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Oh Patootie, what a perfectly marvellous idea! I think it sounds like a brilliant party---not tacky in the least, but colourful, fun and something everyone can enjoy!
You certainly are wonderful in the ideas department----the list of the things you've already got is fab! But clearly you are also stellar in the 'doing' department, as witness all the people who so loved the baskets you decorated for Easter!
The truth is, Patootie, you are both very creative and very kind. I'm sure you have recognised that the best thing of all you give your fellow residents is the colour and interest and pleasant excitement of something different happening, something new, something unexpected, something surprising or to look forward to. When one has a rather restricted life, not able to get out much, living in an environment where of necessity life is pretty repetitive and predictable, those moments unexpected colour and life are manna from heaven, and I think you're providing a lot of them for your neighbours! If anything could possibly justify (in the cosmic sense) the awful unfairness of having fibro at your age (or any age, come to that), it must be in the pleasure and vitality and interest that you are bringing to the people you life with.
So when exactly IS this great birthday to be???
Awwww thank you for those cheering words GC .. to be honest I hadn't thought of my 'daft' ideas in terms of bringing 'colour and excitement' to other peoples lives ..
.. although it has been said that you never know whay I might do next 
My Birthday is 'round about' early mid July ... says her being coy .. and the party might be on the 20th July ... I haven't decided yet ..
She was 'strangely' excited ... telling me all about it .. and we were swapping earthquake experiences as if we have them all the time (mine was the Midlands earthquake a few years ago) .. apparently their dog started to shake and whimper just before the 'quake .. (my cats had woken me up trying to crawl inside the bed with me, mewling in terror!) ...
Poor old Earth ... seems she's getting fed up with all the bad things we are doing to Her ... She's shaking her booty right around the world .. just this week in China, Iceland, Australia .. where next I wonder
I'm ready to try most things to keep looking 'youthful' (all failing miserably) ...
but I think I have to draw the line at this .... snail slime
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=869&prodid=955
Then ... how the flamin' heck did they persuade a company to even market the disgusting gooey stuff .. even in a carrier cream it's a pretty weird ingredient to chuck in ..
And ... I wonder what other 'orrible concoctions they've put in face creams over the years .. I'm hoping we will never know the worst .. hahahaha
My little pinkie does seem rather softer and more elastic this morning ... maybe there is something in this snail slime ..
"Yes, it's a bizarre thought that someone came up with the idea. Maybe someone working in France in a place where they prepare snails for the restaurants and markets noticed that the skin on their hands were soft, unwrinkled and elastic and put two and two together and thought "Mais oui!! Sacre Bleu!! Eet must be ze snail slime that is doing this! C'est magnifique!
I don't really want to know how they collect the slime, and I hope your poor little snail didn't have any nightmares after being seized for experimental purposes and confronting a curious lady looking at his little bottom (do snails have bottoms?) and rubbing it along her finger."
Haha You see ... we both have these 'bizarre' thought patterns ..
Oh Patootie, what a thought! I wonder if they felt that people might be ATTRACTED by the idea of snail slime??? I mean, maybe there's something there worth including in some kind of cream, but to use it as a selling point??? I think I'll just stick to my dear old Vaseline!
Sorry to have been out of the air for so long. We were on hols in France, intending to fly back and then the ash cloud arrived and we couldn't. So we drove back; but en route got panicky sms's from our daughter who was on holiday in Iran (don't ask!): HER flight back to London had been cancelled too, and since the internet is blocked she couldn't look for alternatives. So with me on the mobile phone, and one of the boys at home with a laptop, we managed to get her a flight out to Barcelona via Istanbul. It still took her 4 days from there to get back to London, during which time we were frantically trying to check trains, organise hotels etc.
Everyone is back home now, of course, but we are trying to get organised for the move down to France at the end of next month. Well---not really a move, we aren't going for good and we will come back here quite regularly todo the seasonal work in the garden, visit the dentist, see friends etc, but for the next few years we're planning to spend most of our time down there, so there's quite a lot to organise.
Especially the animals. We'll drive down in one day (about 12) hours in 2 cars: one with Mr C and older son plus most of the stuff we have to take, and the other with me and younger son plus 2 cats and a dog! Have you ever made a long drive with cats, Patootie? We'll have their in their travel boxes, but with harnesses on so we can let them out on the lead when we stop. That bit should be reasonably OK: it's the getting them BACK in the boxes are the stops that I'm worried about.... If you have any wisdom, I'd be glad to hear it!
And I'm almost finished with my Latin epic. I'm translating the final battle, where the hero's best friend cuts of his (hero's) right hand, and the hero then gouges out his friend's eye and cuts off his lips causing him to lose 6 teeth. Oh, and the king (who is also mixed up in the battle) has his leg cut off. As soon as all this has happened they stop the battle, decide it's all been great fun and go off and have dinner together. I kid you not. Does it surprise you to know that this was written by someone thought to be under the age of 16?? After I'd translated about 6 hand to hand battles I realised this was just the 9th century version of James Bond.....
I hope the weather is getting better (Cambridge can be so lovely in the spring!) and that the fibro is behaving itself. Have you made any more trips out on your valiant new steed??? The Italian place? THe farm shop? Come on, I need news now!! xx
Blimey .. you have been very busy lately ... I don't know how you pack it all in .. well done with the Latin Epic ... bet you are glad you are nearing the end though !!
OK .. my news ... yes, I have been out and about on my trusty steed .. visited the Italian shop .. bought some yummy foodstuffs .. nice pasta, sauces, breads and some lovely coffee ..
) Been to the local supermarket a few times .. and taken a couple of trips out in the car to a discounted warehouse type place .. very tiring, but I stocked up with some nice melamine plates .. I drop things so often I've had to buy plates that bounce hahaha ...
So things had been going along nice and quietly and with with mundane routine .. until ... 2 weeks ago I was watching TV .. and to my delight I saw a programme about an online grocery wholesaler that delivers to the door .. wooohoooo ..
With no further thought I ordered a load of foodstuffs .. it's all packets, jars, tins and dried foods ... but all at ridiculous cheap prices .. after I'd made my order I had a thought .. why not open up a little 'not for profit shop' here at the sheltered housing scheme ..
So .. you know me ... 2 days later and I've set up shop .. pretty much sold out in the first day ... and have had two more orders since .. it seems very popular .. everyone likes the cheaper groceries .. and are enjoying having the little shop to visit (I say 'shop' .. it's a table in the lounge) .. and it's getting folks chatting together about what groceries I might get next ..
It's a lot of hard work (quite exhausting) and there's masses of packing materials to keep clearing away .. but so far it's working well .. and I get cheap groceries into the bargain ... well I have a couple of dozen tins of curry paste to price up .. some jars of cranberry sauce to sort out etc ...
Patootie, you are a MARVEL. Really. What a perfectly brilliant idea to start that little 'shop'! It gives people the benefit of the discount, gives them a few things that are probably a bit different from what they've been able to get so far (with the majority, I guess, reassuringly familiar) and most of all it gives them something else to look forward to, and to do. A place to go, things to think about, new ideas, a chance to meet and chat and think about what to do next.....
I wonder if you realise what a difference you make to that little community? You must, really. And it must be such a good feeling!
And what next? Would the farm shop or the Italian shop make a special small delivery of non-perishables, for something different? Or maybe invite people to share their favourite simple recipes using things from the shop? (When you're alone, and shopping on a limited budget, boredom can be a real problem.) A tea party? A picnic? I wait with fascination to see what you'll do next!!!
Things here are fine, as we try to get organised for the move down to France for the summer. NOT having to move out of this house, as we thought at first we would, has made it all MUCH easier, emotionally as well as practically, especially for the kids.
But having just lived through the UK elections, now we're in the middle of one here, voting is in 2 weeks. So last night we spent the evening watching the second of the political debates between party leaders: there is an election here week after next. There were 8 parties represented, and everyone knows the next government will be made up of at least 3 of them, possibly even 4, so it was interesting to hear the discussion. It was a really tight organisation: this debate was on the topic of the economy. The parties had already put together their proposals,which had been checked by the Centraal Plan Bureau, an independent governmental department that works out the economic effects of each party's plans (how much would jobs/taxes/NHS/etc go up/down if those plans were put into effect) so there were some reasonably hard figures to discuss. There were 4 specific questions to get through (eg: would you reduce tax-deductibility of mortgage interest? would you require a higher personal contribution to medical costs? etc). For each question, 4 parties were chosen as primary respondents: the leader of each got 45 seconds to express his party's view and to say yes or no to the specific proposition; then there was about 5 minutes of debate and discussion amongst them; then the 4 leaders who hadn't spoken on the topic had 45 seconds to state their party's position. It sounds very stiff, but it wasn't at all, and the moderator kept their feet to the first very well and asked the pointed, difficult questions. At intervals there was a 5 minute break when one of the leaders was invited to walk up the red carpet to answer three specific, tough questions that were put by the interviewer. They didn't pull any punches: these were designed to put the leaders on the spot. It was quite a long evening (a hour and a half) with some very pointed, even sharp, exchanges, But everyone remained courteous and the mood was positive and there was a lot of clever humour in the exchanges. It was interesting to watch, and has made me re-think my voting plans, though I'll wait a bit longer to make up my mind.
It's fascinating to see how the different systems operate. In the UK we're used to a binary system: this or that, Conservatives or Labour, so a coalition doesn't really compute. Here, people are totally used to coalitions of 3 (occasionally 4) parties, and they think it is a fairer representation of the electorate. I do have to say that I like proportional representation (never thought I'd say that!!) because it means all votes count equally. At home, if your vote isn't the same as 51% of the other people in your constituency, it doesn't count at all which doesn'tseem right.
Ah well, politics and religion are the two things not amenable to rational discussion anywhere, right?Phew .. just taking a breather from sorting groceries .. latest order .. 460 individual items .. value £230 ... everything unpacked ... all has to be counted .. checked it's in date .. priced up .. and packed in bags ready to take down to the communal lounge ..
star buy this order ... bars of Lindt Chocolate .. just 50p per bar ! 
... This little shop is certainly keeping me busy .. and people have been saying they just don't know what I'll be thinking of doing next hehehehe
It is a lot of fun .. and it's certainly giving me something new to focus on and get involved in ... but ohhh how I wish there wasn't so much packaging to clear away each time .. this order was a pile of 5 boxes standing 8 feet high .. 5 main boxes and then 4 smaller boxes in each main box .. it's a LOT of work flat packing it all and then loading up the cardboard to take it down to the rubbish room .. + 20 coils of plastic strapping, metres and metres of bubble wrap .. *pop* *pop* *pop* ...
It's been an absolutely beautiful day here .. pretty typical UK scenario .. it rained all through the Bank Holiday weekend and then as soon as everyone went back to work the sun brightly shone again ...
I think coalition governments make much sounder sense than just one party .. we already seem to have a much more honest and hard working government .. but it's dire news about how badly the Labour Party have run down poor old Britain .. we are in a shocking state .. it won't just take years to get back to normal again .. it will take several generations .. !
Last week I found a new online shop selling clothes for 'larger' ladies ... woohooo ... really nice clothes ... modern, dare I say almost fashionable, but very cheap .. really nice tops for just £5 ... trousers/jeans £6 ... so my next challenge is to give myself a 'make over' ... I'm going to 're-invent' myself .. find a new hairstyle .. new style of clothes .. I feel 'years younger' .. so why shouldn't I pretend to be years younger hahahahah .. as long as I do it tastefully and not look like mutton dressed as lamb of course .. over the weekend I reread that first post I made just a few years ago ... what a difference ... I am so very glad I made the post .. it has changed me completely ...
Good luck with all your moving around ..
Patootie, you really ARE a marvel! And it sounds to me as if you are running the equivalent of a supermarket now!
It does sound like a stinking lot of work, though, and if I guess you don't want to get too tired and tive the fibro any excuse to act up. Could one or two of the other residents give you a hand with some of it? It might not just give you a bit of breathing space, but also make them feel good: there's nothing like knowing you have a valued task to give purpose to the day and self-respect to the person...Or maybe it would just be more work for you, trying to keep an eye on what other people are doing and tactfully make sure they're doing it right? Anyway, I just love the way you're bringing all kinds of new ideas and activities and things to look forward to, into the life of your community! You may be too modest to see it, but you are making a huge difference to your neighbours there!
And what a great idea to have a re-look at your personal style (clothes, hair, makeup etc). Everyone needs to do it from time to time, and you certainly have come a long way since you first forum post! And you are NOT old, so do try out some new things and see how you like them. I've been doing a bit the same thing since I left the office: at work I always used to wear black suits (at first skirts and jackets, then trouser suits) but I don't have to any more. I tried a variety of different 'looks' (within the spectrum I'm comfortable with, obviously) and however odd it sounds, I think most of the time I'm happiest in a white tee shirt and jeans with a bit of fun Fair Trade type jewellery. The simpler the better for me. See what you settle for----ethnic chic? colourful and dramatic? monochrome and subtle? I wait with bated breath!
Mr C and C3 are away for a couple of days, so I've been hoovering and washing and all that so the place will be clean and nice when they get home tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to mop all the floors and then devote myself to baking for the church fair on Saturday. And I really HAVE to make a start on the Latin grammar. I can't put it off any longer.....and I do HAVE to have it in order to do the research I want. <hitches up trousers in purposeful manner>
Coalition governments, properly organised, are much the most representiative. But I think they are exceptionally hard to manage at the moment because all over the western world countries are more divided than they have been for some years. Our elections are next Wednesday, and it's looking as if we might even have four parties needed to establish a coalition with a majority in Parliament. And I still haven't quite decided who to vote for! But in spite of all the hoopla and posturing and all the rest of it, there is still something quietly magnificent about a society in which people are allowed to choose their governors, and you can be confident of a lawful and peaceful transfer of power. So many places in the world don't have those things.
P.S. I suppose the NEXT step will be running a clothes shop???
Feels like a supermarket too
.. I've been delving into the health and safety regs for selling food .. stock rotation and cleaning all surfaces regularly I can cope with .. there is an amazing amount of rules I possibly should be reading up on .. but I think I would have been* ok as I am not selling to the general public .. only a select few people and as it's not intended to make any money from it ... *would have been BUT ... having taken some legal advice from a friendly online solicitor .. I have been made aware that under the terms of receiving disability benefits it would be wise to either stop immediately .. or notify benefits I am 'working' 
It would seem by 'selling' a few groceries to neighbours I have technically started a 'business' ... no matter that I have no intention of making money from it (something else I am not allowed to do) so I daredn't fall foul of the benefits laws and this must be my last order to share with other residents .. what a shame ... I know it's made a difference to other residents .. just a bit of excitement seeing all the 'goodies' set out .. and everyone has said that they've tried things they'd never usually think of trying .. and that I always have the goods set out beautifully ... but sadly ... I have to stop !
It's soooo frustrating ... stupid benefits ...
That does sound weird, Patootie. I wonder if there's any way around it? I mean, aren't there schemes where people get together to do a bulk buy from somewhere, and when the goods arrive they just come and take their own? Maybe there is some way where people could tell you in advance what they want, and then you just put in a bulk order without charging anything?
Alternatively, is there some way the housing trust could help you with this? As it's not-for-profit, maybe they could nominally do it and you could just operate it for them?
When there's an idea as sensible as this I hate to let it go without a fight!
I'll see what else I can find out.
I think the shop is now a dead duck ... they all like having it there .. but no one wants to take over .. which is fair enough as they are all quite elderly or have their own illnesses to combat .. a couple of people seem quite 'cross' .. "you should keep doing it, who's going to know" ... but that's precisely the problem .. far too many carers, therapists and other officials come and go ... besides which .. I have always had a problem with my 'honesty streak' ... if I find out something is wrong then I do try my very best to distance myself from it asap ...
To that end I spoke to my scheme manager immediately I knew there was a problem .. and in the circumstances she has 'taken over' the running of the shop until I have 'sold out' ... and she has logged it on my official scheme profile ... words to the effect "didn't realise this could cause a problem with her benefits, gave up immediately she knew" ... hopefully I have now covered myself should the unthinkable happen .. sigh .. it was just a few minutes a day .. if I thought I could cope with a real job I'd be banging at doors .. I hate being on benefits ...
Been 'laid low' since Friday .. spending most of the day and night laying in bed reading .. weather took a sudden plunge from being sunny and hot .. to chilly squally showers ... the barometer change was HUGE .. I can't cope with sudden air pressure changes .. it's a muscle thing .. joints felt like they were full of grit and muscles were cracklling .. lol .. Just starting to get 'acclimatised' to the weather now though ..
A nasty flying critter had got into my bedroom about a week ago ... been bitten all over .. huge angry red lumps have come up on my legs and tummy (how do they get there) ... so I am dabbing creams on and tking anti-histamines as I have funny allergies to bites ..
Sigh .. it's been a funny few days ... still .. it can only get better ...
Oh Patootie, what a shame! The little 'shop' was a wonderful idea----creative use of your energy and organisational ability, brought interest and economy and new things to your little community. This is the sort of thing that makes you think the law really IS crazy
(((((
However, knowing you, you'll think of some other way to help everyone in sight and use your talents. I wait with interest......
But I guess from what you wrote that the fibro has been kicking up again. Drat. I know it's a sort of cycle, but I hate to hear that it's come around again. Now that we seem to have some more stable weather (and nice weather at that) hopefully you're feeling better again.
Of course the good weather brings the horrid insects, so it seems to be swings and roundabouts at the moment for you!!!
Sorry to have been out of the air so long, it's been faintly manic here as we are making the Big Heave to France next week. The idea is that for the next few years we'll spend most of our time there, though with frequent trips back to NL and also to the UK of course. But we aren't selling our house here, it's the family home where the kids grew up and we really don't know how we'll find life in France longer term. A lot depends too on where the kids land up etc but for now we have a window of opportunity, with our youngest in uni and nobody married or producing grandchildren yet, so it's kind of now or never! Since C1 was born only a year after we got married (and we spent that year fixing up our first house), Mr C and I have never had time to just enjoy being a couple, so we're looking forward to it.
Do you know anything about long car journeys with cats, Patootie? We have to take the two cats and the dog with us, it's about 12 hours in the car (with regular stops, of course). Rossie will be OK, we can take her out on her lead, but I'm not sure what to do with the cats. We think we'll let them out of their boxes IN THE CAR to visit the litterbox (also in the car---with disposable liners that we WILL dispose of pronto!) but I have horrid visions of one of them digging in under a car seat, and the gymnastics that would be required to extract her WITHOUT OPENING THE CAR DOOR..... Do you have any advice??
Must go get my hair cut, but will try to stay in better touch! xx
I scrolled back to find this info I gave you ages ago .. re cats/harness/travelling .. I wrote the following ...
"Cats .. yes both my cats were used to walking with a harness .. which they wore for trips to vets .. and in post recovery from various illnesses where they couldn't go outside on their own. Make sure you get a proper cat harness, not a small dog one .. don't use just a neck collar as cats will wriggle out of it if angry or scared.
This pretty much says it all .. http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/ht/leashtrain.htm
This is the style of 'H' harness I used .. you can make this one a more 'snug' fit than those that just have straps .. and it is a lot easier to get off too .. (for the human that is) .. http://www.ultimateanimals.co.uk/acatalog/cat_collars_cat_leads_cat_harness_cat_ID_tags.html "
Having a harness would a) allow you to take kitty outside for loo breaks .. b) keep kitty from making mad dashes for freedom out of car doors etc ... c) give you peace of mind for kitty's safety ...
Which in turn will keep kitty calm, as cats are very highly attuned to owners stress levels and then they get more stressed too .. which makes the owners more stressed, in turn the kitty more stressed until you have 'kitty/owner meltdown' ...
Got more news ... but need to 'dash out' for a short while .. will add more when I get back ..
Right .. back again .. took almost £300 of assorted coins to the bank this morning .. an accumulation of the grocery monies .. flippin' weighed a ton ..
I also posted off an A4 sized magnifier for my mum who is having a lot of problems with her eyesight and can't read normal sized print any more ..
And I went to hospital again to visit my elderly ex neighbour (from my last address) ... he's 'my lovely old gent' .. sadly he is in a very bad way now .. had pneumonia, 2 major (and extremely invasive) intestinal ops and a mini heart attack in the last 4 weeks .. he is nearing his nineties .. and I fear this may be the end .. he's had just about every major illness going over the last 40 odd years .. but a body can only take so much illness and so many ops .. I hope he proves me wrong ... but I hate seeing him in so much pain and suffering so much ..
On a brighter note .. we have the Church Summer Fayre going on at the church tomorrow .. all the residents have put together a load of old tat .. and we will try and flog it to unsuspecting people hahaha ... hope it's not too hot as they will be holding the Fayre outside ..
Oh yes, Patootie, I took your earlier advice to heart and we have got those harnesses for both cats, and they are reasonably OK wearing them. They are not too good at walking on the lead, but it does give us a way of restraining them.
What I'm really fretting about is how to give them some fresh air and exercise during the day. Not sure if we will let them out of the car except in their boxes, as Heineken in particular might be hard to get back into her box (to oput it mildly!). So I think we will put a litterbox in the back seat and let them clamber around in the car, I think (though I do have nightmares about the gymnastic involved if we have to try to extract an unwilling cat from under a car seat without opening the car door!!). Actually, I'm hoping they will take a good look, resign themselves to the situation and sleep all the way!
Lord, that must have been a lot of coins! And it does show how useful the shop was. Is there NO way that the housing charity could run it, on an at-cost basis, and you manage it for them as a volunteer? I've seen a lot of residences here that include a small shop for the residents. It was SUCH a good idea!!
How thoughtful to give your mum that magnifier. My dad was the same in his last few years. In the end I got him one of those standing lamps, about a yard tall, with a strong light and a circular magnifier on the stalk: good light, magnification and hands free. That helped him a lot.
I'm so sorry to hear about your old gentleman. You've spoken of him often, and he sounds like such a gentle soul. But he must have been very lonely when you moved to your new house; and if he's nearly 90 and in poor health, I can't help almost hoping that he can slip away if he is too uncomfortable. I think when you get very old it's tiresome having everything get more painful, and more limited, and a time comes when you're really keen to get on and start something entirely new.
Ooooh lovely, a summer fair! We had ours about 3 weeks ago. And good weather DOES help---not too hot, and not pouring with rain. From the forecast it sounds like you should be in luck, hope you have a fabulous day!
We are in the final stages of preparing to heave ourselves down to France. We go on Tuesday: I'll be up at 5 to take Rossie for a good walk, then we leave at 6, and with stops every 2 hours we should arrive home in France between 6 and 7 pm. And then we'll see! It will be really good to start in on this new stage of life: the last 6 months have been leaving, resigning, ending, handing over. Mr C's retirement dinner on Wednesday was incredible----his colleagues had done a fantastic amount of work, not just a lovely dinner in a restaurant but a whole spoof 'course' on how to spend his time in retirement. It was just lovely for him. That sort of thing is good and necessary, but my dad used to say that leaving and going are the same thing, just looked at from opposite ends of the telescope: but leaving is rather sad and backward-looking, while going is fun and forward-looking, so you should get your leaving over with as quickly as possible (brief and businesslike farewells) and start going. I'm looking forward to that!
Sorry .. cutting it fine I know but ... just quickly .. the Summer Fayre was a huge success .. we made about £60 from a few old books and bits of tat no one wanted .. hahahaha .. but all the 'helpers' we had expected melted away in the heat .. was over 40C in the sun where we had our table .. so the three of us were stuck there for two hours .. I was completely shattered by the time we got back .. 2 of the gents here had at least helped us to get the stuff to the Fayre and back .. using an assortment of rollators, wheelchairs and my scooter .. but all the 'other' ladies who had promised us a half hour break .. never bothered ... it was 'too hot' they said when we asked where they got to .. ... grrrr well they should have been stuck there for two hours ...
Honestly .. never again ... the same had happened at the Christmas Fayre .. lots of promises of help .. but then they were 'too busy' on the day .. yet they ALL benefit from the money we make as it goes into the entertainments fund .. I said maybe we should allocate the money just to those who gave a helping hand .. hahahah
Now .. the kitties ... so, and I hope I am not too late to help ... if it were me .. I would do the stops just like you plan to ... clip the leads onto the dog and cats as soon as you stop ... then take them ALL out for a walk round together .. maybe taking the kitties poop tray outside too and leaving it within reach of their walk .. and just let them have a wander about on the lead .. I am sure by the second or third stop the kitties will have worked out they need to pee etc then ... and will have seen the dog having a quick squat or leg up ...
Cats are extremely clean animals and will really resent having to pee etc in the car .. even if it is their cat litter tray .. and you will have cat litter and pooey smells in the car ... not nice ..
Just don't get 'stressed' yourselves .. be laughing and happy when you stop ... just get the animals out and let them do as they wish ... give a jolly .. 'come on, back to the car now .. we''ll be stopping again soon' .. as the signal to all pile back in ... and keep talking to the animals .. as you travel along .. some folks say singing silly songs keeps animals from being stressed on long car journeys as you don't sound at all stressed while singing silly songs* .. but i suppose that may depend on how good (or bad) you are at singing .. or maybe some light classical music (not too loud) would help them relax ...
PS .. *my cats would join in and howl along with my singing ... fine on long motorway journeys .. but got me some very funny looks going through a town ..' my old mans a dustman hooooowwwwllll ... he wears a dustmans cap ... hooooowwwwwllll '... hahahahah
Good luck ... let me know you've all got there safely even if it is a one line quickie .. have a safe and pleasant day ...
Oh Patootie, how nasty of people to let you down like that! It doesn't seem to dawn on some people that if THEY don't do things, they are in effect insisting that SOMEONE ELSE do them. What a shame, when you're doing so much to help everyone. It sounds like some thinking about how to make sure people do what they say, and to avoid freeloaders, is in order!
Thanks for the help with the cats. I think we'll probably take it one step at a time and see how it goes. If they should use the litter box in the car we will change it then and there, you can be sure! My chief concern is that if we let them out of their boxes, we may have the devil of a time getting them back in..... So I think we'll see what kind of energy level they seem to have when we stop. I actually suspect that they are going to be quite laid back about it all, and it's not going to be too difficult---but as I said, I've never done this before!
Of course I'll let you know we arrive OK! But don't worry if you don't hear til Wednesday night or even Thursday. By the time we arrive tomorrow evening, and have unpacked, we may be pretty tired; and we have several pressing appointments on Wednesday, so I might not get to a computer for a couple of days....
Hope you're enjoying the fine weather, and not finding it too enervating! xxx
trying to walk with crossed toes
The lady sitting next to me kept looking at my glass .. so I said to her I didn't like the tap water and had brought my own filtered water drink .. we sat there for another 20 minutes or so ... I'd finished my drink .. and finally she said to me .. "Why on earth haven't your ice cubes melted"? ....
So I took one out and handed it to her ... she touched it .. prodded it .. looked at me perplexed ... so I said they were special reusable plastic ice cubes .. just wash and refreeze ... she burst out laughing and said in a loud voice ... "I dinna believe it, the womans that tight she's even got reuseable ice cubes"
So the 'ice cubes' (now dried and rather squishy) all got passed round for folks to touch ... just given them a really good wash and rinsed them in water with a drop of Milton in .. and they are back in the freezer ready for next time ..
I'm not miserly .. honestly ... just can't get standard ice cubes out of the freezing trays without they shoot all over the kitchen .. and hate having my drinks watered down with melted ice cubes ..
I'm in a local restauramt withfree wifi cos the internet at home dorsn't work. No idea why, another thing to track down.
But we arrived in good order yesterday, after a trip og 14 hpirs. The animals were amazingly good. Rossoe came for a walk at every stop. The cats went to slerp, and didn't want to come put em route though tjey did sppreviate some attention when we stopped. Having been here for nearly 24 hours, theu are adjusting well and will settle down fine, I think.
Can't make this long as I'm on the iphonebut did want. To let yoj lnowthat we arived and all is well! More as soon as the home wifi works again!0
Gratefully uncrossing my toes so I don't have to shuffle along ...
Good to know you are safe and well and all survived the journey in good order .. now ... take some time to relax, chill, and settle in ...
Rossie is in doggie heaven, she loves it. We are letting the cats start to explore the house, and they are much intrigued.
No internet at home til Thursday at the earliest so will keep this short but hope things are going well for you!!
Once we get sorted here a belated birthday parcel will beon its way to you
Hi, Patootie, I'm checking in from a local cafe with wifi! our satellite needs to be retuned or something; supposed to happen on Thursday but til then I'm stuck with the iphone except when I get in here.
The kitties are doing well. We have let them explore one half of the house, though we still keep them in one room when they are unsupervised. But today when we went out we gave them the run of that half of the house. (That's the half where the bedrooms are; the other half, where we have the kitchen and sitting room, is where we leave a lot of doors and windows open and they would get out and get lost in no time.) Up to now they've been able to go in and out as they liked, but here we are going to try to keep them inside since there are so many things here they have never encountered and that would be dangerous (including the country road that's 2 feet from the front door: very few cars, but the ones that do go through often go fairly fast).
Yesterday we had a big outdoor lunch with almost the whole population of the village (27 in total!). I posted this on another thread, but I think you would have enjoyed it too, so at the risk of repeating myself:
In the morning 5 or 6 of us put tables out on the teensy little 'centre' of the village---just a tiny little circle about 30 feet across with a couple of trees. The houses nearest the circle contributed the tables and chairs from their gardens. At noon we all got together and it began. About an hour and a half spent on aperitifs: sangria, wine, and some amazing stuff made with some sort of sweet plum wine. And lots of nibbles (including cubes of Dutch cheese with toothpicks with Dutch flags and with Dutch mustard to dip them in
)
Eventually we sat down (everyone brought their own cutlery, plate and glass, which seems to be the way you do it here) and the fun began. Food assignments had been made in advance, and different people had made different things. So a whole series of platters went round, with wedges of pate, slices of melon, sliced tomatoes, then the main course of venison (shot nearby and prepared, I understand, in red wine: a great delicacy, so I took some and Mr C ate it for me) and some wonderful haricot beans cooked with herbs and garlic, bread of course, our cheeseboards with five Dutch cheeses.
Then the puddings where people really pushed the boat out: fresh raspberries with meringue and yoghurt, baked coconut custard (sounds weird but was TOTALLY YUM), fresh cherry clafouti, home made biscuits, brownies, fresh vanilla custard. THEN they brought out the cold champagne (we learned that the thing is to bring a couple of chillded bottles---next time we'll know), and then the home-made eau de vie made locally from pears---totally illegal, 'very pure' we were assured, and about 50 proof! And finally coffee. I think we left after about 5 hours; some of the more stalwart went on to play jeu de boules, and some of them gathered again about 6.30 to eat and drink some more! And talk about bringing up kids: whilst all this was going on there was a 13 year old who took part just like an adult, and four under-5's who spent the whole time sitting at their little table and playing nearby, causing no trouble to anyone. Amazing.
It made me think obscurely of some of the things you might have done when you lived in Africa: there is something special about people who live away from big cities and who have to make their own entertainment. I really think you would have loved it.
how are things going up your way? I hope the hot weather hasn't brough the wretched fibro back, I know changes in the weather often set it off. and have been back to your farm shop, or your Italian place? I was wondering if one of the might do a delivery once a month if you all clubbed together? It just seems such a shame when you are bringing such a lot of colour and interest into the lives of your fellow residents, that it should all be blocked by bureaucratic nonsense!! Anyway, let me know how you are??
Glad to hear all is going well with the post move activities .. I'm sure the kitties will be quite happy just so long as they are getting regular attention, cuddles, brushing, petting, food, cuddles, love and more cuddles .. hahahah
You had me positively drooling over the lovely lunch ... it sounds like you have moved to Nirvana .. and I'm sure you will fit in quite nicely once folks get to know you better .. they (you all) sound like you are going to be such an eclectic group of folks that it will be huge fun living there .. and it sounds like you've already settled in to the way of life .. long lazy lunches on the green ., well behaved children .. fun and games .. hooch ... you naughty people ... hahahah .... and yes .. quite a lot of comparisons with Africa in the early 1970's ..
The weather is 'playing me up' a little ... but I am not complaining about getting some much needed warm weather .. only now we are in a drought situation .. all the lawns have gone a nasty yellowy brown .. we did have a sprinkling or rain a couple of days ago .. but by the time it had fallen, hit the concrete like ground, bounced back into the air .. it had virtually evaporated .. so it did no good at all other than making it seem even more humid and sticky .. !
I am in full 'pre party panic' now .. too late to change my mind as the monthly newsletter has gone out ... "come along to the summer party" ... awww heck ... where am I going to find the energy to decorate a large room, make lots of party nibbles and jellies etc .. get showered, 'glammed up' and be the 'jolly party' girl ... just keep telling myself .. I can do this ... I can do this .. I can do this ... and I know once we all get together lots of folks will willing give a hand .. I just want (need) to do all the planning and prep myself .. make it a surprise for all ..
Starting this weekend .. all the little brollies and food stick thingies will get made up .. got the food grade plastic gloves ready ... a big hygienic bag and once they are done that will be the most fiddly bit sorted .. that will give me plenty of time then to prepare shopping lists .. (once I get the party goer numbers) .. fingers crossed I'll manage it all ...