I always knew we'd get you into a Lush followed by Betty's!

I can do lush and Betty's too

Scones....

Fat Rascals.

And Lush.

Goes without saying.

Actually I read all that back and thought that KJ's definitely up for it too, so ignore me.

Tired. Emotional.

I want to go to Lush and Betty's. Actually, it's mainly Betty's that I want to go to, but Lush would be acceptable too. I'm going to buy a lottery ticket today.

Batty, get the carers to go round Old Bill styleee and have someone watching the back for the potential escapee! Or dig a moat round the house. Seriously though, what a difficult situation, there's that saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" ... you can arrange all the care in the world but your mum has to want it/acknowledge the necessity for it before it can happen and how in her current state of mind that can happen, I do not know. Very difficult and distressing for you, I hope things work out.

LittlePlum had a stomach bug this week which was horrendously revolting and made life difficult with lots of sheets and stuff to wash and no washing machine. Luckily we escaped lightly and she was up and about in a couple of days, some families at the school have said their kids were sick for days. I think LP has inherited my constitution of a stomach like a cement mixer as my dear mum used to say!

Big hugs and stuff to Sad, I think I need to read back on the thread as I feel as if I have missed out on some posts but whatever is going on, I hope it all is on the mend!

I better go and sort LittlePlum's pup out as she is staring at me wistfully, she's a humungous lump of a dog now but still thinks she is small and cute which results in lots of furniture and people being sent flying. She is a good example of why not to get a dog of unknown parentage - having said that she has a hugely sweet nature and surely one day she'll stop growing

Plum loving your work

I dunno what you're worried about, I'm so chilled around grumpies you can blame me for the weather.

I'm doing 'hair of the dog' after last night 'cos I was just a tad wound up and it was only the cans in the recycling that said how wound up I was.

I know we've got relaxed membership criteria for GOWness, but one of them is to be old, in a way that me@home does so well - take no sh1t from attention seekers 'cos you've seen it all before.

That was a grump.

I've got a grump too. I bought heating oil yesterday and then the washing machine packed up (about 10 minutes after a pal called to say her one had died and could she drive over) and then I wrote a cheque for the mechanic who did something or other with my car, so that's almost two grand I won't see again. Oh well, on the plus side I've a very nice, new washing machine!

Good evening dear friends.

Wine and a half o'clock and intelligent observations are rarely happy bedfellows.

Love to all.

Iggy! Were your ears burning? We're running a book on how many kitchen fitters are under your patio

Plummie.... oh, just briefly... yep, had a bit of health scare, all's good now, apart from the recovering from surgery part which is a tad hit and miss. I could wax lyrical but I don't think I share your talent for writing, really

KJ... now you have me thinking I missed summat.

Batty .... you need cake.

((((((((((((GOW))))))))))))))))

Oh flaunt your new washing-machineness at me why don't you!!! Grrrrr - huff puff and hurrumph!! One day we'll get one.


For the definitive answer I could post HumungousPup to you as she is a digger. I think she must have been watching the History channel and heard all about the Australian "diggers" in the war as she now thinks it is her mission to be an Aussie digger and is consequently digging holes in the garden and invoking the wrath of a certain someone. Pfffft I say! If it's not one thing it's another so what does it matter.

Sad, I knew you had had surgery, i think I missed out on the fact that recovery is proving so difficult. Hope you are out of the woods soon and that all is well again.... positive vibes heading your way!

Life here is still grim and I'm hanging on to the last shreds of my sanity by a thread. God help you all when that last thread snaps

You know what I'm going to be very childish here and tell you that I want my mum or my dad. When they were around I always knew that there wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed or dealt with one way or another. I was a very lucky person to have such great parents, I always knew that was the case, even when I was cross with them from time to time as a youngster.

You deserve an award for honesty, courage and sense of humour Plum. I watch "Wanted down Under" sometimes, and I've noticed that this year the reports are much more realistic.

My heart goes out to you. Your columns are worthy of greater readership and reward.Probably the Australian press wouldn't be keen, but there must be British newspapers who would consider it a good idea to publish. Worth a try.

In the meantime warmest wishes for an upturn in your fortunes, and again admiration for your courage, honesty and sense of humour. It should put life in perspective for many people. Life can be tough wherever in the world you live.

hello all......fab to see Iggy and Biz....

wish this weather would warm up

Hi Snowy. Much warmer here - the ice and snow have melted away I'm pleased to say.

lucky for you,,,still lethal here

Brrrrrrrr!

Nothing childish about that at all. I still have my dad (albeit he's more of a liability these days ... think that just goes with the territory though) but my god, I really felt the loss of my mum over this Christmas and recent weeks.

Feeling somewhat philosophical I would say the best we can hope for is that we do a good enough job as parents, for our kids to miss us when we've gone but be strong enough to cope without us.

I do think you should write for dosh though and like Biz, I think you probably have a market over here.

Today, I have been extremely silly and overdone it, but in good way, because I wanted to see the boy. I will probably sleep for most of Monday and failing that I have a very good book to read, so

...and thank goodness it's warming up a bit

You know I'd post you one if I could.

That would be one big envelope!

Right, my home internets is still unavailable cos the laptiop doied, so i have to catch up...

1) KJ, you know you want to!

2) Sad, you're a prat but I understand some things have to be done. Be careful!!!!! *kiss*

3) ((((((((((((((((((Plummie))))))))))))))))))) - not silly at all. My Mum was lovely, but because she was disabled she always found it difficult to care for me as much as we both would have liked, and it was a bit role reversal a lot of the time. And now I'm a grown-up, most of my female friends are at least ten years older than me... how you doing, GOWMums?

4) batty, your Mum is one hell of a woman!
Nightmare for you, I know, but you have to applaud her ingenuity.
Hang on in there... you've got to leave the care in place, really.

5) Iggy! Hellooooooooooooo!

6) Snow here is *finally* melting. Still a good layer of ice through the village itself this morning but the roads are loads better. Should be all gone by midweek, I should think.

Right - meant to be marking

morning all........a week off ..slightly marred by a little UC flare up..so am off to the health food shop this am for some slippery elm

I'm not sure what UC is snOwy (ulcer? ) but hopefully the slippery elm will do the trick.

handy - get back to work! When are you getting your internetty back at home, er, back?

Here, I've got masses to do and nothing's getting done because the phone keeps ringing and I'm now thinking that a cup of tea and a little bit of cake is becoming a priority.

I've just eaten an M&S Chocolate Orange Mini-bite cake thing.
Wibble

(batty - dunno re internets. Depends if friend in school IT dept has salvaged dead laptop.... )

The bin people haven't been around to do our recycling bin, and after my clearing the drive heroics of last Sunday I stuck the bin on top of a pile of snow to avoid blocking pavement or drive.

You've seen my profile picture? Snow melted, bin fell over, it's amazing that some people seem to live only on beer tins, and used toilet rolls say the neighbours