What’s Schnell in Welsh ?

I’m isolating at home and isolating from the CBM

I’m a social pariah all told. 

With his lovely tendency of wanting to chat, even though I’m in the next room, I’ve taken myself off for a long walk on Colwyn Bay prom , where I can utilise the WiFi and drink coffee safely alone , my face freshened in the wind. 

And he can finish the tiling 

At the next table there is a group of ten who are having a conversation in German .

It’s sort of learn German by chatting group , but because of the off shore wind everyone seems to be shouting and the whole thing feels like a German war film  which has given me a fit of the giggles 

I’m waiting for “ Raus !!! Schnell !!!”

I missed choir last night. Jamie ( RAF moustache etc) sent us all a link which features the choir on a Welsh  mental health radio programme.

We don’t sound half bad…..and our piece is featured around 8 minutes in 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001767h

Schnell in welsh is Cyflym btw

Pig Pen

I haven’t had a shower since Saturday 

A strip wash in the kitchen sink hasn’t helped that much 

I forgot the soap which is hidden under tons of detritus in the spare bedroom, so had to use fairy liquid.

I now have a citrus burst kinda smell coupled with an odd slightly slimy feeling skin

Once on, fairy liquid feels like swarfega to get off

When I was growing up in the late 60s it was normal just to have one Bath a week

Nowadays you are considered sub human if you even contemplated such a feat.

The CBM had just arrived singing Whitney Houston’s I Just Wanna Dance with Somebody 

He’s tiling today

I’ve made the most of my covid lockdown by cleaning windows, gardening and scrubbing the patio .

The old linen fabric of koi carp that I ordered online was delivered and I framed two pieces of it as the basis of the artwork for the bathroom.

Thoughts? Too much fish? Too muted ? 

 

When You Believe…let’s move on

Let’s move on 

I’m a sucker for a big finish ….

Ohhh err missus 

Mave and flis say nothing 

This song  is the best thing from the rather dire musical Prince Of Egypt 

The girl singing in Hebrew is delightful 

I’d love to sing it in choir ….

It would give us shivers 

I play it loud in the kitchen often , especially when next door’s Charlie is yapping

I’ve had to cancel choir for tomorrow night 😥 …I have to re swab on Thursday 

Today  was an odd day because I spent most of it at home. 

I’ve not spent much time alongside CBM but he has spent his working day working hard and singing hits from the 1980s which I found rather endearing.

I spent the day keeping out of his way.

I cleaned bluebell, cut the lawn, locked myself in my bedroom and cleaned every inch of it, before rearranging the inside of kitchen cabinets.fridge and attic store.

Mrs Trellis stopped and we had a long distanced chat about the church. She has been a lady of letters recently and has been complaining bitterly at its closure. 

She wants to know what the Church is going to do with the historic and village centric items from inside the building, especially the war memorial and the famous I am painting .

She also told me that she had voted for me in the community council elections and was surprised that I wasn’t successful 

I informed her out of the six new entrant nominees three had managed to get onto the council thus balancing it out nicely. It was never our expectation that all six would get in over the old guard.

Mrs Trellis’ eyes went wide

Suddenly understanding the extent of our attempted “coup”

The gang of six has been the centre of much village gossip for a few weeks now

Tee hee.

Oh btw Chic Eleanor ( right) and her sister are in Peru doing a sponsored bike ride for the Alzheimer’s association ….chic by name, chi by nature x

Ps the bathroom looks LOVELY 

It may be finished by Friday 

A Note From The Editor

 

Last night’s blogging was a rather unpleasant experience.

And generally blogging shouldn’t be.

Life is hard enough sometimes without snide asides, finger pointing and bad tempers.

I’ve been accused  of being everything from an unfair blog host and a bad friend, to being Walter Mitty crossed with Vladimir Putin. 

One commentator even called me promiscuous 

An epithet I never managed to live up to even when I had a 34 inch waist and underpants to die for.

Now can I make a few things clear. 

I am a poor blogger in some ways, I will admit that.

I don’t always read every comment 

I will sometimes miss a thread or an insult but unlike most of you out there I do work full time and so I don’t have the time to forensically review every one of my words, let alone the comments of others.

Going Gently is my journal and my company. It’s my go to place and is a bit of a sanctuary 

I don’t invite people to insult me in my own home, so I except the same courtesy here. 

I may disagree with other blog writers on their home turf , and

Contrary to some’s belief , I never mind being disagreed with here on Going Gently 

But there’s always a polite way to do it without it being a mission in life.

It’s a fucking blog for God’s Sake

Nothing more. 

So there you have it. 

I’m not perfect but I will always endeavour to be fair where comments are involved. 

If I fail and anger you , all I can say is  I’m sorry you are angry, I don’t go out of my way to upset anyone.

I don’t live my life like that so why would I knowingly live my blogging life the same way.

I am almost 60 years old,

I am reasonably emotionally intelligent when understanding my own motivations , foibles and prejudices 

And when I want advice, I am rather good at asking for it.

Anyhow If you don’t like the way I blog….

Tough titty, it’s how I do it, warts and all, mistakes and all, inconsistencies and all

If you don’t like it. Just don’t read it .

Ps comments have been disabled for 24 hours 

If anyone would like to discuss anything I’ve written further please do so privately on jgsheffield@hotmail.com

Positive

 Finally 

After two and half years on the front line 

I’ve got covid  

A Cool Pillow

 Terminal Agitation can be a common symptom of the dying process. 

It can start a couple of weeks before death and can be characterised as being behaviours that are restless, unsettled and anxious in nature. Some patients are fidgety, others distressed, sometimes angry, sometimes confused. And the causes can be complicated and multifaceted.

Often patients are hypoxic, or have deranged blood work.

Their primary disease may be affecting their bodies adversely with pain, and sepsis, infection and organ failure being other important factors.

Hospice care is often all about managing these conditions.

Medication has its role and is a big factor

Communication and the simple but practical dealing with issues such as dehydration, constipation and retention of urine are others .

It’s a complicated issue.

This morning, in the wee small hours when nothing feels right 

Medications and communication and pain relief and positioning all had a role to play in the quietening of terminal agitation. 

But the final straw that helped the most, at 5.30 am when the patient was most forlorn ?

A cool, almost cold pillow against a cheek

A pillow that had been left next to a slightly open window 

A pillow smelling “ Vaguely of the Irish sea”

Titivation

 While the CBM continues to lick the bathroom into shape.

I thought about titivation 

Now the essentials have already been bought.( Black accessories to set against the plain subway white tiles) but I wanted one little burst of colour to lift the room

I trolled on line and found a Japanese inspired cotton linen of koi Carp which I thought would look nice framed with a white border in a plain black frame

Loo Tales

You need to read the previous blog post first 

I had been asleep no more than 35 minutes when my phone went.

It was the CBM 

And he was suitably upbeat 

“ Can you come home?  “ he asked with an embarrassed laugh  “ Ive locked myself in the outside loo”