General Chat

Well done Ann
Now you should start feeling a lot better about your self, just remember no lifting or stretching or you might undo all the good work.

take it easy

Gill

Hi all, and again Happy Birthday Caz, if you are looking in.

Thanks for all the thoughts, I haven't slept well, kept waking up and watching tv in bed til I dozed off again, wondering whether I could cope with getting up in the loft etc. In the end I came down to put some washing in and make a cuppa, and decided to ring a builder, whose number I found in the newspaper last night. He offered references etc and said years of experience, etc etc and when I called has been doing up a house for himself and now looking for work again to bring in more cash. I explained my whole situation so he understood the set up and why he couldn't get to the back of the house etc and he is going to go today and have a look and hopefully do the work tomorrow. He said without looking, could be £350 but I think he sounds a fair chap, I don't know any builders now, so will hope he is ok and can claim off insurance. Feel a bit better now, thank heavens I have insurance, altho a £73 excess :>((

Ann, glad you have the stitches out and hope the healing will go well. Take care, so you can have your holiday and enjoy the break without problems.

Kathy, box has some room at the mo lol not sure how long for, I get so many jokes and other mails sent me, I can't keep up sometimes!

To everyone else, positive thoughts for today and hope you all find a ray of sunshine midst the gloom and trials and tribulations of life!
love
Lizxxxx

Gill and Liz, thank you, yes I intend to go carefully. Showed OH the scar because until now it has been covered with a dressing. Ooh he said, it is quite big isn't it? But he didn't need to know that, he is very good at stopping me doing things. I do worry that he will get tired himself but he is ok so far. at least i can now cook without hassling him to do things for me. i checked with the nurse and she said it is ok to lift kettle and saucepans. The trouble is it is an abdominal scar so a lot of strain can be put on it like having a hysterectomy.

Strangely, now the dressing is off the most uncomfortable thing is my bra which is tight above the scar, so I have taken it off (beware black eyes if I move quickly.)

Ann
Glos

I have just realised that we are quite multi national on this thread. How about we each describe the area in which we live.

Gloucestershire is a large county, home to the beautiful Cotswolds, good walking country with lots of pretty villages and, in places, views over the Severn Valley to another of our areas of natural beauty, the Forest of Dean. A beautiful forest with many walks through it and lots of lakes. This part of Gloucester borders with wales.

The River Severn runs through Gloucestershire with its strange phenomenon the Severn Bore, a tide that runs up river in the opposite direction to what is normal causing a large tidal wave ridden on occasion by surfers.

Gloucester City is home to Gloucester Cathedral which is where parts of Harry Potter were filmed. This is a beautiful Cathedral, well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Gloucester was also the basis of the story of the Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. The original story was of a tailor who was making a suit but was too tired to finish it, when he came in to work in the morning it was finished. (I think there was a note left to say it was finished by the fairies or something but can't remember) What actually happened was that his two assistants went out drinking and were unable to get home afterwards. To while away the hours of the night they finished the tailor's work.

Nine miles from Gloucester we have the lovely Regency Spa town of Cheltenham, beautiful buildings and expensive shops. and also not far away we have the old town of Tewkesbury, beam fronted buildings, a fascinating little town.

We have Royalty too, Prince Charles and The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) both have their home in Gloucestershire.

And we have Jilly Cooper the author and several other celebrities.

Gloucester is not my place of birth but we have lived here for 24 years altogether (8 from 1973 -81 and 16 from 1992 to date) I don't think i would want to live anywhere else now.

Ann
Glos

Morning all,
yes my days are longer than yours, we just put our clocks ahead one hour this past weekend, so we have an extra hour of daylight!!
Which of course doesn't mean a thing because I work till 11pm. BTW I have become a "little old lady" on the road since my scare, now people are passing me!! last night we had fog, dense fog added to the mix of weather, that was not pleasant but I came home safely, left no rubber on the road.

Dear Liz, one step at a time with the house, be glad you don't live here, the house insurance won't pay up if the house hasn't been checked in the previous 48 hours, if we go away we have to make sure someone walks through every 2 days. So you are lucky, and sounds like you have found a decent builder. I wonder if Google Earth will show your skewed tiles???

Well done Ann with your sutures, anticipation is so often worse than reality. You should be right as rain in no time.

I want to hibernate, we are promised more snow flurries this afternoon, but have to go upstairs now and throw together a supper for the 2 with autism, as they stay at therapy today and tomorrow from 1pm until 7pm, so the therapists have the delight of ducking flying food and plates, instead of us!! Their Mum has mid-term exams so she is no help at present.

I managed to set up my printer today, once my daughter pointed out that I was missing a USB cable - now to figure out where the paper goes in . . . . . I am aiming at scanning some of the papers I'm returning to the UK, and want to get that job done. Sadly, the youngest brother of the lady whose papers they were, died last July, I had so wanted to find the family sooner, but now her nephew will receive them.

off to settle a fight, a pillow fight . .
hugs to all,
maxiMary

Have fun Mary, that is a strict stipulation re the insurance! I wondered about the google earth but not sure I want to look ... lol

I might tell you all about Norfolk one of these days, well you all know it is flat!! Not! we don't have mountains but we have a few hills lol and of course the lovely Broads. (Who said Liz lol)

Ann, you sound as if you have a good'un there, hope he stays healthy and strong.

AnnGG, glad you enjoyed your trip to London and the shopping.

Catch you all later, take care,
love
Lizx

Hi Ann of G glad you are ok now with stitches out, it is easier to go without bra as you found out. Hi to everybody else, I am in a rush.
Thank you all for birthday wishes.

Caz xx

Have now found a builder who will go and do the work tomorrow or Thursday, has the scaffolding as that is his main job but he has two roofer pals who will check the work out, he will take pics of the felt underneath to show me so I can see what condition it is in, and will do the job for £50 so as he comes recommended by someone at K's workplace, have agreed to have him go and cancelled the other chap, who was very understanding and ok about it.
Must have been Daff's GA at work again, thanks Daff.
Lizx

Just read some of the messages.
Ann, I'm so glad that the stitches are out.

Where ever you have them.. the pull ans hurt you. The freedom comes when they go.
Have a lovely pain free day.
Deanna X

Hi All
So many messages to look through, I like this thread.
I cannot remember what i have just eaten so remembering names is a no no.
Ann I am glad your stitches are out,, i am a very pessimistic person, then things can only get better!!
Caz sorry I'm abit late but Happy birthday, hope you are having a good one.
Here in Doncaster the weather is not too bad, nothing horrendous like tiles off roofs, we really are quite lucky with weather, we did get caught up with some bad flooding a while back but it didn't affect this side of town. That was strange really 'cos the river that caused part of the problem is about quarter of a mile away from me .
Anyway Doncaster is famous for the St Leger horserace and now for the new Robin Hood airport.
I suppose it's not such a bad place to live (mustn't talk politics) but I would love to live by the coast.
Much love to everyone
Janet

evening everyone hope all had nice day as i said this morning i was having a chill out day was feeling a bit better today till a hour ago son in law and daughter took us shopping ,then droped us of home and it took somthing so silly to send me down have had a cry comes over me like a wave feel so down and do you no what made me like this ?a neighbours car tooting horn to get passed when we were being droped of how silly is that told you im loosing the plot elaine

A short description of where I live. I am in the Niagara peninsula of Ontario,Canada. This is grape-growing country, there are over 40 wineries on the peninsula, plus many other types of fruit grown here. We are I believe on the same latitude as southern Italy. Welland, where I live,is about dead centre between Lake Erie to the south and Lake Ontario to the north. It's pretty flat here, some hilly spots, but although locals in some areas may refer to them as mountains, they are not!!
We have extremes of weather between summer and winter, not much in the way of a spring, we'll go very quickly from this frigid cold to high temps by late May.
Welland is famous for the "Welland Canal", a shipping canal, linking the 2 Lakes. It's technically a city but has a small town atmosphere.
My house is over 100 years old, was used as a chapel in the 1920's, high ceilings and wide window sills unlike the modern houses.
Five minues by car takes me out into the country, with (usually)nice clear roads, if you like to speed!! Well removed from the high density housing in the nearest city where we lived for the past12 years, before moving here. I like the friendliness of a smaller town, Welland has one of the largest French populations in Ontario. the children are all taught French as a second language from Kindergarten in Ontario.
Hope that gives you a little photo of where I am located.
My home is still Llandaff!!
maxiMary

Mary, thank you for the snapshot of your home town. i had not realised so many grapes were grown in Ontario. I have been to Niagara, the Falls area, and we have been to Vancouver and have driven up to banff and the Rockies which was beautiful but have not seen anything else of Canada, so tanks for that.

Ann
Glos

It's so interesting to read about where you all live. Never been to Canada. Might get chance one day!

I live in Lincoln City. We are famous for it's cathedral ( where The Da Vinci Code was filmed) It is the best in England!! Also a castle built 1066 with a Victorian prison inside. Crown Court also in the castle walls. Roman ramains abundant. Brayford Pool a marina overlooked by the university. Gwyneth Paltrow filmed Possession here. Lovely walks through old streets, and some black and white Tudor buildings. Now famous for our Christmas market held in castle square and under the shadow of the cathedral, bigger every year and now spreads into the castle grounds and beyond.

it's nice to get snapshots of places you've never been lucky enough to visit. Llandaff of course is very close to my home here in Whitchurch. In Welsh Whitchurch is Eglwys Newydd and we have a lovely brook running through the village and the Glamorganshire Canal and the River Taff on the edge of the village. The Taff runs into Cardiff city centre through the castle grounds,. Cardiff Castle is right in the centre of town and we have the most beautiful civic centre. The whole city is undergoing further regeneration at the moment and the docks area - Tiger Bay etc. has been completely revamped and is now called Cardiff Bay and that is absolutely beautiful. We have the Millenium Stadium in the centre of town which will be hosting the rugby next Saturday when Wales will hopefully thrash France and win the Grand Slam - we already have the Triple Crown!!! Rugby glory days are back at long last. We have a wonderful Welsh Museum of Life on the outskirts of the city - St Fagans Folk Museum which boasts a castle and wonderful gardens and lakes. Throughout the site buildings have been brought from all over Wales and rebuilt stone by stone and slate by slate to their original condition complete with gardens and surroundings. You can spend all day there and still not see everything. To the north we have the Brecon Beacons and to the West we have the wonderful beaches of the Gower Coast and Swansea. A lovely place to live.

Ann XX

I live in beautiful Hertfordshire, In a small village not far from a town called Ware..I have gorgous green fields around me filled with sheep this time of year. Am only 24 miles from London so its really easy to drive there or jump on a train and be in busy London town in less than an hour..Frank Warren (the boxing promotor) lives just round the corner from me and also "lofty" from Eastenders and John Barrowman was in out local pub a few weeks ago oh and Richard and Judy also have sunday lunch at same pub...Not seen them thou..Its such a lovely safe place for the children to grow up and i couldnt imagine living anywhere else although my 16yr old would rather live in town come a saturday night when she wants to go out...

Kerry

hi all at the moment I live in the middle of a big dust bowl when we first came to bonnie doon there was water in the lake if anyone has seen the aussie movie the castle that's our lake at the end with the doon brigde I live on the other side of the brigde you could boat, catch fish (rainbow trout) but now you can walk across the lake and we have cattle grazing on the lake bed but we do have some lovely place's around and we will get rain someday if anyone want's to see the country that I live in rent the man from snowy river bonnie doon is a holiday place gen/store, post office, pub and football ground that's about some's it up mansfield is a small town we have strip shopping no mall's. park outside the shop you want to go in very lade back I love it. a 2 hour drive get's you just about anywhere over the boarder to n.s.w., to the beach or the city. My house is a 2 bedroom farm house on 2 1/2 ac in town so we have town water and tank water and short walk 10min walk to everthing and lot's of farm land around us.

Sounds idyllic Irene, like going back in time. bet you don't have local 'yobs' causing trouble either.


Hope everyone is well today, very windy here but sunny. And they have cancelled the Cheltenham racing! almost unheard of in Gold Cup week.

As for me, I seem to lurch from one worry to the next and I am normally such a positive upbeat person. Worried when I had stitches, now I worry when I haven't got them that I am going to open the wound. Is this a natural worry, anyone who has had abdominal or chest ops with stitches did it worry you? Also there is a place in the middle of the scar which the nurse 'attacked' yesterday, she called it a pimple!! It is where it is weeping and since she attacked it bleeding a bit. I assume that it will eventually clear up. I have done as told and left the scar uncovered and put on antibiotic cream but where the 'pimple' is I have put a very small light plaster to contain the bleeding and keep it off my clothes. Do you think that will be OK? If I leave it open it rubs on my clothes and is sore.

Didn't sleep very well last night because I was afraid of damaging the scar, had visions of having to be sewn up again. OK ok, I know that is stupid and unreasonable but it was 2am.

Sorry to be a perpetual grump these days.

Ann
Glos

Hello everyone

I am from Buckinghamshire, I live in a village of Character - we have an old church dating back to the 1300's and we are famed for holding the Pancake race each year as well as our Dickens of a Christmas.

At the back of us is the allotments and further back is a farm, we see a lot of Cows and Horses, we do have the river ouse running alongside the farm which tends to overflow nicely and swamp the allotments - but that's life.

Our shops are centred aroung the Market square, we have the Cowper-Newton Museum as well as the original building for Lace making (which is now a church) - along the High street is many old houses with their original names describing the trade they used to be.

That's my little bit of the world and I like it.

Gill/skwirrel

Ann

During the day have a lie down on your bed and leave the wound uncovered - just let the air dry it up. When I had my op I used to lay on my bed when the sun was on it and let the sun dry it out.

Either way your resting and your wound will get the air to it.

Take care

Gill