A Rant !!

This post is not about stitching so if you don't want to listen to me moaning about my family please turn away now .... lol



I some times wonder if my sister is actually any relation to me at all. She's so selfish and spiteful!!!

I went up home for 4 days this week, to see my brother Barry and sister Karen and to see mam and dad's bungalow before it gets sold. The one and only time I can get a full week of respite from Jack. When I told my sister I was going up to Shields to see them, she said she had her 'man friend' staying for a few days and could I put it off for a couple of weeks! She knows full well that I have to book the respite in November , for the coming year, and I couldn't just change it at the last minute..... gggrrrr!!! I'd booked Cindy and myself in to the Travel Lodge so there was no problem with accommodation thankfully. In all the years I've been going back home, Karen has NEVER put us up, even though we'd have to sleep on my parents sofa and floor, so I had no expectations of her letting us sleep at her house this time.
My brother Barry, a confirmed bachelor, on the other hand, made us very welcome and cooked us two lovely evening meals. Karen managed to spare us one hour when she came with my niece, after work to Barry's flat. Even then, when I laughed at my niece for still wearing a thong when she's 6 months pregnant with twins, Karen managed to make a nasty remark back at me.

While I was up there, I wanted to see the bungalow, one last time, and say my good byes as I haven't seen it since Mam died when all her furniture was still in it. I wasn't very happy about the state of it. My niece and her partner, rented it over the winter months, but moved out in April and it's been empty since. The paintwork was dirty, the windows were dirty, the work tops were stained and the gas cooker was FILTHY. As for the garden, my dad's pride and joy, it was over grown and full of weeds. I'd said to my sister that I'd pay for mam's gardener to go back in on a regular basis to keep it clean and tidy so it looked good for the viewers, but Karen said she would do it. Well she obviously hasn't touched it in months !
Rather than have a confrontation about it, I contacted the gardener and arranged payment and for him to go in once a fortnight and keep it looking nice. I gave the neighbour a key so he could let the gardener in the back garden through the gate and then lock it up after he'd gone. Then Cindy and I cleaned the bungalow, put air fresheners in the rooms and left it smelling and looking clean and tidy. When I told Karen what I'd done about the garden (I didn't mention the house being dirty), she was really horrible and among other things said I was 'petty'!!
I haven't asked her to pay for it, not like the time she bought the electric hedge trimmer and strimmer when my niece was in the bungalow and THEN told me and Barry about it and that we were paying a third each! Atleast with the gardens tidy it will give the bungalow a better 'kerb' appeal , not to mention that it was my dad's pride and joy and I want it kept nice in his memory and my mam would be horrified if she thought people were looking around her house and seeing it dirty.
I think that because Karen's dealing with the estate agent, as I don't live locally, she thinks that she's got total say on what goes on and I should ask her permission to do any thing. I'm just so mad at her at the moment, and when the bungalow gets sold, I honestly don't think I'll have any thing to do with her any more.

I'm sorry to have this moan, but I just felt like I had to vent it some how and this is less explosive than me shouting around the house rofl.
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I forgot to mention ..

... I received another fostering award last week. I've been fostering for 16+ years and at the awards ceremony that they hold every 2 yrs I got my 15yrs award of a gorgeous Coleport China figuring called 'Moments'. It matches the ones I got for 5yrs and 10 yrs and sits on my mantle piece.

Moments

sisters (for 10 yrs ) and sleepy head (for 5yrs)

They don't have any more of these left, so I wonder what I'll get for 20 yrs? ... If I'm still fostering lol
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another week has gone by ...

... I don't know where the time has gone?

Jack is on school holidays for the next 6 weeks so I'll be kept quite busy :)

The weather has been very disappointing for the start of the school holidays, we've had rain for every single day of the past two weeks, except for 2 days. Such a shame for the children. It hasn't been cold though so that's one small mercy I suppose. My next door neighbours have gone to New Zealand for 3 weeks and asked me to water their garden, but I haven't had to do it yet, lol . I do go and water the tomato plants in the green house, and managed to pick some peas and cherry's before the birds got to them. I've frozen the peas down and put them in Jason's freezer because even though he told me to eat what ever grew, my girls didn't like the fresh peas .... not birds eye enough for them rofl
My garden is looking quite nice, even though it's been a struggle to get out and do any work with all the rain we've had.

this is a tobacco plant that I was given free at a garden centre, and although he said it would have lovely hanging flowers, he also said they'd be colourful, but he got that wrong, they're a pale yellow and not inspiring, but very eye catching all the same.
the quiet corner is coming along nicely with the budlea and the climbing rose in bloom
The back border is still a little 'thin' but when the shrubs grow a bit more they will fill out and look less 'new' lol
the wisteria is grown nicely up and over the shed, but still hasn't bloomed, it's 3 yrs old, so hopefully next year it might?
the roses have been blown away and the new buds are still to open so this side is looking a bit colourless, but the mombretia is starting to come in to bloom now :) the begonia in the pot was tiny when I got it and I never thought it would fill out like this, it's lovely.

I haven't had much time to do any stitching lately, so still no pictures to show, but I am coming along with the Coq Au Pins, and hopefully, I'll get that finished and made up soon. I'm not expecting to get much done until the children go back because I've got Adam and Stacey coming for a fortnight next week end, and there's no way I'll get any stitching done while they're here.

I'm off 'up north' tomorrow for a couple of days, to visit my brother and sister. I promised my Mam I'd keep an eye on Barry and this is what the trip is in aid of rofl Cindy is coming to keep me company and we're going to meet up with Jacqui and her daughter and granddaughter on Tuesday, which will be nice for Cindy as Kate is a similar age and she won't have to listen to me and Jacqui talking :) rofl

I must point you in the direction of this blog. She has some gorgeous recipe's and I tried Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken yesterday ..... it was yummy !! Although I would recommend using some tin foil in the bottom of the pan as the sugar burnt onto mine and took A LOT of soaking and scrubbing to get off rofl.

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It's been a busy time this last week :)

On Saturday I took Jack to his aunty Nic's wedding reception. As I mentioned before, they got married a couple of weeks ago in Italy and were having the reception for the family on Saturday. It was a lovely day! Every one made us very welcome and made a big fuss of Jack. His dad and partner and their two little girls, stayed with Jack and I the whole time and I never once felt out of place :) We sat at table 1 and the staff were fantastic with Jack, and couldn't do enough to make sure he had the right food and enough of it. He actually had two dinners lol. They brought out the children's 'mains' with the adults starters so they didn't have to wait too long, but Jack's blended dinner looked like soup and I thought that was what it was rofl I asked for a second one when I got my main course and it came back much thicker and it went down much better :) They included Jack in the photographs and even made me join in with a couple. I managed to get some nice one's for Jack's bedroom, of his dad, sisters, grandparents etc.

grandad and gran
Daddy, Jay, Lilly and Zoe

The handsome young man, before we left for the reception :)

The happy couple loved the stitched piece I did for them, and after they'd had a look it got passed around several tables and was much admired :) ... I was lucky, there wasn't any stitchers there so they all thought it was amazing because they didn't know any better rofl

On Monday I took Jack to see Dr Hulme his epilepsy consultant. She was very happy with him, but decided to increase his evening medication to see if we can stop the morning seizures. It took a couple of days, but it seems to be improving slightly. He had one as he was coming out of the taxi after school and the driver was very upset to see Jack's seizures in full swing :(

On Tuesday I had to take Jack to the xray department to have his fluoroscopy xray. He had to have two different drinks, different thickness's, and with the barium mixed in, so they could see how he swallowed and what happened in his throat. He was very calm and relaxed and behaved beautifully, but it wasn't what I wanted lol. I would've liked him to be more active and 'difficult' so they could see how he copes then, but it wasn't to be. Even though he was very calm, he still 'seeped' the fluid in to his airways, but managed to get it back into the correct tube as he swallowed. So the result is, he's got to have all his food and drinks very thick, and they'll check him again in a few months as he grows and his throat changes. He doesn't need a gastrostomy tube just yet :) :) :)

On Wednesday I had my own appointment with the breast cancer specialist. I passed with flying colours and next year will be the final one :) It won't be the last check up though, as I took part in a radiology trial and will be checked every year for 10 yrs :) I can't believe it will be 5 yrs in December since I found the lump !

Thursday saw me in the hairdressers having my hair done, and the hairdresser decided that I should go mad and have a bit of colour in my fringe! So now I've got a subtle PURPLE through it! lol

and finally .... Today my link social worker came for my supervision meeting and brought me my 15+ yrs award for fostering. I couldn't go to the award ceremony so she brought it to me. I've got a framed certificate and a beautiful Coleport figurine of a mother and child in white to match the two I got previously. A little boy with a teddy for 5yrs and two sisters for 10 yrs . I've been fostering over 16yrs and hope to keep going with Jack for atleast another 5yrs so I should make my 20yr award :) :)

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Lynn Ireland asked me where I got the Twice in a Blue Moon rose from, so here is a link to a site I found, that gives the suppliers of this rose, in different counties.
I hope this helps you Lynn and you can find one in memory of your mum x

It's been quite a while since I last posted. I'm afraid I've been busy pottering about in the garden, and not spending so much time on the computer.

It's lovely being able to spend time in the garden, not just 'working' but sitting and enjoying the summer is so nice :). I must confess to not liking the hot weather we had for the week a short while ago, it was just too much for me. I couldn't sit in it, and I couldn't sleep because it was still so warm at night, so I just closed the curtains, turned on the fans, and stayed in doors for that week rofl . I know, there's no pleasing me lol. The problem is, my garden is south facing, so gets the sun from early morning until sunset and it's a real suntrap ..... lovely in the winter but when the temp gets above 23c, I have to find shade very quickly. The actual temp on my patio, when the met office was saying it was 26c, was nearer 36c!!!!

However, it is lovely to see the garden in full bloom and to benefit from all the 'pottering' I've been doing. I waited for months for my mams rose bush to flower, it's called Twice in a Blue Moon and is a gorgeous lilac. As soon as the flowers came out, the weather changed, the rain came down and the wind got up, resulting in all the rose petals going flying over the garden and not one rose left in tact ..... rofl .... who'd be a gardener !

On the stitching front, I've made a small piece for Jack's aunty Nic, who got married in Italy two weeks ago, and is having the wedding reception in Telford on Saturday, to which Jack and I are invited. Well, Jack's invited, I'm just going along to push him, because he couldn't get there any other way rofl I took the center piece from the Sweetheart Tree Anniversary Sampler and just framed it in a silver frame. I hope they like it. They didn't want gifts as they've lived together for 18 yrs (!!) but I'm sure this is some thing they won't have :)

I have got the appointment through for Jack to have the xray on his throat, while he's swallowing his food and drink. It's for next Tuesday. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I'm sure they're used to dealing with special children like Jack, and will know just what they're doing. I'm really hoping that he doesn't have to have a gastrostomy peg fitted, he loves his food and it's one of the only pleasures he has, so to take that away from him is going to be very hard :(

AND NOW TO SOME THING REALY STUNNING !!!

My friend Jan was late in sending me my birthday gift. I wasn't bothered by that as it spreads the gifts out a bit lol . She has made the most stunning Etui in ribbon embroidery! The reason it was late is because she was nervouse of making it up and needed some time to concentrate. She has recently had an operation on her ear so the recouperation time was just what she needed. I think she's made a fabulous job :) :) . The only problem is that now she has upped the anti for my next gift to her rofl

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