Is there anybody there?

I know the weather has been pretty good for the last few days, but is there anybody out there?

I'm sorry I don't have anything interesting to post except to say that all the ospreys have now left on their migration.

Yes, Margaid, I am still here

I am growing on chicks for my next flock, but have only managed about 4 Croads, 1 Barred Plymouth Rock and 4 White egglayers - yet to be sexed.
I have had a lovely year with bantams, though, Two beautiful Millie Pekins, and a white one with VERY curly feathers. called her Pebbles, also a couple of Silkies, blue splashes - one of them needs the Supervet is shaped like a comma, but with the most gorgeous and loving nature and otherwise very lively. Hope your are all well on The Forum and Chickening nicely!

Yes, growers. Kept four more this year, two Dominiques and two Dominique x Jersey Giant.
Also kept a very promising black ram lamb called Tyson, after Mike Tyson. Using him this year then selling him on to a neighbour. Got another ram coming up from south next year. He’s white but he’ll also be called Tyson, after Tyson Fury. I like the jest of calling them Tyson in memory of all those people years ago who called their Rottweilers and Pit Bull Terriers Tyson.
Not forgotten that I want to buy some Coronation Sussex and Speckled Sussex hatching eggs next spring. Those blue Speckled Sussex are nagging in the back of my mind.

Still hear Margaid. Been rather too warm to do much work other than the never-ending task of digging out brambles. Making progress but they will always be a problem without livestock grazing the areas. Today is cooler but at last it's raining, which will make digging brambles easier- I'm focussing on the biggest that spread if left unchecked. This is bramble country because, with deep roots, they can survive drought. We don't have nettles here, or rabbits, both of which became a big problem in England. However the field voles, which are quite large, can still cause problems- dug up a row of beetroot, only to find there was nothing left underground!

I'm still here too, but things got more than a little crazy around here!

Back in the middle of August, late one night, I got a call from an unknown number. I normally don't answer the phone at night, and rarely answer strange numbers. Turned out it was my mum's burglar alarm company. Mum's alarm was going off, and they couldn't get an answer from her phone. I shot off in the road (I'm half an hour's drive away from mum) and found mum (82, slightly disabled but otherwise very independent) had taken a fall off the bottom step of the stairs! She was on her back in the hall, and couldn't get up. She insisted that she hadn't really hurt herself, except for twisting her ankle, so I eventually got her up to bed, and assured her I'd be back in the morning. Next morning, we got an ambulance and got the ankle xrayed, to find it was actually cracked. So, she was sent home with a "boot" cast on. We brought a bed downstairs, and organised a commode, and that night, I settled her in to bed, assured her I'd be back first thing in the morning, and left.

Next morning, I found mum totally delirious, hallucinating, had taken the "boot" off, and been walking around! Her gp sent an ambulance for her, and she spent two weeks in hospital, being flooded with antibiotics. Turned out a UTI had turned nasty, and she had uro sepsis. Her lower legs were starting to turn a dark purple, and she was totally confused. They also found she had a pressure sore on her tailbone. She admitted to a doctor that it had been like that "for ages", but she'd said nothing! I just found it when I was helping her dress. That's now healed too, thank God. We really thought she wouldn't be going home again, but would have to go to a nursing home.

However, thankfully, she recovered! She's back, mentally, to where she was before the fall. She's been in rehab now for two weeks, and they are looking to discharge her home at the end of this week. We've had a stairlift fitted for her, which she has needed for at least two years, but wouldn't have it! She's gained weight, and looks actually better than she has for a long time. I suspect she had a low lying infection for ages. We'll have to keep a much firmer eye on her from now on though.

So, that's where I've been. That, and trying to help dau, who is due her second baby in a couple of weeks, to join their other child, who will be 3 at the end of the year.

That sounds frightening, LadyA. Good luck with the ongoing rehabilitation and good luck for your impending grandchild.
Though don’t grandmothers look young these days!

Still here just been away in Scotland for a holiday.
Gosh Lady A that sounds nasty. OH mum used to get UTI's mainly through not drinking enough, and she got used to spotting the signs, as the elderly seem to be adept at hiding things. Glad to hear she is looking more robust.
A friend of ours has been ignoring symptoms with pain when urinating and keep wanting to go, been on going over a year, and being a man "it will go away". Ended up in hospital 3 weeks ago with bad kidney infection, blocked tubes and a large tumour in the bladder causing the problem, he now needs to have his bladder removed and 3 months of Chemotherapy. Another friend in the same group had a similar problem went straight to the GP at the first signs mainly because he had her indoors nagging him, they found a tiny tumour which was lasered away, and a bout of chemo, and he is currently cancer free, on his yearly check up. OH said at the time "all you men if you have trouble get it checked out" But unfortunately Phil didn't.
Anyway Scotland was lovely, weather glorious, Cairngorm climbed and the Findhorn valley was breathtaking. Falkirk Wheel amazing, as were the Kelpies

Hen-Gen said:

Though don’t grandmothers look young these days!

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This grandmother, I think, is looking older by the day at the moment! :lol:

Thanks everyone for responding to my post - I was feeling rather lonely!

Gosh Lady A that must have been very distressing and quite scary. It's weird how these infection cause hallucinations; I suppose it's basically because the brain is being poisoned. So glad that things are improving.

Sounds like you're all enjoying your hens and other animals. I spent the early hours of Sunday morning dealing with four different rodents, small ones fortunately. I think there may still be one hiding somewhere, or else one of the cats caught it and brought it downstairs again ...

When my dad had a bad kidney infection and they weren't working properly he had hallucinations, and at one point when I was about to leave the hospital, he said "when you come tomorrow could you bring your head with you, it's weird you sitting there without a head, and leave the drum at home"
Glad the rodents were only small ones

Field mouse (eaten), one short tailed vole corpse plus one short tailed vole I rescued which was difficult it was so lively! The fourth (either a yellow-necked mouse or a wood mouse) was in my sister's bedroom and kept shooting under the bed so we couldn't catch it - shame as one of the cats came in and did the job for us

It's the tiny six year old female Calico Tortie who is the "best" mouser but the other three aren't far behind ...

Margaid said:

Thanks everyone for responding to my post - I was feeling rather lonely!

Gosh Lady A that must have been very distressing and quite scary. It's weird how these infection cause hallucinations; I suppose it's basically because the brain is being poisoned. So glad that things are improving.

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Distressing is right. My husband had suffered the most horrifying hallucinations & delusions with his Alzheimer's Disease. They were finally brought under control by use of anti psychotic medication. This, with mum, made me realise that I just couldn't go there again. Because I'm the one most free of the family, I do a lot of the day to day stuff with mum. But I just couldn't deal with that confusion and hallucinating again.

Hellooooooo!
Helloooo!
Helloo
Hello
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Is there an echo in here? Am I all alone?!

No, I'm here! hope you're OK, Lady A.

Me too but have had nothing of interest to post ...

Marigold said:

No, I'm here! hope you're OK, Lady A.

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I'm fine, thank you Marigold. Been very busy, what with seeing to mum every day and helping dau. I'm also trying to get some sewing done for Christmas presents. I've everything cut out (making lengths of bunting and also star shaped, patchwork cushion covers.) but so far, time to actually sew them is eluding me! Tomorrow, hopefully.

Marigold said:

No, I'm here! hope you're OK, Lady A.

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I'm fine, thank you Marigold. Been very busy, what with seeing to mum every day and helping dau. I'm also trying to get some sewing done for Christmas presents. I've everything cut out (making lengths of bunting and also star shaped, patchwork cushion covers.) but so far, time to actually sew them is eluding me! Tomorrow, hopefully.

Busy here, manic at work with everyone wanting to go shopping and trying to get to Lakeside, leading to queues etc. Roll on January and a week in Norfolk.
OH is in middle of hate campaign with Parcel Force who seem unable to deliver a parcel, 24 hour delivery that was promised on Monday at 13.40. Still no parcel as they reckon they can't find the road :x They have a phone number but according to customer service (joke) it is a new driver on the route who doesn't know the area and doesn't speak much English so probably wouldn't call
Good job this owl box doesn't have an actual owl in it.
Strangely, they found the road and property 4 weeks ago

Just had the weekly food and parcels delivery. The boys always stay for a coffee and a dram. It’s a great way of catching up on local news.
Some would call it gossip but it’s always of great interest. Eg. I saw X’s Suffolk ram dead in its field, Ys got diarrhoea and vomiting, Zs got a new washing machine on board.

OH was showing a bird watching friend your whale pic Hen-Gen and he asked if you knew an Andy Cook who relocated to Fetlar a while ago ? We said probably as it is a small island. Small world isn't it