. . .When Pippi decided to risk one of her nine lives . . .

 

 24 hours on, I can bring myself to write about it, but yesterday was just SO distressing.  My stress levels are sky high as it is, as I never know from day to day whether at bed time, Keith isn't going to make it up the stairs and into bed.  He has a wheelchair to the bottom of the stairs (I have the ramps we originally bought for the mobility scooter, which proved too short, but they're just right to go from the Library into the kitchen.) I never know at any meal whether he is going to choke or not, and it is distressing to see how difficult it is for him to move even a few steps these days, when it's a bad day.  I can just about cope as long a each day goes smoothly. Each week it seems more like nursing and less like caring.

    However, yesterday was the day from hell.  About 11 a.m. I realized I hadn't seen Pippi since she went out just after 8 a.m.  Normally she comes back every couple of hours to present us with a rodent, or use the "facilities".  I went out and called her and could hear a piteous miowing from the grounds of the big house.  I went in search, getting progressively more and more worried as I neared the biggest tree in the grounds, and she appeared to be in it.  However, I could only hear her and not see her, but went to get my neighbour to see if we could get my ladder anywhere near.  When he arrived, I had found Pippi about 30 feet up, and when I called her, she came right onto the end of a branch (it was a Balsam Fir) and I had to desperately encourage her back towards the trunk. She had gone up a U-shaped branch and couldn't get down it again and just sat on that then, yowling. It was clear that the ladder I'd got was going to fall short, even with the other sliding length.  The neighbour went back home.  I called our friend from across the valley and he came straight away, but even with both ladders we were still a good 15 feet short.  He thought Pippi was a welfare issue because of the height she was at, but unfortunately the fire brigade won't come out unless summoned by the RSPCA and the RSPCA (when I finally got through to them) won't come out until a cat has been up there 24 hours.  All these phone calls and I was getting nowere.  As you can imagine, I was totally distraught at the thought of leaving her to be there overnight.  I was just so desperate for an end to the fear and worry.  Every time I went back to the tree I expected to find a little broken body on the ground.

    As you can imagine, I was crying throughout - it truly was the final straw - she's my favourite, as you know, and the prospect of losing her . . . She insisted on coming and sitting (to look at the view?!) towards the end of a branch, and looked like a blardy Christmas Tree ornament.  By now it was nearly 3 p.m. and I was getting so desperate - I headed up the hill to our next-door neighbour farmers and hearing my plight, they came down with 3 ladders.  I was looking up into the tree to see if she was in the same place, but couldn't see her.  One of the brothers asked if she was a little black and white cat.  I said yes, and he pointed and said, like that one there, on the grass?  It was her, little wretch, looking like she was peeved because I'd abandoned her!  Oh my goodness, the RELIEF.

    I didn't sleep well last night - I was awake from 1 a.m. till 5 a.m., reliving the day, and after a couple of hours came down and watched the first episode of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which is very good and made me very angry at the PO.  They treated sub-postmasters despicably.  Talk about being Judge, Jury and Hangman . . .

     I have been exhausted still all day today.  Pippi hasn't gone out of sight of the house, so obviously had quite a fright yesterday - I don't now if she was chasing a squirrel, or if something chased her.  However, this afternoon I DID take myself off to the Nursery to get some compost for planters.  I also bought a little Evening Primrose plant for the orchard, and a Globe Flower (always wanted one and will probably get more)- I bunged that in at the back of the pond the moment I got home.  I also got a pot with several young Auricula in as I don't have any here.  I walked slowly several times round the nursery, looked around inside and bought Tam some small gardening gloves (that size very hard to find) and a trowel which I knew she needed.  She's arriving tomorrow afternoon and then we can get the tv sorted in Keith's bedroom, and the DVD player and the Firestick and if he wants to go up early, he has something to watch.

    Off to try and relax now.

    Thank you for listening to me feeling sorry for myself but yesterday I just got in such a state.

Progress - and an expensive month!

 

Sorry that the light wasn't very good on this, but you get the idea I'm sure.  My hand got sore doing all the French knots for the Umbellifer.  The embroidery stitches are all very simple though - Stem Stitch, French knots, Lazy Daisy and some straight stitches.  I sewed some more yesterday afternoon whilst Keith and I watched back to back Digging for Britain programmes.  I took a walk along the lane for a mile or so each way late morning, and that was very calming and then a lovely Friday afternoon relaxing.

    I finally got around to choosing another Audible book - 2 in fact, as my other credit came through yesterday (reminds me to cancel it before next month).  My choices were "Tell the Bees That I Am Gone" by Diana Gabaldon - mainly because I've had the book two years and only read a few chapters - just couldn't settle to it with some many other worries and distractions.  At least I can listen to it when I do the ironing.  Then I went for something cheerful - a Jeeves and Wooster by P G Wodehouse - Joy in the Morning.

    I met the new neighbour yesterday too.  From Hampshire, nice young man who is an architect.  I'm glad the end cottage has gone to someone tidy!  We had a lovely chat, and he brought up the subject of the water, so I didn't have to, thankfully.  A three way split on going on the mains . . .

    January has been a very expensive month so far - topping up the oil tank for starters (we wanted to make sure plenty was in if we are going to have snow/bitterly cold spell); then the central heating boiler needed its annual service - will book that in for October next; then Keith has passed the car over to me so insurance is simpler in future and he (11 yrs older and unable to drive) is no longer on the policy.  We've had to send the car tax form off to get a refund and I shall take a 6mth tax out, so it renews in the summer, and then I can renew for a year again, which we've always done, but trying to get this away from the house and car insurance, which come close together.  

    So that means car insurance (due in a week) to be renewed, now I've scouted around and found someone cheaper and who we were with before. I was NOT impressed by the quote doubling from £243 last year to £495 this . . .  Then when I tried to speak to someone about it I got the runaround (call centre in Thailand by the sound of the accents) and by the time I'd got to the 4th woman, who assured me she could deal with my problem, then after I'd told her in full said she would have to pass me on to a colleague.  I told them where to stick their policy as they had just lost my business!  I renewed elsewhere for £307 . . .  When I am on my own here, things are going to be very difficult as I will just have my OAP and an eighth (or is it a tenth?) of Keith's small Army pension, which will work out about £15 a week . . .  I will probably have to pay monthly, which costs more.  Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  I hope that the Unit will help with the bills.

    Meanwhile I spent ages yesterday trying to get Danny's spare tv working, along with the new Universal remote.  Remember when you just used to plug a tv in and turn it on?  Not any more, and I couldn't find out which 4 figure model I should be typing into the remote (which required this in order to work) - just had a 10 figures and upper/lower case letters "model" on the back.  Tam looked it up and gave me a relevant number but still no good.  So today, swop tv's back and try and get the old one working. I have a feeling I shall have to wait until my "technical advisor" (Tam) is here on Monday though. I thought I was doing well just getting the Firestick and DVD player in the right holes!

    As for the H key on my keyboard, well we won't go there!  Can't get the darn thing back on, now I've removed all the FLUFF in there . . .  

A tiring and frustrating day

 I was a Good Girl this morning and cleaned the oven (well, both of them).  Then the top shelf of the fridge.  Such enjoyable jobs - NOT! I even went up into the attic and started tidying up there, intending to give myself the afternoon off.  Then Keith's new (air) mattress was delivered.  (his heels have got very dry and heading towards bed sores, and a discrete area elsewhere ditto.  We didn't know the heels were prone to ulcerating).  It turns out I needed a single mattress protector in order for his electric blanket to be used.  So I went from having it strapped onto the mattress to having the mattress protector and the bottom sheet beneath it and just putting it in on a low setting to warm the bed, then removing it again.  We had bought this one specially so he could have it on at night on a low setting if he got cold.  Plan foiled.  So I had to go into Llandod again to go to get a 4 way switched extension lead to plug the new mattress into (it was a considerable trip hazard where it was) and the protector.  I thought I would pop into the little newsagents on the offchance my Family history mag was in, and it was, so that is my treat for later reading.

Should any "h"s be missing from this, the key is playing up - I took it off to try and clean it and now have at least removed the fluff beneath it but can't get the key back in place!  The delete button is also perilous - think it needs to go in for the keyboard to be cleaned. What fun!  I've left an email with a local chap who seems reliable and speedy.

Tam gave me a lovely embroidery book for Christmas, and an embroidery kit which I've been enjoying stitching.  

 

I find it very relaxing and enjoyed working on this over Christmas, when I had more time.  Tomorrow I'll put up a photo of the work in progress.

Once I had a working computer again, I found I had an email dated before Christmas from the greenhouse company, wanting my address so they could send the replacement glass.  I have told the handyman it's on its way, but he can't get back here until February because he has some big jobs on (sigh . . .) and what's more, his daily rate has gone up by another £10 and because I have guttering hedgehogs to be put in and some low roof tiles on the stables to be replaced, there is  a "working at heights" premium for that - first I've heard of it - and that will be a further £20 on top.  I am NOT amused about that and if there was anyone else would tell him where to go.  Let's just hope the greenhouse is finished in time for SPRING!

I've just copied this from Gardens to Gables, on Facebook.  This is the interior of a room "From Historic New England, Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, built in 1907."  This is just the green I've wanted for the Guest Bedroom - when it is vacated once more and I can persuade someone to paint and paper it for me. The room, like all the upstairs ones here, has tongue and groove panelling on 3 walls, so that would be painted green.

Thank you

Can't wait for May . . .

 Thank you all for your kind comments.  I won't have time to go and reply to them all, and I am sorry I couldn't post anywhere to say I was ok.   I will say here, if I go quiet for that long, it's because I cannot get online because the broadband is out.  Were anything to happen to me, I would get one of the kids to post and tell you.   

Christmas and New Year just seem a dim but pleasant memory now.  New Year's Day saw me taking the baubles off the tree and putting it outside on the orchard edge.  If I knew anyone with goats, I would happily donate it for them to munch.  I can't wait to get rid of the decorations once the year has turned.

I've not been anywhere or done anything for weeks and weeks now.  My only respite time is a local walk or doing the weekly grocery shop.  Even Brecon seems exotic these days, as I've not been for months.  Danny & co have put back their move a week so he can buy a small car.  Gives me time to get up in the attic to make room, and try and move stuff from one end of the stables to the other.

The only really positive thing I have done is to approach an antiques centre I know well, which has a good footfall, and to put my name down for a Unit there.  Hoping one will come up soon as I have so much "stuff" here and as I'm none too sure if I can do the Builth Fairs this year, because of Keith's health, it makes a lot more sense.  There are things which came with us from Ynyswen which I just don't have room for, and need to be moved on. I'll still go to Malvern as that is something I am addicted to, and it's good to catch up with friends on the circuit too.  It also gives Keith an interest.

I also hardened my heart and gave the Library all my copies of PSAS (Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, of which I am a lapsed member - when it got to £100 a year I drew a line under my membership).  I was hoping they would put them in their Reference Library but apparently they will just go into storage, which is disappointing.  I gave them so that others might have access.  No point in trying to sell them as they only go for £5 each and such a niche market that I would still have them forever.  So that has cleared a shelf . . .

OT have written to us about a made-to-measure wheelchair for inside and out, and that would be better for Keith to possibly get around Fairs in - certainly Builth.  Unfortunately long journeys (Malvern is an hour and a half nearly) make him very stiff but we will see what we can do.  The little Llandeilo fair would be easier too, and we could go to the fabulous Botanic Gardens Fair again (the one we used to do.  You just couldn't have a better setting than the big glasshouse, where we used to have our stand.)

Today our heating boiler is going to be serviced, so we have to switch the heating off at 10.30 (3 hours before they come).  Needless to say it is perishing cold outside . . .  I've turned the heating up, and shut all the doors, and Keith can be rugged up beneath the electric throw if he needs to be.  Plenty of quilts and blankets here anyway.

Now I'm off to Ancestry to follow up the lead on 4 x  g.grandfather Adams, who lived in the "cherry blossom village" of Botusfleming just over the Cornish border.  I bought a copy of his son's marriage certificate (as a widower) from 1870, and so got the link back.  I'd already made notes and a likely family tree for that branch, and can't wait to delve back further.  The certificate of course arrived the day after we lost the internet . . .

II'M BACK!

 After lightning took out the Router on Weds 27th December, I have been waiting (none too patiently I must confess) for broadband to be restored.  I waited 6 days for an engineer, and another 7 for a Router - an earlier one was apparently sent but delivered somewhere else.  They left a line of my address off so no wonder I didn't get it.  

Apologies to you all, as I'm sure you must have thought I'd disappeared off the face of the earth.

I'll do a proper post later.  Meanwhile, have to do my online-banking, which was another thing to suffer from the broadband desert.

Chocolate Roulade for Breakfast is Obligatory

 . . . for me anyway.  A day late this year as the girls were busy in the kitchen on Christmas Day and told me to rest up, so I did. Then there were restless mutterings about the lack of Roulade yesterday so I set to and made it.  Only at Christmas is it made, and is a family tradition.  

I also made some soup yesterday - a sort of Scotch  Broth, but without the Pearl Barley which I discovered was 4 years out of date!  I substituted Red Lentils and as I was blitzing it anyway (so Keith might have some) they just gave it a nice golden colour and thickened it up nicely.  It called for grated carrots, which I happened to have in the freezer for future Carrot Cakes.

Christmas Day was very enjoyable.  Tam arrived Christmas Eve, Gabby Christmas morning, then Jon yesterday.  We all ate a little too much, drank sensibly (though a glass of wine with the meal made me drowsy) and had some nice thoughtful gifts.  Jon's to Keith was a Medieval Flail, which pleased him no end as I had stopped him buying one at Malvern Flea last year!  When you are 83, socks and tops get a bit boring!!

The greenhouse now has the rain barrel in it which Gabs gave me for Christmas, ready for me to assemble feeder parts, an empty planter trough which is going to have Garlic planted in it, possibly today if it stops hammering down with rain, and the plastics recycling box so I won't have to pour water out of it before putting it in the car to take it up the track.  Which reminds me, I must check and see when they might arrive this week as it would normally have been yesterday.  

Sadly, Keith's mobility has deteriorated quite a bit and he's really struggling with the stairs now.  I think no dairy was a move too far, so he's gone back on that pronto, and it looked like we needed to trial the new meds again too, but they really don't seem to suit at the moment.  We will have to get his armchair upstairs into the bedroom to turn it into a bedsit for him, as once I'm on my own here I won't be able to get him upstairs. Hoping  It's a difficult thing for him to face as we can't kid each other along that he will soon be going to Fairs again.  Just writing  that has made me cry.  I have done my best - beyond my strength and endurance - to keep him mobile but now we have to accept that it is no longer practical.  (Update: Keith is much better this morning - not exactly sprinting, but balance better and so as long as T&J here and he goes up earlier, whilst meds still working, we can plod on.

So today will be furniture moving day, and I'll get my sewing bits off the top of the pine sideboard in there, so his favourite weapons can be displayed there instead.  We hung the carved green man up yesterday.  His best "present" was putting the Firestick (now a bit ancient so we have ordered one in the Boxing Day sales) in the tv and getting it going so he can watch tv in bed.  He was delighted by that!  

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable time with family and friends, or just doing your own thing.  Now we can look forward to more daylight and the birds know the wheel has turned and are becoming more vocal.  

Christmas Mark II arrives this weekend when Danny, Emma and the little one are here.

Merry Christmas

 The Oxen

BY THOMAS HARDY

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.

“Now they are all on their knees,”

An elder said as we sat in a flock

By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where

They dwelt in their strawy pen,

Nor did it occur to one of us there

To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave

In these years! Yet, I feel,

If someone said on Christmas Eve,

“Come; see the oxen kneel,

“In the lonely barton by yonder coomb

Our childhood used to know,”

I should go with him in the gloom,

Hoping it might be so.

Our family start arriving soon, so I shall sign off for a couple of days and enjoy the time together.  Thank you all for your support throughout the year, and for putting up with my moans. No White Christmas here - just the expected grey skies and rain.

I make no apologies for putting up one of my favourite Thomas Hardy poems, as I do every year.