Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

....I'm on leave just now Ian and my doctor is signing me off in any case.

Dave

Mornin' all,

Best regards to all that ail

A lovely soft start to the day in The Moorlands....calories burnt on usual weekend circuit....

Now music by The Adventures.....Broken land

Relatives from the south coast travelling to see Is today....I'm meeting them later to act as guide to her bedside

Feathered ones provided for

Enjoy what you do

Dave

....I outlined our close shave with disaster yesterday to ward staff today Stewart and have asked for any hint of similar to result in an instant telephone call to her next of kin.....me.

Dave

....emotionally motivated knee jerks describe it best for me Ian. If I'd known that the planned operation would be postponed twice this week I still couldn't have acted until the Thursday appointment with her oncologist/consultant, at which point the fully funded Fastrack care package was offered/accepted and the wheels put in motion. She has been in hospital for 3 weeks and is fed up....but coming home can't happen until the house is ready equipped for her.

Thank you all for your support

Dave

....I've attempted to ensure that immediate family know that each move now is putting Is at risk and that any transfer should only be done in the correct way, with the correct transport and staff on hand to nurse her. Random, emotional and desperate acts are not an option. Of course the expertise of her former colleagues is being dismissed by them.

Dave

Mornin' all,

The drama continues. I checked with Is's ward staff to see whether she had had her op around lunchtime yesterday and was told that she was fourth in line. I then had a call around 5pm from her sister to say that she was no longer having her op and was being discharged immediately complete with kidney bags/tubes and would I fetch her in the car. This sounded bizarre so I rang Is's friend Janet (recently retired from a senior role in hospital discharges/care packages), she started laughing and immediately attributed the chaos to aforementioned family members banging on desks and shouting at staff to get some action. She advised checking with the palliative care team first off cos Is's care package couldn't have been set up in a day. Sure enough this was the case and Is would have come home to a non equipped house in an unsuitable vehicle and would have had to have been taken straight back to the hospital. I then chatted to her ward staff who happily explained that the problem was due to family members attempting to short cut them and talk directly to doctors etc. She will now be discharged once her care package is in place and be taken to the hospital for her op from home once a slot/appointment is available.

You really couldn't make it up

Dave 

I am sure you will know how to make the choice Is and you have made clear in the appropriate manner, Dave, which I fully concur can require making clear statements at times. Though I do think it's sad that you even have to think of such things to begin with, at a time when your focus should, fundamentally, be elsewhere entirely… 

....there have been occasions during our time together Dom when some of Is's family issues could have been addressed much more effectively and in short order by demonstrating a little more backbone. Instead, too many feelings/whims were pandered to, hence the current position.

Dave   

Dave and Brian, I don't envy you for those animosities you described. One should think that in times of distress (if I may use this expression for the purpose of illustration), people, and relatives in particular, should stand together rather than hurting those among them who should be supported. It does sadden me deeply for you to have experienced the contrary...

....I'm subtlely (mostly) attempting to maintain our choice of direction as a couple just now Dom, however, there are some family members standing in the way of being dealt with in a less subtle manner....should the need arise.

Dave

Mornin' all,

Best regards to those that ail

How she will always want to be remembered and where one twentieth of her ashes will be scattered to the four winds.....Is enjoying The Valley of the Rocks, North Devon around the time of our marriage in 2005

Is's choice of music to be played out to at her funeral is this    

A real lesson in varying perspectives going on around Is just now. When we got together in 2000 we instantly recognised the limited time available to us with a 22 year age gap and simply set about holidaying each other to death. Yes we had assumed another 10 years as reasonable to expect but in no way feel cheated with what we've been able to cram into 16 years. This acceptance and calm is viewed from within parts of Is's family as a failure to care sufficiently (Top Trump type being most upset means I care most mentality). The delay of 3/4 days to Is's surgery should apparently have caused me to start banging on doors and desks in the hospital whilst ranting & raving, until someone did something. Instead I calmly asked those demanding such action what they hoped to achieve by same, whilst I was sitting by Is's bedside. Is herself said it would make no difference to the hospital timetable and would just cause upset and ill feeling.

Allowing several of Is's former work colleagues to organise care for her (they have spent their working lives organising such) and actually being a part of that care package was similarly going to be a great way of letting them show their regard for her. 

An informative scenario of human thought processes/emotional/rational/irrational behaviours.

Dave   

Aft'noon all,

Is's prognosis is now 2-3 months. I arrived at the hospital at 07.30 today to ensure that I had opportunity to discuss her treatment timetable with her doctors....before going on to an appointment with her oncologist/consultant and finally the Douglas Macmillan care team. As soon as the stent operation is done and they're happy with her then she will be brought home. The care team are coming round to fit out the house with the necessary equipment for her care. 

Dave

Mornin' all,

Best regards to those that ail

Another lovely start in The Moorlands but the cloud is starting to threaten. More calories burnt around the short anticlockwise.

The garden at sunset last night....

A reminder of the grip which Is's condition has on her came yesterday.....after the bright weekend....with her needing assistance to sit up in bed and to get to the bathroom. She has so little strength.....I do wonder whether she will make it home. The stent implant might happen today....if she is up to it.

Feathered ones provided for

Enjoy what you do

Dave 

Dave I assume not having the chemo is one thing less for the kidneys to handle. Is sounds to be less stressed which is good. Nice pictures thinking of you both.

 

Don

....she drew the line at the initial chemo Don. She now reserves the right to choose whether to have any more or not. Agreed, we have had the best visiting sessions so far over the last few days.

Dave

Hey up.

Scunthorpe was sunny sunny after 4pm yesterday and Collegiate beat the league leaders Appleby Frodingham.

 

Today involves umpiring a ladies match at Bardsey.

 

Had a couple of pints of beer from the Great Heck brewery last night...it's was called Dave. Asking for a pint of Dave is rather odd but it was a nice pint.

 

Have a nice day everyone.

 

Baz

....the Dave wasn't yellowish in colour was it Baz?

Dave

Mornin' all,

Best regards to those that ail

Blue sky warm fragrant kick off in The Moorlands. More calories burnt around the weekend circuit....

....the canalside crane/hoist adj. the flint mill at Cheddleton is having its wooden boom/jib replaced with new.....

Another 'on form' Is visit for the Wimborne family members yesterday (an hour this time) led them to question how poorly she actually is. The underlying ovarian, kidney & bone cancer not being treated with chemo leave no doubt as to the outcome but the daily undulations of how she feels appear to be controlled by the how well the kidney issues are being addressed. Surviving the rollercoaster is currently down to trying to understand/allow for the randomness of this cocktail.

Breakfast in the garden again

Feathered ones provided for

Church duties beckon

Enjoy what you do

Dave 

Congratulations Andy.

Dave

Evenin' all,

Smashing tribute to Jock....well done Andy.

The Wimborne relatives arrived safely and we spent a great half hour with an on form Is before heading back to the local Italian for the second successive day. Tomorrow I'm driving them to Sheffield for a trip down memory lane....with a special lunch en route. In the evening we'll be back at Is's bedside for another half hour. Her sickness is linked to her cancer so it may or may not be preventable. Either way we'll make the best of it.

Lovely to watch an on form Andy Murray demolish the current French open champion....way to go Andy!!

Enjoy what you do

Dave

Evenin' all,

A real day of two halves. We took a birthday cake in to Is and she was able to join in some of the happy birthday singing....she even tried a little of the cake. However, based on today I'm not sure that she'll make it home. Then it was off to the local Italian with some of the family for a great meal before joining Col for a visit to his two favourite real ale houses in town. I'm just thankful for the beer or three that got me through the emotional rollercoaster.

Thank you for the support all

Rgds

Dave 

....there is going to be some verbal from Is re a bed downstairs if she gets home....but having acceeded to each of her wishes so far I'm afraid that was one condition of my own. By having a bed downstairs she has the run of the house and isn't confined to a sick room upstairs. She could have a view of the flowers in the garden through the conservatory from that bed, can sit at the dining table in the conservatory for meals/on comfortable chairs to relax and may even get to sit on a sunlounger outside.

Dave

Mornin' all,

Best regards to those that ail

The Meerbrook scarecrow festival is in full swing....here are more characters seen on this mornings constitutional.....

Is is weakening continually but is determined to come home. She is having a stent inserted into each kidney so that the tubes/bags can be removed. I'm about to bring the comfortable single bed downstairs cos she'll never survive the stairs.....even with home help.

My 50th birthday tomorrow is going to be a sombre affair....the plan is to take mum & dad and an aunt to the hospital and spend a half hour with Is. Should be having a beer in town later in the day with some friends though.

Feathered ones provided for

Enjoy what you do

Dave 

Mornin' all,

Best regards to all that ail

Some atmospheric starts in The Moorlands just now...

Is is poorly but relatively stable....not on pain relief yet. Will popping in for a half hour or so later.

Feathered ones provided for

Enjoy what you do

Nice pictures Dave. Did you pass these on that ride?

 

leekgeese.jpg

 

Looking though that set of photos brought back a few memories

 

this one is of my great nephew Caiden born with a Cleft palate not that it seems to be affecting his eating. 

caiden.jpg

 

He is sat on his aunt's lap. Two years later, this April she got married.

jen.jpg

 

I also came across this one taken in a friends garden

Viaduct.jpg

 

Regards Don

Hi Don,

There are almost always Canada geese around Tittesworth. On occasions they can be seen in the fields too, apparently eating grass.

Dave