Out with the old

It's been a strange year.  There have been happy moments and a few when we almost despaired when we couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel.  Now we start a new year with all the usual hopes and a few worries - and still a lot of sorting out to do with M's affairs. 
Slowly things are happening - a buyer found for the stairlift, responses from various organisations which will allow us to start the long process of winding things up, and starting to feel that we might go forward.  It's hard to change your life overnight, however much one longs to, and we had been living a restricted life for five long years - almost like becoming institutionalised.  We haven't yet got used to being able to walk freely through the door, lock it behind us, and come back when we please.
Grand-daughter has changed from a small baby at the beginning of the year to a walking, sort of talking toddler who gives us a lot of pleasure and we have more time for her and our friends and family. 
The blog should really be renamed, there isn't a Me any longer.  Watch this space, who knows what we might do now - though at present getting up late, eating when we feel like it and going to bed late or early are life's greatest small pleasure.
Happy New Year to you all, I hope we all have a New Year full of happiness.

Phew, sorted.

There I was all ready to ping my accounts to the Taxman when I went to look up something on our solicitor's site and WHAM my computer was frozen by this ghastly thing -

 

 

Advanced Police Central E-Crime Unit Virus

Police Central E-Crime Unit virus belongs to ransomware whose first version was detected in May, 2006 by Websense, a filter software vendor, to ask for $200 to acquire the decipher code for encrypted files. The first version of ransomware is quite simple, there’s no national logo, flag, emblem, regulations or payment method as the case in Police Central E-Crime Unit virus attack.

  It's apparently called a UKASH or ransome virus and it completely freezes your computer and demands money to unfreeze it _ which of course it won't even if you were fool enough to pay.  After a few moments panic - the full text is pretty unpleasant - I looked up ways to remove it on my tablet.  If you are unfortunate enough to be struck DON'T fall for all the ads offering further software to do the job, some may be in cahoots with the virus sender.  Turn off your computer with the power button or at the wall.  When it comes back with a black screen, reboot in SAFE MODE.  When you get you desktop back don't panic if things are missing, click on the windows icon at the bottom left (where you go to turn your computer off) go to ALL PROGRAMS then click through ACCESSORIES, SYSTEM TOOLS, to SYSTEM RESTORE.  Restore your computer to an earlier date.  When you're up and running again, go to McAfee and download Stinger and MalwareBytes free from their site and use them to scan your computer and get rid of any thing left in your system. 

It's a truly horrid thing and I know many people who aren't computer savvy would be quite frightened by its threats and implications.  I hope my computer hasn't passed it on to anyone, and I'm at a loss to know where it came from as I'm very cautious about suspect emails and links. 

You'll be leased to know that the accounts obediently floated off into the ether to HMRC - won't heave a sigh of relief until they accept them but at least they've gone!

Hope you aren't having such a stressful time!

 

 

Thank you

Thank you so much to everyone who commented or emailed following my last post.  Your thoughts were much appreciated.  Things are a bit busy around here - I feel I've lost the last few weeks and Christmas is galloping up on me.  It's such a beautiful day today it seems a shame to be stuck inside with phone calls and paperwork to sort, but the tax man waits for no man and accounts have to be rendered then I can breathe a sigh of relief and start think about something more exciting.

 Hope you're enjoying your Christmas preparations, ours are a bit sparse this year, but we shall enjoy being quiet at home (well the one of us who is only 14 months will make plenty of noise, of course).

One of those

 

and some of these are definitely coming our way!

Oh well, everyone cross their fingers that these account will go when I press submit.......

Carpe Diem (well I do live with a classical scholar) ....

 M died on Wednesday evening after five days in hospital following the sudden onset of illness.  H and Daughter were with her.  She was 95 years old.  One of her friends said:  'If there is another place, she's probably already decided it isn't how she'd like it and not as good as W*****.' I wish she'd been happier at the end of her life, but I don't think we could have done more.

So now we have a fresh start.  We're just getting used to the idea that we can both go out at once and even together if we like. We are very, very tired after nearly five years of constant caring responsibility.  The house is cooler and very quiet and we inevitably have lots to sort out. Though her affairs were all in order, she had many friends, some as elderly as she, and they all need to be told. For many it will be a shock, as, apart from her arthritis and eye problems, she was quite well. 

Today we both met Daughter, R and Grand-daughter at a restaurant for lunch - very puzzling for Grand-daughter who hasn't ever met Granny and Grandpa anywhere together except for their own house.  Grandpa was especially regarded with suspicion and Daddy isn't usually there when Mummy and I meet Granny.  We are looking forward to trips to the swings and other places with her which we haven't been able to do up until now.

We have learnt many things from five years as carers - about ourselves and what we can and can't do, about the NHS and the caring agencies and about how difficult a person can be and how that affects their life and that of those around them at many levels. The open-ended nature of such a situation grinds one down after a while - anyone can do something that has a finite end to look forward to, but to take on something that might last two months or two years or ten years is hard.  Most of all we have learnt that we must seize the day.  M spent a lot of time brooding over things undone or things she wished she had done differently.  My family are not long-lived but whatever I do I don't want to spend an old-age in regret.  Daughter has already offered a trip away in the New Year as a Christmas present: we shall certainly be going.

Autumn morning...

A beautiful autumn morning - the sky is blue all round but looks grey in the north facing photos.  It's cold and crisp with frost on some roofs but not in our garden which is sheltered and still covered in rioting nasturtium leaves and a few flowers - they came late and show no intention of dying back.  There are leaves to sweep, again, from the decking but they won't get swept today, unfortunately, as it's going to be wet again tomorrow we're told.
I need to get out for shopping and prescriptions as I have Grand-daughter and H's U3A here class tomorrow - biscuits for U3A tea break and bananas and blueberries for Grand-daughter.  My shopping trolley often looks rather strange these days - growing-up milk and baby biscuits mingling with M's current fad - Creme de Menthe and all the strange odds and ends she eats (she prefers tinned stewing steak to home-made stews and various shop-made cakes and puddings). 
Grand-daughter has had a nasty virus which resulted in an overnight stay in hospital, quite a loss of weight, and a fortnight to get over it - it went after she had graciously given it to Mummy and Daddy, but Granny and Grandpa were spared. When she came here yesterday all her toys were taken out of the toy box and inspected and a lot of eating happened to make up for lost time - she's quite recovered.
I'm hoping this weather will hold till after lunch - no point trying to collect prescriptions until mid-afternoon.  Hope it's as nice where you are.

Quiet......

It's sunny outside and suspiciously quiet.  There's no wind and it's not currently raining.  I feel I should be checking everything's in place before the great storm we're told to expect, but the trees you can see belong to nextdoor and the window is a velux one in the roof on the fourth floor of our house and if the wind blows this way they may take a few slates off but I can't do anything about it.

It's quiet here today.  I appreciated the extra hour in bed though I was awake.  A leg of lamb is roasting in the oven - we rarely have a Sunday roast and it's nice to have the smell permeating the house.  There's a Quilt show on at the Three Counties Showground - I went late on Friday afternoon to avoid the crowds, and I shopped yesterday for food, so I can sit here all day if I feel like it.  I've given myself a day off - well except for cooking, obviously, and M's shower etc.  I might pop out for a paper or I might just read a book instead and get the news online.  I might start knitting a sweater for Grand-daughter or play about with the felt I bought, or I might just watch an old film.

Hope you're all having a nice peaceful Sunday.

Busy.....

Grand-daughter starting her musical education early.

It's been an exceptionally busy time these last few weeks for all of us.  Daughter has had important things happening at work and at the school where she's a governor, which has meant we've been enjoying more of Grand-daughter's company - three or four days each week since she came back from holiday, though with Mummy and even Daddy some days as well - they sneak off to work in one of our studies and we entertain GD.  I pick her up early on the days Daughter goes to work and she confidently waves goodbye when I put her in the car and usually sleeps all the way here.  Last week she had her first birthday - a quiet 'party' with us on the actual day with all three of them staying the night afterwards, and a rather more noisy and busy party with her other grandparents, aunts and cousins and members of Daddy's extended family at the weekend.  This week she's been here two days and I have been in Worcester one day as she had to have her 12 month jabs, so she's been catching up with sleep and is now back on top form after her first cold (amazing she'd managed 11 months and two weeks before getting one!

On the Thursday after the great day, Daughter and I took her into a local coffee shop mid-morning.  It was quite busy and we took a table for two with just enough space for the pram by the side with the baby facing me.  There were three people at a table at right angles to ours behind Daughter, and after we'd finished ordering, a rather familiar voice said loudly, 'I wish you'd turn that pram round so we could see that baby!'  We looked at each other a bit startled and then realized the lady sitting behind us was Maureen Lipmann who was appearing in a play at the Malvern Theatre.  She was very nice and made much of Grand-daughter, though not, we felt, in a look at me I'm a celebrity way.  The gentleman with her we didn't recognise but he had a delicious American voice and apparently provides many of the voices for characters in the Simpsons.  His name is Harry Shearer for anyone more familiar with American actors than I am.   He was co-starring in the play, Daytona, which also stars John Bowe.  We were rather sorry we couldn't go to the play after meeting two thirds of the stars!

Earlier last week H and I had a rare away-day in Birmingham to attend a celebratory concert at the Town Hall given by the Town Hall organist, .Thomas Trotter  He's a great entertainer and brilliant musician and he pulled out all the stops - almost literally - to celebrate his 30 years in the post.  It was a great recital and we enjoyed it very much.  Birmingham Town Hall is a great building and beautifully restored inside, but, as everywhere, cuts are hitting.  The box office and cafe only opens two hours before each performance  - excellent coffee, by the way, and we noticed that the ledges and decorative mouldings above head height seemed to have accumlated a good deal more dust than we'd noticed in the past.  It seemed a shame that no one had even dusted the top of the organ console - everything is clearly visible from the raked seating in the gallery - when it was a special occasion.  The colour scheme of a lilac/grey, dark grey and white is very appealing.

 M, of course, caught GD's cold and we've all suffered for that since.  Next week looks set to continue in busy mode, but half-term is on the horizon so we might get some breathing space then, with luck.  The weather today has been lovely -  warm, sunny and perfect for Autumn.  The various reports about an impending terrible Winter fill me with dread and I'm not sure whether I prefer the Met Offices assurances that no-one can predict that far ahead or feel that I must start planning what we'll do if it happens - the legacy of the 2010 weather which resulted in a burst pipe flooding our basement floor is hard to forget!    I think I must live for the day and also follow my other recent resolution to cut myself some slack - we'll it doesn't look as if anyone else is going to worry about the garden, the hoovering, the weather, the accounts etc.etc.etc........

Working backwards, we enjoyed the Autumn show - lots of goodies were purchased - mainly of an edible nature.  There was a Vintage marquee which had some very nice items, and the usual array of crafts, clothes etc. as well as the garden section.  The weather was reasonable and we indulged in many 'sit-downs' with and without refreshments.  The next thing on the agenda is the Autumn Quilts Festival on 25th-27th.  Last weekend's Flea Fair was pretty much a washout for outside stalls and not at all busy inside, in contrast to the September one which was huge and heaving with almost as many people as the bank holiday one.  There's an Antique and Collector's fair on November 3rd and I often find the prices there are more reasonable - and the coffee's nicer! 

I must just put in a word for the wonders of Memory Foam.  I found a delightful firm online called AnyFoam who will supply this in various depths cut to any size you order.  I've now been able to put extra cushions in M's adjustable chair, which has a) stopped her complaining, and b) whilst not cheap, has cost a mere fraction of a new made to measure chair.   My other great find has been Bemz.
 This lovely firm supplies loose covers for Ikea furniture of all styles - even some which Ikea no longer make.  The prices are reasonable and there's a huge choice of colours and prints.  Our Karlstad sofas now have a new lease of life with pink covers in a style that covers the legs and makes them a better match to an armchair in the same room.  The current Ikea range, apart from the white, had nothing suitable.  You can order swatches from Bemz and the actual covers take 4 weeks.  They are a good fit and very well made.  On the practical front, they're pre-shrunk, washable and treated with stain resistant. When I'm feeling flush I shall order a second set, then like a character from Barbara Pym's novels (Jane and Prudence I thnk), I can have Summer and Winter covers!  I must admit online shopping is a godsend - and GD loves boxes!

Well I think I've wittered on enough, so I won't tell you what I've knitted or sewn - especially as I haven't any photos to prove it.  I'm off to put M's pyjamas on - on her I mean - after all it's only 4 and a half hours till she goes to bed!