Last Sunday

Had a great day on Sunday. Arrived in Aberdeen just after noon. Kathy had lunch ready and waiting as she'd told Phyllis that she wouldn't see us until about 2pm. This meant that I could relax a while after my drive before heading out again. Kathy also hadn't told Phyllis that I was coming, mostly because often I have to cancel at the last minute and also because she wanted it to be a surprise.

We dropped Kathy's kids, James and Erin, off with Kathy's mum and dad and off we set.

Kathy knocked on the door, while I hid under her kitchen window. Once Phyllis and Kathy greeted each other, I stepped out from my hiding place and peeped round at her, grinning.  She burst out laughing and gave us both a hug. She was totally delighted to see us especially when we told her that if she wanted to go somewhere then we would gladly take her. No sooner were the words out of our mouths than she had me fetching her wheelchair and we were off.

She wanted to go to this new shopping centre called Union Square. We weren't sure about the parking but we managed to find it after a fashion. It wasn't until she was getting into the wheelchair that she noticed she still had her slippers on!  So excited was she at the prospect of an afternoon out that she'd completely forgotten to change them.  Kathy and I had a good laugh at her expense and Kathy said "it's ok, we'll just tell people that you've got a touch of dementia!" to which I replied "nah nah, we'll just point at Kathy, say she's your carer and she dressed you".  Tee hee hee.

I was so busy laughing that I didn't notice at first that I was getting electric shocks off the wheelchair. Ouch!  It got so bad that you could hear it sparking so Kathy took over. My hand was, as us Scots say, derlin! We had a quick look around before we stopped for coffee, cake and a spot of people watching.

Union Square (source)

Phyllis was most impressed with Union Square, especially this little jewellers that we came across. I was drawn to all the beautiful rings with gorgeous topaz gems. Like a magpie I make a bee line for all things sparkly, I just can't help it. The three of us spent about 20 minutes perusing this little shop with Phyllis eventually buying a very sparkly cubic zirconia dress ring.

it looked a bit like this (source)

She bought it to replace the engagement ring that she lost.  It looked lovely on her hand and it got me to thinking that, I hope I still hanker after beautiful sparkly things when I am her age  (late 70's) because clearly the ring was giving her so much pleasure. She was most impressed with the very cute bag that it came with even though the ring went straight onto her finger. I meant to take a picture for my blog but I forgot. Grrrr!

From there we swung by the supermarket where more giggling commenced when she picked up a pack of 16 toilet rolls to put in her trolley.  Then she realised her mistake when Kathy and I fell about laughing saying " at least you wont need to buy any more til Christmas!". When she started looking at the ready meals I suggested that she put a couple of curries in her trolley along with the toilet roll to give the checkout girls a good laugh!

Who knew you could have so much fun food shopping?

Back at Phyllis's house, she introduced us to one of her neighbours. In the meantime, Kathy's son, James was texting me asking when we were coming to pick him up.  I couldn't believe that it was nearly 6pm already! I text back to say we would just be 5 minutes and I started making moves to leave. After ten minutes and a further two texts from James we were on our way. Turned out he had been promised a Chinese take away and the poor boy was hungry. Poor neglected child, NOT.

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I laughed when Kathy queried why he had contacted me and not her. Well that was easy cos Kathy is so laid back, she's practically horizontal and hurrying is just not in her vocabulary so he could have been waiting all night! Sorry Kathy but it's so true.

After our Chinese, I headed home about 8pm and picked up Holly en route from the Boyfriend's house. At the door they smooched and said their "love you's" and as Holly got in the car, I shouted "love you too" to him through the open door as I drove off. He shouted that he loved me back as I tee hee hee'd all the way home.

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Got home and there was a text from him saying "don't know if you heard me, but love you too! lol".

It's really good when you can have a bit of banter with your daughter's boyfriend.

In sickness and in health

The dreaded lurgy is still hanging around.  I stood under the shower for 20 minutes yesterday and I felt much better for it.  So much better that I was able to get Jack out onto the floor and do some exercises with him.  He was a total star and was up on his knees for nearly an hour, supported of course. I do his exercises on a crinkly mat so that he makes a sound with every movement he makes which then persuades him to do it again. 

Then I encouraged him to play with one of his toys that had lots of things to twiddle, turn and bash.  He really has lost the ability to do all these things but soon got the hang of it.  He was peeking at it but constantly had to be encouraged to reach out. Once he had reached out, his little fingers automatically tried to grab things so that hasn't totally gone yet.  It is lovely when he shows interest in these things. 

Then just after I'd fed him, he had a seizure and was sick.  The reason he is sick is because the seizure causes his chest to go into such a spasm so that when the seizure relaxes its grip, he then gasps for air, coughs and chokes and this makes him sick.  

Fortunately he isn't sick often unless the seizure is particularly violent or it is quite soon after he has been fed or given some water.  He has been sick 3 times with seizures in the last 2 days.  Twice yesterday and once the day before.  It can be very stressful when he is sick because I have to get him onto his side very quickly so that he doesn't aspirate any of it.  Very hard to do, when you have a child who is totally rigid or is in a chair!

The sickness itself is what I call 'comedy sick'!  There I go again poking fun at something that is so not funny but hey, sue me, it's how I cope.  What I mean by 'comedy sick' is the kind you see in comedy films or comedy sketches where it comes out projectile like, like it's coming out of a fireman's hose!  It might come out in a straight line but it goes every freaking where!  We both end up wearing it and Holly is running about like a headless chicken looking for something to catch it in!  Quite funny really.  After the clean up and panic over, Holly and I just look at each other and start laughing!  

So today after being sick yesterday, he is coughing a lot again, more yucky stuff but still clear at the moment but he is a bit hot.  I am hoping that it stays that way but if not, then it's more antibiotics, more days off school so fingers crossed people.

Ironically when Jack was ill last week with his chest infection, he was so flat and listless that he didn't have any seizures for about 3 days!  Most kids when they are ill, fit more and that is an indication that something is brewing.  Jack hasn't read that particular medical book so he makes his own rules, bit like his mum and does the complete opposite.  I love that about him, it makes me smile that even in his disability he adds his own little quirky slant to it.

Holly on the other hand is valiantly fighting off the lurgy.  She has been to the new boyfriends house to meet all his friends and he has now met hers.  So that awkward bit is over at least.  The poor boy has had to get a contract phone that gives him unlimited texts so that he can stay in constant contact with her.............awww young love! After spending the whole day together on Friday, she spent over 3 hours chatting to him on her mobile while I meanwhile had to suppress the giggles when I was thinking of the bill that Father of the Year was gonna get this month.  It's the price you pay when you give your daughter a contract phone and no hard and fast rules. I am so wicked!

The good news is that now i am able to get a hold of her via mobile now as she always has it switched on in case Daaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiiiiiddddddddddddddddddddddddd calls or texts. Oh to be young and in luuurve..  He is so keen that he is coming to see her tomorrow, Valentine's Day, at 10am!  I don't think he has sussed that I don't call her the 'duvet monster' for nothing.  She is so like her mum, not a morning person at all!  Ten in the morning is like 5am to us night birds, it takes us at least an hour, copious amounts of coffee/tea and a shower to function at just the basic level.

So in order for her to be looking fairly decent I will need to wake her at 8am.  When I told her this, she just smiled! Wtf?!!  she must really really really like him!

Aaaawwww cute or what!