A few changes. (Long post)

Hello folks, I'm finally posting after what seems like months.

For those of you in the UK you know we are in the middle of a heatwave - I don't function too well in the heat!

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Hello to my new followers!  Hope you stick around even though I'm not posting too regularly.

Then, thank you again for all the wonderful, supportive comments I've received.  I truly do appreciate them - you're a wonderful lot!

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There's been a lot going on.  Further to Mom's assessment (last post) I received a copy of the report.  There were three large inaccuracies in it.  Firstly it stated that she 'was unable to hold a pen' - Mom had held the pen and written a legible sentence when asked.  He'd also stated that she was 'unable to handle money' - This subject had not been broached when he asked Mom if she shopped on her own, she has no problems with this at all.  Then, thirdly he's started a paragraph with 'Mary lives alone.  Florence has no insight into her problems' and went on to describe Florence's other problems.  I wrote to the Memory Service nurse pointing out the inaccuracies (I hand posted it, sending a copy to  Mom's doctor).  I received no reply and have had to chase it up.  Finally, yesterday I received a reply stating that they use a template that should have been blank before typing.  Even though it had been checked before sending out these problems hadn't been noticed!  Gives you a lot of faith in them eh?

Just had to add this photo of my first cherries ripening - looking forward to tasting them :o)
As the next photo was featured for my post (How off-putting.)

Do you recall the garden bench covered in bird poo? (Ugh, shudder.)

Well, it's had a bit of a facelift..

The metal frame was made by my maternal Grandfather as a wedding gift to Grandma (in 1914)

So it's almost an antique!  I've painted it with smooth Hammerite paint, and we've put new seat and backrest boards on.  These have had three coats of Ronseal  Woodland colours 'Bluebell' wood treatment.  I need to paint the table now, along with...

The new arbour seat :o)  When it cools down I shall paint it with the same bluebell colour outside, and ash white inside.

Do you remember the bug boxes I put up on the new fence?  This morning we've discovered that some Leafcutter bees have found the tubes :o)  I'm really pleased about this as the garden MUST be BEE FRIENDLY!

I've added a Cedar wood Lacewing Box too.  I followed the instructions and stuffed it with straw after smearing lacewing attractant on it.

It's quite large and was a bargain from Amazon.

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One of my neighbours had put out a water feature for the scrap/rubbish man to collect.  I have a small pebble pool in the back garden that we rarely use as the water reservoir below ground is rectangular and the returning water 'misses' so it emptied quickly.  I thought the bottom part of the feature would be better, so asked if I could have it.  It turned out that it all worked and they were just altering the layout of the garden.  It wouldn't have been my choice in a garden centre - but for free? 

;o)

Nice and weathered - it'll do for me!

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On the wildlife front.

Hedgehogs GALORE!  We had ten in the garden the other night, a three, a four and a two.  All different ones.

The other evening I 'captured' one to mark it.  Meet Ted.

Yes, leather gloves were required - a VERY prickly character ;o)

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I've been toying with buying a Wildlife camera, and finally decided to plump for

The Bushnell Natureview HD (The link takes you to Wildlife Kate's site, please take a look around while you're there.)  Kate has been on BBC's Springwatch, and gave them the idea for the mouse cave.

I'm still playing around trying to get the settings right, and the place to set it up, but here are some of the results.  (Date/time bottom right)

Juvenile Starling

Female Blackbird

Over-exposed Hogs :o(

Once I get the settings sussed I can do videos too.

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The border in the back garden continues to 'fill out''!

(Blue Strawberry planter continues to disappoint, no good for strawberries and as far as I can see little use for anything else!)

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Well, I've waffled on again for too long.  So I'll sign off now - I REALLY need to visit some of you!

Best wishes

xXx

Memory Clinic appointment.

Thank you all for your concern over my Mom, I appreciate you kind, supportive comments and emails very much :o)

Here's a quick update on Mom's appointment/assessment today at the Memory Clinic.  

(Mom )"Where did you say we had to go today?" !

Mom was not impressed practically from the start though when the (male)  specialist nurse read out the referral letter from her Doctor...saying about her memory problems, aggression and difficulty remembering relatives.  (I wondered if it would have been a better idea to start on a different area, or even with a female nurse?) Anyway, there was a lot of repeating words, like 'lemon, ball and key'. He then asked a few more questions before returning back to them and asking Mom to repeat those words - most of the time she couldn't.

He then went onto ask what 100 minus 7 equalled, minus 7 and again a further 5 or 6 times, Mom passed this with flying colours.

They asked her to identify nine different simple line drawings, she recognised all of them, but couldn't remember what they were called (penguin, camel, anchor, crocodile and basket) but she knew the queen wears a crown! The specialist nurse asked me some difficult to answer questions (in front of Mom) for example about her aggression....Mom was NOT pleased with my reply, I think the nurse got the gist of it though!

It lasted for just over half an hour, and was mostly relaxed with no pressure put on her, and he even told her at one point (when she was particularly pissed with me for being too honest,) that she could end the test and leave at any time! The outcome is that Mom is right on the edge of Dementia...(goodness knows how bad this'll get then?) The suggestion was to make an appointment to see a specialist who could advise further, and/or to make a follow up appointment to check if there is any progression in six months time. 

 Mom has (of course) flatly refused ANY further appointments. The Nurse said I could contact him if anything changes, seems like I may well be :o(

Rose H

x

A wonderful find, and a 'what would you have done?'

Hello folks,

We've been a lovely ride out today and took a picnic lunch with us - just on the spur of the moment, the weather was perfect (for me) slightly overcast and quite warm.  We travelled a few miles over the county border into beautiful Shropshire, through the country lanes and mostly enjoying the peace and quiet and lack of traffic.  

We enjoyed the freedom of picking a lovely, scenic spot to eat lunch and settled down and chatted for a while, then off again exploring the villages and hamlets we came across.

(Sorry no photos as I'd left the camera at home.)

As we wended our way along we passed a plant nursery, Trev slowed down (even more) and asked if I'd like to visit it...he knows me too well!  To my utter delight we'd discovered Barlow Nurseries.  I wondered around in awe of the beautiful, healthy herbaceous plants absolutely covered in beautiful, buzzing bees :o)  

 Now, I'm still trying very hard to fill up my back garden border again (since the new fence was erected) and have decided it needs to be even more bee friendly! So it will come as absolutely no surprise to know that I came home with some beautiful  bee friendly plants.  In fact I was almost having to de-bee them to get them in the car ;o)

(Photos taken hurriedly at 8.45pm.)

Grouped en-masse.  

(Please excuse the barbecue cover)

A HUGE clover - like flower

Trifolium Trichocephlum

Erysimum linifolium variegatum

Two beautiful, healthy Lupins. 1 x pink and 1 x red (above still in bud)

and finally for the worlds biggest courgette hater (me)

Courgette Parador

I'm determined to like the blasted things and figured if I grow them I'll eat them!

If you are ever in the Newport, Shropshire area do please give them a visit - you won't be disappointed :o)

Now, a few views of how the borders have filled out a little more.

Aconite and yellow Corydalis Lutea

blue self-seeded aqualegia, corydalis and aconite

various pots surrounding my arum lily

The apple tree - no blossom this year :o(

The opposite border against the garage

with pulmosa (lungwort) forget-me-nots (amongst others)

Gorgeous foxgloves, and behind the bottom of the ivy where the robins nested...

(I can't remember if I updated that situation?  There were two babies that fledged the nest, unfortunately one of them landed inches from a sleeping Sid cat who awoke before I could do anything to save it :o(  

(The other did well.)  

Finally, beneath my kitchen window.

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Now for the 'what would you have done?'

I received an email last night asking me if I had any information about a female Staffordshire figurine, similar to one I have (which I posted about here).  I happily agreed to help if I could and was duly sent some photos of the figure in question.  It had been in the wars, the head had been off at one point and stuck back on.  I studied the photos carefully (they were quite detailed) and came to the conclusion that I believed it was a copy and not an original.  There was no signs of wear or dirt ingrained on the base, the crackles in the glaze were perfectly bright and clean even though the gold appeared to be rubbed, and the expansion hole (to me seemed) to be in the wrong place. It also appeared that it was made from a hard paste body and not a soft paste.  I gave a potted history of Staffordshire flat backs.  

I was really in a quandary.  I wondered if I should go ahead ?  I would certainly like to have it queried if it had been the other way round. So I  mentioned my doubts(in more detail with photos to support) and decided to question  it's authenticity, BUT I stressed that I'm no expert and it needed and expert evaluation as it was difficult to tell the difference with any certainty from a photograph and needed 'handling' to confirm one way or the other.  

I was not surprised therefore to receive another email questioning my thoughts.  I again stressed I believed it really needed expert evaluation, and I would be truly delighted for her if I am wrong.

I'm neither cross or upset by the reply I'd received, in fact I thought it was very well written.

My question to you is this,  do you think I was right to tell her?   Or should I have kept quiet about my doubts?  

Please let me know your thoughts, I'd appreciate them.

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Very quick update on Mom.

The appointment has (finally) come through from the Memory Service for next Wednesday.  Of course she doesn't want to go ("I haven't got a problem with my memory - everybody forgets things"), but her Doctor (bless him) asked her to humour him and go to see them anyway :o)

I shall take her and see what happens.  In the meantime she's lost her (replacement) false teeth!  They've vanished into the ether again.  So it's back to the dentist for another £200 set :o(

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Hope you all have a great week.  

x x

P.S.

I've been having a change around on here and haven't finished yet..

Bits of this and bits of that.

Hello folks!  Hope you are all well.

Firstly, I'd like to say a big hello and welcome to my new followers (waves) it's great to see new faces here, and though my posting is somewhat intermittent I hope you enjoy them!
(I do try to contact you personally, but sometimes there isn't a link I can use.)

The weather has been lovely for the past couple of weeks and there has been a lot of catching up on jobs going on here at home.  There have been visits to the doctors with Mom - still no news of when the Memory Clinic will FINALLY be in touch, but again they've been chased up.  She is in much the same condition with her memory (or, lack of it!) and the battle continues as to weather or not daily tablets have been taken :o(

Life seems to pass by in a whirl with no time to sit and enjoy...anyway, I have managed to find a few bargains.  It's been so long since I found them I've forgotten the cost, but I do know that none were over £3 (and I think Mom has problems!)

There was this dear mirror mosaic bird which stands around 4" tall

and

A Portmierion candlestick

Surprisingly, I found some Willow Pattern too ;o)

This 4" high sugar bowl (?) without a lid, soon to be filled with a small plant.

and finally..

You know I love glass...

A stained glass window hanger around 6" diameter,

and yes I do remember it cost me £1.50.

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We have been feeding/caring for our hedgehogs as always, and we are having on average six visiting each night - and have had as many as eight!  I'm afraid I have been remiss and not took many photos, but here's one I thought you may like.

She (Mavis) peeping round one of my compost bins.

All of the released hogs are visiting, and Archie is the one that comes every night...we hear his loud snuffling long before we see him!

The Bark butter I make for the birds is gobbled up in record time, especially by the starlings - BUT I do have a warning for you should you decide to make it too...

I have a sneaky feeling that it contains some sort of Starling Viagra, as last Sunday morning I was woken up early (5.35am) by the sound of loud, raucous birds calling and chattering in the garden.  I decided to get up as it was SO loud, and greeting my eyes when I opened he blinds were SEVENTEEN young starlings and their parents - all tucking in to the bark butter!  It was not unlike Hitchcock's The Birds ;o) 

Here are just a few I managed to snap a few days later..

Of course, what comes with having so many birds visiting the garden?

This is two days worth :o(

UGH!  You should(n't) see some of the plants...

Plans are afoot though, the bench has to be rebuilt as a lot of the wood has rotted, once done I have a cover for it so that we can always find a clean seat!   The chair (2nd photo) has totally had it and is bound for the tip!

The house martins have finally arrived :o)  We thought they were going to build a nest at the apex of the roof, but it wasn't to be.  Here they are checking it out though.

They have nested on quite a few of the houses in the Crescent, so we can still enjoy their aerobatic swoops over the garden as they feed :o)

I also have frequent visits by a couple of Jackdaws who are certainly camera shy, I did however manage to get a couple of shots off the other morning through the bedroom window.

but it looks like this one is suffering from Avian Pox like the Great Tit I used to have visiting :o(

I shall report it to the RSPB as requested.

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I'm glad to say that the resident Frogs are back in the pond.  I have had some (huge) problems with the dreaded Blanket Weed, but have discovered a natural killer that works without harming the pond life.  Cloverleaf Blanket Answer and then followed up with Pure Pond soft bio-degradable balls placed inside the filter once the water had cleared, both products were recommended by the aquatics centre I use .  I will add the products to my new 'Recommended by me'  page.

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There have been lovely, warm evening when we've 'escaped' for a few hours over Cannock Chase

(just 4 miles from our home) and spotted some wildlife...

Sika Deer

Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer

A lonesome Rabbit

The best view I could get of a (rarely seen around here) Jay.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy these trips, they soothe the soul.

Well, that's it folks!   All for now.

Best wishes

xxx

P.S.

Thank you for all your comments, I do love to receive them and read them all :o)