Nice to be missed!

Several people have made contact to see why I have not blogged. Sorry to have worried you, it is half term, everyone has been less than tip top condition and just not much time, energy or inspiration to blog. Last blog was somewhat of a boring ramble to nowhere so decided to wait till I had more inspiration.

Joshua had a good four days away, really enjoyed the time in France, He really enjoyed Escargot apparantly and becuase everyone else thought it a disgusting prospect he got plenty!

He enjoyed the market but it was too busy and he found himself slightly panicked at not being able to see people he knew easily. He also enjoyed the animal sanctuary and has some good photos of that. He only managed one ride at Disney but said it was worth it!

A typical man in training managed to spend most of his 100 euros with very little to show for it. he did buy Christina a book and a pack of Top Trumps though so obviously decided he loved her too! She missed him like crazy! Odd though they are fighting like cat and dog again now of course!

Poor old Joshua, having travelled so much over the four days he was away, he came home 8O'Clock Tuesday evening to head straight off to Nannies at 7.30 the next morning! We had not seen David's Mum and Sister since January so it was a long overdue trip. We had planned on staying overnight with Tia and the girls but sadly they were hit with Swine Flu the week before and although over the bugs Tia was just not up to a houseful of us lot just yet, on top of no care support and tiddly kittens a houseful of Hilliers was just not on! So we managed to book in at a Premier Travel Inn near Mums and then headed off to Ikea to meet Tia and gang for Coffee and Meatballs!

We managed to find every set of road works and diversion between Lincolnshire and Wiltshire on Wednesday morning, what should have been a 31/2 hour journey door to door ended up being broken at 4 hours at a Pub in Reading! It was a very nice Pub that Tom Tom directed us to and the Landlady was able to give easy directions to David's Sister and Mum to enable them to meet us there. We had a wonderful lunch, a good natter interupted by periodic suctioning of Eve's ariways and then we piled back into the vehicles to head to Nannies house. Our trustee carer had come along with us and made a great job of shepherding Rosie throughout the meal and again once at Nan's.
By 6pm we had had enough and headed off to the Inn for some chill out, baths and bed.
Rosie was far too excited to consider sleeping...The clocks going back have really messed up her body clock. Mostly she is ready for off at 3 am....sometimes we can persuade her to stay in bed till 4maybe 5 at a push but 3 am is the waking hour! This means by 5pm she is wanting to be put to bed....ooooohhhh no girlie not a chance. So we end up with a miserable Rosie who eventulally gets herself into bed and comes and asks us to put her back to bed then comes and asks us to put us back to bed then comes and ....you get the idea....I refuse to lock her bed before 7.30 pm which just leaves her cross. But she has now discovered an escape route anyway so even if we lockk the bed she will still come and tell us to get her back to bed, just manages to create total chaos in the process! So we now have an unrosieproof bed again! Another job for Super Dad!
David's Niece came over to see us for an hour before we settled in for the night. That was really nice, she is now approaching 19 and has grown into a beautiful, young lady in every sense of the word. Christina adores her, and Rosie was very pleased to see her. Once she left though we started baths and bed times and eventually Rosie gave in and went to sleep...by 10 pm we had the lights off and trying to sleep. A text went off on my phone but too tired to answer it, unfortunately it woke the carer who then struggled to sleep again. Rosie did very well once she settled and slept till 4 am when she determined to snuggle as close as she could to me whilst employing the finger and thumb of one hand to ensure I did not close my eyes! We managed to stay horizontal in bed until just before 6 am when she turned sideways and kicked me out!

So another round of baths and dressing and organising and over to the restaurant for breakfast! I do like the eat as much as you like buffet breakfast, I love fruit salad an natural yoghurt to waken my taste buds, followed by bacon and sausage and mushrooms and egg and beans and tomato...followed by thickly buttered hot toast. Yummmmmmmmmm! Most people treated with steroids for inflammatory conditions find they gain weight far too easily. I however seem to be in the other camp! Since being on Steroids I find it hard to keep the little weight I had gained on board...the up side of this is I can eat what I fancy without fear of the need of a new wardrobe! I like food! I think gluttony may be one of my failings!

Anyway, once breakfast was over and the rooms emptied back into the bus we piled in and headed off towards Milton Keynes, texting Tia as we left to aim to arrive at around the same time!

WOW as we turned a corner and saw the Ikea Blue of the warehouse a text arrived saying, We have landed! It took us a couple of minutes to actually find out way in to the car park, guided at the last by Tia's phone call and then we saw them all stood waving at us!

It doesnt matter how infrequently we meet the connection between all of us is there! It was so good to be together again. Tia has put it far more eloquently than I ever could, but Eve and Mog just have such a special relationship, from the moment they first met they have connected, shared a joke, enjoyed the same pretty things, the love of shoes and a need to be close together, side by side or across the table from one another.
Christina and Little Fish enjoy one anothers company too, and spent the entire day hand in hand around the store. Even Jonathan joined in the reunion and was apparantly helping little fish with her dinner and handing tissues to Mog when needed.
Heading straight for the Cafe then we sat and relaxed over the inevitable coffee and unlimted cold drinks! Managing to gather energy to explore the shop itself.
THen returning to the Cafe, exhausted and collapsing together in fits of giggles around the table...rather snuggly situated to the one next to it, but we coped, Rosie still managed to escape and got quite cross when Tia and the girls meals arrived before hers. By the time I had organised our mobs food and drink I was barely upright, shaking and wheezing and n ot feeling to well. thankfully I dont think anyone but Tia noticed, and I managed to get some lemonade on board and a little of my food to enable me to take some tablets and eventually stopped shaking.

Dinner was good, even though I did not succombe to meat balls but enjoyed some wonderful salmon and herby rosti....chit chat and laughter, just being together.
Eve had spent much of the previous two days before we travelled laid on the settee resting, she sleeps up to 18 hours a day most days and had been really chilling out, coupled with the fact that she is much more comfortable in her new chair and actually sleeps fairly well when we travel she was in top form for Tia and the girls. Sleepy yes, able to rest back and only participate when the fancy took her, but when the fancy took her she was able to call for Mog, Demand to be beside her, call to her across the table and make eyes and smile at Tia....it was a good day!

Rosie was in a good mood for most of it too. Got a bit fed up of riding in the trolley and didnt want to walk so managed to persuade Daddy for a cuddle! We also managed to get everything we went for, and more besides! even managing a Christmas present for Rosie too.
All too soon though it was time for goodbyes, with still a good two hours journey ahead of us we needed to be on the road. Christina ran back to Tia with a present we had been hoggin since Little Fish had her Hip surgery, and with promises to make it up to Imi soon we packed the bus and headed home!

We are still in the midst of building work here! The plan was for th eplasterer to plaster the lounge whilst we were gone. We arrived home to two walls plasstered and the whole of th efront room furniture stil piled against the third wall. barely room to get through the door, but too tired to do anything about it. We all made haste to bed time! Rosie was very keen for her bed. Christina was not far behind, Joanthan and Mum were the only ones in need of food so that was easy to sort. And then the rest of us fell into furniture that would make do as a bed!

Eve was grizzly and moany for a little while before settling into a reasonable sleep, Rosie managed to last till 4 o clock and The rest of them went on snoring till nearer 8!

I would really really be glad to fast forward to Tuesday now and all the kids at school. But the lounge is still not finished plastering, And on Tuesday I have Social Workers coming to review the girls Continuing Care needs. The continuing care plan writeen up in March has still not come tom fruition and we are reviewing it! Sounds good doesnt it!
Hmmm Almost three years to the week from when the OT visiting us for the first time since we moved a couple of weeks previously, wrote in her report " the house is somewhat untidy and rather dirty in places!

Wonder what her thoiughts would be now? we have the front room upside down with bits of carpet cut away, plaster and other obnoxious stains over the rest of the carpet, piles of paperwork and belongings piled all over and washing hanging to dry whereever possible, Two thirds of the kitchen in the girls room with barely space to walk through, ourt bedroom totally inaccessible and the only clean and tidy spot is Eve's room which is newly decorated this week! Eve has moved by necessity into her new room somewhat earlier than planned as there is no where else she can get!

Today Iris and I took the kids to the Fun Farm to get away from the restrictions on movemennt at home. David was going to chill out and rest a while....We arrived home after a good three hours watching the youngsters run around like hooligans to discover his chill out had led to the rear porch being lined out with plasterboard ready for transforming into an extension of the kitchen. Some new kind of Rest?

All is quietening down here, Rosie is in her bed, Christina is almost asleep too, Eve has just decided she has not had enough attention so tried the chamelion trick with the blue tinge and alarms screeching that SATs of 85 are not good...glad the CCN brought me a new box of suction catheters we have now reached the end of the last box!

So, forgive this long ramble, you have now caught up with life in our house!

Birthday coming up chez nous....look out for a photographic post next weekend!

oooh and if you havent already then please vote for our favourite PAT dog Jody



http://www.yours.co.uk/shared/PageTemplates/GenericContent.aspx?id=2754

Thanks...Eve will be very grateful