All I Want For Crepemas Is Youth

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Phew

Fantastic Stropps, that sounds so good all round, even for Stroppdog. Thinking of you for Thursday.

BTM, so sorry - all I can do is echo that my dad got frustrated and worried then cross when presented with new things to learn even though he had been a very early adopter of computers/smart phones, etc. He just couldn't any more, and that was without dementia. Good ideas above and if possible maybe do try the more crepey carers.

Mrs S - my dehumidifier vote is for delonghi too. We've had other makes but they've been noisier and broken down faster. Bloody brilliant they are.

MI - agree with vote for Ferris Bueller.

A belated (?12th night) thank you to my SS for a marvellous crocodile. Will need to keep it in plain sight for quite a while for maximum enjoyment.

Crocodile??

Crocodile ??

BTM, so sorry to hear about the dmum stress. I absolutely dread this. You need to be able to trust the carers so much I guess, and I would find the remote management vey very hard. You are doing all you can, and I'm so glad you have such good advice from Rose and others.

Her dmum and ddad are under water. The yard and garage were under a foot of water yesterday and so dsis and I spent yesterday piling up the stuff in the garage ( mostly dlbro/dds furniture) . Absolute nightmare , with more heavy rain forecast for today. the water levels are so high, there is nowhere for the water to go. Secretly I am hoping that this will push them into the decision to sell the house and move somewhere smaller , while they are both well. I live in hope.

Sorry to hear about your DPs, Crem. The rain is relentless here too and is now expected to stay until we have sleet on Friday. I have friends who have been flooded out in the past so I know how devastating it is. I hope it doesn't get any worse for them. And yes to it encouraging them to downsize while they are relatively fit.

Off for a swim and Aquafit after breakfast, then I need to get on with my charity work as we have a meeting in two weeks' time and I need to get the agenda out. Unfortunately we are now chairman/woman less so I can foresee problems ahead.

Oh, Crem, nightmare.

BTM, we have to do what we can. I’ve had many – very good – suggestions re my parents which are just unworkable, because I live hundreds of miles away and don’t know their cleaner (I’ve met her and she’s very nice but that’s all – DSis did get as far as asking for her number, but then realised nice cleaner thought DSis was asking her out); I don’t know the carers; and I can’t really get neighbours to alert me to anything as my parents don’t get on madly well with their neighbours (and frankly if you don’t even send round a nice meal when your next-door neighbour is dying of a brain tumour – which my parents didn’t, 18 or so years ago, what do you expect?)…in the end, it’s how we’ve lived the majority of our lives that determines much of the last chunk of them too, I’ve concluded.

I did thank my own SS, but thank you again!

My giddy aunt. I have put on five (V, five) pounds over Christmas. It's not even as if we had loads of big meals - must be mainly down to sloth and booze. Five pounds doesn't seem much, but tips me from 'normal' BMI to 'fat heifer', and few of my clothes fit, let alone the Trousers of Truth.

So, a joyous month of little booze, the S diet and lots of bracing walking in the rain. Plus the odd Davina DVD. Plus facial exercises for the flapping jowls.

Bought some bargainacious yet no doubt ineffective facial unguents yesterday at TK MAxx - both by Freeze. One is a neck cream (£7 reduced from about £40), and some kind of primer, similarly reduced.

Re aged Ps, I fear Something needs to be done with mine. But might need to 'sneak' it in. They have a cleaner, but she's fairly ineffective, and anyway I don't know her number. My mum might need a knee op soon, and so dad will need looking after. This could be the time to introduce a carer-type, who will just never leave...

I take my hat off to you stropps. So glad first day worked out to be a happy one.

herbs we had exactly that knee op situation with DM two years ago. She had to go in to hospital for a week. Feel free to PM me or talk about how we managed it. It's was undeniably stressful until we got a live in carer for DDad for those few weeks. DM postponed the op more than once because of worrying about leaving DDad. I think she thought one of us was going to move in....that not being possible we got a lovely lady carer, who lived in, and I went every day to take DDad to visit DM in hospital. It was hard but doable. Just.

All this stress and worry over parents when we're still stressing and worrying over the DC. We are the true sandwich generation, are we not.

Like hatty I have just been to the dentist which I put off like mad as I am a scardy cat. But my gums are so sore and attention is needed. I am seeing the hygienist next week and then the dentist again to have some abrasion cavities filled...never heard of this before but it's what happens when your guns recede apparently. And then the X Ray results, which I am dreading....

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Ahh, the seasonal reappearance of the Trousers of Truth!

I have also put on five pounds, but I'm not remotely surprised. I've eaten a years-worth of carbs in a fortnight.

Ha! me too with the facial exercises. I dug this out

www.amazon.co.uk/Carole-Maggio-Facercise/dp/0399527834

The last two mornings, the second the alarm goes off I've done them with my blue SAD light beaming at me. Must look deranged

Just google Carole Maggio. She looks as if she's made of plastic, as does Eva Fraser. Still, looking like plastic is better than looking like the Churchill bulldog, so I'm frantically gurning like a good un.

I am at the thought of you two doing your facial exercises!

I can still, just, get into my jeans but I may well have gained 5 pounds too. I CBA to diet. And the no snacking/sweets isn't going so well at work either

DS has just come back with 2 mates to revise (for exams in 2 weeks) because the library was too busy They are in the kitchen. Not sure if they are actually revising!
DD is upstairs with her bf. Both have exams next week

Malta, rain, posh hotel, decent shower.....

[envy]@BD

Utterly vile day at work. Talking to the union rep is like listening to a spin doctor . Just keeps repeating the same lies stuff over and over again. Made me
I have perfectly valid questions that he will not answer. HR are even worse. We have so few staff I can't cover the roster. What joy. I thought I could tough it out, but already feeling bullied and cowed.
No amount of snake oil or exercises will make my sad face look like anything.
I am wearing my TOT today, but can hardly actually breathe.

That's rotten to hear Crem. I had a massive ding dong with lots of senior people at work last night - I was being 'principled' and probably a bit purist and there was a bit of a row......I need to speak to my boss at 6pm. Not sure it's going to be a good conversation.....

We've been doing UCAS all day, all day, all day . We are within 10 days of the deadline! Selection of uni seems to be on distance from home (not too close, not too far), nightlife and the probability of getting in. All seems sensible.

I'm sorry to hear about dmum, BTM. I think the trailing socket thing with switches like this might be good, with labels on each plug. Along with extra help, maybe for shorter periods of time but more frequent. We are lucky that we have avoided dementia so far, touches wood, but so many neighbours of ddad's are affected, it's troubling.

I had such vicious IBS today (I will spare you the details but suffice it to say it was not wise to leave the house this morning) that I am still the size of a hovercraft. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it (and to my stretchy leggings).

BASTARDS, Crem.

Oh, Crem, so sorry that you have had a really bad day. That's rubbish. I don't know what to suggest, but commiserations.

BD, enjoy Malta. I think Valetta is lovely, and DH and I both enjoyed the little WW2 museum. I hope the weather is better than it was when we were there! We stayed at the Fortina so it was just a short ferry ride in to Valetta. Oh, and Mdina (sp?) was pretty special, too.

Cremo :( that's crap...

Beachy - hope it's not too bad

BTM good luck with dmum. I have that conversation to come when I get back.

I have been keeping an eye on the email as the expected rubbish awaits me. But have convinced Dp that a 4/5 hour drive home at midnight tomorrow is bonkers when we can sleep at his parents and leave at a sensible time on Friday......

We have done a whistle stop tour of Malta today and dps nervous are frazzled with the driving... Maltese are aggressive!

Mdina was fab NUF, as was a palace and some ancient ruins...
Weather was Helios today - storm has come in - and same tomorrow - can't complain Tuesday was glorious...

Oh Crem. That is truly vile. I'd hoped that work v2.0 wouldn't be as bad as you were anticipating, but you were obviously right. Balls to the lot of them. Keep doing the bare minimum while applying for everything in sight. That would be my recommendation.

Trying to think of an outfit for a 'disguise party'. Had been thinking of either Darth Vader or Where's Wally, and then I came across this piece of genius.

.... Or this little number Herbs? devil child!

that should be in full - SMOULDERING devil child!

Oh Cremo, how vile for you I agree with doing the bare minimum. Or less.

Beachy, that plug socket looks good, thanks!

Disguise party? Fancy dress?

BD - looks beautiful. my dsis went to Malta last year and loved it

Crem - I'm so sorry, agree with Herbs - do bare minimum and apply, apply but know it's hard especially in small place

Party disguise - full on smokescreen would be good and mean facial exercises not needed. I have the Eva Fraser book but gave up v quickly because it was SO complicated. Going for the saggy, jowly and frowny look instead

BTM - I always found my DDad's helpers, while lovely, quite reluctant to share information. Maybe they worried about being closely supervised or felt compromised. But there was no dementia involved, 'just' health

Yes, it looks fabulous BD!

TBH, I would love to be in a situation where the carers are able to do all the "caring" that is needed without me having to worry about any small details I will just have to take it day-by-day.

BD, glad you have had such a good time.

And Crem, a plague on both their houses.

Herbs, we scared in laws silly last year with these