Thursday 28 March 2024

Ideas about Keith coming home

 Apparently the choice is down to Keith, and if he wants to come home rather than go to Llandod, he can do so.  Of course, he wants to come home.  Now I have to discuss this with the ward sister and get a plan in place.  His bed is upstairs and the would be mayhem if we had to bring it down to the living room - nowhere for the sofa to go and nowhere for contents of Library to go if he were to be put in there.  It is crammed with furniture, books and stock, plus K's Windsor chairs and two armchairs. . .  Like Scarlett O'Hara, I will think about that tomorrow. The sooner he is home, the better.


Hay Bluff yesterday (above) and today with a bit more snow (below).

It rained very heavily nearly all the way home today and there was a lot of surface water.

Tam and Jon still getting used to being a family of 3, and Tam is still struggling with the problems of Carpel Tunnel which surfaced during her pregnancy.  She is frightened of dropping her precious little one.  Her feet and ankles are very swollen too, which is common.  

Sorry I've not had a chance to answer your comments, or do a proper post on the church at Vowchurch, but not enough hours in the day and I have been awake 3 hours every night since Monday.  I hope I can sleep better tonight.

Patchwork fabric now ironed.  I need to find some suitable curtains for the double door into the summerhouse, as of course, the ones I had which would have been perfect went to the Charity Shop last summer. . .

Have an enjoyable Easter all.


Wednesday 27 March 2024

We're ok , but even wearier

 More noises about K going to the community hospital for recuperation.  Hopefully Llandod, as that is just 10 miles away and you don't need to watch out for dozens of potholes.  Tam home from hospital.  I spoke to her on the phone tonight and she had a truly dreadful, almost life-threatening, time of things.  Horrendous.  I'm going to see her on Saturday and Danny is going to do the Hereford visit to Keith, if he's still there.  If he's in Llandod, life will be easier.

I washed all the fabrics for the Summerhouse patchwork curtains tonight - just as well as lots of red and it bled a little. Lots of ironing of said fabrics tomorrow.

There was snow on Hay Bluff as I drove to Hereford today, and coming out of the city, there was a thunderstorm with huge flashes of lightening and then torrential sleet/hail and you couldn't see the potholes for the road being awash.

Going to rest with In Memoriam now - a brilliant book and I can truly recommend it.  Amazing for a first novel too.

Just a quick line

St Bartholomew's, Vowchurch - the tower is set in to the roofline - most unusual.


 I am so weary here, after a fortnight of going to Hereford daily.  Keith better yesterday until he was sat out for too long (I kept asking for him to be put back in bed but they were busy).  Then his heart rate was up - on lower oxygen and perhaps because he was fretting at being sat out so long, when he desperately needed to sleep - so they were giving an ECG when I left.  I was out of the house from 9.20 until 4.45 - a long day. BUT the physios were talking about him going home/going to community hospital, and I think I have persuaded Keith that the latter option is the best.  Llandod is nearest - 10 miles away and I could bring him palatable food to try and build him up again and the physios there can get him more mobile. 

Tam and baby (no name yet - she could never make her mind up) are probably going home today.  I don't know when I/we will meet her.  Other granny lives on the doorstep so will see her more often I'm guessing.  We are 1 1/2 hours away.  Tam sent some lovely photos last night, but they are family ones only and I can't share.

No time to do the church post right now - I am sleeping badly so not getting up 5.30 or 6 as usual, which is when I can spend a bit of time doing a post.  Thank you for all your kind comments.

Monday 25 March 2024

She's here!





Here's that precious little one who's now joined our family.  I just wanted to share my joy with you all.  She's gorgeous - looks a bit like Jon and lots of dark hair, like him and Tam.  Tam will have to be careful for a few weeks now whilst she heals,  Guess Jon is on housework duty for a bit!  Right, I shall sleep better tonight knowing that they are both OK.  Keith will be thrilled in the morning.


Thank you all for being such caring friends.  

Things are happening II - and update

 Tam went in to the hospital today, in early labour, but they induced her anyway to speed things up.  Had a message via Gabby from Jon that Tam is in strong labour now, so baby should be born today.  She's doing well with her breathing exercises.  I am on tenterhooks now.  Update: She's about to have a C-section . . . Hope to goodness they get the pain relief appropriate, given her track record - tooth removed with no pain relief as amount given didn't work for her and another occasion for an operation too.  It's on her records, but a worrying time . ..  Poor lass, this is everything she DIDN'T want to happen.

Not very clear - sorry.  Hope you get the idea.

I am absolutely exhausted today - Keith not very bright, but still improving.  His oxygen levels are 28, and the norm is 22 or 23, so getting there.  The physios (who are brilliant) listened to his chest and said it was almost clear of crackles, so got him out in a chair which can be moved into reclining position etc and he was sat out for an hour and a half, but by then I could see he was very tired.  I was feeding him, reading bits from the paper for him, cleaned his teefs (this never gets done), helping him drink etc.  Saw the dietitian again too, and between us we persuaded him that even if he didn't like the high-protein milk shakes, he had to drink them anyway as he was on half the calories he should be on.  He wasn't best-pleased that I'd joined ranks with the Dietitian, but it is essential for his recovery.

I will confess to another trip to Doughty's to look for deep red patchwork material to edge or make new curtains in the Summerhouse.  I bought 4 fat quarters I liked, then found a clearance bag of half a dozen (no, 8) suitable reds for £5 at the counter, so they came home with me too.



I'm off for a lie down now.  D & "I" have gone swimming.  I need a nap.

Sunday 24 March 2024

Things are happening

 Just spoken to Tam and her waters broke yesterday, so she will hopefully be in labour soon.  If not, she has to go in to be induced tomorrow morning, and that is just what she DIDN'T want.  As I told her you can have made all the best plans in the world but the baby can change all that at a whim! SO, very exciting times and it will cheer Keith up no end to hear we're finally grandparents.  I have decided I didn't want to be version two of "Granny C" as per Keith's mum.  I have opted for the Devon dialect word for grandmother, which is "Grammer".  May shorten it to Gram!  So there.


One of the many beautiful Magnolias in bloom at the moment.  This one is at St Bartholomew's Church at Vowchurch, where I stopped on the way home.  Post in the morning.

Keith now off anti-biotics, and on slightly less oxygen, but the scan revealed a blood clot (forgot to ask where, but imagine it's in a lung?) and so he has to be on blood thinners for 6 mths.  He can't come home just yet, but I am hopeful for the end of the week, fingers x'd.   I phoned the hospital and asked that Keith be told that Tamzin's waters had broken so baby would soon be here.  That should cheer him up no end. The first thing he asked me this morning, was had the baby put in an appearance yet.


Back in the morning.

Saturday 23 March 2024

I'm tired tonight


 Even though I was a passenger, as Danny drove us to visit Keith today, I am still tired.  I think the worry over Keith and knowing he just wants to come home a.s.a.p. wears me down.  I have still not shaken off my productive cough and had the last a-b today, so Monday may see me down the Dr's first thing, before I go to Hereford.  Gabby phoned, and was croaking and barely able to speak.  I do hope she wasn't brewing this when we saw her on Wednesday as it's the last thing Keith needs.

He has had a chest X-Ray and Scan - the latter to check for blood clots.  I hadn't even given them a thought because he has been having daily injections which I thought guarded against that happening. The physio said the X-ray was ok.  We don't know about the scan yet.

He ate all his cottage pie today - a few days back he left it after just a half teaspoonful.  He says he has more appetite now and this, as food, looked reasonably palatable.



We were watching the racing together this afternoon.  I missed the Lincoln as we left just before it was run, but I've checked on his racehorse (he is part of a syndicate and probably owns about 2 hairs of its tail!), Grand Albert, who was running at Bangor today, and he won, which is great news and will have cheered Keith up no end.  He has syndicate shares in 4 or 5 horses, which we gave him as Christmas presents, and it gives him a real interest.  

I am now sewing the binding on the crawler quilt and screwed up the first corner already (always my nemesis).  At least I am being consistent with the entire thing!  No baby news yet.  She is due tomorrow, but may well be late . . .  I will keep you posted.