POST BEGUN 0825HRS BST 1 SEPTEMBER 2026
When something requiring emergency services happens to someone 'my age', a serious rethink is in order. In my case the rethink is on the 'no-brainer' level, on Paul's it is more a hugely reluctant re-think level.
Honestly all I can think of is how terribly difficult it was for the paramedics to get me out of the house to the ambulance and how difficult it is for the transport team (consultant says no to my husband hiring a car to get me to appointments as he wants my ankle professionally supported during transport).
We ARE going to have to move house. Paul knows, I know, he's dreading it and I can't fault him for the dread. But. But we are 'our age' (68 and 70) and stuff happens no matter how well we think we've prepared.
We thought this shoebox was 'our last house move'. We thought wrong. Future-proofing and ageing-in-place planning wasn't as well thought-out as we thought - our first priority should have been easy access for emergency services followed closely by easy house and garden maintenance especially including walk-in showers and raised mains outlets (electrical plugs).
Neither of us expected one of us to fall and break bones necessitating extraction via stretcher chair. Now all I can think about is what the hell do I do if Paul has a heart attack - yeah I can do CPR but I can't get him onto a sofa while waiting for paramedics. He can get me onto a sofa but he can't do CPR or any other kind of first aid.
I thought we could handle anything EXCEPT broken bones. So naturally I fell and broke my ankle in three places (the heel fracture hurts the worst, btw).
POST BEGUN 1228HRS BST SUNDAY 23 AUG 2026
PAIN ADDLES YER BRAIN - RE-LEARNED THIS 0200HRS BST SUNDAY 9TH AUG 2026. OPIATE PAIN RELIEF CONTRIBUTES TO THE PAIN-ADDLED CONDITION. LEARNED 9TH-16TH AUG 2026 WHILST A HOSPITAL IN-PATIENT.
O.M.F.Gosh was I glad to get home 6pm Saturday afternoon 16th August! A week on and the opiates have finally cleared my system (WHEW!).
Long story short I took a very nasty fall in the bathroom, broke my left ankle in three places and 'mildly' sprained right wrist-to-elbow. I love my surgeon who decided NOT to operate owing to my age, heart issues, and his belief I would comply completely with his instructions.
Instead he doped me up (codeine) PLUS injected Lidocaine into my foot, ignored my screams, set the breaks and then put a plaster and fibreglass cast on. I have been faithful to instruction - keep elevated, NO WEIGHT BEARING, 15mg codeine every 4-6 hours and an injected blood thinner once a day while in hospital replacing the pain relief and thinner with 600mg aspirin every 4-6hrs once home.
Why? Because paracetamol turns me green by the second dose despite the NHS refusing to dispense aspirin to those of us who cannot tolerate acetaminophen/paracetamol - codeine in small doses 'only' makes me throw-up. sigh
The woman in the bed next to me kept trying to tell the staff she too cannot take paracetamol, they basically shoved it down her throat then had to deal with her subsequently enlarged liver. Nice, huh? (no, not nice)
I can only 'get out of bed' to use the bedside commode and once an hour to stand on my good leg for 1-3 minutes to hopefully prevent bedsores. For how long? EIGHT TO TEN BLOODY WEEKS (two down, there is that). The plan is for short ten step weight-bearing walks to begin in October. BTW, 'get out of bed' means scooching my body to the edge of the bed, planting my good foot on the floor whilst clinging to the bedside commode chair rails then rising and pivoting to lower myself onto said chair.
I use the same transfer to get onto the hospital transport wheel chair - yes, Fox's Mom is only permitted to travel under hospital transport care. my cup runneth over.
sigh
Paul is beginning to worry me as he is proving a better housewife than me:) OK, he still can't cook but he's got the dish and clothes washers sussed, he's a reheat whizz now on the microwave, and he vacuums more than I ever did. He graciously keeps the bedside commode clean. Twice a day he brings me a clean basin with clean tepid water for a 'freshen-up'. He's doing great:)
POSTED 1312HRS BST SUNDAY 23 AUGUST 2026 - FORGIVE ERRORS, BLAME LINGERING CODEINE
POST BEGUN MON 3 AUG 2026 1004HRS BST
When I was around eight years old I resolved to 'grow old with dignity'. By age eight, you see, I'd been around enough 'adults' growing old in seriously undignified ways to know I did not want that disgrace for myself should I live long enough to be 'old'. It was the 1960s and the time period was becoming known as 'the swinging 60s' - ugh. I freely admit a fair part of my disdain for 40something women in low-cut blouses and mini-skirts was down to childhood prudishness but honestly a larger part was owing to disgust at the way these simpering cows flung themselves with increasing desperation at men who could not be called gentlemen if the flinging included bedroom (or backseat or airing cupboard or...) antics.
At the same time I observed my older siblings (sister 12 years older, brother six years older) wallowing in an ever-deepening cess pit of 'free love' and drugs. I distinctly recall my brother admitting he'd 'do pills and pot' but never needles after seeing a girlfriend od on heroin which included a massive blister that formed as he waited for the ambulance. Didn't stop him trying anything smokeable or swallowable, though.
SIDEBAR MOMENT: after high school and college (my alma mater is now a university but at the time was a state college) I joined the USCG (1974-1986). In the late '80s my brother was 'the million dollar man' at Palm Beach County Jail as the biggest drugs kingpin they'd nicked at the time and my military service was known to the police who delighted in calling me 'Al Capone's other brother' once they determined I'd played no part in my brother's drug smuggling operation.
Al Capone's other brother was a police officer who'd so disassociated himself from his gangster family he changed his name and became a highly successful Prohibition era Nebraska copper.
My brother was released in the mid-1990s and has been a fully law-abiding member of his community.
I watched the '60s become the '70s, watched my so-called 'peer group' as they fumbled their way to an adulthood I was certain would lead to a dystopian future (and oh was I right!) all the while determined to 'age gracefully' AND be a 'good person'. Not sure about the 'good person' part (yeah, I've done some silly things, hasn't everyone?) but I feel I can say, as age 70 looms (God willing) at the end of the month, I have stuck to my childhood resolution. No 'mutton dressed as lamb', no cosmetic surgery meant to 'defy ageing'. I've been wearing sensible shoes since my mid-20s.
Now if I could just convince my darling Paul we really do need a slightly bigger home!
POST BEGUN 0918HRS BST WEDS 29 JULY 2026
ATTENTION HOME SEWERS (although I'm reasonably certain you already know this): if you aren't yet plumping your paper sewing patterns library - START NOW!
Yes. I sew. I sew most of my clothing and a smattering of Paul's (during our most recent COF he found two shirts I made him several years ago and is pleased both still fit enough to wear comfortably, he now would like more, please). I have been sewing since 1961 (Gran-taught on a Super Nova Necchi I never got the hang of fitting the bobbin case properly - since Singer introduced the top-drop-in bobbin system I've been a sewing fool) but somehow, despite Gran's extensive Hollywood costume making success (1929-1965) and superb teaching method, I never learned how to draft sewing patterns so I rely on paper sewing patterns from The Big Four (Simplicity, Mccalls, Butterick, Vogue).
That is, I did rely on The Big Four until IG Design Group (the owner company) went out of business (2025) and new PAPER designs were no longer being released. Oh. Dear.
Thankfully I'd developed an extensive pattern collection including age and size ranges from infant-toddler through adult male and female. However, 'if you know, you know' - yes, I freely and unashamedly admit I would not only pore over the latest release catalogues but would buy at least three paper patterns from the new collection.
I can pattern hack with the best of 'em and the garments I've made using (for example) a Vogue bodice with Simplicity sleeves and a Mccalls collar have garnered many a 'Oh I love your dress, where did you buy it?'. I can copy off a garment using a tracing wheel and dressmaker carbon. But draft off the top of my head, nope, never got the hang of it.
Suddenly my sources for new paper sewing patterns was gone! Big Four sewing patterns became 'digital' only once remaining hard copy stocks were sold out. OMFG! I hate 'digital' sewing patterns! One, printing those damn things costs a small fortune and two, 'matching' A4 print-out to assemble a printed pattern is beyond frustrating to the point of near-impossibility.
Right. eBay to the rescue - paper stock sold at somewhat reasonable prices of vintage and new-uncut paper patterns can be found but buyers need to be crystal clear on sizes and condition. Also a good source (until stocks run out) is Amazon. Some sewing centres (online or local) are selling their stocks.
Car boot (flea market) and charity shops can be a source but again, buyers want to be crystal clear on what they're buying.
And then I discovered 'alternative' paper patterns. Who knew? OK, look, I was leary of these new paper pattern companies after two VERY disappointing experiences with Burda patterns. Too much faff including having to match sheets to form a pattern piece.
Tilly and The Buttons - eye-wateringly expensive and oh hey, I was expected not only to match sheets but also to measure off and cut without a piece of pattern paper to form the skirt! I'm sorry, £25 plus post and packing and I'm supposed to do all that??!!
I can go on naming Big Fail paper pattern companies but I won't. I will, however, tip all for a paper pattern company I've discovered that suits my needs nicely as long as I add the warning the following company assumes good working knowledge of garment construction without a need for hand-holding (yeah, ok, the Big Four did hand-hold, and I loved that!).
Style Arc. This is an Australian company making primarily 'casual' clothing sewing patterns for all ages. Reasonably-ish priced and printed on quality bond paper - I'm using a smooth tracing wheel and dressmaker carbon so my pattern stock is preserved without cutting the paper to a size. Basic construction instructions including seam allowance information (some use a traditional 5/8th SA, others a 3/5th and some a 1/4in SA) and as long as the sewer has a good hard copy sewing reference book library, garments go together easily enough. Garment styling is 'casual' (use your Vogue paper patterns to make more 'dressy' styles) but all-season wear is available including jackets and coats.
Last word? WHEN YOU SEE IT - BUY IT IF IT IS THE RIGHT SIZE AND STYLE TO MEET YOUR NEED! Do not think you can go off and think about it for a day or week or month because chances are it will be gone when you finally decide to buy. Yes, this is the voice of experience speaking. I was talking to another home sewer who said she dedicates one day a week to searching sources of paper patterns and like me she is finding those sources are either price-rising by the second or simply drying up all together.
Meanwhile I sit here waiting for the plumber - bathroom has sprung a leak. Last month it was the boiler gasket. sigh
POSTED 1020HRS BST WEDS 29 JULY (and WOOT, the plumber has just turned up!!)
POST BEGUN SUNDAY 5 JULY 2026 1007HRS BST
COF (clearing out frenzy) continues and I think my beloved husband is in a mild-ish state of shock at what he's deemed my newfound ruthlessness. Hey, here's the thing - much of what I am happy to part with out of those sheds have been replaced.
Why? Because my beloved husband had 'organised' (read as repacked carefully labelled cartons as he 'needed that size box' only to scatter things everywhere but where I'd packed them), and/or had secretly COF'd things when I was conveniently out of the house. Yesterday I found the popcorn air popper - it has been in an unlabelled carton with several other things I'd looked for then finally replaced. FTR, that popper went missing in 2018.
Did my beloved husband apologise when his COF 'reorganise' mania was discovered? No he did not, even when a shocking amount of Christmas decor scattered through literally dozens of 'reorganised' cartons were found and he exclaimed 'MORE lights, wtf?!'. He didn't even bother looking more than momentarily ashamed when I reminded him I'd had to replace things he'd 'reorganised' (read 'lost') - many many many times hence the (ahem) more than 100 Christmas light sets our favourite charity shop is gratefully accepting.
Is he still truly my beloved husband? Yes he is. He has his 'foibles and eccentricities' and I have mine - we put up with both. It's called marriage and after 16 years it only gets better even when he's in the grip of his latest COF.
He's hired a Ford Transit van for this last COF push - blimey that van has a superb payload capacity, WOW, and oh hey, if we wanted to we could clean it out and use it to camp in, it's that big a payload bay. I'm going to miss it when we turn it in two weeks from now.
And in all honesty, the COF is life-changing in a good way. His study and my living room are both easier to manage now. The kitchen and I have come to an agreement - NO MORE GADGETS I HAVEN'T STORAGE ROOM TO ACCOMMODATE.
Bonus, I have cheerfully said 'Ciao, bay-bee' to the bulky and 'where the hell do I keep this' 3-in-1 steam mop and 20 spare pads, and the Webby. Will I miss the steamers, yes I likely will because hygienically clean floors is a thing with me. However, I am now the proud and completely satisfied owner of a Flash floor mop (washable pads) and a case of Dettol scented cleaning solution. Easier to store (less bulk and bonus, no electricity to faff with) and does a good job plus leaves kitchen and bathroom smelling of floral scent.
I loved that Webby tool but the Flash Dust Magnet on the 90cm/36in extendable fold-down handle does a much better job of dusting ceiling fan paddles, cobwebs and bookcase tops. I've also happily given away the 2-in-1 mini vacuum I needed a specialty extension cable to use so I didn't blow a fuse vacuuming the front vestibule (lack of near-by power outlet and using the wrong extension cable can blow the power) - the main vacuum cleaner does a better job and the specialty extension cable stays to keep the fuse unblown. Winning!
The short handle lobby broom set (3ft pole and clip-on broom with a flip-down dustpan) has been replaced with a much more sensible (and SO much more comfortable to use) 5ft lobby broom set. Where has that wonderful tool been all my life, I ask, remembering the reason I bought the 2-in-one mini vac was because the 3ft lobby broom gave me a backache every time I swept the bathroom and kitchen and at least the mini-vac handle was long enough to mean no backache in use. Uh, OK, I admit - I am eyeing up a new main vacuum cleaner with on-board tools including extension wands for crannies and corners (no more bending, it's a rule for those of us hitting age 70 in a month, God willing). One vacuum to serve all needs, hell yeah, and as easy to store as the soon-to-be replaced one.
Right, so a regular reader I communicate with via email asked recently about past lives and why do I not talk about that topic since marrying Paul. ANSWER - because Paul's Asperger's means there are topics best acknowledged then rarely if ever brought up again. And try to remember my Paulie is a product of a Scottish Presbyterian upbringing.
However, I will say this: yeah, I can recall several, have proved the validity of my recollection to the sceptical, and I am here to say - there are things not right about the 20th and 21st centuries but in all honesty ageing in these 'modern times' is one whole hell of a lot easier than in any of my past lives when I managed to survive to 'old age'. SOOO much easier! Love-love-love electricity and power tools and kitchen gadgets, love-love-love 'em!
POSTED SUNDAY 5 JULY 2026 1110HRS BST
POST BEGUN FRIDAY 26 JUN 2026 AT 1011HRS BST
Yes. It is hot and humid. Even up here in NE Scotland. Yes. We are uncomfortable - the fans are keeping it merely 'uncomfortable' as opposed to the 'unbearable' it was before we fetched the fans down and turned them on. PS - a neatly planned combination of cross-breeze opened windows and the oscillating fan works a treat to cool living room, kitchen, bedroom (aka Paul's study). The stationary rechargeable wall mount fans in the hall and bathroom not so much so I'll be replacing those when I can find oscillating rechargeable ones on Amazon (out of stock, no surprise considering the sweltering temps Down South).
We're managing, the cat has even worked out where to lie on the sofa so as to enjoy the fan-generated cooling breeze. Health wise it's not the greatest but such is life.
Speaking of health, we went for vision and hearing checks last week. Paul needed hearing aids and multifocals prescriptions (and he ain't happy, putting it mildly), I needed a new eye multifocal prescription to include ultra-polarised sunglasses - the ophthalmologist breezily informed me I have 'early signs of cataracts in both eyes'. WOT?! I was SO not expecting that! Any road, I am now the reluctant owner of four very wide brim hats and the prescription glasses including the sunnies will be here next week. sigh
No matter the weather, I do have to remind Paul he is 68, not 48...
Paul is on his semi-annual 'clearing out frenzy' aka COF, it is going reasonably well EXCEPT I now have had to buy a new stainless steel frying and saucepan after discovering he took my hideously expensive 25pc (plus the fitted lids, dammit) gourmet quality professional stainless steel set to the charity shop. His justification was 'You don't use the hob as often as you used to'. EXCUSE ME??!! How in the hell does he think his meals are cooked?!
Somehow miraculously (because I'd stored it out of his COF view) my medium size stockpot is still with me - prefect for making all sorts including potatoes, boiled eggs, soups and pasta. I always stored the lids with my cookware so the stockpot and its lid are still together in my kitchen and now the cabinet they are kept in has a huge sticker on the door warning of GBH if used/taken without written authorisation from THE CHIEF COOK AND BOTTLE WASHER (me).
Once I regained emotional control (two full tissue boxes later) I hit the AmazonUK cookware pages. Even at Prime Days prices replacing that set would be close to £900 and the 'good quality but not as good as the bloody set he gave away' set £400...
I reassessed my cooktop needs.
This morning for £30 I ordered a 10in stainless steel and an 8in saucepan (triple clad and a name brand I know and trust). Thank-you AmazonUK Prime Days.
POST BEGUN MON 25 MAY 2026 1228HRS BST
THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
Sigh. Being married to Asperger's is challenging. Latest (ok, on-going) challenge? Housing.
Long story short my darling Aspie and I agreed an end to my deeply held cherished dream of moving to a slightly bigger home so I can stop living in the living room and get a second bedroom and bath (shower room, I am tired of risking a fall climbing in and out of these British ridiculously high and deep bathtubs with shower over). We've instead agreed a major renovation and 2 small extensions to our current home.
Complete re-wire including raising the mains outlets to hip-height (no. more. bending. to plug in the vacuum, no more snaking lamps and components cables behind furniture I can't move...).
Walk-in shower cabinet and a stacking clothes washer-dryer in the bathroom, conversion of one of the cupboards in the study (sigh, formerly the sole bedroom in this bloody little shoebox cottage) to a WC and hand-wash basin he can shave at. Kitchen footprint retained with better appliance placement (raised oven, 2-hob cooktop, narrow side-by-side fridge-freezer), easy-clean laminate worktops and equally easy clean cabinetry as pull-out under-worktop drawers and pull-down uppers. Bifold doors to enclose the rear porch (which will cut energy bills:) and I can use as a mini-home gym.
The two extensions? One at the front as a good old fashioned New England style storm porch and the second as a small conservatory off the side of the living room - close to the kitchen and will be used as a dining room.
Sigh. Now we wait for plans to be drawn up and then planning permission to be granted. And then finding and trusting a reliable team of renovation stars.
The only reason I agreed to this rather than the easier-simpler move to a turn-key property? My adorable Aspie came close to tears whilst informing me another house move would kill him.
Why in the hell didn't he tell me during the run-up to the last house move he'd suffered chest pains and multiple panic attacks until yesterday during playback of the taped F1 sprint and qualies highlights??!! I feel like a monster over both about my stoopid heart thingies mandating to that move and my push to find a slightly bigger house now.
Once he made that confession (and we got past the 'WHY didn't you say anything?!' bit), we talked, really talked and the end result was the compromise of 'doing-up' this house to avoid a house move whilst giving me the important things (except a bedroom, heigh ho, I'll make do with a large flat-pack wardrobe and daybed to double as a sofa during the day).
The things we do for love.
POSTED MON 25 MAY 2026 1313HRS BST
FRI 8 MAY 2026 POST BEGUN 1004HRS BST
Happy 22nd birthday to my eldest grand, finding it a wee bit shocking and totally joyous I have a 22yo grandson! His cousin, No2 of my three grandsons, will be 21 in July. And the eldest grandson is big brother of youngest grandson who will be four in October. I love being a grandma (three grandsons, two granddaughters)!
Meanwhile we here in the UK are running the election coverage in the background as we await news of how the vote turns out in our particular area. So far Reform is scooping up seats from Labour and Conservatives down in England with our Scottish results not expected until later this afternoon (estimated to be announced at 1600hrs/4pm our time today).
I stood in the too-short queue to vote yesterday asking myself 'Why am I bothering, what is the point, my idiotic fellow Scots almost certainly will tick the SNP or Scottish Labour boxes and my Reform votes will be a futile exercise in protest voting. Reached the front of the queue, went in, got my ballots and nonetheless ticked both boxes for Reform. We'll see but I'm not holding my breath.
I'm succeeding at my reorganisation project (formerly known as 'decluttering'). The current uncertainty around motor fuel and 'the cost of living' (meaning sky rocketing petrol-utilities-food prices - omfgosh!) means things I have realised I can do without have to be stacked and tarp covered on the back porch in hope that one day we'll be able to hire a car to lug all this to the skip and charity shops.
I finally forced myself to understand the best Christmas planning is to go with one each warm-white prelit green and flocked 2ft PE trees, one colour tree baubles and matching tree toppers, simple mantle garland and Holy Family sculpture with the Advent Wreath as the dinner table centrepiece - it all fits into one bag. The rest is now in four bags out in the shed because dangit hope floats one day we'll be in a slightly bigger home and my 4ft Balsam Hill tree will once again be star of the show. HEY! A girl can dream, can't she?!
It took me two weeks to sort through 15 years of accumulated Christmas 'stuff', and I was surprised to discover half of it all elicited 'What the bloody hell was I thinking when I made/bought THAT?!'. Hopefully the charity shops will be thrilled to have that to flog.
The rest of it went into two piles - one being the mini things including single colour sets (green, blue, red, gold) for use in my new 'midmalism' scheme. 'Midmalism' being a step between max and mini malism). The second pile was for decor I can't bear to part with.
Well, you know, one thing leads to another. I somewhat ruthlessly went through ALL the seasonal decor (four seasons plus Halloween and Easter) and pared all that down as well. Paul is of course over the moon, he is a minimalist to the core. I think he'd be fine with one chair, one plate, one...
Still doing brain challenge things, I'm currently massively hooked on word search puzzle books. My Essential Tremor and the gerontology medics encouraged me to take up colouring-in books as well. Oh. Dear. I now own several sets of watercolour pens and I've lost count of how many colouring books I have. Whilst awaiting a miracle (a move to a slightly bigger home with two bathrooms) I content myself with 'painting' colouring book images of rooms and gardens. BONUS: I now know my favourite colour is Autumn.
And yes, I'm still at the maths thing. I have found I am great at addition and subtraction but if I don't reinforce the multiplication and division bits every single day, I 'lose' those two vital skills.
My cardiologist is impatiently waiting out my current pericarditis flare to put me in cardiac rehab. He wants me to do the rehab programme for people with my unique heart 'challenges' but won't refer me until this latest stupid flare is sufficiently passed. I love he calls all the heart thingies 'challenges' although I do have to wonder if he means treating my complex set of conditions is more challenging for him than for me. Any road, he found me a no-incline treadmill and a compact rowing machine, both to be ordered once the rehab stint is completed. And while he's not thrilled to hear I have a balance rocker and a set of hand-weights (he still thinks I'm going to push myself during the flare recovery period - hahahahahahaha, hey Doc, this ain't my first rodeo!) he is ok with me having those items as long as I promise not to use them until he gives the go-ahead.
Oh nice, an election update just hit, Reform is mopping up the political floor:) Nice. Nice. Nice.
POST BEGUN SAT 14 MAR 2026 1216HRS GMT
Bloody hell, it's all kicking off here with what is feeling more and more a catastrophic cascade of troubles on numerous fronts, from the Labour 'government' complicit in fostering islamic extremist terror attacks (currently focusing on Jewish Britons but openly admitting they will come for 'the non-believers' once they've killed all the Jews) to war in the Middle East.
Naturally our idiot craven 'prime minister' is at pains to 'reassure' his muslim mates 'We did not participate in the US and Israeli strikes against Iran' thinking the nutters will accept his cowardice and thereby spare us. Meanwhile 'lone wolf' and 'sleeper cell' attacks here and abroad are escalating in frequency and severity of damage.
Paul and I would love for all this to 'just blow over' but all this feels more like an inevitability now.
POSTED SAT 14 MAR 2026 1252 HRS GMT
TUESDAY 24 FEB 2026 POST BEGUN 1413HRS GMT
Home stretch in sight, decluttering in a big way nearly finished. I'm using a weird combination of the Marie Kondo 'KonMari' and Swedish Death Cleaning methods, plus good old fashioned common sense (vastly underrated, common sense is) and it's working nicely. I am having to do it on the QT to keep Paul from 'helping' (aka hindering), though, and I'm running out of places to store the things awaiting disposal (to charity shops and the skip) out of his sight. Spring is coming, we'll be able to hire a car to cart the clutter away, I just hope I can keep a lid on things until Spring.
Why wait until Spring to hire the car? Because we live in NE Scotland and both of us hate driving in winter. Hitting black ice even at low speed is not fun and we live in an area well known for black ice formation. Black ice combined with most of our roads in this area not being high gritting priority. Even before giving up the car in 2020something, we'd learned to spend the Autumn preparing for winter including getting in household goods (and food) and scheduling doctor and dentist appointments before winter sets in so we didn't have to be out and about except quick walks to the nearby shops between rain and snow and ice storms.
So we hire a car for a week in Spring and mid-Autumn. The past few years the main focus has been charity shop and skip runs with a few day trips to local attractions sandwiched in. I'm hoping the Spring car hire is the final decluttering push so the Autumn car hire can be all day trips. Hope floats.
Btw, I'm still praying for a slightly bigger house. Despite looking at certain things (oh ok, kitchen gadgets) and asking myself why the hell I bought THAT, there are things I shed tears over when I force myself to put something in the 'get rid box' that I really really really do not want to give up but have to because I simply do not have room for whatever it is I'm crying about having to part with.
It's difficult to be ruthless even when it's a safety issue - yes, I sobbed my heart out sending the electric carving knife and meat slicer to the charity shop but Essential Tremor made both impossible for me to use safely. I hate to admit nipping my fingers trying to fit the electric carving knife blades back on, and very nearly slicing off a finger on the meat slicing machine had to happen twice before I caved to reality.
But. But I am becoming stronger - I only needed three Kleenex to cope with the tears (and runny nose) when I sent a huge amount of my craft supplies to the charity shop boxes. The tremor has advanced to the point beading and paper- are impossible even with work-arounds. Embroidery by hand and machine sewing are still possible so there is that.
Still, back to kitchen gadgets, the tremor is now so bad I've had to give up peeling and dicing potatoes for mash and I can see the days of homemade potato salad ending sooner rather than later. I'm ok with having to use frozen mashed potatoes - LOL, the potatoes come as finger sized pellets, you put them in a microwave safe bowl with unsalted butter pats and nuke 'em for ten or so minutes - as long as you have plenty of sour cream, frozen mash isn't all that bad. I'm not ok with buying store made potato salad (too many recalls!), though, so I may have to teach Paul how to properly (read hygienically) peel and dice potatoes if we want genuine Deep South Church Potluck quality potato salad. Paul has Asperger's and doesn't take instruction well so potato salad may be off the menu. sigh
POSTED TUESDAY 24 FEB 2026 1503HRS GMT
Wednesday 7 January 2026 post begun 1605hrs (4:05pm) GMT
It's THAT day. First thing this morning I removed the front door wreath, pulled the candle bridge from the front window, packed away the holly berries candle holders, the Christmas stockings, the Skandi Father Christmas, and the wooden block count-down calendar. I un-decorated the Christmas Tree - good heavens that was quickly done! The hardest part of the tree un-decorating was carefully removing the light string.
About those lights - the set was sold as 'cluster' but arrived as single spikes. Not what I'd wanted but nice enough so we used them and will use them again.
My decision to use one colour baubles on the tree ended up being rather nice.
(if Russia doesn't nuke us before then thanks to Two-Tier Keir signing an agreement with the rest of the ridiculously named 'coalition of the willing' to put British boots on Ukraine soil IF a peace agreement is reached. Oh, and the USCG seizing that Venezuelan tanker off the coast of Iceland - a vessel reflagged as Russian midway through voyage and the subsequent news British military assisted the Americans - the Russians aren't happy about that, either.)
All in the whole process took two hours, from un-decorating to closing the boxes and putting them into the storage bags then taking the bags out to the insulated shed. Not bad considering it used to take me days to fully un-Christmas the house.
posted 7 Jan 2026 1635hrs GMT
Wednesday 31 Dec 2025 post begun 1449hrs GMT (2:49pm)
Welp, that's 2025 nearly over, nine hours to go on what has been something of a dismal year for us Brits thanks to the horrors inflicted on us by the totalitarian Labour 'government'. And islamic terrorism. And ever increasing anti-Jewish hate (not all of it owing to spreading islamic hatred and violence against Jews including here in Britain).
I pray every night for deliverance from Labour and islam. In vain, it feels, when a cretin like el-Fattah is wide-open-arms welcomed to the UK by our idiot 'leaders'. A few days ago I heard a Labour apologist admit all his Jewish friends and acquaintances have BOBs (bug out bags) in their front hallway in case they need to flee.
Labour is also 'encouraging' (read as 'forcing') councils to turn over new-build and refurbished council housing to 'migrants' (read as illegal migrants who've pitched up to the UK without documents and visas). Meanwhile British homeless are rough sleeping or sofa surfing and British families who have been on council housing lists for years have been bumped to the back of the queue.
And Labour has cancelled (again) several local elections, this time effectively disenfranchising close to eight million voters from their democratic right to vote for local governance.
Honestly most of us are not optimistic about 2026 being better - Labour has been hit with scandal after scandal after scandal since taking No.10 in July 2024 yet somehow they cling on.
So, goodbye 2025 and may God save us in 2026 - sooner the better, Lord, please!
Post begun 1443hrsGMT MONDAY 1 Dec 2025
Oh damn. Long story short, I bought a WIP (Work In Progress) bag promising to be the 'perfect WIP bag' prefilled with lots of nifty knitting and crochet tools - including several aluminium crochet hooks and several more 'ergonomic crochet hooks'.
Bag arrived. Bag is actually nice and will be a handy little WIP bag. Nifty tools turn out to be cheap rubbish for the most part ('safety scissors' won't cut, locking stitch markers so brittle they break if you dare look at them much less try to use them, plastic tape measure inaccurately marked...) but the aluminium hooks are brilliant. I was going to donate the 'ergonomic crochet hooks' to the local Red Cross charity shop...
And then I thought 'I'll give them a try, who knows, perhaps I no longer hate the clumsy fumbly hooks.' Then I laughed because every time I've tried those hooks in the past my Essential Tremor got in the way. In a great big fat hairy way.
And, well, I don't hate ergonomic crochet hooks any longer, in fact I now love them so much this morning I ordered the sizes not included in the bag set I received Sunday (gotta love EVRi, our regular AND his subs are SO good!).
What happened was, I am working on a lapghan so I switched my beloved HiyaHiya 5.5mm aluminium hook for the ergonomic 5.5mm one thinking yeah, five minutes and I'll switch back... Oh. Five hours later (no really, five hours later) I realised I was still crocheting with that ergonomic hook and had watched a Nicholas Cage movie (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) AND the Qatar GP (WOOT, Max Verstappen won the Qatar GP last night!), and my arthritic hands felt great - not a twinge or spasm or any other reminder I've had arthritis since childhood - and BONUS, my Essential Tremor not only didn't get in the way, the ET seemed to like the slight weight increase and 'fatter' hook shaft of the ergonomic style.
Well who knew that was going to happen?! I damn sure didn't. But honestly the ergonomic hooks are serious game changing tools and I'm glad I gave them a go. BONUS - the set I received Sunday includes the tiny stainless steel thread hooks all neatly cushioned and weighted - WOOT, filet crochet here I come again!
I'm going to have to retire all my lovely HiyaHiya aluminium hooks (sob) and all my Milward ones and all my Boyd ones (yeah, I think I have over 150 aluminium crochet hooks all together - I have grandchildren so I'm keeping those hooks). I'll polish them regularly remembering to thank them for the years of service despite the arthritic pain using those hooks inflicted.
Christmas came early with that set of ergonomic hooks. Yippee!
Speaking of Christmas, we're fluffing the PE green tree - it's not going well so the lights won't go on before tomorrow if then. Sigh.
Posted 1513hrsGMT MONDAY 1 Dec 2025
POST BEGUN 0802HRS GMT SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2025
62 years. I can still smell the unique classroom 'fragrance' of Elmer's Glue and Catholic Press textbook binding.
We'd just come back in from recess, lunch was at least an hour off so we were getting our math books out.
The door opened, I can still see the young novitiate enter Sr Mary Aloysius second grade classroom and hurry to Sister's desk to lean down to Sister's ear. It has been 62 years but I can still hear Sister's gasp over the soft sobs of the novitiate and I can still hear the shock and panic in Sister's voice as she told us to take out our Rosaries and go to our knees to pray God spared the life of President Kennedy.
We were in the second decade of that Rosary when Mother Superior pulled open the classroom door to bark into the room 'All pupils to the church quick and orderly!'
Monseigneur English (62 years on and I still remember his name, his appearance, his voice) finally mounted the lectern to tell us we should now pray for the repose of President Kennedy's soul, for the strength and comfort of his widow and children, and most fervently for the USA. The older kids (the school went from first through 9th grade) whispered and were overheard, the word President Kennedy had died went through the large church like a summer wildfire out on the pine forests near Big Bear.
Soon nuns were fetching children, in family groups, from the pews, releasing us to parents or high school aged siblings (my older sister, a high school senior slated to be entering the convent after graduation, collected my eighth grade brother, first grade sister, and second grade me and then waited for our ride back out to the ranch in front of the church).
Nothing was ever the same again after that day when President Kennedy was murdered, nothing. For five days solid, 24 hours a day, the only thing on television and radio was coverage of the horror unfolding. We saw it all including some of it live (Oswald's death, President Kennedy lying in State then the funeral, Walter Cronkite breaking into tears not once but several times over the next week). Our parents, hell every adult in our lives, everyone changed and the truth is in a way none of us children were able to articulate for decades, we changed forever.
For many of us (although not me as sadly my family had endured losses and I'd been to family funerals), the televised funeral was the first time we'd ever seen children our age publicly mourn such a tragic loss. I don't even need to close my eyes to see little John-John saluting JFK's coffin, and I can still see Caroline holding her mother's hand as they came down the steps. She is so close to my age (only a year younger) that I grieved for her losing her father, at the time (and ever since) I couldn't help feeling deeply for a girl my age who'd lost her dad so very young.
As always this past 62 years, on 22nd November it is Caroline I think of, especially now her wee brother has been gone (16th July 1999), but even when he was still alive it was Caroline I prayed for on the 22nd of November. I thought of her every year, I do this year, and I will continue to do so. I was 28yo when my dad passed away and I still feel it every year (21st December 1985) and honestly I know a loss like that (a much loved parent) is simply not something you get over or get past. If you're strong enough you get through it but it leaves a mark that never goes away.
Posted 0842hrs Saturday 22nd November 2025
Friday 7 November 2025 POST BEGUN:1030hrs
It's normal - opinions and tastes change over time. It's normal that what I liked in the 80s is miles in the rear-view mirror and I have hugely different taste in 2025. Partly down to evolving opinions and partly down to 'what the bloody hell was I thinking back then, OMFGoodness, those clothes/hair/wallpapers/furniture fabrics were AWFUL!!'.
This time of year it's all about seasonal decor, taste-wise. Once upon a time I loved a few straw bales on the front porch adorned with a life size scarecrow, plastic Indian Corn, pumpkins and wheat sprays (weather safe after waking one autumn morning to crows breakfasting on the live display before what they left rotted and went whiffy). I did a Halloween display people slowed the car to observe and the bonfire at the end of the drive on Halloween night while I attended to Trick or Treaters from my lawn chair became an annual neighbourhood event. Indoors I decked every room of the house with something seasonal. Every room even the bathroom.
Christmas? Oh, CHRISTMAS - I loved our carefully chosen blow-moulds -light-up Santa and reindeer, the snowman with his carrot nose that also lit up, the artfully hung Christmas lights. Our indoors looked like the Father Christmas Grotto I loved so much when visiting Mum's favourite department store, and I had a mould-proof wreath I used around the bathroom mirror complete with polyurethaned clothes peg reindeer and a fake velvet bow. The Christmas tree, some years 6+ft and other years table-toppers, gaily decorated with handmade decorations of all sorts. Theme? What theme, our trees were loaded with tiny bird houses and gingham wrapped balls and small gift tags (Edwardian images) and decorations made by Fox and his older sister through their school years. If there was anything like a theme, the theme was anti-theme cosy because I thought those deliberate themes vulgar and pretentious.
When I moved permanently to the UK and married Paul I came across with two large suitcases - all the seasonal decor left after Hurricane Ivan went to my son, his ex-wife, and charity when I came over. The only things I brought besides some clothes were sewing and crochet supplies.
But yeppers, it is now time to talk Christmas 2025:) Firstly I should mention when I got here to Scotland the only Christmas decoration Paul had was a single plastic fruit and pine spray (a small single, I add) and a strand of 30yo 'fairy lights'. Oh. Dear.
That first year I gathered larch cones (none bigger than one inch long) and glue-slopped some glitter snow across the bristles. Actually looked rather pretty on the 2ft Fraser Fir we bought live at the local ironmonger.
Over the years the seasonal decor inventory grew - all four seasons have at least one floral bouquet for the mantel and at least one front window 'something' to let the passing world know we know the time of year. Plastic pumpkin Jack'O'Lantern guard the door Halloween week through the morning after All Souls (2 Nov), new quality battery operated Christmas lights frame the house.
The tree became an artificial one (ok, more like five or six in varying sizes) which Paul loves because it means less fire hazard, less cost, and less hassle for him fitting lights especially after I discovered pre-lit PE trees plus found the perfect set of clip-on candle lights. Decor for the tree became primarily ornate glitter-glass antique reproductions, still no real theme, per se, but all glass and the little larch cones were retired.
The Nativity scene went from one of those fixed figures in a rustic stable to a vintage Fontanini set painstakingly hunted down across various auction sites over the 15 years I've been in Scotland, to the simple Holy Family sculpture one we've used the past two years.
We have several front door wreaths, all either vine and foliage or simple rings with jingle bells. The house was framed with soft white lights for Christmas 2024, we're thinking this year going with multi-colour. The candle bridge in the front window will be the one I've used for years. Oh wait, maybe the Star one. Or the mini village one...
All in, we have everything we need to decorate. In multiples. From farmhouse cosy to ornate glitter-glass baubles in every colour possible. We have several PE Christmas trees ranging in height from 2 to 4ft. I've even fallen for 'snowy' (flocked to the American reader) fake trees - we have snowy in two heights, 2 and 3ft, now and they are proper little stunners (yes, a bit more pricey than the green ones but worth the cost).
Speaking of PE, once you've seen a PE tree you will go straight home and bin that ancient PVC one. PE is so realistic you really do have to touch the bough to understand you're enjoying a fake tree.
Theme? Yeah, ok, Christmas 2024 I succumbed to 'theme' - we had a peacock tree complete with a Gisela Graham Peacock Fairy tree topper and in all honesty that tree was so pretty Paul would come out to the living room just to see the tree. He wanted to use the green tree so the peacock effect wasn't as nice as using the snowy one but he won the coin toss. dammit
Right. 2025. It's been a bit of a tough year nationally and personally. I don't have the will or physical strength to fool with much effort even repeating the peacock tree which this year will be the snowy as we alternate.
Wreath on the door (jingle bells this year I think), mini village candle bridge in the front window and Paul can hang the house lights. The snowy tree is going to wear all 2inch red glass bells with a Gisela Graham Skandi Angel topper. We'll use the Holy Family sculpture on the mantel.
Christmas Lunch - steak, mash, button sprouts, and pumpkin pie. Steak pie from the butcher and peas for Boxing Day and a chicken crown with trimmings for New Year.
Please add your voice to our daily (ceaseless) prayer for deliverance from the totalitarian Labour 'government' and islamic mob rule running Britain to perdition on the fast track. May Christmas 2025 see us safe from evil and 2026 bring sense and sensibility back to not only the UK but the entire world.
Posted Friday 7 November 2025 at 1155hrs
Monday 4 Aug 2025 post begun 0916hrs BST
Oh. Hell. I truly hate when I'm right.
I suspected several months ago my hard-won newfound maths skills would deteriorate the moment I stopped the daily revision - and I was correct.
Right, so what happened is: the BBC (for once) transmitted the latest Cormoran Strike tv series and when the run ended I went looking for the books.
(Yes I fully support J.K. Rowling and her nom de plume 'Robert Galbraith'. Yes, I am 'gender critical' but I do have compassion for those who believe themselves 'in the wrong body' - I absolutely wish them peace and well-being but insist they stay the bloody hell out of biological-female only spaces FFS!)
OK, I found the complete book series, all hardcover as used in 'very good' condition, on eBay. I also found the newest book in the series available to pre-order and yes I did pre-order it. Should be released 2nd September and I am quite looking forward to it.
I read all seven books, in order, and surprisingly quickly given I've been neglecting fiction reading in favour of non-fiction - who needs Stephen King when the horror stories are real-life in-yer-face splashed across 'ripped from the headlines' telly and free-to-read online news feeds?
Oh. Once I'd finished the seventh Strike novel and was trying to wedge that tome into the bookcase, I came across a paperback Dean Koontz novel (The Eyes Of Darkness) I'd bought at the beginning of the so-called 'pandemic' but didn't read at the time.
So, I read it. And the next thing I knew I'd ploughed through another 42 - yes, FORTY-TWO - Dean Koontz paperback novels, bought in groups of three a time on Amazon. Oh, and I've pre-ordered the paperback edition of 'Going Home In The Dark', got a long wait and could have the hardback tomorrow but I'm deep into keeping the Koontz books as paperbacks. Er, two more are due to be delivered today.
So, Paul and I were watching F1 yesterday (Hungary GP, Lando Norris won) and at one point a point spread maths question came up. Oh. Dear. I couldn't answer it quickly. Paul shook his head and asked 'You haven't been working on your maths lately, have you?' and shook his head again.
Sigh. I'm going to have to get back to a dedicated 1-2hr per day maths revision schedule. I quite liked the way it felt to be able to deliver a maths answer quickly, honestly it was a very nice little confidence boost. I'm not giving up the reading - Dean Koontz is THE best contemporary fiction writer EVER - but I am starting back the maths work today.
BTW, if you're looking for a 'must-read' Dean Koontz novel recommendation, The City should be top of your list. What can I say? All Dean Koontz books are his best and are exceptionally good reading. The City, well, it is the best of the best - and I've been a Dean Koontz fan since I stumbled across Watchers in the Ozark library back in 1987.
*****HAPPY 235th BIRTHDAY USCG*****
Now, 7x8=...
Post published Monday 4 Aug 2025 1007hrs BST
Thursday 5 June 2025 post begun 0850hrs BST
If you're sensible, as you age you compromise on what constitutes a 'deal breaker'. You recognise no matter how you work at staying fit (no mean feat when lumbered with multiple-but-well-controlled heart conditions) you're not going to EVER be able to do the sports you did without thinking too much about consequences like pulled muscles. You realise the garden and other maintenance tasks are inching (leaping and bounding) out of your strength and energy levels.
You look around at your current home and think 'Really?!'.
The problem is getting your other half to come to the same realisation you have - that the kitchen and bathroom are not conducive to graceful and comfortable ageing-in-place, and that lovely lawn and shrubs and border plants including daffies and King Solomon Seal are too much work 'at your age'. You realise the living room is 'wrong', the entry hall is 'wrong' and the patio is so much bloody wrong neither of you have actually gone out there in YEARS.
I've come to the conclusion I'm going to have to dare threatening him - either we move or we divorce. I am reasonably confident he'll bluster and argue strenuously and then choose not to call my bluff - he likes my cooking. I want to be moved by August at the very latest.
I am a champion list maker - I make lists and stick with the contents. I make 'pro-con' lists on topics I'm trying to take a decision on (if time allows for lengthy consideration before a decision must be taken and acted on).
My current list is titled 'What I like/dislike about...' a terrace property I looked at last year and thought 'Nope, won't work' because the only bathroom is on the first floor, but have recently come back to (yeah, it's still on the market, now £10K less - I want to know why it hasn't sold). I came back to considering the terraced property after my 'Could We Live In A 1st Floor Flat' list developed a rather serious reason to shift the list to the 'Probably Not' folder - the ground floor properties and the potential hassles of being a good neighbour to the folks on the ground floor.
Oh OK, and the lack of ANY outdoor space - the more I thought about not having so much as a balcony to get a breath of fresh air, the more I realised we both need at least some wee bit of outdoor contiguous to our living space.
So now I'm working on finding more 'dislikes' than 'likes' on this quite nice terraced property in a rather nice neighbourhood - however the only dislikes I can come up with are the only bathroom (actually a shower room) is on the 1st floor with no scope for adding a WC (aka 'half-bath' to American readers) on the ground floor, and the room Paul would use as his study has the combi-boiler in the cupboard so he wouldn't be able to sleep in there.
The problem is he hogs the blankets - we went with what is called a 'sleep divorce' (separate sleeping quarters) years ago. To be fair, I am a restless bed hog. So separate works for us:)
The second bedroom is big enough for two double beds. He does snore but not badly and only during hay fever season so we could conceivably share the bedroom for sleeping as long as we were sharing via separate beds.
The property interior is 'turn-key' with great carpet and paint through-out. The kitchen is well laid out, has a dishwasher, space for a side-by-side larder fridge-freezer AND a dining table and chairs - and it is beautifully open-plan to the sitting room. The
The stair up to the first floor (shower room and two bedrooms) is wide enough for a stair lift.
It has a top quality recently fitted combi-boiler and the entire property was re-wired when the new boiler went in late 2023.
This terraced property in a nice neighbourhood has no ground floor neighbours. It also has the added bonus of an elevated position giving a rather lovely 'upper terrace garden area' with paving and decking rather than lawn (I have ideas...), AND a lower off-street parking and bin storage space. It's not overlooked by next door neighbours on either side or across the street.
I've been working on the like/dislike list for two weeks. So far the dislikes are far and away outnumbered by the likes.
Published 5 June 0945hrs BST
Monday 26 May 2025 post begun 1036hrs BST
IT'S A KITCHEN, D'UH! Of bloody course the cabinetry should be 'satin white' with a dark worktop over, flippin' d'uh - a dark worktop means the impossible-to-avoid tea and 'red sauce' (BBQ, tomato, curry...) stains don't show, and washable 'satin white' cabinetry means drips and other kitchen gunk can be seen and cleaned up immediately.
It's called hygienic. It's called sanitary. It's called efficient kitchen from which arrive delicious meals and baked goods you don't worry will give you some nasty food borne illness.
D'UH!
I love my husband. But he's incapable of understanding why I constantly agitate for a new kitchen - preferably in a slightly large home. Our current kitchen is the ultimate 'minimalist' dream - so bloody effing small NOTHING fits and actually cooking is next to bloody effing impossible. I've seen on-board railway galleys that are more efficient (and hygienic).
Fair play, he has Asperger's and is Aspie-comfortable in this effing shoebox with a garden my heart conditions mean I can't keep up - and he neglects shamefully.
He has, with my encouragement, the sole use of the one and only bedroom in this semi - a man with Asperger's NEEDS a sanctuary, a safe retreat from the daily hustle-bustle of home and neighbours. I accepted that need when I married him and while our first marital home had two bedrooms, it worked nicely for us until some serious issues arose.
In 2018 we downsized to a lovely one bed-one bath semi tucked away from foot and motor traffic. I knew it was a mistake but we needed to move asap - the first home had a back garden 20ft high retaining wall my building conservation husband recognised presented a collapse threat and the neighbours didn't want to know. Oh, and their two pre-teen daughters thought it a-ok to peer into our windows from their vantage point AND intrude on any BBQ or garden party we tried to have. We. Had. To. Move. Paul was on the verge of permanent meltdown at 'the old house'.
By 2019 I was on a folding bed in the living room so Paul could have the bedroom to his sole use. By 2024 the extremely 'compact' nature of this semi was frazzling my last nerve. It is now mid-2025 and...
We need to move. Again - but hopefully for the last time. We're both in our late 60s and need to be realistic. I just don't know (yet) how I'm going to convince my beloved Paulie.
I've found 'the perfect' property - a 2bed-1bath with an genuinely perfect floor-plan. Now all I have to do is get Paul to consider it, view it (because I know if he actually sees it he will fall in love with it and make an offer on the spot), and then move into it.
No garden - it's a 1st floor flat with main door and a stair from the main door to the living quarters wide enough for a nice stair lift to be fitted. Fab big kitchen, multi-fuel burner in the living room, both bedrooms great size with one to the rear overlooking a churchyard (right up Paul's street for peace, quiet, and a lovely view:). Modern bathroom AND a converted large walk-in closet turned office (perfect for my sewing-crafting). Oh, did I mention the windows fill the property with sunlight AND the floored and insulated attic is accessed via a discreet actual stair.
We're 'not getting any younger'. This flat I'm dreaming of living in has two bedrooms AND is located on an easy to access street - deliveries would no longer go 'Can't Locate' (sigh) and emergency services can not only find us but can get their appliances right at our doorstep. Our current property is tucked away down a 'goat path' lane only wide enough for a compact car meaning IF emergency services can even find our home they can't get the ambulance or fire engine to us.
Did I mention no garden? At this point I'm a-ok with a few houseplants and cut flowers from the supermarket.
If not this flat then another just like it - it may take me a while to convince my darling husband.
Sigh
Posted 26 May 2025 1113hrs BST
Tuesday 15 April 2025 post begun 1010 BST
Holy Week. Semana Santa. A week beginning with the Palm Sunday Mass, a week spent in prayer and contemplation. Usually.
This year we had to forgo Palm Sunday Mass - Paul is down with some kind of not nice virus (I'm thinking a spring cold combined with hay fever) and was reluctant to expose his vulnerable self to potential further yuck-spread crammed into a small church hall. Can't blame him so we watched a televised service then he retired to the study to drink LemSip concoctions in hope of knocking down some of his symptoms.
Hopefully the Amazon delivery of bulk Extra Soft Kleenex will be here today.
