Spring is sprung, the grass is ris, I wonder where the crepeys is

[herbaceous]

As requested!

Thanks Molly. She's too deaf for music, sadly & of course that adds to the confusion. Her last real pleasure was food but she's lost her appetite, even for home made soup.

She does seem to be sleeping at the moment, fingers crossed

and for Auriga I feel for what you're going through. Hope you managed a decent sleep last night.

Oh no Auriga I hope you got some sleep.

Morning all
Auriga, my heart goes out to you.

Never said welcome back DQ. [waves]

Auriga.

Thinking of you, Auriga

Auriga, thinking of you today , and hoping for some calm for you all.

Auriga sending strength. Sorry it is so tough at the moment.

Here ds cooked breakfast (eggs benedict) AND dinner yesterday!!

Took dog for a walk (I use the term loosely as he is so old and slow now it's more like a crawl) in the glorious sunshine.]
He has three more days school to drag himself through....

Fingers crossed for a good week for everyone....

Oh gosh. Auriga I don't know what to say. This is unsustainable, isn't it. I send my love and hope that DM can be calmer by what ever means.

MI you don't whinge...

CV I am ROFL about fart smelling broccoli...my DC are similarly unkind to DH when he cooks...they'd love such an insult.

MrsS what a thing. Yes, as others say, never mind the U turn...you do the ordering. Managing without an oven is like not having a loo. You can use the public ones...but...honestly...I am fuming for you. My DH is good about replacing appliances that break down but rubbish about less urgent but equally annoying jobs around the house especially decorating, minor leaks and the new kitchen that I can only ever dream of...

Addle how was the show?

Monty you alright, chuck?

Happy birthdays to Tilly and Beachys DSs

I am rushing off to take DM to the stone mason to choose DDads stone. Then rushing back for a meet with sexy director who is coming to the house (eeeek!!!!!!) and ConS has gone off the f*!king radar again.

Am feeling jaded after a weekend of trying to get DD's Food tech course work finalised with an impossible (And I mean IMPOSSIBLE) computer format...despite considerable computer savvy in the house. Much shouting was done....

Auriga, when do your sisters arrive? Hope you will get some back-up. This whole thing is a tough enough gig without having yet another layer of difficulty on top. :( Fingers crossed your dm will continue to sleep and not start to try to wander during the night.

MI, you are a star for keeping calm when dealing with all these requests. I would have blown my top multiple times by now in your circs. Vent as and whenever you need to, or the pressure just gets too much.

CV, glad to hear the Night of the Red Dress was a good 'un. Had a good chortle at your dcs' disparagement of your dh's culinary efforts.

Rose, hope the stone-choosing goes ok.

You kind of want DC to big up DH-cooked broccoli, though, however farty, so it flatters their ego and they do it again...

Had a v domesticated but productive day yesterday. Went to Ikea, bought two new lights, a number of picture frames, some new shelves, and various 'storage solutions' for DS's bedroom. Spent the afternoon putting them all together, while DP cooked delicious dinner, involving roasting pumpkin and walnuts. A new taste sensation.

Off out soon for slap-up lunch, tho still don't know what to wear...

Auriga - I feel for you so much. This must be just awful. Though perhaps now she's taking medicine from outsiders, maybe she'd now accept care from someone other than you?

Mrs S - I think any further nonsense from DH requires a look of incredulity, and the question "Are you on GLUE?"

I have sent out Very Firm Email, pointing out also that my sister and I (a) are finding this quite stressful ourselves (b) live several hundred miles away (ie idiotic questions about why nobody’s answering the phone are frankly pointless (c) do have lives/jobs/commitments ourselves. It was deeply cathartic.

Auriga

Well done MI. If they ignore it, just send it again. And again

It was in the guise of a Regular Health Update.

Well done, MI.

Auriga - don't supposed she has an infection? DGM had frequent urinary infections in her last years, and each time they made her totally delirious - aggressive, talking nonsense, not recognising people etc.

Herbs - I have an Ikea trip brewing. Need shelves for the shed. And tealights. Lucky you getting roasted pumpkin and walnuts for tea - I wish!

Not a great start to this morning - the boiler packed up for good last night ("time of death 22.08..."), and as I was shivering in the shower at 7am I heard a honking noise behind me - it was DH talking to God down the big white telephone. Poor chap seems to have some sort of balance/dizziness thing, and can barely stand up, so I've left him moaning piteously in bed. Was it the Revenge of the Farty Broccoli, we ask?

CV poor old dh: sounds ghastly. Broccoli Revenge you say, hmm need to ask Sister
New boiler will be spendy CV, but you will find it saves you loads on your bills. Fingers crossed for you.

Herbs, what did you wear in the end ? Not really an afternoon for the VW unfortunately

MI bloody good move. Let's hope they all read it and absorb it. Sometimes a little much us too much.

Mrs S , you are right, some ovens can just be bought and plugged in. Try AO for quick delivery. I bet you can beat DH to it.

OH dear GAWD.
My mum’s SIL – of the ‘get an oxygen cylinder, your mother MUST stay at home, contact this random other doc I know’ – still won’t bloody quit. Has responded to my latest update with ‘perhaps the palliative care consultant can send a nurse to take care of her at home’…including providing transfusions etc.

I am not responding, obviously, because she will NOT accept that my mother will almost certainly be better off somewhere else. (The irony is that this aunt also blew her top over my home birth – after the fact, but rang my parents asking if they’d know I was planning such a thing. Answer: no).

oH heavens CV...is it one of those viruses...labyrinthitis? Poor bloke, and poor all of you re the dear departed boiler.

MI excellent email. You need an out of office reply for DM's SIL, I think. Date of return unknown.

Wowzers, Crepeys. have just had a kind of, most unexpected workshop with sexy director....ConS turned up in the end...he (director) had us walking around the room....answering questions like if X (character from play) was a fruit, loaf of bread, household furniture item etc, which would he be? We have been through every single scene and done a synopsis of each wth a central point for each one too. Hours of work and what fun!!!

Very much a lift after visit to stone mason with DM who is insisting that DBro needs to be written on yje stone first (in the list of "sadly missed by, ..." add adult children), because he's the son.

the

Rose
I'm sure there's a precedence for these things, but ...... Just so saddened for you.

MI Molly is right. An OOO reply would be perfection.

Do you think a fuck off OOO would be better than no response? I can't decide

And Rose...oh hell.

Might an OOO raise expectations of a reply? I think I'd be tempted either to ignore or to send a bland pro-forma style "Thanks, dsis and I will of course help our dps make the best decisions at each stage, having explored the possibilities". Then ignore (or repeat that line). Whatever will give you most peace of mind, you just don't need this faff in your head.

Rose .

Something bland and inoffensive, yet with a distinct air of 'EFF OFF' that can be C&P'ed into an reply.

A useful word from the Meaning of Liff comes to mind - Clixby. Briskly vague; politely rude; firmly uninformative.

Lunch was ultra lovely. Wore ancient yet v useful Sticky Fingers jersey dress. Just the thing. They forgot one of the courses of our tasting menu, mind you, but have furnished sis with a voucher. We'll just have to do it again!

No infection, CV but DM has eleventy-twelve other reasons to be confused.

Mum: where is [DH]? Oh (looking past me to end of bed) there he is
Me: DH is downstairs
Mum: who's that then? (Looking at empty space)

I've had versions of this conversation many times before with various people, none of whom survived it for long.

Huge relief to get her into a hospital bed, which was delivered & set up today. And sisters have arrived, so I'm downstairs for the first time in days.