Dear Billy, waiting for Lisa to come back with a prawn curry and I a absolutely starving.  It's nice to have an appetite as usually I'm eating on my own.  Poor you, poor Bren, Norman always lost the plot when he had an infection, it drove me mad as one minute he was fine and the next on another planet, so pleased she has taken her tablets.  I'm staying here for about a month, there is so little to rush home for, so I'll stay where I'm happy and content.  Zippy has given  me plenty of licks and the cats keep eyeing me.up as I've stolen  their bedroom!  I'm watching Harry play hockey tomorrow morning, so boots and socks and a warm coat required.  I will keep posting as will have time to do it.  Love Carol x 

Dear carol .

Hope you aren't putting on weight all this rich food, but really glad you are keeping well and good company .

Bit of a change here Brenda in hospital, turned nasty throwing things at me and carer threatened to stab me when i slept , carer called police they called ambulance.

Hospital said not water infection, that was yesterday morning in A and E . she's in MEAU now so hopefully they will find out what is wrong soon .

Hope you are getting out and about plenty, using up that good food .

Take care keep safe and sound .

Love Billy xxxx

Please keep posting Carol, it's good to know you are spending some time with your daughter and family where you feel happy and content there is nothing like being with the people who mean the most to us - family, enjoy your time with them and take good care of yourself. Best wishes Thelma 

Dear Carol and Billy,

Billy, I'm so sorry to hear Bren is in hospital, I do hope she gets the right treatment to get her better. I hope you are managing at home, just you and Bella. 
 

Carol, 

Glad you are being looked after, it's time you were pampered.  Hoping things are getting easier as the days get longer. 
 

Lots of love to both of you

Christine xxx

Dear all, thank you for checking up on me, I've managed to do a lot of walking with zippy who is happy to see me. The Sun has been out and I feel a little more healthy and have a little more roses in my cheeks. This is making sure I eat and reporting to Faye so she can keep a check on me as well. I saw everyone is talking about Jamie at Woking theatre which was very entertaining although I really didn't want to go. It's difficult finding a balance between grieving and trying to live as well. Tugs is back from his marathon cycling For charity and they have raised well over a quarter of £1 million. Billy I'm so sorry to hear about Bren and I hope you have her home soon, it's very scary as my mum became quite violent as well but she was in a home, But it's still hard to watch, poor you I hope she is home with you soon. Thank you girls for checking on me and I will keep posting as I know it does help to write it down. Going to have a gin and tonic now, change that to a glass of wine as Lisa has just presented me with one. I'll write soon again love Carol

I'm still in Surrey and Lisa has just arrived home safely and with her foot in plaster after the pin was removed.  I've got her in bed with it elevated and puppy is snuggled up with her.  This bundle of black fur has been my lifeline and made me smile so much.  Saturday we had a takeaway and watched the new Spiderman movie, Tugs promptly fell asleep and we waited for him to fall off the sofa but somehow he didn't!  The movie was rubbish although Harry loved it, it went on for ages so I was tired by bed time   upstairs I put my pj's on, pulled the bed Covers back and there was a brown furry mouse sat looking at me, what I hadn't realised as I didn't have my specs on was that not only did it have no tail but it wasn't alive, Zippy had kindly placed it there to keep me company and it was one of his favourite toys!  Sunday we cleaned the patio, washed all the cushions, Lisa has a thing about cushions and they are everywhere, so I then took the puppy out.  He heard a bird in the privet hedge, took off through it, the blackbird flew out narrowly missing my head, he then tried to come back out but tangled the lead around the hedge causing him to end up in a hangman's noose.  I had to crawl through the hedge, unclip his lead, hold him with my left hand and reach to untangle his lead which was not an easy thing to do.  Today Margaret rang me whilst I was walking him, I had to hang up as he had tangled the lead round his paw twice then tangled it around his other paw basically putting him in splints so he couldn't move.  Ray rang me, Dorothy is in hospital with a broken collarbone and has caught covid so is on a covid ward, like Norman she has had no help from nursing staff and left her lying down with food out of reach, Ray went mad and said you do know she has dementia and can't ask to sit up, next time he went in they had left her to eat soup with her left hand and she was covered in it, they got Pals involved but after one day it was the same again.  I said I know exactly how he feels as having your loved one so neglected is painful and traumatic, like me he has cared for her as I did Norman and they never got covid, they were married in October 1969 as were Norman and I, so it's heartbreaking.  I keep thinking I must ring Norman and tell him the funny stories about Zippy then my heart sinks and reality hits home.  This is a false peace for me as in a couple of weeks I'll be back to me and an empty house, feeling like a spare part again, spending weekends alone, it makes me want to cry but I need to stay positive for my girls as they have a lot to cope with.  Faye and Ella are coming to stay next weekend, Ella will be in her element as she adores the puppy and it will be just us girls all together.  I've just noticed it's gin and tonic time, they don't eat until at least 8pm here so I'll have that to keep me going.  Love to anyone still reading my rubbish.  Billy is Bren home yet?  Carol xx

Hi Carole 

Still reading your exploits.  I can just picture you going through that hedge.  Your still making us laugh.

When you get back home lookup any groups that you could join.  Maybe not yet but when you are ready.

Billy hope Brens OK.

Love and hugs to you all River

Hi river and all especially carol as its here string . Carol you definitely want to write a book of your exploits you'll make millions.can just imagine you in the hedge.

Went to see Brenda yesterday evening a neighbor took me .  As soon as I walked in she was darling and kissing and cuddling me,no shouting but non stop talking, even whispers now and again, she's still not sleeping well .

i asked nurse no mental health team yet but other tests ok.

Hoping to visit Thursday take colouring book and plenty of colour pens as she was doing some pages I noticed.

Love to you all Billy xxxx

Quick update yesterday morning Brenda was assessed,I was told she'd stay in hospital as best place.

Yesterday afternoon another phone call told Brenda going somewhere else as she'd hit a nurse, still waiting to hear where and when .

i asked Brenda why she couldn't remember anything about it , she said she'd apologize .

Love to you carol and All others on forum .

XXX

Dear Billy I'm so sorry that things have escalated with Bren, its part of her illness and its very difficult to deal with both from your point of view and the nurses.  Please keep me updated.  I was going home tomorrow but it all became rather traumatic on Saturday when Faye arrived as she assumed that I was staying for at least another week and had arranged her plans around that.  So I felt awful and as we are all grieving it became a big issue for me and I got very upset.  I tried to explain that I felt lost and alone so that became  an issue as Faye said that wasn't very nuce as they had all done everything to stop me feeling alone!  She tends to raise her voice when she is upset so I said please don't shout at me, it's so hard to explain that even when I'm with people I still feel alone, half of me is missing, I keep thinking I'll  call Norman and tell him about what I've been doing, then Faye cried and said she was going to call him as he was home alone, then realised he wasn't there.  We called a truce and took Zippy for a good walk and came home and drank wine until we felt more chilled and had a good chat.  Mothers day was bitter sweet as I've spent it out with Norman over the past five years but was with my girls yesterday for the first time.  I have decided to stay until next Monday then will have only a week alone as its Easter and Faye will come home.  I'm still in bed as I do feel in the way in the morning rush of family life.  Take care all, love Carol x