Yup, Just what you DO NOT need at bedtime! First of all it was flying round the room - I think it must have come down the attic stairs and crawled beneath the door. This is normally an August occurrence though. I put the light out, opened the sash window, and waited for it to stop panicking and locate the window. Some hopes! I sat there (having rapidly donned my dressing gown) hearing it touch the ceiling in various parts of the room. Then splat - and I heard silence. It had splatted the wall very near me . . . Main light on, lift up pillow next to me, and there was a stunned looking bat on the bottom pillow. I went and shook it out of the window but as you can imagine, I had to check the entire bed then in case any others were lurking beneath the edges of the duvet . . . I've asked Danny to block the gap at the bottom of the attic door. It's clear that the Universe is bored with mere medical challenges (a couple more of those this week too), and is ringing the changes. I am expecting a slow worm in the scullery tomorrow . . .
I had a phone call yesterday morning. It was our new neighbour. He was about to climb up onto the roof and wanted to know I was in just in case anything happened. Now, he regularly has mates staying with him, but he decides to go up on the roof when he is alone! I remarked that this was just a little short-sighted! Anyway, he went up safely, and later patched the cracks in the concrete capstone with some more cement. I took a photo of him but will spare his blushes and show you the rear view...
Keith's new mattress was delivered yesterday. This was recommended by the GP to the D. Nurses. Whilst it is an air mattress still, it's a lot less rigid than the last one, and where the Toto tilted up and over each way, this sinks. He moaned like heck for the first half an hour, and THEN we got the thumbs up! Phew.
Yesterday was a phone call day. Also a running around with prescriptions day. Of the 4 items on his prescription, only one could be supplied, two are on order (in this afternoon) and one no longer made so I had to phone the surgery again to get the product changed. Keith now has eye drops for an infection and needs dry eye drops too. He also has Atropine on order to dry up his saliva. Plus he is struggling with food now and so he is to have protein drinks and desserts.
My gardener was here yesterday so I have a tidy lawn again (though I couldn't get out there quickly enough to tell him not to cut down the Fox and Cubs in the lawn. I got him to leave the bit at the front, so that is like a wild flower meadow now. So pretty.
Final photos showed that the new fabric pens (which iron off) offer pink which shows up on the fabric border and makes following the stencil SO much easier! However, I screwed up by blindly going over the cable where I should have NOT done so, and probably have to rip out and start over. This is what comes of sewing in the evening when my brain is tired.
Hooray for the new bed!
ReplyDeleteGood to see the new neighbour's enthusiasm re maintenance..at least he's using a proper roof ladder
This is a bit more than maintenance as this is a "doer upper" he's bought. This job had to be done as the smoke from the Rayburn was seeping into his bedroom - not ideal. It will look lovely when it's done and he's extended into the barn. Meanwhile definitely a batchelor pad - not a feminine touch in sight!
ReplyDeleteBats have never bothered me, but Mum was a different story. Had she known that they roost in the neighbouring trees and flew across the garden and up and down our drive of a summer evening, I swear we would have up sticks and moved!
ReplyDeleteI read what you said yesterday in reply about getting cross. I did too, and wish I could retract every harsh word I uttered, but I was, as you are now, weary to the bone, and should not be blamed. You need rest and respite. You are, as I was, the victim {hate that word} of a broken and inadequate system. I once compared how I felt to knowing the feeling behind The Scream. Would/could Keith go into a care home for a respite week? Most care homes offer this short stay service, and, unless the system has changed, care givers are entitled to one week off in every eight weeks. Give it some thought.
All sounding and looking good BB - there is light at the end of the tunnel. You are good to leave the wildflowers. It’s usually around this time that I start to worry about mowing the meadow but this year I am paying my grass cutter to do it and he assures me he will be fine doing it with a ride on mower so we’ve pencilled it in for six weeks’ time. The first year of meadow-making we needed a tractor to cut it at the end of July but since then we’ve done it between us except for last year when I did it all by myself over three days with our push battery mower which resulted in my damaged Achilles’ tendon. In previous years S and I mowed sections every day over the course of a dry week but last summer was wet and we were going on holiday so I felt under pressure which in hindsight was silly. Meanwhile the garden grass is a haze of white clover, yellow trefoil and purple self heal and looks so pretty. Let”s keep strong and keep putting one foot in front of the other - tis all anyone can do. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteYour meadow is glorious.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anything wrong with the quilting, the lines are supposed to cross as you've done. Your stitches are lovely.
Can you roll up a towel or something to block the attic door base? And---no screens? Do the bats live in your house? Unhealthy!
The guy on the roof made me smile, seems I am not as crazy as my kids think, bec I always call someone to ''be on alert'' when I have to get up on ladders or other iffy jobs. I think it's smart, not neurotic.
sending good wishes
lizzy
So very happy to read that the new bed got a thumbs up. Why do men always decide to do something a bit dangerous when they are alone?
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I admire your calm in the face of a bat in the bedroom. They are lovely little creatures, but not necessarily to share one’s quarters! As for men doing silly and dangerous things in the face of reason, I think we are genetically encoded that way!
ReplyDeleteAt least your neighbour had the sense to let you know what he was up to just in case of any accidents. For a man that's about as sensible as it gets. Hope the new mattress is a help for Keith, he needs to be comfortable at the very least.
ReplyDelete