Off (with) My Trolley

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

Since retiring, Harry has always done the main shopping. He usually walks a mile and a half to the main supermarket and back. There are smaller ones nearer to where we live, in fact, we'er not more than five minutes away from the nearest shop. However, Harry likes his favourite supermarket and collects points, special coupon offers and things like that.

Now that he's started chemo, he hasn't the strength to do it, so I have been really struggling with shopping at the same place and found that the trolley I had been pulling behind me was seriously aggravating my back pain. 

I tried a back pack but that was only any good for very lightweight things, so the tins and cartons that I needed caused aggravation too.

I had seen little old ladies pushing trollies with four wheels, in front of them and I thought that I wouldn't need one until I was a lot older. In fact, I can remember when I was disposing of my mother's belongings after she died, that she had one of those contraptions in her garage, but twelve years ago, I felt I was far too young to accept such a thing, so it ended in a Charity shop along with a whole pile of other aids that I wish I'd kept. Some how or other I always feel much younger than others might feel I am. Its only when I see myself in a mirror or shop window when I realise that I am a little old lady and that comes as quite a shock.

Whilst my daughter was staying with me over Christmas, she signed me up for Home Deliveries from the said supermarket and showed me how to place an order. After she left, I wasn't confident to do this on my own for the first time, so I postponed the idea until I could get some one to help me and realised that it might be a long time before that happened. So I thought that I'd buy one of those four wheeled trolleys that can be pushed, like my mother had had.

I set off on the bus into town and went to a shop where you order from a catalogue, pay and then wait your turn to collect.

I was dismayed to see that the trolley was sealed into a flat pack and I had to beg the man who gave it to me to assemble it as there was no way I could carry it to the bus and was wondering how I would even manage it fully assembled on a bus.

The man had to go and get help. It caused a bit of chaos spending so much time with my order, but eventually the job was done and the assistant seemed genuinely pleased by my gratefulness.

It was fairly easy to get it on and off the bus as I used the space reserved for pushchairs and wheelchairs, getting on and off a high kerb designed for the purpose of wheeling on and off. Not that I intended to use it on buses ever again, mind you. 

I feel as though I have had a new lease of life because pushing the trolley to the supermarket and trundling it back home is so easy. It is kinder to my back. If I was stuck at home waiting for a Home Delivery, then I wouldn't get the exercise or meet people and this is important. Most people smile and say,"Good Morning." Sometimes I meet someone I know and end up having a chat and I am getting fresh air and some sunshine no matter how weak it is at present. I pass an assortment of gardens and one or two have branches of rosemary sticking through a fence so I pick a small amount as a treat for my rabbits.

I will leave the Home Delivery until such a time as the weather is abominable or my health is not as good and take my new found toy out for little trips to the shops. It seems to help me to balance too.

I believe my readers from USA call these contraptions Shopping Carts and only use the word, *trolley* when talking about madness!

Well maybe I am mad to prefer to be independent.

Happy New Year

Photocopyright: Maggie May

Hoping you all had a very pleasant Christmas. We did enjoy ours with my daughter and grandsons. We also saw Sam and the family too.

Harry has had his first session of chemo and doesn't seem too bad. They started him off with a fairly mild one and all being well, they will increase the strength as he goes along. 

I'm always a little bit anxious at the start of a new year...... wondering what difficulties will be dealt to us during the next one?

However, as my daughter says, "Its only a number, Mum."

So, I'd like to wish everyone a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. Peace and health to you all.

Happy Christmas

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

I expect most people are going to be very busy preparing for Christmas and maybe like me, will be having family to stay.

My daughter is coming over with my grandsons and the time is going by fast with last minute preparations, so I just wanted to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas while I have a chance.

It is fairly mild here but pouring with rain and more is forecast over the holiday period. My granddaughters want snow but that seems very unlikely.

Harry will be starting chemo the day after Boxing Day so at least he will be able to eat his Christmas dinner without feeling off colour.

I usually enjoy the true meaning of the season, the carols, Nativities, children's school events and we do try to make Jesus the centre of our Christmas because that is what it is all about for us. That and family.

Wishing everyone a peaceful, joyous time whatever you are doing.

Highs and Lows

I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past week and the fact that I haven't managed to comment on many of the blogs that I normally visit.
I have been busy with Christmas, as most of you must have been.  Christmas shopping and grandchildren's school Nativities have taken up some of the time. I have also done some childminding to help the family.

I am upset that Harry has to start emergency chemo, probably before Christmas as his cancer is getting out of hand again. Although it was on the cards that he had to have it, we had thought it might have been staved off until after Christmas. However, we are waiting for Oncology to call us for an exact date so cannot arrange any activities as we don't know when it will commence.  My daughter is coming over for Christmas and obviously was hoping that there would be no illness or treatments over the holiday period. One or the other of us has been ill every Christmas for the last three years when she has been here.
My brother Eddie's wife is really ill after the fourth of her second batch of chemo treatments and was unable to come and see us last week when Eddie and my nephew came for a visit to our home. It was lovely to see them again though and we had a lot to catch up on.
I think Eddie has had to postpone blogging for a while because of the upset of this illness and treatment and the fact that he has so many extra things to do while his wife is ill. He is known to many people as Eddiebluelights. I really hope he will be able to get back to his blog before too long.

I was absolutely appalled by the pointless killing of all those children in the USA school by an obvious madman. The pictures of them came onto our TV screen this evening and I felt  my blood run cold. It is so terrible that I can't comment further on it.

This afternoon, I went to a concert performed by Sandy's pupils. She teaches the flute and is my son, Sam's partner. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and thought everyone did very well. My granddaughter, Amber had only ever had two lessons and she went to the front and confidently played two little pieces. I was so proud of her. My step grandchildren are also very musical and Ossie played the piano and Jessie the saxophone. Maybe Millie will be playing in next years concert. I really enjoyed my afternoon and feel really proud of this musical family and the route they are taking. My mother and father, who were also very musical would have been so proud of them all too.
Lets end on this positive note!

Let There Be Light

Photocopyright: Maggie May

Today was cold but sunny and I found myself sitting on my garden bench with the sun streaming onto my face and my eyes squinting in the unaccustomed sunlight. It was a wonderful feeling and I sat this way for fifteen minutes or so before I felt the cold and went in.

Sitting outside in the sun in December? Had I gone mad?

Until yesterday, my garden had never had any Winter sunshine. In fact we had only ever had two hours of so of sunlight even at the height of Summer and this was affecting the things that I could grow.

Back in the seventies, it was very fashionable to buy Leylandii trees and plant them at the bottom of gardens. We planted two and some of my neighbours did the same. The trouble was that they grew very tall and spread their branches wide, very quickly, getting completely out of hand. When they had reached 30 or 40 feet, most neighbours, myself included, paid to have them chopped down.

These trees have huge trunks and only the tips of branches are green. Inside, there is only a brown mess of old growth and bare branches. It is impossible to shape them unless they are clipped when small or into hedges. nothing grows under neath them except ivy.

Only next door's tree remained after the others had gone and that shut out most of the light from our pocket handkerchief sized garden. As the tree gradually grew bigger and wider, I just accepted it.

Yesterday, there was a bit of a commotion in the back lane and there were chain saws buzzing and men clambering up the tree. Lumberjacks. I had the perfect view from the back bedroom window and the men took nearly all day to fell it because it had divided into two trees from the bottom.

It was just as though the light had been switched on in our back living room. I'd forgotten what the sun looked like shining through that window.

Only one drawback....... the collared doves, wood pigeons and magpies were panicking and flying round and round in circles looking for their roosting place. They circled round for ages, long after the tree had gone.

I really hope that they found somewhere else suitable. I am well pleased with the new look and the open space, but there's always a drawback to everything, isn't there?

Out Of The Woods?

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

When one parent up sticks and leaves the children with the remaining one for several years and then unexpectedly tries to gain custody, it can be really distressing.

Usually by the end of that time, the children are settled with the remaining parent who has possibly a new partner and maybe new siblings and pets. Everything is stable and calm after the trauma of that person walking away in the first place.

It seems quite cruel to me, that the parent who left, can come along and flash money about and believe that the children will want to leave a stable and loving home.

Is it jealousy that makes a person do this?

It seems that the one with the most money, who can afford expensive court sessions with solicitors and barristers are at an advantage and we all know of cases where PC has come before a child's happiness.

I believe that the childrens' happiness should always be the most important thing and its hard to believe that another person cannot feel the same way.

Thankfully, as time ticks by and children get older and can make up their own minds who they want to live with, their wishes often do get taken into consideration. However these things cannot be guaranteed or decided upon in a hurry and while waiting for decisions to be made everyone is left wondering whether they are out of the woods yet.

Is it just a question of trusting the powers that be and common sense? Or is there more to it than that? I can't help thinking what a waste of money the whole thing is.

Quick As A Flash

Photos copyright: Maggie May

Our weather has turned out really stormy and wet lately and today we had warnings of structural damage through high winds.  I braved the storm to go out to the shops and was really buffeted by the wind and was like a half drowned animal when I returned home. However, a week ago the weather was much more congenial and one morning I was asked by my son, Sam, whether I was up to going for a walk with his newly acquired dogs round the local park, which was a bit of a surprise as I don't see so much of him these days. I said I would go if he didn't race on ahead. It was a fine day and I took my stick. It would be good to catch up with all our different news while we walked. I managed to keep up very well and once we reached the park, the dogs raced on ahead obviously disturbing something.

It wasn't long before I spied a little creature and quick as a flash I managed to retrieve my camera from the bottom of my bag.

The trouble was, it was quick as a flash too and I had no time to zoom in. 

Look closely......can you spot what I saw?