Aussie's in town

Friday I met my sister at the airport, wonderful to see her and her hubby again its been 5 or 6 years since they last visited! could have been in happier circumstances though.  

Yesterday we all went to John's for the day and after a buffet lunch John took us to the local beauty spot where John's wife Joanne was brought up in Greenfield , Just like "Last of the summer wine" which was filmed just up the road in Holmfirth

The car park

Beats the usual farm gates doesn't it

Bryan,Babs and John passing the sailing club,Quite windy.

Pepe and Ruth, Smell the rabbits Pepe!

Autumn with Indian Head in the background, if you can't make it out the next picture will make it plainer.

Rotate your PC 90% anti-clockwise at this point!

3 Generations, still windy at this point.

Rustic wall 

At this point I had a lump in my throat as big as that mountain in the background, as I've had many a picnic there with Velda over the years, that darn grit got in my eyes again.

This is known locally as "The devils Tongue" and yes that's Ruth and Babs at the top, why did that old Dean Martin song spring to mind, can you guess which one? yes that's it "Young and Foolish", only kidding Babs.

And a last word from Pepe

So it was back to John's, tired,windblown but everyone ready for our takeaway

"Garlic Bread??", as Peter Kay used to say

No, it was a nice Chinese! 

During the day discovered a nice snack food I liked!

Have to check if they do smaller bags though.

Then it was back to the hotel for the Aussie's to catch up with their jet lag.

The Arrangements

The arrangements for Velda are as follows

The service will be held at Stockport Crematorium on Monday 31st October 2011 at 10-30am

You are welcome to attend the service, family flowers only, donations to St Annes Hospice.

Holes in the floor of heaven-Steve Wariner

Sat here on a Sunday evening I was thinking I was coping al-right when this song I've had for years in my CD collection came to mind and I looked it up on YouTube and there it was, I know my son has tried to help me though this hard time but I know he is feeling the same as me, so perhaps he will take comfort in listening to this song.
Its for anyone who as lost someone dear to them, and after 51 years married I think I qualify.

Some nice verses there too.

Back to Etherow

Yesterday my Son John took me back to Etherow for the first time since our loss, he thought that my first time back would have been hard for me being the caring person he is!.

He must have been bored as I'd not charged any batteries,but it turned out to be quite sunny but cold,so we had a walk round the lake with Pepe,both with our own thoughts and memories of happier times there.

Then was a nice family on the landing stage and they were waiting for any member to turn up to see if they could sail their boats which they had sat there. I introduced myself and John and told them they could sail as my guest and they are very keen to join the club, I'm sure they will be a nice addition to the club, Father, Mother and teenage son, father and son had a Bantock one metre yacht each and very nice boats too. hoping to receive their returned membership form soon.

 So it was fate perhaps that I went yesterday to meet this nice family.

I spoke to a few friends on the balcony cafe and as they haven't got PCs were not aware of our loss.

It's the club's second quiz night and hot pot supper this Wednesday and I might make the effort to go to that, it will be a break for me and get me back in action again.

Velda R.I.P

As my son said in the previous blog Velda passed away peacefully this afternoon and I can't thank the staff of St Anne's Hospice enough for the wonderful care they gave her in these last days and made the passage though so peaceful

A few pictures of Velda in happier days.

The tug she loved to sail

Putting it though its paces

At Lyme Park

Tranquillity Base

Her favourite place, Etherow!

Thank you all for the calls, e-mails and cards over the past months, much appreciated.

Peace at last

This is a post from John, I am posting this on behalf of my Dad. 

I am standing by the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a peck of white cloud
just where the sun and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says :
- 'There she goes!

Gone where?
Gone from my sight - that is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the places of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says:
- 'There she goes! ',
there are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout :
- 'Here she comes!'

-----

This afternoon my Mum passed away, her passing comes as a relief to us all, she had suffered enough. We are grateful to the staff at St Ann's Hospice who have cared for her so well this last few days. My Dad, wife and I were at her bedside to be with her as she passed through the veil. We're thankful for the knowledge that just like the ship spoken of above, she will be welcomed by loving family on the other side.

John Teal.

Parable of immortality by Henry Van Dyke - 1852 - 1933 

St Annes Hospice

My first impressions of St Annes was very up beat and I was impressed with the attitude of the staff there, they made it seem that we were the most important people there.
The two box drivers were changed with the minimum of fuss and the senior doctor there gave Velda a check-up and then took me in one of the sitting rooms and we had a chat about Velda's treatment and my thoughts on things.
One of the nurses was most insistent that the level of staff was better in the week,they don't usually admit patients on Friday's she said, but it was still better than at The Christie,
goodness knows what the staffing is like in the week!
To-day's visit was still as good and Velda was at peace and sleeping without the grimacing in pain as has been the case for weeks now, I felt quite happy to go to the cafe there and have a drink and sandwich, knowing the staff was on the ball. They have a wireless alarm button system there that is answered almost at once,
I will be visiting once a day there as it's too far to go twice, so it's afternoons, a break in the cafe for tea and then home after the rush hour traffic as gone, though last night was bit bad on the slip road off the M60, there had been an accident there.

St Annes To-day

On arriving at the hospital I was told yesterday that Velda would be moving to St Annes to-day, not the seaside resort on the Lancashire coast unfortunately but the Hospice in Heald Green, though I think Velda is quite ready for the move, as the people there are all geared up for patients in her condition.

I won't be sorry to be leaving The Christie behind, its been a very traumatic experience over the last 9 weeks there with all the ups and downs of emotions. I must at this point say what a wonderful job the staff there do and to mention just a few there is Staff Nurses Janet, Hilary, Sarah and Samantha on Ward 11 who have had most to do with Velda's care whilst on that ward, there were many more but those names come to mind first.

A big thank you to Chris the Community Link Manager for his work with Velda, I know its these peoples job but some people put more into it than most!. Again a big thank you for your support to me as well.

Unfortunately not one of the success cases but hopefully they learnt something for the next patient  that comes along with Colitis as well as Cancer!.

New reception being built

Oak Road by day

Oak Road by night

So another chapter in this event in our lives begins to-day.

Lady's Prerogative

When I got to the hospital yesterday afternoon, the Community Link Manager had been talking to Velda and explained to her that there isn't as much chance of assistance pain management wise at home 24/7 as there is at a hospice, she is in so much pain at times that the thought of that has made her change her mind so now she is going to go to St Annes Hospice in Heald Green, Cheshire.

I can't explain the feeling of weight off my shoulders at that, I was quite willing to look after her at home and everything was in place, but as Chris the Community Manager said I'm 73 not 37 ( its a lie) and I'm feeling it at the moment, and the thought of not being able to contact anyone in the middle of the night has worried me I must admit, then it could be a case of dialling 999 and  whipped off to a general hospital A&E Dept, No its better to go to St Annes Hospice now!

It will be further to travel but on the motorway, ( no kamikaze cyclists without lights hopefully) but that's the easy part isn't it and knowing that she is getting better care than I am able to provide makes it easier to bear.

The hospice at Heald Green is here

Click here

We have been told Velda is at the top of the admissions list so could be moved any day now, will let you know when it happens.

No More Chemo!

Some more bad news I'm afraid.

 The Team of doctors looking after Velda have stopped Velda's chemotherapy after the team meeting Thursday morning and won't be doing anymore has they say the tumour has started to effect her bowel working and she is not able to keep any food down at all now, so it was either St Annes Hospice or home, on the day she said St Annes but I think she was thinking of me!, yesterday she said she had changed her mind and wanted to come home and when I said of course I got the biggest smile I've seen in months and it made it all worth while!.

No news yet until after the week end as to when she will be coming home but it won't be long as they need the bed for someone they can help more I suppose.

 I think The Christie have been marvellous and we couldn't have asked for better treatment but unfortunately they can't do miracles! 

Must get stuck in now and make the place habitable for a lady.

No 3rd chemo again.

There was no 3rd chemo yesterday for Velda has she was too weak after a bad week-end, they sent her for an x-ray on Saturday and I walked into an empty room, no one in the bed or in the chair that was a bit of a shock! I can tell you.
Spoke to one of the doctors yesterday and he said the x-ray showed no blockage of the bowel,but could still be a bit of one from the pressure of the original cause, Said there was no reason for her not to eat, only the thought of being sick afterwards, she seems to have taken this in mind!.

She now has one of those box plungers on, and its to stop her feeling sickly, seems to work has she had half a slice of cheese on toast for her tea last night!, she is going to the loo a bit more now which worried her,  but if you eat you poo don't you, everybody does it, even the Queen I'm told, bet she didn't use her Old Codgers card at B&Q for a plastic seat though, probably an Ermine lined one!
...................................................................................................................

Times are getting so  tough at the moment with this financial situation the councils are  going to re-paint the signs in the park "Keep of the grass" to read  "Don't eat the grass"

This is a good one after the leak we had the other week!
No reflection on you John!.

The plumber finally arrived and said  "How have you managed "."Not too bad" said the housewife "While we were waiting for you I've taught the kids to swim"

Boom Boom!

That's all folks

Another set back

 The weekend hasn't been too good to Velda!, she has been constipated for a few days therefore stomach pains for days, which the morphine doesn't take into account. they gave her some suppositories last night and they seemed to do the trick,though my visiting time finished up as 10 minutes, still if its solved the problem that's the main thing.

(I suppose you've hear of the old joke, "for all the good that medicine did I might as well have pushed them up my bum"! )

Will find out to-day, though I think the homecoming on Thursday will be a non starter as she has not been eating therefore has been too weak to exercise for the last few days, only hope the chemo session for Tuesday is still on.

Bought myself an IPad on Friday and its very good took it to the hospital to show Velda and she was watching the Video of Pepe on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88gFOi8Q15o.

They have their own Wi-Fi system there you can log into, same as all the McDonalds and places like that, so if you have a laptop or IPad you can use them outside if you like, saves you buying another contract.

Will let you know of any developments.

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What did Quasimodo give his wife for Christmas?.

A Wok,  he thought it would help her iron his shirts better!

Boom Boom.

That's all folks.