Extreme Weather – again (by sarah)

Within the last week we have had high winds, snow that blanketed the landscape and and more torrential rain - we are once again on flood warning etc...

The water has been divirted from the waterfall yet here you can see it looks worst than normal with the amount of water running through it :/

the diverted water is running straight into the trout pool behind us - from the pictures ypou can see just how much it is churning:

the levels are really up again resulting in the river bank dissappearing under water - believe it or not there are flood defenses under there diverting the river :/

Gilbert Barbaras little statue that sits in the water cress pond has already been washed away and we are hoping is once again lodged in the weir.

The gully where the water came through to flood us before is still holding up but we are hoping that the work thats been done in the waterfall tunnel is going to hold - the tunnel is now held up with metal joists but as they said we almost lost the thing in the last flood - we are a bit worried as if it collapses we are lickily to loose our garage and possibly the end of our house :/

A new stream trickel has also started up around the side of the Mill - not sure it really comes out in the photo but this didn't happen last time.

Sigh - the last record of flooding of the Bakery is 1750 I think my bad luck field has kicked in here :/

Don’t Park the van in the mud! (by sarah)

Would anyone listern? No. So as a result the van is well and truelly stuck along the side of the drive.

It all started with the fact that we have been flooded so flood precuations are taking place in the normal parking area so we had parked in front of the greenhouse but then Barbara was having a tea party and her guestys needed to park so the van had to go otherwise the guests would have to park on the grass which obviously wasn't on so the van had to park on the grass. I said it wouold get stuck and was assured that parking along the gradient would mean it wouldn't get stuck.

We got stuck.

We where therefore late for cubs becuase even though we had left extra time for towing out etc... the towing rope snaped and after a bit of a hoohar we transfered our stuff to Barbaras car and headed off. All was then fine until my scouts arrived - we were supposed to go to the village pound to float new year lanterns but alas I had left the reflective jackets in the van along with torches etc... on top of that lots of the kids failed to turn up in outdoor clothing and I was already concerned about the fact it had rained so much - I was waiting for Al to finish cubs properlly in order to send him out on a recky of the area when one of the perants told me it was so bad down there that she wouldnt be happy for her kid to go - it was at this point I realised I'd left the jackets and that behind anyway.

I was very annoyed with myself but I think the lanterns still worked well inside in bowls of water - fortunatly I'd planned for incase we had bad weather.

Still the van is stuck and we are now hoping that the builders are going to help us get it unstuck - SIGH. Still it turns out we have a Roman Urinal 🙂 but more on that later!

Fell in a whole (by sarah)

You are n9ot going to believe me :/

I fell in a whole - I got stuck in said whole and had to be puled out, I cut my hands on a digger bucket and felt very very stupid.

We are having flood defenses put in and the trench had grown abit since I last looked at it so at the weekend I managed to (in the dark) walk straight into it and slide down down, over the frozen earth and became wedged between the side of the whole and the digger bucket with my legs uselessley waggling and no way to bend my kness to get a perchase to climb out.

I'm afraid I screamed as I fell in and then finiding I was actually stuck begain to yell at which point Dad and Alaric came running closely followed by a little Jeany bow who got most upset seeing me stuck in the whole.

I for some stupid once out became so shaky you'd have thought that I had been doused in ice cold water (well in fact I was just above the ice cold water as my breasts wouldnt let me fall all the way through).

Ontop of that we missed the Grift Service with the scouts so I have no idea what happened to my scouts who went - weather they found their seats ok and stuff :/

I am quiet bruised and have an infected cut on my hand from it all, my pelvis also desided that the knock was enough to make it start clicking again - sigh.

Disapointment (by sarah)

I'm afriad I have not blogged for a while now this was mainly due to the fact that I just couldnt face typing yet more depressing news. The builders who I had been waiting for didnt turn up and after the normal five different people and no one knowing who I am game I finially got through to the actual builders. 'Ah yes we've been trying to contact you, the insurance company says its got to go back to the assessors and that we cant start work yet. Sorry luv' Mew! Mew! Mew!

So we are back to the old waiting game and getting back into the house stretches further away than ever before.

The to our insurence payout for the contence, they say we have to fill in some magical form they sent us the week of the flood and that without it we can not get our money - I can not find the form - sigh.

Hydrogen cost me another £20 in antibiotics becuase the poor little things wound was still oozing sticky gunk which wasn't good, I have to pick the stuff off of her everyday and wash her and make sure that the scabs over where her drain came out is scratched off and the wound kept open to drain. (Hope that made scense to someone).

Mum still has a gaping wound and so radiotherapy starts after christmas when hopefully it will have at least started to heal. Once on radiotherapy it has been advised that we dont go and see her as Jean will give her colds and stuff.

Sigh. Sorry I know this is all abit moany and stuff and I hope to have some cheerful stuff for you soon. But for now GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Of Infections, Bad Backs and the Curse of the Builders (by sarah)

Mum came and stayed with us last week - it was Als week in London - it occures to me that we propably havent posted about the fact he is now away in the booming capital every other week which is a bit difficult but working out. Mum's wound from her operatation managed to get infected the week after the operation - the stitches were dissolvable and so dissolved and the scab cracked whilst she was being naughty and trying to wash her own her.

She came up here with a course of anitbiotics and some dressings but the wound was just getting worse and the antibiotics where nearly finished so it was off to mine and Als Dr she went. She's been put on two lots of antibiotics and the dosages increased. Also the nurse thought she needed more stitches done but becuase mum was not going to be here that long she couldnt really do them with out having mum back for the after care. My docs recon that the stuff she was given to clean the wound with was two harsh and that she shouldnt have been cleaning and dressing it herself anyway.

The wound itself is several centimeters in diameter and shows the raw shinny pink flesh that lies under our skin. There is a strange white gloop oozing out of it but it seems alot better than it did. The nurse said that the amout of fluid she's losing through it would have ment having to lance her breast if the wound hadnt of opened up. She had to go back for more dressings and cleaning etc... by the nurses on Thursday and they dropped the bomb shell that the radiotherapy which is scheduled to start on Weds day, can not start until that wound has healed properlly and by the looks of it its going to take a while.

Mum is also in a wheel chair at the moment which was interesting as there are many many hills round here, now I only pushed her on the flate to the loos but I've done something chronic to my back (yes again) I dont think it was pushing the wheel chiar but more lickily the picking Jean up and carrying her - something dad or Al normally does but of course dad had to push the wheel chair and there wasnt room for the pushchair in the car aswell. The mysterious hernia lump has also been acting up and has decided to double in size which is apt to make me a bit narky. I also slipped on the stairs jarring myself slightly along with twisting my knee as I came off the pavement - one or all of these things has caused my lower mid back to thrumb with pain.

I wake up relatively pain free but by the everning can bearly walk, crawling is fine I can do that but sitting (especially in cars) or walking just cuase the pain to get worse and worse until I feel nueseas. Last night I had a bath and did some gentle excersises to try and ease the pain, it started to really bother me on friday and has just been getting worse each day since. I also used a hot water bottle to try and releive the pain with little affect. I was beginning to think I had a kidney infection again but it doesnt feel quiet right for that and ibuprofen rub helped alot so I think its going to muscular.

I am currently awaiting a drs appointment but the earliest is monday next week - I'm afraid I cried after I put the phone down becuase this added to the normal shoulder, pelvis, wrist and mysterious hernia lump ment that I got less than four hours sleep last night and the previous nights havent exactly been brilliant. Standing up straight is the thing that hurts the most and arching backwards is right out - the pelvic tilt offers me a little bit of restbite (ie flatening the small of my back so there is no hallow between it and the bed) but that hurts the mysterious hernia lump.

Then just too cheer things up Thursday saw the Builders visiting, the much awaited for appointment was at 12 noon and lo! he was early - good sign me thinks but then he tells me the sedule - first off he needs to find what gangs he has avalible in the area and when. They will strip the plaster off for 1 m and then the dehymidifers and heaters (instead of fans) have to be set up and the drying process has to start again. This will hopefully be done before their down time for Christmas and then the walls will need to be replastered with a drying time of about a week and then the restoration/new kitchen and floor goes in. Oh and of course the bottom steps have to come out too as they are wood and where soaked in the water.

So I had to break the news to Al - no new kitchen for christmas and the wall units arent covered by the insurance meaning we'll end up with mish mash cupboards which I dont want. Still I have a budget of £500 to pick out replacement units.

I managed to miss his call back to say when they could actually start becuase I was dealing with Jean and Mum and Dad thought I'd left the radio on rather than clicking it was my ring tone and everytime I've called back I get a woman who doesnt know anything about me. Sigh.

I will attempt to be more upbeat next post - promise.