The Pig Yard

Type A Influenza

Those who know Jane will know she is a fit, healthy person and she has never had more than a few days off work in her 40 years of employment. Steve took her temperature and she was a very hot 39.8 but at times feeling shivery and cold. Although she had none of the aches and pains associated with flu she couldn't eat and with such a high temperature was showing signs of delirium.

With Jane in bed Steve had to raise his game and do all the shopping and cooking, something he hasn't done for a very long time. When we were first married forty years ago Steve did his cooking but within a couple of years Jane had taken on the role. Not only was he cooking for himself he was also facing the challenge of what to feed Jane who had lost her appetite completely. After six days of drinking lime squash and a little bread with mackerel pate she managed to eat an omelette. Over the next few days her temperature came down and then went up again but by the weekend she was starting to feel a little better.

The following week she was managing to get up and she put on a bit of a show for her birthday but it took the whole of that week before she felt anything like going back to work. So after two weeks she went back to work, still weak, still with a reduced appetite but fighting back. Her spirit was lifted by the number of cards she received on her birthday, there was hardly room to put them all up.

The whole episode has shaken Jane because it was the worst illness she has had since a child and she admitted she felt as though she was dying.  On the positive side Steve had to relearn basic cookery skills and in fact he became to enjoy it - it was more fun cooking for someone else than cooking for oneself.

Mother in Hospital

Jane's mother has been in hospital since early January after having another mini stroke, her third in the past ten years. The worst aspect of such events is that it has knocked her confidence and despite getting superb care in Edgware Community Hospital it hasn't really prepared her for her return home. Over the past ten years she has effectively been housebound because she has steep steps at the front and rear of the house. Even with rails alongside they are still challenging and she couldn't manage them without help.

We've discussed the prospect of her going into what is referred to as an extra care placement. This would provide her with her own flat and 24x7 support as and when she needs it but she would prefer to be in the bungalow that she has lived in for the last 40 years. Her care package consists of care workers visiting first thing in the morning to help her to get up and get breakfast, again at lunchtime to help with her "meals on wheels", once more in late afternoon to assist with her supper and finally at 9pm to help her to bed. We've arranged night-time support so that if she needs to get up then there's someone there to help. We are hoping that this high level of support can be wound down as her confidence grows but if it doesn't then other options will have to be considered.

Getting old is not for wimps and this episode has given us a good insight into the future for ourselves however we won't have any children running round after us!

Barlaston Building Site

Thanks to our friend Nick's hard work we have found some potential land where we could accommodate four properties. It sits on the edge of the village of Barlaston, six miles south of Stoke on Trent and one mile north of Stone. The area is not too hilly and not too flat so it gives everything we have been looking for to take us into our old age. The key question is, will it suit everyone? This is an enormous decision for the whole tribe and we are all in different places as we approach the change. Some of us are moving away from an area that we've lived in for nearly forty years. Graham and Sue have lived in the same house for over 35 years so this is not something to be decided on the flip of a coin.

In practical terms the village is the right site with good amenities: small supermarket, hairdressers, butchers, doctors and good transport links; the nearest town, Stone, is only 3 miles away and it has a Morrison's; the site is large enough at 0.8 acres and all mains services are available.

The doubts that have still to be resolved concern the state of the site - there used to be two Victorian properties on it but they have been demolished and it isn't clear as to whether the foundations are still in place or been removed and backfilled in which case the ground might require considerable work to establish firm foundations. We also need to agree where the different houses would be built and like any site there are some parts that are more attractive than others. With open fields on two sides of the site it does have a lot going for it.

Apart from the foundations our biggest concern is the railway line that passes within 100 metres and trains pass by every twenty minutes at peak times. Admittedly there isn't a great deal of noise and it passes within ten seconds but this is in stark contrast to our present home where it is very quiet unless the children at the school next door are turning out or are playing on the field. There will be more on this next month but for a more regular update check the blog by clicking here...