzie & butterpie
< looking forward to stoking chiminea which Tianc has prepared >

Mmm, lovely cooking smells rising from this thread!

Upward sorry things just now are too reminiscent of inpatient life. But I agree with shodatin, they're probably trying to shoulder some of the organisational hassle for you at the moment.

And it has the side benefit that you needn't keep large quantities of drugs in the house. I don't know whether this idea works for you, but for me creating barriers in advance, to protect me from anything drastic when a blip struck, was a big part of my self-management. Years on, it's still a habit and I find myself thinking, "Too much paracetemol, mustn't let DP top up medical supplies."

Ha ha, x-posted with you as ever, hob!

Think it's time to wish us all goodnight, and some decent sleep or peaceful rest.

Missed goodnights, exhausted from day in the big city, but hope everyone's OK and well-rested.
Hob, I've not previously mentioned ds's whereabouts, but he's not far away and no plans to go anywhere, thankfully. It was brother who spent so much time abroad, then in hospital, so was relevant to the thread, and I've caused confusion by referring to sister as ds, sorry about that. She plans to follow her elder daughter to Australia, because her son-in-law (and therefore grandchildren) has decided it's where he wants to be, hence all the travel plans. Am really sorry about confusion!

Hope you're getting better understandings with the team, upward*, it's just the initial sorting-out causing problems, I think, and hopefully they'll be able to understand your reservations.

Gosh, today is even more of a heartening soup day! I almost rang and said I wasn't going today (because of the weather an the wind disturbing me last night).

I hope you got some rest last night, shodatin , to help with the exhaustion.

I'm fine today thanks upward*, apart from absent-mindedly leaving something I'd paid for on the shop counter, but nothing important and it will likely still be there tomorrow, so not going out again today.
Congratulations on getting out to the day-centre, despite being short of sleep, and I hope it was worthwhile making the effort. Such a shame about the noisy wind, when you have problems sleeping through, so hope you can make up for it tonight. I think every day is heartening soup day, and of course it's even better when made in advance and only needs reheating. I can't think why more schools don't offer soup plus roll plus cheese or fruit/pud, rather than making kids queue for individual servings of meat-and-two-veg while it's all cooling down, and of course, soup is always cheaper - am rambling again, sorry. Bon appetit, whatever you decide to eat today I hope you enjoy it.

Heartening soup and stoutly built ark, if you had it anything like here! Staff at B&Q were muttering about "stern-sail weather" and "keep her head up into the wind" (clearly I have an interesting B&Q).

Serious respect for venturing outdoors in this, Upward, especially exposed to the elements. Hope it was a worthwhile session when you got there.

shodatin so sorry you were exhausted yesterday - and maybe still a bit today. It is lovely that you live somewhere shops will keep your parcels for you. By the way, you're psychically describing exactly my school dinners - soup & roll then cheese/pud. But that was years ago. Who knows what they get now.

And your family sound fascinating! In no way "not interesting enough" to research! Actually I think all families have interesting histories, not in any grand sense but just ordinary people, sometimes swept up in huge historical events like wars, sometimes busily being falling in love and marrying - or not marrying - and having babies who don't give a fig for paperwork and come along anyway.

But I shouldn't be infecting you with the family history bug if you don't want it, it's utterly addictive and eats time.

hob, hope your day went well, and you're a bit less bleary feeling.

Sorry, I'm very discombobulated this last week. Things are suddenly lurching forwards in huge, very positive ways on lots of different fronts - progress on the house, discovering living lost family, enormous shifts in how much I can do in a day...

It's all wonderful, but the sheer amount of change in such a short time is throwing me a bit. And I think I'm not over-doing things, but actually I am.

I shall pack my peculiar new self safely off to bed, where it can't get up to too much mischief, at least till sunrise as long as I leave the computer downstairs.

Hope everyone sleeps well, and wakes rested.

Thankyou for Tianc; wish I could remember it more often, but I have a glass of water alongside so never feel thirsty these days.
How amazing that your school was producing such sensible meals a few years ago, probably while I was struggling with two courses of starch, like "Hedgehog Pie"(with congealed gravy), potatoes mashed without butter and cool, grey cabbage with occasional caterpillar followed by something containing an unspecified type of jam and the kind of custard unique to school meals.

Am indeed lucky living locally. When I told a friend I'd left something on the counter, she volunteered to see so-and-so who works there and collect it for me.
Family history could be interesting, but am usually behind with my present occupations. I urge DB to take it up, thinking he'd enjoy it once started then I'd be able to read it, but no luck so far.
Have to say goodnight now, eyes closing, so will wish everyone a peaceful and uninterrupted sleep.

Have to admit that I enjoy the change in weather. I really love our British seasons and the patterns we go through each year. One reason why I would like to live abroad. Dont think ive got a 'favourite' season though - think theyve all got their own 'moments'.

Have a good day everyone.

Ps. How exciting TIANC to have all that positive change - but know what you mean about being thrown off kilter slightly by it all. Hope you manage to pace yourself

Quite agree with you, kizzie, I like the seasons too, despite the what-to-wear- problem about now, and also like the odd unseasonal days, like the couple in February when one can usually sit on the beach without freezing.

Tianc, It's really good that you're recoveri ng and able to do more, and am pleased for you as well as being a bit envious. It will mean more choices, probably, and therefore alterations in living habits - you're so lucky, particularly being now wise enough to slow down when tired.

A local friend is now experiencing the opposite, which is frustrating for her. and I'm hoping she'll feel better after her holiday.

Thinking of you in all the changes, tianc I hope you got good, uninterrupted sleep last night. Finding something good in all the seasons is good, kizzie - the past few winters have really put me off snow! shodatin , I hope your night went well too. hob and madmouse , I hope you're both ok.

Hi upward , am fine thanks & certainly hope you won't have to contend with another year of snow . Thanks to you & shodatin , I ' ve developed continuous soup cravings < cups of hot chocolate or light soup all round >

Sorry for absence but had minor but infuriating computer problems - part - fixed this time not by a lolly stickby a hairdryer

Amazed you braved the gales , upward & we're all hoping you've been able to catch up on your sleep , & that day & that the new arrangements for medication have felt supportive rather than stress - inducing .

So sorry for putting feet in it re : ds / dsis , shodatin, & thank you for explaining . Hope the upheaval proves positive for your DSis and family . Hope too you're feeling less exhausted today & got your parcel back.

< waves to peculiar new Tianc > What joyous news on several fronts & obviously you'll need time & & a bit of reflection to process the developments . You seem such a positive & innovative thinker & doer that I'm sure it's good news for many others too .

Ooof , feel quite queasy hearing about your school dinners , with or without caterpillar , shodatin ... afraid am too greedy to have been content with soup & roll plus afters like the young Tianc , though . Does sound healthier than my Thatcher era choice of greasy chips and a white muffin "pizza"- every day for years , with sugary beans added for variety . Meat eaters got the cheapest sausages or burgers , grrrr ( human cjd was much in the news , sadly) . What's in hedgehog pie , shodatin? my Mum used to make one with mince & (seasoned) rice , moulded into a suitable shape

Another big fan of seasons here , & agree with kizzie re : countries without them , as that was what I was used to before UK & I always thought British weather sounded exciting ! < writing in overcoat >

Sorry to ramble Busy day today but not panicking totally over terrifying appt tomorrow

dh's pumpkin plant finally has a couple of little fruits on it < off to foil Slugs of Doom >

The caterpillar made me cringe a little - I didn't have access to school lunches until middle school...and I have to opt for similar to hob 's description - we had pizza which was also about an inch thick bread dough & some people were sure that the ice buns and pizza were essentially the same.

Tough day for me tomorrow (yearly assessment by outside party who really didn't want to hear about the past year when I tried to tell them).

Will add more tomorrow, this is just to wish upward and hob all the very best for tomorrow's interviews, as have to go to bed now. Hope all sleep well,

Wishing you lots of luck and strength for tomorrow, Upward. Can be hard enough articulating stuff for a sympathetic assessor; so much sympathy for dealing with one who doesn't want to know.

And the same vibes to hob for your appointment. Maybe Her Felinity could stare deeply into your eyes and hypnotise you beforehand? Or is she a snubbing kind of cat who pretends to not know she's the centre of attention?

I know, shodatin. I sort of don't want to post about improvements because I know plenty of people aren't lucky enough to expect any. You're so right that I need to keep things slow and steady . So sorry your friend is having the opposite; hope she's a bit better after her holiday.

Family history could be a fantastic hobby for your DB, if it takes his fancy. I'd suggest Ancestry.co.uk - a subscription gives access to records and you can construct a tree online. But it's genuinely scary how much you can find about people, so if he's had any paranoia it might be a bit Hmm.

kizzie should that have been "wouldn't want to live abroad"? The progression of the food year is always enjoyable as well.

Definitely bed time here. Hope everyone gets some good sleep and can meet tomorrow rested and refreshed.

Thanks - it's SS/direct payments :(

Very sorry to hear the assessor wasn''t interested in the clear facts upward and hope they've been enlightened overnight or at least are in a better mood .

Humbled that you have that rotten attitude to deal with at such a testing time < thoughts & prayers >

< hypnotised , calmed hob puts out and lemon balm plus luxury berry mix with fat - free rice milk compote and low sugar sponge fingers >

Hope the cold weather ( without the prettiness of autumn , that is ) isn't getting you down too much shodatin - sitting on the beach in February in your part of the world !!

Good suggestion to use ancestry .co.uk , Tianc ... we must revisit subject

Thank you for comparatively undeserved strengthening good vibes for later today , for which am practising . Her Felinity is very much not the sort of cat willing to pretend she isn't the centre of attention , Tianc , but she does an outrageous amount of skillful "acting" < fills large book with Puss's repertoire > She has a very vivid tortoiseshell stripes on her face with dramatic "kohl" - rimmed eyes which emote , dahlings .

We'll all be pleased with ourselves when we've dealt with today

ooooh yes, saw on another thread -happy 13th wedding anniversary , madmouse !

Happy anniversary madmouse

Fixed it with a hairdryer, hob? Well, I suppose if lolly-sticks work
it's worth a go, so congratulations and am pleased you're back on-line, Also pleased for your DH having a couple of pumpkins, and I do hope they survive and thrive. Thanks so much for kindly giving me the correct abbreviation for DSis, and so tactfully too, because other people must have been equally baffled. All best wishes for today's meeting, and why shouldn't it go absolutely as you'd like it? Your cat sounds gorgeous, incidentally, as well as fun.
Same positive thoughts going to upward too, and really hope interviewer was just having a bad day earlier and wants to be helpful today.

Thanks for info re Ancestry.co.uk, tianc. I know DB won't pay for anything, but it's an idea for me to give him the subscription as a gift, if not too expensive a gamble for someone so negatively depressed, I think he'd enjoy it.
Weather is a bit cool here, but I don't mind as long as home is well-heated,
and I have to make that a priority or am thoroughly miserable, remembering the days before central heating, d/glazing, insulation etc it's not too bad.