Crepeys who try not to look like creepy clowns....

[BeachysSandyFlipFlops]

Would that be OK?

Must try to avoid a thread switch on a Friday night

About a mile at most.

East Dean has a lovely pub - The Tiger Inn

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birling-gap-and-the-seven-sisters/trails/birling-gap-walk-from-the-tiger-inn

Magi, sorry you are still feeling dodgy. Hope this second lot of meds knocks it out.

BTM, I am hoping ds now has a bed, and that tomorrow he begins the road to recovery.
I feel for you and other Crepeys ( all of us?) who find themselves in the seemingly powerless position of caring for others. Tis taxing and draining. Many squishing hugs to you all.

Rose , hope you have a lovely break with some added Beachy.

A proper ghastly head-cold has settled in my bonce , making me slightly slow and dippy. Have had yet another short-handed manic day at work, where even a loo break seemed impossible, and due to shoddy weather, all the humans approaching me were already in foul temper. Lovely.
Mrs S, do you feel the situation has hit the point of no return? Are you speaking? Has the air cleared , or are things looking bleak? I'm really very sorry if that's the case.
I was inappropriately going to suggest we did 'wife swap' and see if they noticed. Pah!

How's it going MrsS?

Cremo, sorry you're feeling crappy. Again.
And you too MM.

DS seems a bit more relaxed here - got the nurses waiting on him hand and foot! And 3 of his mates have come in -awww- so DH and I are relegated to the playroom! I have managed to grab a coffee and a banana. Must pack proper food to bring with me tomorrow! Feel drained but glad things are moving.

for all of us supporting DC.

Oh and thanks for the hosp packing suggestions - DS has brought everything! And is made up there is wifi

Wow!hospital wifi. That's good.
Do look after self too BTM. A banana does not a meal make.

By the way Rose, I'm so jealous about Sons of Pitches. Dying to see them.

Oi oi, BTM, get yourself a proper supper! So glad to hear that ds is feeling relatively cheery about his admission. Hurrah for wifi.
Am totes feeble and have not caught up with the thread at all. Loved my w/e away with my youngster friends. Funny how my back was a lot better when I was away..

Dd has been v quiet since last week, but has messaged tonight to ask how my w/e was and also to say she has a job selling events tickets for a club. No idea what else is going on, but I'm just seeing this as positive news.

Hatty, congrats on passing your exam.

Love, , , and {{{hugs}}} to all struggling at the moment.

BTM - you need some nice, heavy kneidlach in that chicken soup, to fill you and sustain you.

Work was even worse today. I just can't seem to do anything right, and I don't seem to be able to remember anything. I keep having to refer back to my notes and get shouted at as they always want it "off the top of your head." I just can't cope. I am two staff members down and another member of my team leaves at the end of next month and his successor might not be able to start until February. Which leaves me, and half of one person that I have poached from another team.

Oh and the cat has gone mad - keeps racing round, yowling loudly and attacking people. Even me.

On dodgy hotel wifi. Just popping in to offer to BTM, magi, Montserrat Crem and everone else on the sick list or the worried sick list.

Message In view of recent posts, Sister is preparing to do a Ward Round. Please try to be as healthy as possible. Failing that, please be unwell tidily, preferably lying quietly in bed, in clean jammies, with your thumbs in line with the creases in the sheets. End of message

Good morning Crepeys, and to you all. I'm still trying to stitch all your stories together, but most resonate with me in some form or other. We really are FABULOUS wimmin, are we not?? (See easier post on 'Fake it Till You Make it').

Feeling a bit more positive about DF today, but still waiting for the OTs to work out where he goes from hospital. DM wants him home, but consultant says that this type of cancer could run for another few months, so could be a huge strain on DM. Trying to find local care home that deals with palliative care and dementia together not proving so easy.

Anyway, I have the day 'off' and am going to Pilates, walking the dogs and seeing a lovely old friend who is coming down from London to see me for the day.

In other news, I discovered the Oxfam website where they sell loads of their cashmere stuff. Bought 3 jumpers there for £42! Two are M&S and the other a John Lewis. I haven't the money this month, but wanted to 'jolly up' my wardrobe. I'm going to need it.

I feel that if I post that info on S&B threads, the stuff will disappear, so get stuck in, Crepeys!

(Or maybe you all wander round in full fashionista garb??)

Can't link on iPad, but am sure a Google search will come up trumps.

Cocoa I can assure you I am dressed in anything but the height if fashion.

God MrsS I feel for you. I have managed to get a temp member of staff to cover the piece of work that belongs to another team and I cannot tell you how much of a relief it is. My administrator said yesterday she didn't think it would effect her that much but she realises it has made a huge difference..... however, it is clear that another restructure is on its way and I suspect this work will return permanently to my team and I will be recruiting - erm remember that team member of mine you made redundant??? Couldn't make this stuff up.
It is also clear my work area will be centralised at some point....

BTM hope things move on swiftly with ds. Beachy hope your ds is okay at h/t. I need to pack ds up for his diving trip...
Everyone who is unwell/under pressure listen to sister - she knows best.

cocoa, sorry to hear about your struggles with your DF and hope you find somewhere suitable soon.

MrsS, (and of course all others struggling with work)
And how is the atmosphere at home?

I snarfed down some left-over jerk chicken (not soup!) and a wodge of some peanut-butter slice on our return - we left DS and his mates to it - hope the other patients managed to get some sleep/the nurses turfed them out!
DH says DS messaged him to say they are taking BP/HR/whatever every 2 hours - I'm going in shortly so will hopefully find out more.

Hatty - congrats :)

And this made me smile this week

thanks Cocoa for only sharing your cashmere tip with us.

Mrs S that staffing sounds insane. Take the cat in to work to bite everyone responsible.

Brill that Ds's mates have been around so much already, soothing for him.

Beachy, will ds hole up in his room? Is that a worry?

Cocoa, I am most heartened by the Oxfam website. I did indeed yield to a couple of woolovers numbers this week (there was a Deal, and since I stopped dyeing my hair I am sick of the acres of grey woollies I mainly possess...) also please do explore all options for your father: being at home for that long is Very Stressful as several of us will tell you.

Onwards and upwards all. Thank you sister: I am fighting urge to cave in and burst into tears in a rather pointless way. Last edition of the Difficult Client mag yesterday, so that's goodbye to a nice chunk of my income with no visible replacement. Just at the minute I can't be @rsed to care. Thinking of pitching a piece on 'bereavement six months in' as it seems to be quite a familiar phenomenon...

Cat is watching cat video on YouTube and enjoying it, and seems a bit calmer.

Need to get dressed and go to work.

Have been told that DD2 may have to go to court RIGHT BEFORE HER GCSEs, which is, obviously, the worst scenario possible.

DD1 has done no work this week, despite the organisational plan from the extortionately expensive organisational tutor we are paying for.

Cocoa - enjoy your day off.

BTM - hope DS makes good progress, and excellent that his mates have been in to see him.

Yes MI, that bit of bereavement when nobody else seems to care anymore, and you vaguely think you should be getting 'over it' plus wanting to crawl into bed ALL THE TIME. it's just wretched. You have my profound sympathy. This too shall pass.

BD, as usual I could have written your words about work myself. I am having to encourage customers to complain in writing to have proof that the waiting time/service they expect is not being met. None of the higher ups get that we are slammed because of lack of employees. Dicks. Another 3 new employees in the upper echelons leaving this week

Ooh, off to Oxfam website -thanks Cocoa. I did know of its existence but completely forgot about it!!
Sorry to hear of parent woes. It does sound terribly difficult to find something that will suit. I can't imagine how painful it must be for you.

Bereavement can still hit you months, years later. I was at an official reception about 18 months after my DDad died, there was low level music in the background, and his favourite song came on. I burst into tears and fled. The thing I found is that people who have never been bereaved like DH have no idea how to cope with it, and think you should have moved on. Be kind to yourself, MI, and pitch that piece.

Love that picture, BD.....

Nurse, I have Brian here at the moment, just in case you're looking for him! I went to a 6th form open evening last night and embarrassingly threw up in the car park! Feeling very run over today... and I missed Bake Off.

Mrs S, have frosty relations thawed at all? And as for work, is there any chance of another overseas stint? Would that help, do you think?

Oh god I had the same convo with dp last night. I said I feel because he thinks I should be over it I am not allowed to lie on the floor and howl and that is incredibly stressful.... I have done Beachy's dog walk in the rain sobbing .......

It has hit me very hard last week/this week....

BD, You poor love. And so sorry Flash is difficult too. I loved the picture by the way. You really haven't changed. have a jolly good sob. It really is the best thing.
I still get moments after 16 years. I was sitting in traffic yesterday and saw a tall man striding along the pavement in a blue ski jacket, gingery red hair in a pony tail, and I thought, 'oh there's ! I must give him a lift. Then the sky fell in as I realised with a complete body blow that of course it wasn't him.

i still have dreams too , where we have long conversations about dd/dn, sitting at his kitchen table in Holland.

I have bought a red cashmere cardigan off of Oxfam. I'm blaming you Cocoa!