What are you all up to

KjellNN sounds like youre keeping occupied 😉. 7 month's is about par for house sales down here! And usually involves shipping out and in on the same day so 'improvements' are once youre in situ. You're very lucky to be able to help your daughter and she, and the family, are extremely lucky to have such reliable 'free' help on tap. We were lucky enough to get the keys to our house after exchange of contracts giving us 4 weeks to clean and decorate before we moved in. We needed it as house had been let out to students 😲😲. OH called in for a couple of hours on his way to the station for his commute and my dear FIL came down after he'd finished work. We certainly weren't finished by moving day but at least it was clean and tidy and we could sleep in our rooms, our daughter was a very active 18 month old. I was lucky to be a stay at home mum, but money was tight  - happy memories 😂

Spoke to my optician today and found the NICE guidelines on cataract op. Not sure how to describe how I feel. The guidelines changed October 2017 and I quote one pertinent part
Do not restrict access to cataract surgery on the basis of visual acuity. 

so it appears the consultant was incorrect. If I'd had the info to hand yesterday would it have made any difference? It would have me feel better, but I'm not sure it would have made the appointment any more pleasant. Also checked up on wearing if lenses and changing of eye shape 😲😲, my optician was amazed!

Chalking it up to experience and will approach my doctor, as suggested by the optician, in a few weeks for fresh referral, hopefully not to the same consultant! What a waste of resources! Also still left with the impression he was touting for private work. I ought to complain and maybe I will after it's all sorted, one never knows if your 'cards are marked' 

That aside a sunny but chilly day, dog and I had lovely walk on the local estate. OH not too good at all today hopefully a 24 hour bug. (He's saying did he catch it yesterday at the appointment?)

Off to make some soup now, tomorrow I have to take mum to a follow up appointment after her plastic surgery. Different hospital. Fingers crossed 😂

Thanks milliehull would have jumped at it but son marries on 13th not sure we can turn up in the motorhome 😂😂😂

I didn't know your son had fixed a date. How exciting!!! Are your daughter and family coming over?

Yes date set earlier this year, whilst we were away in NZ. Very exciting 😁. Hoping daughter and family were coming, looks unlikely now 😤😢. Well enjoy it regardless!

Really, really upset today.😥 Having to throw out my favourite pair of walking shoes. They've only lasted 12 years. Lost the receipt so doubt I can get my money back. 

So went and bought a new pair. Cost me well over £100. Now, that really has upset me. Although I have fairly small feet they are a bit wider than is comfortable in most shoes so I tend to gravitate towards those wider fitting boots which reduces choice. At least they should get a lot of use.

Took MIL to local community hospital this afternoon. 3 weeks ago she went to her doctor complaining of earache. They told her to make an appointment at hospital for syringing. She got there today. Her ears don't need syringing! We now find out that the doctor didn't even inspect her ears! Grrr. She hasn't been able to wear her hearing aids. Back to square one. Have to be gentle with her this week. More Grrrr.

Oh Wherenext I sometimes despair of the medical profession 😤.  I believe your MIL is same age as my mother, won't ask questions............. and gives little info away to us! My mum had problem toe GP said hammer toe gave her antibiotics and said if not better after 3 weeks, week of antibiotics and 2 weeks to let it settle, go to a foot clinic in the same village as Dr's. Another weeks wait for foot clinic appointment, it was a pressure ulcer hopefully sorted now. But at least he looked at her toe 😲.

I know what you mean about walking boots lasting. I have a pair of similar vintage that look like they'll need replacing in the not too distant future. Mine were around £100 then so I'm scared now and trying to hang on 😂

B2, I did buy a pair of walking boots a couple of years ago that only cost me £50. Within a year they were falling apart. Don't really mind spending if product lasts but 2 years ago couldn't find anything was comfortable. 

Why do elderly people, in general, never ask their doctor anything  or query the advice given? Reverence I think plus their generation were taught that doctors kndw best.

Talking about the NHS - MIL's sister passed away on Sunday and her brother rang the local hospital to ask them what they wanted him to do about the oxygen bottles that she had from them together with all of the equipment used to operate them. He was told to just leave them outside the door today and somebody would be around to collect them. Oh yeah? Hundreds of pounds worth of equipment to be left lying around council bungalow on an estate! The mind boggles. Going over tomorrow to leave MIL there and take said equipment back to the hospital.

Wherenext you couldn't make it up could you. Unbelievable!

Friends father had a fall and broke his hip, he has dementia, they gave him hip replacement and catherta. Delivery of stuff for his return home accepted by her mum - not checked, 2 other folks prescriptions and wrong equipment for him. Can't be returned 😲😲. Telling another friend who nursed her mum for years and she confirmed no one will take it back.  A year after her mum died she had to dump the NHS bed and mattress as no one wanted it returned. Then we're told they lack resources 😤😤

Moral of this tale check before acceptance! 

Hope all goes well for your trip.

All this talk about Dr's/ NHS and NICE.

I went to the Dr's a few weeks ago for my annual prescription (HRT patches) usually use the female Dr but she was on holiday and I was running out. Saw male Dr who decided I should come off them,  long story short I refused without seeing the specialist, he agreed to refer me  Dr called me back in last week, I thought this was to discuss the referral. No, it was to tell me he had decided to write to the specialist instead and the advice was to slowly withdraw or change to another lesser patch. At the time I was full of the cold and not really taking it all in. I've now had time to research the options but more important to look up NICE for their information. To say that I'm not happy is an understatement, I'm furious. Now that I have all the information I'm going back to the surgery but this time I will be seeing the female Dr. 

Last few days have been horrible, wet, windy, cold and today we had sleet and hailstones 

OH now finished banging and demolishing up in the attic room, all rubble now removed. Now to start making it look nice and decorating, new carpet is needed, looking forward to the next bit 

Oh, it will only be the moving and unpacking that will be over by Christmas, finishing all the work she needs done will take a LOT longer!!

B2.......7 months would normally be unheard of up here, but the market has really slowed down this year.  The annoying bit was the time taken from her accepting the offer to the buyers getting their finance sorted, over 8 weeks when 1-2 is more usual.  DD used a broker to arrange her mortgage this time and it was all settled in 2 days!

She could not be sure that the buyers could get the money, so could not go ahead and move earlier in case the house had to go back on the market.

It would seem the buyers have been somewhat economical with the truth regarding their situation.  They said they had no house to sell and were renting, but it turns out they do own their present house, either outright or with a small mortgage, and have been arranging 2 mortgages.  A BTL on the current house, which they plan  to rent out, to release equity for the deposit on the new house, and a residential  mortgage  for the purchase of the new house.

The fact that they were using a so called "free" broker based down south, who apparently had no idea that up here things were not expected to take so long, did not help, nor did using a solicitor who is not local and was very slow at doing everything.  DD's solicitor was totally exasperated with the whole carry on!

Since they are not selling their present home, they will be paying  an extra almost £10k in stamp duty, hence the reason they "could not afford "  to offer close to the valuation price.  It all makes sense now.