tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76483572246199131002024-03-06T07:13:20.415+00:00Here we are...warts and allI am a mother first and foremost . I have many children , one of whom has profound learning difficulties. this is my chance to express how life with him works...or doesn't!!nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.comBlogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-26497496255018400062020-08-07T09:55:00.000+01:002020-08-07T09:55:01.370+01:00The year that wasn’t<p> So....someone should write a book...The Year that didn’t happen.....Or..The Ghost year...or something. If I had the time and the inspiration, I might.....of course I guess I have the time....nothing to rush out for ...no appointments to keep really...I just don’t have the story line...bit of a shame in a story, eh?? Maybe I could market it as a ‘write your own year’ sort of book......😂😂😂😂</p><p><br /></p><p>So here we are August 2020. </p><p><br /></p><p>We didn’t have a holiday. Like many others in the world. </p><p>I did resign..the strain of exposure to viral soup while caring for a vulnerable chap made the decision easier than I thought it might. I couldn’t do it. I know I know..doctors , nurses ,all the key workers do....but they are not me and one can only do what one can do...or not. I miss the people I worked alongside. I miss the satisfaction of bringing order to unordered shelves. I miss the chats with people, some of whom have told me so much about their lives that I feel I know them well. I miss the eclectic choices of books some people order and the challenge of finding them...I miss dressing the windows....</p><p><br /></p><p>J has not had any day service or respite since March. We are a bit weary now.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before the Great Pandemic of 2020, we were going to have part of our kitchen redone as it had seen better days...however old COVID put a stop to that and now M has decided to do it....there is much sawing and measuring..sanding and other things. Meanwhile, J sits on me and I fight boredom...sometimes boredom wins. I am grateful..truly....just squashed and slightly wild eyed🤪.</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope the lockdown and subsequent easing hasn’t been too stressful for whoever may read this.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay safe</p><p><br /></p><p>And may the year pass peacefully </p><p><br /></p><p>The End</p><p><br /></p>nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-35992681320910228092020-03-26T11:39:00.003+00:002020-03-26T20:48:26.561+00:00What day is it.....?So...I don’t know about the rest of the world but we in this house have almost forgotten about days and times.<br />
<br />
We have stopped wearing watches...there is nothing to be on time for. J reminds us about meal times...and snack times ...and then food...then cake....several times a day. I think he might be trying his luck.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Boy is still confused by the lack of his normal routine...where is the bus???<br />
<br />
So, we have developed a sort of routine. After breakfast and the general morning activities, Mike takes JBoy out for a walk through the deserted town and I go in the opposite direction.<br />
<br />
Apparently, JBoy copes better without me...or is it M, I wonder???😁😁😁😁 it has worked so far...<br />
<br />
This morning, after watching steam trains on YouTube..(🤪🤪🤪🤪)which is J’s idea of delight,we turned to the marvellous Joe Wicks to see if J would engage in the PE lesson that Joe is doing for the nation ,and indeed the world ,every day.<br />
<br />
M leapt into action and started to do the exercises, trying to encourage J to join in.<br />
<br />
( The Pikachu jumps were a sight to behold.)<br />
<br />
(As were the Sumo wrestler squats)<br />
<br />
J was not persuaded to join in.<br />
<br />
<br />
He was more than happy to watch M from the comfort of his seat..<br />
And.sometimes my knee<br />
<br />
<br />
M was of course brilliant.....Me???.Of course I joined in .....in spirit only....someone had to be on Josh watch after all😉<br />
<br />
So, now I am home after my morning exercise outside, on my one allocated exercise walk . I have completed my circuits of the park, avoided dog walkers and runners....feel suitably exercised and am ready for a cup coffee... I am not barista standard, a bit of instant is what you get here.....<br />
<br />
Now........What shall I do today?<br />
<br />
Hmm......let me think<br />
<br />
<br />
I think it will be social distancing ...<br />
<br />
<br />
So, whatever day it is and whatever the time might be , wash those hands and keep safe.<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-54044952050917570382020-03-21T21:11:00.001+00:002020-03-21T21:13:39.406+00:00Day OneSo...the respite centre and the MMDC have both been closed for the foreseeable future.....understandably, for the safety of everyone.<br />
<br />
Today was Day One of our garden centre free life. We ventured to one of the marvellous UK National Trust parks for some fresh air. They were, at this point, open and free.<br />
<br />
They are now ,as I write this evening, closed.<br />
<br />
As we arrived, we found ourselves in a queue of cars...not a good beginning for social distancing...once we got into the huge park, however, we were able to keep a good distance between us all...even the cars were parked with social distancing in mind.<br />
<br />
We had a good walk, J tried to chase some deer and then we had a picnic in the car.......He wasn’t happy...the routine was all wrong. Where was the garden centre??? Where were the bacon sandwiches? The fish? The whirly wind things?<br />
<br />
Wrong.<br />
<br />
<br />
We survived our day.<br />
<br />
M and I had made a list of all the parklands within a reasonable driving distance so that we could get J out. He needs to go out. He cannot entertain himself at home. WE need to go out. There is only so much Shaun the sheep that a grown up can take!<br />
<br />
Now we learn that the NT lands are to be closed. We aren’t completely surprised because although we were all very well behaved today and didn’t get close to each other, it was a lot busier than I think anyone expected. The poor volunteers who were directing us were becoming very frazzled at the never ending stream of cars., flowing into the car parks.<br />
<br />
I know this is selfish and lots of people have things a million times worse than us..but the prospect of weeks and weeks of being literally in with J is not a happy one. For any of us.<br />
<br />
<br />
So...Day the first and Day the last of free NT entry.<br />
<br />
How quickly that time went!😁<br />
<br />
May health and goodness flood our world.<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
PS I am now customer 7411 in a queue for an online supermarket!!! Might just go to bed.<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-70299971417151447122020-03-18T14:39:00.001+00:002020-03-18T14:39:27.959+00:00Socially distancing and such like.....So...what days,eh??<br />
<br />
Uncertain and a bit scary.<br />
<br />
I know I am old but I am not old enough to remember the 2nd World War with all its privations and rationing, but I guess we have a small taste of all that right now. All called to pull together and look out for each other. Will we look back on these days as my parents did with the war...will it be a defining time?<br />
<br />
We certainly have difficult, unprecedented times.<br />
<br />
In films and books and things which have helped inform me of the war years, I understand that people were less keen to wait.....why wait, when tomorrow might not come??<br />
<br />
In a light hearted way, there has been a little of that in our house today...some Easter goodies arrived in the post(since going to the shop for essentials might not include Lindor eggs)....😁<br />
<br />
...however, M and I have scoffed all but two!!!<br />
<br />
We thought long and hard about it.<br />
<br />
No we didn’t.<br />
<br />
They were delicious. Yum yum.<br />
<br />
I currently have a leave of absence from work due to my frailty and great age(I can milk it when needed) so M and I are both at home ...he has done lots of decorating...I have watched....I have also browsed a lot of on line shops, waited in a virtual queue for the supermarket on line shop page only to find that they didn’t have the things I needed and read a lot of dross. Roll on nice weather so I can go into the garden and faff there.<br />
<br />
J was due to have a week of respite on Friday...that is now cancelled...as is respite for the foreseeable future. M and I had decided not to send him to respite....a whole new melting pot of germs to contend with....but I am so glad the decision was made for us.<br />
<br />
Just waiting for the MMDC axe to fall now......😨<br />
<br />
My doctor’s appointment next week is now a telephone call....poor doctors...what a difficult time they must be having. I guess most are as in the dark as the rest of us are....yet they are the ones expected to have the answers. Give them all a medal, I say.🏅<br />
<br />
<br />
Well, the potatoes are in, the Boy will be home shortly demanding his daily Wallace and Grommit and I have another chapter of dross to read....stops me from going completely bonkers.....(or does it?)<br />
<br />
Stay safe and wash those hands<br />
<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-7502674499337905572020-03-16T12:30:00.000+00:002020-03-16T17:09:21.486+00:00Coronavirus and mental health So....<br />
<br />
I assume I am not the only one who is trying quietly...and sometimes not so quietly ...not to panic.<br />
<br />
Not just for me but for my offspring...each of them susceptible in their own ways...and then there is JBoy with a compromised immune system and no awareness of cleaning hands , keeping his distance etc etc.<br />
<br />
My brain is in meltdown.<br />
<br />
I am trying to do all the positive things....thinking good thoughts, looking at nature etc but it is there, lurking like a great big cloud, ready to engulf me at any moment.<br />
<br />
Deep breathing<br />
<br />
Mindfulness<br />
<br />
All the things..<br />
<br />
.yet there it remains....<br />
<br />
dark and looming..<br />
<br />
.the Worry Cloud.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppom5Wv-OMVVY3j_aiRLUdcIh3FOP0N3Qe7P8UuaGG_VU8BYPhMiVdp8i9s_L0g9u9jfoN4c7_vOu7QAyqxSsLRZZKsUkgfljxSR6eL828INn7MvpYfjHnMTbDkEI0Cvk9wVt1kA_Pr29/s1600/Screenshot_20200316-170737_Instagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppom5Wv-OMVVY3j_aiRLUdcIh3FOP0N3Qe7P8UuaGG_VU8BYPhMiVdp8i9s_L0g9u9jfoN4c7_vOu7QAyqxSsLRZZKsUkgfljxSR6eL828INn7MvpYfjHnMTbDkEI0Cvk9wVt1kA_Pr29/s320/Screenshot_20200316-170737_Instagram.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-60869385334862271202020-03-09T14:51:00.003+00:002020-03-09T14:51:54.718+00:00Birthdays and that...So....today is my birthday.<br />
<br />
I am quite old now, apparently.<br />
<br />
Inside I don’t feel as old as the years say I am....for which I am most grateful.<br />
<br />
I am relieved to have reached this great age, especially as for two months or so I have been a poorly peep with viruses galore..or maybe just the one which lasted a very long time. At times I did feel aged and decidedly infirm...it was a sensation which I did not enjoy.<br />
<br />
I returned to work on Friday and managed about an hour and a half on full Nicki throttle then slowly, like a balloon with a small hole, I began to deflate, to flag, to sink inwards......so,energy levels aren’t quite up to speed yet.😏<br />
<br />
Thankfully, I had forewarned the Boss of this possibility and he kindly sent me away...I crawled to a nearby coffee shop and weakly ordered my fave caffeine tipple. Once supped, I felt marginally better and able to continue homewards, whereupon I fell asleep (as befits someone as aged as myself😁)until the Return of The Boy who expects full throttle mumma at all times! I endeavour not to disappoint.<br />
<br />
The passing of time is a funny thing.....one minute you are young and supple, the next crepey-skinned and squinty (although I have been squinty since I was 9....so,not sure how that works for me). In one breath, you have a bevy of small children to rally and corral , the next a different bevy of small people are calling you ‘grandmamamamama’. In one blink, you are ‘dear’ or ‘my darling’ and asked if you need help,carrying this that or the other...and ‘Can you manage.......?’....when that blink happened,I knew the transition to Old in the eyes of the world had been made.<br />
<br />
No. I want to shout. I am not old...just a bit more golden, silvered and worn.<br />
<br />
My chum has a phrase which I shall adopt....I am a Queenager...that stage in which I find myself right now.<br />
<br />
I like that.<br />
<br />
Excuse me while I polish my crown and indulge in some birthday cake...after all, you are only young once (apparently)<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-78751621892006272142020-02-21T09:27:00.002+00:002020-02-21T09:27:28.626+00:00Update...and so onSo..the PiP mystery...payments have resumed. Suddenly, there it was , sitting in the boy’s account.<br />
<br />
Hoorah.<br />
<br />
No explanation..just as there was none in the stopping.<br />
<br />
Which is a mystery in itself. On contacting the great machine that is The System , no one was able to give me an explanation as to why it ever stopped. A Puzzle. A Conundrum. A mystery.<br />
<br />
However...for us it is...<br />
<br />
Great. Marvellous. Fabulous.<br />
<br />
I am truly thankful..but there is that bit of me that is thinking of all those who are unable to or who are anxious about pursuing the great PiP machine...who accept their lot, not knowing that they can and should fight.<br />
<br />
It is the lack of communication that leaves me open mouthed and angry..and affronted.and all sorts of cross. Rude if nothing else.<br />
<br />
Pleased, delighted and relieved as I am for us, I burn with some deep emotional feeling of injustice for those who cannot protest..finding themselves without the support that they need, without explanation or warning or communication. It is just wrong.<br />
<br />
In other news, I have a second virus which has rendered me coughing and spluttering once again. I have stayed away from the Bookface..it isnt a pretty sight, seeing me doubled over, coughing ...<br />
<br />
('Would you like a receipt...bag... free cough with your book, sir?')<br />
<br />
The doc agrees...given the added difficulty of a pulled muscle..that I should not infect the customers, nor heave books..so has kindly signed me off for a while so that I can truly recover and cough in the privacy of my own home and not subject unsuspecting members of the public with the sights and sounds. I am, of course, fighting with the guilt of being off work and leaving all my most marvellous colleagues to pick up the gaps where I should be. Thank you, delightful peeps.<br />
<br />
Up until not so many years ago, I felt I was always M’s wife or someone’s mum.....the Bookface has given me the opportunity to be just me. ..a nearly-competent person who can now handle a computer (mostly), deal with difficult people (not that there are many...obvs), have a knowledge of books and authors that was latent but which now can actually be of some use, use the telephone without coming over all hot and cold with anxiety (except at home... clearly) , facilitate a group of likeminded people in a group devoted to books and all things booky...plus all manner of book related skills I never knew existed.<br />
<br />
so.....How are they managing without me???? Answer..very well!! I am not indispensable, after all. Life lesson there!!!<br />
<br />
I do however suspect that takings may have gone down...since I am not there to buy the stock. That’s one thing they never told me would happen...in unpacking the deliveries and putting books on shelves, one comes across gems..which MUST be bought.....😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂...so I do have my uses.<br />
<br />
M and I, in his retirement days and me in my sick leave, have had time to chat a lot...I don’t know if I mentioned here before in my musings that we have been asked to consider the whole DNR thing with regards to the Boy...we need to decide before we get too incompetent to do so. We cannot and will not leave it up to our children to make that decision. It is too hard just at the moment. I can barely bear it. So I am not.....<br />
<br />
The people who are trying to find him an assisted living place have demonstrated their complete lack of understanding of the Boy...I had a phone call saying that a one bedroomed, self contained flat had become available and would we care to consider the Boy for this??? I laughed. No, I replied. He cannot be alone..it isn’t safe ...without even considering all his emotional needs for people...I suggested that they get to know him before they suggest anything in the future....I was very polite. Just.<br />
<br />
M has been happily decorating the landing this week and has discovered the joy of the paint roller which he had up to date always eschewed....he is now a convert. Even as we speak, he is off to find more paint (without me...eek...I have given clear instruction though.....)(and it can always be returned if necessary)<br />
<br />
And that is us......<br />
<br />
Right..excuse me while I cough and hold my pulled muscley side ....for it is<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-68766555249939095112020-02-07T14:45:00.000+00:002020-02-07T14:45:16.239+00:00And so it goes on....So....having telephoned the very ice chap at the PiP palace, I have since written emails to various people asking for advice, help, guidance....anything really.<br />
<br />
In the way that seems to be the modern life, it is no-one’s ‘responsibility’ and each of the people to whom I sent an email recommended one of the others (to whom I had sent an email) for me to contact.....a veritable vicious circle/cycle.<br />
<br />
Today, I have sent a letter. Yes an actual letter with words on paper. In an envelope and everything.....<br />
<br />
This will take some days/weeks to reach the person who does have the responsibility ....that is inevitable....so I am not expecting a swift resolution. It does, however, mean that I feel as if I am being proactive.<br />
<br />
I shall ring again....maybe even write again....and on it goes.......<br />
<br />
<br />
Today, being off work once again but with a different viral infection , so the medics inform me,that has had me coughing the nights and indeed the days away since Tuesday, M drove me in our cosy warm car to a garden centre. Oh, the irony of choosing to go to a garden centre when it is all we do with the Boy!!<br />
<br />
I know...how we laughed.<br />
<br />
We went to one of our faves which has a log fire and muted music. Of course , it was full of silver haired women and their handsome chaps...or maybe that was just us....once we had quaffed and perused the wares,we sauntered home through the countryside, as a retired chap and his poorly wife can. <br />
<br />
We saw a magnificent Red Kite.M seemed to think he was called ‘Hugh”.....’Look at the Hugh,’he cried ...’such a lovely red ‘<br />
<br />
(I do know what he meant......😁)<br />
<br />
We passed an ancient Iron Age Hill Fort..or at least , the site therefore, enjoying the history in the air.<br />
<br />
Now we are home. M is in the garden , doing gardening things and I am doing my Russian..or in fact, writing this blogette..but am contemplating a sleep, cough permitting.<br />
<br />
Keep those positive vibes coming for us re:PiP and for all the people who are less fortunate than us to whom it must also happen.<br />
<br />
Thank you kindly<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-9477450598209926892020-02-03T15:58:00.004+00:002020-02-03T15:58:44.344+00:00Monday again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgovop4za-cBMvKeQKR7jBfNu7zmYjOQJEHlLLxvQquOPTxaHGssbe3WqbEzBhevzi8vWvfd7sETHMk8mtPWrrTtbSlPMJOM7EGrikcGviI2phtbrxHmfxKJZd628WW1bSQDXrX6hlFRI/s1600/20200203_085842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgovop4za-cBMvKeQKR7jBfNu7zmYjOQJEHlLLxvQquOPTxaHGssbe3WqbEzBhevzi8vWvfd7sETHMk8mtPWrrTtbSlPMJOM7EGrikcGviI2phtbrxHmfxKJZd628WW1bSQDXrX6hlFRI/s1600/20200203_085842.jpg" /></a></div>
So...today is Monday. They do come around quickly, don’t they?? Surely it was only Monday just the other day....<br />
<br />
This morning, the Boy found the piano. It has been in his room for a very long time but he only just noticed it again today. He enjoyed hammering away on the lower keys which reverberated in a satisfying fashion. He was delighted.<br />
<br />
Thankfully this piano playing had put him in a good mood so when the Wrong Bus arrived, he only protested a little...a small attempt at a fling to the ground, prevented by a judicious placing of my knee behind him. Then the Marvellous L , his invaluable and fantastic bus escort who can NEVER leave (just saying, L), talked him onto the Wrong Bus and away they went.<br />
<br />
I was due to meet a chum today but she was unable to make it in the end so M and I had an ‘exciting’ trip to a flooring shop to investigate the various types of flooring one can purchase which are not plastic based...we are seeking information at this point and came away, informed , complete with brochures, our heads full of thoughts about wood, engineered wood and various other words...like marmoleum...<br />
<br />
Then, to recover, we ventured into a nearby wood for a walk where I found a Wild Thing...actually it was M ....who has cut neither his beard nor his hair since retiring in September. Not as bad as it might sound..he has had a beard for many a year ..it is just a little wilder...and when I first met him, he had cascading locks which fell in waves and curls onto his shoulders(it was the 70’s)so I find it rather comforting!! <br />
<br />
The walk was muddy but we were jolly. The Boy refuses to walk in a wood these days which is a bit of a sad loss to us so our default position when unexpectedly without the Boy is ‘let’s walk in a wood’....so we did.<br />
<br />
On returning home, we had a small pile of post awaiting us...a birthday present for someone who has a birthday in March (,not me...even though my birthday IS in March)a most marvellous item of clothing for me from a fantastic company who make long colourful skirts (my wardrobe has gone from bland to beautiful)and an unexpected gift from an anonymous sender. I have no idea who you are but thank you so much..you are very kind and I feel both overwhelmed and completely undeserving of such a gift.<br />
<br />
Our heating has been restored, my beautiful new skirt has arrived, we have been given a splendidly unexpected gift and the Boy has rediscovered his piano...all is well with the world.<br />
<br />
I hope your world is well too.<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-9816163931516502772020-01-07T17:03:00.000+00:002020-01-07T17:11:46.788+00:00To read or not to read...that is the questionSo....today I read a book. Not unusual for me tbh...but the book itself was. It was recommended to me by a member of our Most Marvellous Bookclub which happens once a month at the Bookface. Reading a recommended book isn't unusual per se but this book, the premise of this book was based on the decisions the parents of a child with a life limiting condition had to make.<br />
<br />
A painful read. An emotional read. But some of it oh so close to our reality.<br />
<br />
Would I recommend this book?<br />
<br />
Maybe.....but it depends on the person I am talking to...<br />
<br />
You can decide for yourself.<br />
Here is a paragraph from it...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyat2XYjT0CvkjlK1ReeTYxA1OAlkfq1aI7RN1thYOfow69URbnJYLSoo5Q5LDA2j-dvTQW0PKhsz3O-YIdQfsZDyq_w4wDI4fa4rLEy8jgMt8Raw7zQlo8KMhyphenhyphenuEUA0M_bTvHKFNOWC0/s1600/20200107_164002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="1600" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyat2XYjT0CvkjlK1ReeTYxA1OAlkfq1aI7RN1thYOfow69URbnJYLSoo5Q5LDA2j-dvTQW0PKhsz3O-YIdQfsZDyq_w4wDI4fa4rLEy8jgMt8Raw7zQlo8KMhyphenhyphenuEUA0M_bTvHKFNOWC0/s320/20200107_164002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not for the fainthearted....and have a hanky ready.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The End</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
PS it is called After the End. Now I am going away to cry.</div>
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-91760965859469146702020-01-01T10:58:00.001+00:002020-01-01T10:58:32.843+00:00New decade has begunSo.....it has been a strange sort of Christmas for us here. The Boy and I have both been poorlier than a poorly thing. Most of the festive season, which as you know, is my own personal favourite, has passed in a haze of ibuprofen. My lovely children all rallied round and brought Christmas to me even though we had been scheduled to enjoy the famed hospitality of BassmanBill. Thank you, Offspring!!<br />
<br />
The Boy was so poorly that once or twice M and I thought that the end could have been nigh. He neither ate nor drank for hours on end but slept, wasting before our eyes. Thankfully, he rallied and is now, resplendent with candle like nostrils, liberally sharing his largesse with anyone who cares/dares to sit next to him....and tapping his going out bag determindly.<br />
<br />
I was delighted to discover that Candlemas(the name popped into my head, unbidden, as I gazed upon the nostrils of the Boy)is in February and is the official (according to ancient tradition)end of Christmas...so maybe I haven't missed it after all, just delayed it a little!!!<br />
<br />
Mince pie, anyone???<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
Have the most marvellous 2020 possible. Wear your party pants.<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-80353953119792840732019-10-18T06:40:00.000+01:002019-10-18T06:40:06.503+01:00So....the assisted/independent living for my Boy is, as they say, 'orf'.<br />
<br />
Why? When? How?<br />
<br />
Your guess is as good as mine.<br />
<br />
I know , via the unofficial grapevine, that the company involved in finding, maintaining, staffing the property had been in difficulties but ,officially, 'the assisted living is unable to proceed at this time'.<br />
<br />
That's what we know.<br />
<br />
It is a mixed wotsit. While our weary, worn-out, waning bodies are crying out for rest, our parental minds heave a sigh of relief that we won't have to watch him from a distance.<br />
<br />
It is SUCH a mental struggle.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, M is now 4 weeks into his rest/redundancy/retirement. The hedges have never been so trimmed, trees never so lopped, woodstore never so full, my pantry never so tidy(now I can't find a thing..it may have looked chaotic but it was MY chaos and I knew exactly where everything was)(not that I mind) (I do, a bit) (I suggested that , in return, I 'sort' his garage/shed in my fashion....he laughed, knowing I would never be bothered enough to do it....) nor the Charity Shop so full of our gubbins.<br />
<br />
Again, a mixed wotsit.<br />
<br />
At the Bookface, life is gathering momentum as we race towards the festive season. I was granted permission to be Christmassally explosive in the kids' Christmas window...oh ,we had such plans...then the PowersthatBe decided that this year we are going subtle..pared back...minimal.<br />
<br />
😪<br />
<br />
(Rudolph, cancel the animatronic reindeer, the full size sleigh and the snow)<br />
<br />
....it's ok..they were never in the plan but we have had to rethink the whole thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
So..<br />
time to get on with the day<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, caring enough to get thus far.<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-30213094437719997342019-09-12T15:58:00.001+01:002019-09-12T15:58:34.840+01:00OctoboySo....I realise that it is not October but I have called this little outpouring 'octoboy' for the other reason...he currently encompasses me at every available opportunity, using what I am convinced are at least 8 limbs. That is ,at any rate, how it feels!!<br />
<br />
Thus, I have been struggling with Russian grammar, enjoying the challenge of Anna Karenina, watching the mind-numbingly repetitious nature of children's tv, preparing potatoes and generally doing life, all with the added 'bonus' of Octoboy, wrapped around me. Walking is tricky, I tell you that!<br />
<br />
(Incidentally, no one tells you how boring and mind-grindingly dull it can be. Do I dare admit that? Dare admit that caring for a chap with profound and multiple learning difficulties can be boring? When we aren't chasing him, stopping him from destroying himself, others or stuff, it is crushingly dreary.)<br />
<br />
There. What a terrible person I am. Or am I just being honest? After nearly 31 years, I think I might have a little authority and knowledge.....<br />
<br />
So, with Octoboy about my person, I am away to empty the washing machine (3rd load of the day)...good job I can still be jolly!!!!😉<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-9085836022961913632019-09-09T19:49:00.002+01:002019-09-09T19:49:20.888+01:00September stuffSo.....the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us. An Autumnal chill has crept up, taking us unawares. Even the air smells different.<br />
<br />
I know lots of people aren’t keen..but I love it.<br />
<br />
I have been hesitating in writing this blogette as a whole because I became worried that I would upset people..but, do you know what?? If someone doesn’t like my musings, they can stop reading...just saying.<br />
<br />
So...today I had lunch with a lovely chum. Munching my deliciously dressed salad, I noticed a wriggle. Yes, I was the recipient of a free caterpillar. Bonus? Not really. I returned the caterpillar, small though it was, along with its leaf to the counter and on paying the bill I said that I hoped I was getting some kind of discount with the caterpillar. My beverage was free, as was that of my lovely chum. So that’s something.....I have been trying not to think that I may have ingested other beasties without spotting them. I am trying to think like Bear Grylls, it’s all protein ,after all. 🥴<br />
<br />
At the weekend, in one of our many garden centre visits, the Boy spotted a singing Christmas dog. He was thrilled. Delighted. Joyous. He clutched said singing dog to his bosom, marching around the garden centre with it. We were therefore duty bound to buy it...HE HAS BEEN PLAYING IT EVER SINCE. We are into our third set of batteries. He even tried to take it on the Right Bus this morning ...I had to draw the line at that...I sat it on the stairs where it awaited his return. It is playing now. Again. My teeth are gritted.<br />
<br />
At the Bookface, things are apparently a-changing. Reviews are almost upon us , with new and so called improved systems in place to document our contributions to the business....I have no documentation but I shall cite the various things which I do to aid the great whirring of the corporate wheels. I shall enjoy doing that. (My strop is on....)<br />
<br />
In other news though, my on-line Russian tutor is currently taking me through Anna Karenina which is one of my favourite books of all time so I am a happy bunny. 🐇<br />
<br />
Talking of animals, the deer have been busy. They have munched their way through all the hostas in our garden. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with hostas . They always seemed a bit dull to me but now that I have , I have been enjoying their variegated leaves and lush greeness....so, however, have the deer. We are now left with stumps, which nestle alongside the stumps of rose bushes which sit alongside the badger toilets that have been so neatly dug in the flower beds.....🦌🦡<br />
<br />
(Yes, I have started Christmas shopping..let’s be honest, I started ages ago!...Ho Ho Ho!!! And I don’t even care what anyone says...it is what I do. )<br />
<br />
So, whatever you feel about the onset of Autumn, have a lovely one.<br />
<br />
The End<br />
🍁🍂<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-55099352436750939472019-08-30T15:38:00.000+01:002019-08-30T15:38:17.715+01:00End of August musingsSo....here, in our little Midlands town, the schools have returned. We break up for Summer early (the factory fortnight tradition lingers, even without the factories) and return before the Summer has properly had a chance to come to an end.<br />
<br />
My walk to town takes me past a primary school which has, of course , been sleepily silent for weeks. As of yesterday, it has been once again teeming with small bodies and their care givers. Today , I encountered two such small bodies, sobbing as if their lives were in peril. The first was dressed in the uniform of the school, little stick legs peering out from the end of shorts which were very long, shoes as yet unscuffed, enormous rucksack on his back and with a parent, trying desperately to persuade said child that school is not an option. He was leaking from every visible orifice, face the colour of a ripe tomato, clearly not keen to enter the hallowed gates of learning.<br />
<br />
Approximately 20 paces further on, I encountered another small child. This child was not in uniform. She was sitting on the pavement with a carer , trying desperately to persuade her to move, in close attendance. I heard , as I walked past, that THIS child was desperate to enter the very gates that the aforementioned child was loudly rejecting. It seemed, from the snippet which I heard in passing, that an older sibling was at the school and the younger one clearly felt that she should be too.<br />
<br />
Oh, how I felt for both parents. ...and all the others, leaving the school gates, some white and anxious, probably first termers, and others skipping off to the nearest coffee shop, glee in their very footsteps.<br />
<br />
I wanted to scoop up the white faced ones and tell them that it gets easier...kind of. Mostly.<br />
<br />
I wanted to tell all of them to enjoy their littles, that one day their fridges will be so devoid of stuff that they can tidy it (guess what I did on my day off yesterday)...so to savour the time that they have with their littles as well as the time without. I am clearly turning into an old wife (as in old wives tales) (who knew????). There are a lot of things I wish I had done differently with ours..(.sorry, Offspring, for all the times I was preoccupied or inattentive.)..Thankfully they have turned into rather marvellous grownups , despite that. <br />
<br />
Work at the Bookface has been full on, with Christmas stock arriving..yes you read that right, CHRISTMAS STOCK. I had an instruction from on high to get the advent calendars out before Monday...of course, everyone needs to get their advent calendars in September.....so that happened today. The argument from the powers that be is that by starting now, we will be less overwhelmed as the months slide toward Christmas...it just means that we can’t move behind the scenes for about 4 months...I put a notice up saying, ‘Ho!Ho!Ho!’...😁🎅🤶and am awaiting the response from both staff and customers.<br />
<br />
So, on that festive note, I shall away as the Boy has returned from the MMDC.<br />
<br />
Merry August musings<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-42885918416848918722019-08-26T14:51:00.001+01:002019-08-26T16:33:19.787+01:00Hot and botheredso..it’s been one of the hottest bank holiday weekends ...apparently.<br />
<br />
It has certainly been very hot.<br />
<br />
What does a Boy like to do best on a baking hot day?? Cuddle his mummy very closely...obviously. He has been so hot and so bothered but unable to link the heat with the cuddle with the botheredness. He just knows he feels uncomfortable and needs to cuddle his care givers, exceptionally closely and without end, to ease that feeling of discomfort within himself.<br />
<br />
I understand all that. I really do.<br />
<br />
But as a mere human being, I have found it a very difficult weekend to be honest. As the day drew on, I needed to have a moment’s space, without a Boy entangled about my person. M encouraged me to go out for a walk....Which I did. So, thanks for that, M.<br />
<br />
That was yesterday. Isn't it amazing the difference 24 hours can make??<br />
<br />
Yesterday I felt that I was drowning.<br />
<br />
I felt lost and uncontrollably low.<br />
<br />
Yesterday was not a day I did well.<br />
<br />
Today, nothing new, nothing different, same heat, same cuddling Boy but today I am coping. Phew.<br />
<br />
Three day weekend..means three different garden centres. Today's visit was to one of our faves..they have just opened a farm shop where you can take your own container and buy all sorts of dry goods....exciting stuff!!! They have a great selection of locally grown veg too, locally made bread and locally reared meat. ...plus pies, cheeses etc etc<br />
<br />
We have local meat cooking as we speak...mmmm<br />
<br />
Now we are home, entangled in a hot heap, watching Ice Age. 😅<br />
<br />
Incidentally, as we drove through the rolling countryside towards the garden centre today, we noticed that some of the trees are beginning, ever so slightly, to change colour. Autumn is a-coming. Sorry, all you Summerphiles....<br />
<br />
AHA...The Boy has fallen asleep. I wonder if I can extract myself from his vice like grip....I shall try.<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-37843731267869235192019-08-21T08:22:00.002+01:002019-08-21T09:20:47.525+01:00Wednesday whiffSo....it is Wednesday, that traditionally dull day which is neither the beginning nor the end of a week (confession...I quite like Wednesdays..the word is very pleasing in itself as it rolls about the mouth in a most satisfactory way, I find)...it is Wednesday and what more could a mother ask than to be stuck in a bathroom with their Boy as he watches his favourite programme (long spin since you ask)(and ,yes, our washing machine lives in the bathroom)(it is a downstairs bathroom). Long spin on repeat,no less. Oh joy.<br />
<br />
It is for the endless long spin watches and Boy obsession for said machine ..oh and the constant washing...that we rent our washing machine...we get through very many. Very, very many<br />
<br />
So..we have been in here For Some Time....I have cleaned the bathroom, sparkled the taps, straightened the towels(ok so I didn't do that last one) within an inch of its life.BTW I have been using vinegar to clean for years..so ,move over, Mrs Hinch...now I am sitting, waiting for the latest spin to have spun so we can embark on the next stage of the day...The Pavement Wait.<br />
<br />
Our lovely bus chum is on holiday(how very dare she have a life????)(we miss you,L)so we have had a variety of people to help with the Boy in the mornings. He is not impressed...all powers of persuasion will need to be employed which may not be easy today as I feel my brain has been numbed by the constant gurgle and whirr of the washing machine and also maybe pickled by the vinegar fumes (I don't normally have to sit in the room after I have vinegared it...🤢)<br />
<br />
But<br />
It<br />
Is<br />
Time<br />
<br />
Pavement , here we come, wafting our vinegar whiff as we go...😁😁<br />
<br />
Wish me luck.<br />
The End<br />
<br />
PS. Yesterday ,at the Bookface, a lady came in for a present for her autistic son. After a lengthy conversation, it transpired that she needed a chat more than a present. I remember that need...just to talk to someone. Hope I fulfilled that for her.<br />
<br />
PPS It was the wrong driver today too...we had to have several attempts to get on the bus....but managed in the end.<br />
<br />
Phewnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-65418621957731517472019-08-19T14:19:00.000+01:002019-08-19T14:19:06.397+01:00more of the same....So....how has life been???<br />
<br />
In a fit of decluttering(yes, really) we took about 9 bags of stuff to the charity shop over the weekend. Oh yes, we did. Some might say that you would never know it, to look at our house, still stuffed to the gunnels but WE know that stuff has gone...and that’s the main thing, right??<br />
<br />
While unearthing gubbins from far distant corners and long unopened cupboards, I found some toys which Jboy had enjoyed as a little fellow. He was delighted to see them and spent many a minute instructing us to play with them while he watched. He wouldn’t actually play himself but liked to see us having fun....I tried to sneak some out of the house but he very determinedly brought them back into the house. However, they will be going, when he isn't looking!!!<br />
<br />
M is on the count down to the end of work as he knows it...he is both excited and anxious in equal parts at the moment. He spent last week on an enforced week off so that he could use up holiday leave..he had a lovely time in the garden , chopping and pruning and other gardeny pursuits. After this, he was enthusing about all that he might do in the garden, come Autumn. (I also have a list of jobs in the house that he can do......mwahahahaha)<br />
<br />
At the weekend, one without the Boy, we went to our lovely friends’ house and sat about ,eating and drinking, like an ordinary couple might. It is always a novelty, not having to be 100% vigilant, not having to chase after the Boy or sit ,wrangling whilst trying to conduct a grown up conversation. They fed and watered us rather magnificently...we even had cheese galore!!!...before meandering home. Thank you, lovely chums.<br />
<br />
We are guinea pig sitting. The Boy likes almost nothing better than sitting beside the cage, watching the little piggy chap as he snuffles and munches his way through his weight in carrots, cucumber and other healthy piggly delights. The piggly even enjoyed M’s company last week as M sawed wood in the garage where the piggly is currently residing. Apparently they had some long chats. A bit of bonding went on, I believe.<br />
<br />
I met a former neighbour in town this morning who was asking about the Boy. I told her about the putative plans for his future. She said all the right things,was positive and encouraging and I KNOW it is the Right thing in the long term for the Boy but it still makes me feel a bit sick at the thought. She put an interesting perspective on it...said she knew of a couple with a chap with significant needs whom they kept at home until first one, then the other parent went the way of us all. The son was then plunged into a whole new life very swiftly. She, the ex-neighbour, said that she felt that the parents had been rather selfish in the end. For the son, he lost both parents, his home and all that was familiar. If they had been brave enough to help him transition earlier, said the ex-neighbour, his life would not have rocked so violently and painfully. Something to think on.<br />
<br />
As the thunders rolls and the potato cooks gently, I shall away to enjoy a moment or three, lost in the pages of my current book, before the wrangling begins again.<br />
<br />
TTFN<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-13127234026621873112019-08-13T22:05:00.003+01:002019-08-13T22:05:46.385+01:00A big picture personSo.....at the Bookface,during the Summer holiday, we have had activities and crafts for kids...a different theme each week....this is our penultimate week.<br />
<br />
Where did THAT time go?<br />
<br />
It hasn't quite panned out as I had envisaged, with one of us being creative and arty, reading engaging theme related stories while doting parents gaze on in delight and joy, purchasing armfuls of books as they depart...ah well. I had forgotten that we wouldn't really have the staff capacity, let alone the physical shop space capacity for such an ambitious imagine.<br />
<br />
Thats always been my problem..if a problem it is.....I see the grand sweep of the picture, without the nitty, gritty detailing.<br />
<br />
In one of my former lives, I was part of a team making large fabric banners. Someone would say,"We would like a picture of..."They would name the thing, my brain would go into overdrive, I would engage my limited artistic skills, produce an image and then hand it to a marvellous group of people who could transform a crude drawing into a magnificent work of art, using fabric and sewing skills, the like of which held me in awe.<br />
<br />
The memory of which still does.<br />
<br />
In our marriage, I am generally the big picture person, with M patiently filling in the detail.<br />
<br />
Bookface. Banner design. Marriage.<br />
<br />
Thanks all of you for enabling me to be me as I grandly sweep through life, swishing my metaphorical cloak as I go.<br />
<br />
That's it.<br />
<br />
The End.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-17187018377383875912019-07-27T15:18:00.000+01:002019-07-27T15:34:14.341+01:00Summertime......and the living is......sometimes quite hard 😁<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWx8QwqVZ5gBBlnGAuuOEWNrvdqMXiMZqnOrgDo5GH1hoh9mEYC0NNyk7NWXAYPNNzJ2aNr09V5jKh-qSUNbnbSNqHo0F4bztxvfPwxYreXq7Lm9GCmbu2Ujsfp0HlQVpD_BfGcGDHoKU/s1600/20190726_091945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWx8QwqVZ5gBBlnGAuuOEWNrvdqMXiMZqnOrgDo5GH1hoh9mEYC0NNyk7NWXAYPNNzJ2aNr09V5jKh-qSUNbnbSNqHo0F4bztxvfPwxYreXq7Lm9GCmbu2Ujsfp0HlQVpD_BfGcGDHoKU/s320/20190726_091945.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So...in the past I have spoken of the darkness which can overwhelm me during the Summer..the time when all is warmth(SOMETIMES) and light. It is also the time of long days which the Boy insists we spend inside and hot nights which the Boy insists on sharing closely with us. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sometimes the Black Dog just arrives...and refuses to tell me why he has arrived and refuses leave me alone. It's a puzzle.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
However, this year, the Boy went away to the MostMarvellousRespiteCentre for a day or two so, for the first time in a while, we packed our bags and M and I went off on a bit of a jolly. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Very jolly it was too.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
During the Boy's absence, my back recovered and my chest muscles revived ...YAY...he's been back about 24 hours and so have my normal chestal and spinal conditions. BOO.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Oh well, it was nice while it lasted!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
😂</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
He was very glad to be home. He has been firmly attached to one parent or the other since his return. It is currently my turn. M has escaped into the garden to do vital gardening jobs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We are watching IceAge2...again.😱</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Plus ça change....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The good news is that the MMRC got his food right...no choking, no wrong food(it might have helped that I sent a week's worth of provisions in....),all in all .....positive.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
HOOBLOOMINGRAH!!!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The End</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ps the flowers in the photo at the top snook into bloom while we were away. Ain't nature grand?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-60844296282784906962019-07-18T10:11:00.002+01:002019-07-18T10:11:32.583+01:00Life and stuff...So...the all night sleeping was a singelton....sadly. As we suspected.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, it happened, giving M a brief respite from the nightly wranglings.<br />
<br />
So...hurrah!!<br />
<br />
On my way into town today, I passed the cottage hospital where the Boy was born all those years ago. I pass it almost daily but the reason I noted it in particular today was that it is being demolished, even as we speak ,and I was suddenly overcome with some of the feelings I had when the Boy arrived.<br />
<br />
The plan had been....have the baby, M would bring the Others in and it would all be lovely.<br />
<br />
It didn't go to plan.<br />
<br />
The Boy decided to be born in the middle of the night..as babies often seem to. We called on our lovely chum to sit with the Others and M drove me,with me sitting on dustbin sacks..just in case. We arrived and moments later, so did the Boy.<br />
<br />
Literally, moments.<br />
<br />
And so began the ...I feel I should say 'nightmare'but that would in no way be fair to the Boy who is challenging, indeed, delightful and demanding. HE is not a nightmare but the times were certainly nightmarish as problem after problem became manifest.<br />
<br />
He was rushed from the cosy ,friendly cottage hospital to the nearest huge,impersonal but well-equipped Special Care Baby Unit where his 9lbs 8oz rosy form was inserted into a crib intended mostly for tiny premature chaps.<br />
<br />
And so it unfurled....life with The Boy began.<br />
<br />
Those feelings, anxiety, fear, despair grief (that the baby I thought I was having was a different baby altogether)and innumerable other HUGE feelings washed over me and took me somewhat by surprise as I passed the shell that is now that hospital. <br />
<br />
So I am having a sit and a think before I continue with the excitement that surely awaits me in Sainsbury's!!!<br />
<br />
Anyway..life and stuff happens.<br />
<br />
Happy Thursday.<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />
nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-72410957285757036442019-07-15T09:21:00.003+01:002019-07-15T09:21:30.784+01:00He slept...So...when M and I both woke up in the same place this morning we were surprised, shocked and then, of course, anxious.<br />
<br />
Was the Boy ok???<br />
<br />
Had he woken in the night, wrecked the place and then fallen asleep in the rubble?<br />
<br />
The only way to find out was to go and see. M threw on his clothes and ventured forth to investigate.....dramatic pause....all was well.<br />
<br />
This is the second time in the last two months that he has slept all night.<br />
<br />
Our excitement is mounting.....Could we be turning a corner? Could sleep be just peeping at us from that corner?<br />
<br />
Can we contain our excitement??<br />
<br />
I think we can.<br />
<br />
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-2688018651345997982019-07-14T18:11:00.001+01:002019-07-14T18:11:14.482+01:00GardencentretasticSo....another weekend. Another set of visits to 2 of the glorious garden centres within an hour of our home.<br />
<br />
We have isolated a selection of garden centres which we visit on a loosely rotational basis every weekend. It is what the Boy will do without much of a fight or protest. He is particularly fond of the garden centres with fish and or small creatures which we try to stop him from terrorising.....after all, who wants to buy a traumatised guinea pig??<br />
<br />
Yesterday was our all time fave...it is practically perfect in every way. If I had one negative, it would be the quality of the coffee which is tolerable only because the quality of the rest of the place outweighs it.<br />
<br />
M and I have determined that during this year we are only going to buy one plant per month and then only plants which are in flower or have interesting leaf colours. We have been quite good thus far. Quite good.<br />
<br />
Today's delight is a garden centre which we have found sells excellent plants and has an adequate cafe and which opens early on a Sunday...and this is ,for us, a massive point in its favour. We managed to emerge, plantless. A feat of almost superhuman effort on our part!<br />
<br />
Then we took a very scenic route home which entertained the Boy no end and which passed time for us so that the rest of the day did not seem so long. )M and the Boy are still suffering somewhat from their incredibly early start yesterday.)<br />
<br />
However, another jolly weekend was had by all.<br />
<br />
Hurrah.<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-80946775081010370182019-07-13T08:29:00.001+01:002019-07-13T08:29:41.851+01:00Saturday againso...M was PoD last night as he has been for many a month due to the fact that my back is still not robust enough to take the wrangling required to care adequately for the Boy during the long reaches and watches of the night.<br />
<br />
I awoke to a message from him on our FApp..the family App...which indicated, with M’s usual wit and flare, that he and the Boy has been awake, basically since 1.30am. Despite repeated encouragement from M that they should try to go to sleep,the Boy remained resolutely awake.<br />
<br />
So, as I creaked out of bed at 5.30, back twinging/twinging , I fought with the guilt of someone who had been asleep, gloriously and luxuriously until 5.30, without wrangle or scratch.<br />
<br />
Thoughts swirled........Should I endeavour to take my turn once again as PoD??? What if it sets my back off onto a worse trajectory.....?????? Oh dilemma.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Downstairs, all was relative calm.<br />
<br />
No sign of destruction other than the fact that The Boy had emptied my bag...clearly he felt that the old receipts in the bottom were surplus to requirements and had rummaged until he found them all. What a helpful fellow. <br />
<br />
I tried , then, to take over from M but the Boy would have little of it... he changed now in full marauding mode....nowhere and nothing was safe. Breakfast on the run takes on a different meaning these days...yoghurt sloshing, tea spilling, I moved at speed behind the Boy as he whirlwinded his way though the downstairs aspect of our house. He can move quite fast for someone who can’t move very well at all!!!<br />
<br />
It is now 815ish and we are about to set out for a garden centre, in the hope that a second breakfast and a little walk might calm him......<br />
<br />
M is a marvel.<br />
<br />
Please tell him when you see him.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
The Endnickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648357224619913100.post-76711056860227816992019-07-11T16:40:00.002+01:002019-07-11T20:03:48.890+01:00Vintage...So..apparently vintage is a good thing. Vintage clothes, vintage cars, vintage wine etc....all good. Deemed valuable or quirky or desirable.<br />
<br />
What about people though? I was looking at my skin today (one has to do something on one's day off) and was once again surprised at its ...shall we say, lack of youthful springy smoothness!<br />
<br />
When did i become so reptilian??? 😱<br />
<br />
Talking with a lovely chum today, we were chatting about something which happened a long time ago.....but which feels like the other day!! Where did that time go??<br />
<br />
I now understand my parents' preoccupation with The War because for them, it wasn't the ancient history that it was for me. It was just the other day to them. I wish I could tell them that I now understand...sorry ,mum and dad!<br />
<br />
However, I haven't spent the day chatting and staring at myself....No! I have also been making things out of paper plates...dinosaur masks (not masks FOR dinosaurs,you understand,but rather for children to disguise themselves cunningly, with the aid of a paper plate,AS dinosaurs), similarly bear masks, alien heads and jelly fish...all in the name of work!<br />
<br />
I have spent a goodly part of the afternoon, surrounded by a morass of card, paper, straws(paper, of course), paper plates, pens and sellotape.<br />
<br />
In my element!<br />
<br />
You see, at the Bookface, we shall be hosting jolly (well, that is our hope) sessions, centering on a different theme each week with stories and activities for children....such as making masks etc. See???? It all falls into place.<br />
<br />
So....I may have vintage and reptilian skin, but I have the soul of an 8 year old!<br />
<br />
Hurrah!<br />
<br />
The End<br />
<br />nickiandtheboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09295096580918390536noreply@blogger.com0