What are you all up to
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We have one stalwart female GP who has soldiered on (she was an army medic!) through thick and thin accompanied by a less than steady stream of male locums. At the moment one of them is a part time partner in the practice and we have another working in the background doing more of the phone consultations etc. People have complained but I think she has worked very hard to keep things together. I don't mind what they're called as long as there is help when it's most needed!
We've had a day mostly outside, gardening to get things sorted so that we can go away and enjoy the rotten weather forecast.....ha ha!
Had some help today so that made things a bit easier. Hope TDA managed to get to RHS Harlaw Carr (it must be looking good there) and also the WNs are enjoying the Wirral.
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OH saw the nurse yesterday new to hum instead of Doctor and very thorough and there for and hour and has sorted a few more things out for him another heart check due this year and get his feet done and he said not the lady he saw before felt his feet had been on a butchers table so she said ok there is one for him to see not far from us in another village so will sort that out, he was very impressed with everything and now got another doctors appointment 23rd May and he will have to have another blood test at the laboratory in Cahors as one of his readings was a bit high and can be due to the transport interesting, he can just go in without an appointment and heart check he has done a booking for that in June and that Doctor has moved to different address so all go but all sorted, very different to UK
A warm day here up to 24C and more gardening done here and again tomorrow before friends turn up from their short break away and then help with some wall work in the afternoon.
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We are indeed enjoying the Wirral Brue.
I haven't been on a club site for quite a while and I see that standards have slipped with fellow members. Not a single one passed by the front of our caravan these last 2 mornings with an Aquaroll or barking dog before 8 o'clock, thus forcing me to carry on sleeping!
It was good of the wardens though to start cutting the grass within half an hour of our arrival. I need a bit of constancy in my life at the moment.The caravanning going well but we'll need to buy a new water filter and filter cap when we get home. Had a couple of days of decent walks, in sun on Tuesday but in a cold breeze today. Nevertheless I'm happy with the results.
We had an email from where we sent the awning saying they were happy with it so Mrs.WN now looking forward to using some of the money for artist materials. Me? Might splash out and buy a £0.99 book on kindle.
With regard to surgery we now submit an e-consult form and either a doctor rings us or a triage nurse does. I don't think its ideal but we haven't had to use it much. It worked for OH recently.
Hope all are well and that anyone away in their units enjoying this dry weather and what they are doing.
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Nellie it took ages for your photos to load, the website seems to be at fault but it looks interesting where you are staying.
Brue, we were staying at Close House CL near Blackburn when we visited the Priory but have moved onto the C&CC's Bakewell site. It has a lot of open spaces which are used for tents, but it has been too wet to allow then up to now. The H/S are tiered and many have grand open views, which make it a fine site Millie. The photo below is looking down on the site. The rows of static vans are on a separate site over the road from the club site. Hope these photos download faster!!
Today we had a lovely walk from the site along by the River Bradford down Middletondale as far as Alport and back over the fields. The clapper bridge is over the R.Bradford at Youlgrave. It was dull and cool to start with but without any wind, but the sun came out in the middle of the afternoon and the wind got up. Just hope we are sheltered enough so that the canopy remains in place!
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Wherenext said:-
With regard to surgery we now submit an e-consult form and either a doctor rings us or a triage nurse does. I don't think its ideal but we haven't had to use it much. It worked for OH recently.
That idea rather appeals to me because it puts the responsibility on the surgery to action. Many surgeries seem to shy away from electronic communication. At least filling out a form online you can think carefully before you commit to paper so to speak rather than having to think on your feet during a phone conversation.
Brue mentioned her surgery which seems only to have one permanent doctor? Quite a few surgeries in MK only had two doctors which to me is risky if you have illness. Our surgery, which is not particularly large, has five permanent doctors now but not all of them are full time.
Millie mentioned the BMA, I had no idea they had any influence on how surgeries conduct there appointments and I wonder whether it is advice rather than dictat? Interesting link here https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/gp-practices/managing-workload/safe-working-in-general-practice
David
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Lovely sunny day here but North/East wind made it very chilly. We have the same system of e consult and it works really well. Got 2 new front tyres and had the geometry checked and adjusted on the car. Booked 2 sites for mid May when I’m going to go bird watching whilst Mrs One is doing Scouty things
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Thankfully, my OH’s cancer treatment has been similar to AD’s, and he continues to be well looked after to this day.
TDA did indeed get to Harlow Carr today🤩 Fabulous is all I can say. Plenty of colour, every plant and tree well labelled. We opted to look at only the more formal stream-side areas, and the veg plots and Alpine house, leaving the woodlands for another time. Betty’s was heaving, so we just bought a coffee and a bun each to supplement our picnic. It was chilly at lunch time when we first arrived, but the sun came out and it really warmed up later. Scenic drive home a long way round via Otley, Ilkley, Halifax and Huddersfield, rather than the horrendous hold ups on the A1. Nice just driving through Yorkshire and the varied landscapes.
Nellie, we stayed at Hollins Hall Farm, near Killinghall. I think it’s where you might have been staying when we met up at the Curious Cow Pub a few years ago🤔 Very nice CL, suited us perfectly. We shall use it again, intend going back to Harlow Carr towards end of May, early June when garden is in full bloom. I will do a review at some point.
I did succumb to a few plants, as you do. A good rummage in the sale area threw up a Clematis Pixie for £3, just needs a little bit of TLC. And some lovely fragrant violas, which are lovely colours.
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There was a huge amount of work going on at Harlow Carr, beds being replanted, rockeries and bridges being rebuilt, but it’s a very impressive place. Despite all three car parks being nearly full, there was still lots of space and nowhere was overcrowded. (Except Betty’s🤣)
Some photos…I was very impressed with the Alpine House. We have a very old stone trough that came out of our outhouse when we first bought our house, and it would look fabulous as an alpine bed. Only drawback is…….it’s huge, very heavy, and is currently located on the shady side of the house.
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Thanks, TDA, we have stopped there a few times, including on the H/S in the winter, this views and nice friendly owners too. Glad the trip to H C went well and you have got home safely. Guess you had no problems with the M/H.
Hope that you get the go ahead to drive your M/H, ABM, after all the expense of a new engine etc and that you can get away to a few Steam Engine gatherings.
Good to read that you are getting over your operation AD, and hope that you can resume your travels later in the year.
Pleased that the caravanning is going well, WN, and that you have managed to fit in a couple of decent walks.
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We enjoyed Harlow Carr on Tuesday as well TDA. It has changed quite a lot since our last visit and I missed the small gardens that used to be along the entrance, Betty’s area, they did give an idea of your own size garden (ours anyway) and ideas accordingly. They have abolished the rose garden too, although I expect that just took a lot of work. It will be interesting to see what the huge amount of renovations are going to result in. We did treat ourselves to Betty’s for lunch; yes, it was busy but the queue only took about 15 minutes. Enjoyed the plant centre too, we bought 2 delphiniums - for the slugs to enjoy!! I love delphiniums but so do the slugs.
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So pleased that your enjoyed Harlow Car TDA and that you had a good trip away. And also pleased that Heddlo enjoyed HC as well. Lovely photos from both of you. It is about 10 years since we have been there so it is nice to hear news of what is happening there now.
Good to hear that your are enjoying the Wirral WN but disappointing the hear of the behaviour of your fellow caravanners. How inconsiderate not to wake you with an early aqua roll or barking dog
We are having new windows put in our conservatory today so I am keeping out of the way upstairs and catching up on here. The cat is furious as that is her favourite area in the sunshine - what are all these strange men making a lot of noise doing in there
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I was surprised by how much major work was happening, but hadn’t been before, so couldn’t compare.. Very few roses planted I did notice, Did you spot the Red Kite topiary? If you can get some, try coffee grinds around your delphiniums, doesn’t kill the slugs, but they don’t l8ke them🤣
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Heads up for anyone planning to use the A1 either North or going South. There’s some horrendous roadworks between Barnsdale Bar and Darrington. Everything is funnelled into one lane each way on a contraflow system, backed up for a very long way going South when we were on Tuesday afternoon. Lasts while September as well☹️
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I know tda!! We hit them coming back from Wensleydale.
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Another lovely day here at Barnard Castle, going into town for some shopping after lunch time.
Yesterday was sunny too, we headed out to the coast for lunch at Hartlepool and ice cream at Seaham, very busy everywhere.
OH has just been sorting a new mobile plan with a better data allowance, she is moving to Smarty on an MSE offer of 50GB for £8 per month for the first 12 months. Monthly contract.
SIM will be waiting at home when we return next week, her current one runs out on the 26th, so that will fit quite well.
Cancelling her current deal proved to be the most difficult part of the process as the provider's website is not great. Ended up phoning to make sure and had extreme difficulty in understanding what the operative at the, presumably based outside UK, call centre was saying!
Hopefully sorted now.
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No sadly we missed the Red Kite topiary TDA, we’ll check that out on another visit hopefully! I had heard the coffee grounds treatment, and egg shells, etc. we will be trying it all. I’m hoping our resident hedgehogs will find the slugs too. 🤞🏻 Thanks for the heads up on the A1 traffic issue.
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We made the best of the sunny weather today and headed for the coast at West Bay. When we got there the wind had a very cold bite to it so perhaps not the best idea. We had a coffee and cake and a walk out on one of the jetties, even colder! No visitors so everywhere was empty and quiet. Another week and things will no doubt fill up. A group of cold water swimmers were regaining some feeling in their bodies in the cafe too! I am fuzzy headed after having to double up some medication after my GP chat, hoping this will settle before we go away!
Sounds like the visits out and holiday trips have gone well.
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Decided to have a walk from site today so after another lazy start we headed out on the Wirral Way (an old railway line that runs right outside the site for those that don't know the site) and walked for a bit then turned down a FP marked The Dungeon that takes you up towards St.Barthmelow's church. A couple of photos attached.
I love the sandstone used around this area for buildings and walls.
Got back to the caravan a good few hours later. Lovely and warm when not in that easterly breeze. Last day here as we are off home tomorrow but out in the caravan again next Wednesday. We've been fortunate with the weather but the main reason for the trip was to see how we coped and we're fine with it. Hopefully this will be the worst that I'll be as things still improving. We've adjusted our routine a little. Besides which there are many people more seriously disadvantaged than me who continue with our hobby.
Hope DEBSC and Grand-daughter coping as well as they can.
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Good to hear things have gone well WN👍
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Thanks WN. I looked in for the first time this morning and saw your message. Glad that you managed your first trip away for a while and things worked out ok. I’m sure it did you good to get away.
Things took a rather strange turn. While our granddaughter was stopping with her mother for a couple of days we developed Covid. I have to say we got it quite badly and were both in bed for many days. In my case it seems I was even hallucinating although I don’t really remember much. We are both on the mend now but OH does now have a chest infection. All jabs done so not sure why we were so bad, maybe a bad strain or we were a bit run down.
Anyway while we were laid up our granddaughter, aided greatly by her younger sister got a train back to Uni! She cannot be alone at present so her sister stayed for a few days and now she is stopping with friends. She says she is determined to overcome things, so for the moment we will just go with it and see how things go, with our fingers very crossed, it has to be her choice. She knows that we are here if needed and we speak each day, she seemed more worried about us. We all know how determined she is but she even took us back this time. So very proud of the stubborn little monkey.
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Hope you'll both soon feel well enough to visit your holiday place Debsc, something nice to think about if the weather finally warms up!? I'm sitting here with a coat on, had our fuel bill this week and even though we're on a reasonable fixed rate till the end of July I decided we ought to try and manage a bit better. We have neighbours who have gone through the winter without their central heating on, I would not say they are lacking in funds and they were determined to do it!! However they are now abroad enjoying some free warmth...
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We don’t seem to be picking up as quickly as we’d hoped Brue. Not well enough to drive so we had a Tesco home delivery today, first time ever, we did Click n Collect during lockdown, they managed everything but the eggs so pretty good, I didn’t need much. I do a lot of batch cooking with the slow cooker and freeze in tubs so plenty in the freezer. However we haven’t eaten much except soup, we have both lost a stone. But will try a chicken casserole from the freezer tonight. OH asleep in the chair at present and I’m about to watch another old episode of Downton, been working my way through them over the past few days. We hope to go to the static for the Coronation but not counting on it at the moment, we’ll see.
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Best of luck to you all DEBSC, including that resilient GD of yours.
Had a trouble free drive back home and thankfully managed to avoid the bin men who had been and gone. Just finished the unpacking when the rain started.
Mrs.WN managed to get a hair appointment for this afternoon so I volunteered to drive her there and do Tescos for the weekend shop. So quite a busy day one way or another. Had a good blether with a near neighbour who has a Motorhome and is away a lot. First time I've seen him since mid summer last year so we had a long catch up.
For anyone interested in Gin and has a Motorhome he recommends a Distillery near Stafford that has about 8 M/Home spaces behind their place so you can make it yourself and sample it without having to drive.
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Actually managed to get through to the surgery today in order the make a couple of appointments, only had to wait about 10 minutes on the phone so not so bad. Perhaps best to avoid the early part of the week in future unless urgency dictates? The doctor choice wouldn't have been our first choice but he seemed quite jolly today which made things easier. Still can't quite make out why they had to send a letter asking Margaret to make an appointment when apparently all that was needed was an annual blood test (which apparently everyone over a certain age is encouraged to have) which was six months late. I had a chat about my knee, he has prescribed some pain killers with specific instructions on the frequency of administration!
Margaret had her appointment at the dentist yesterday. New dentist, who is Greek apparently but also lovely according to Margaret. She had three appointments on the same day. First to make and impression, then a second one to make another impression and a third to have a tooth out and plate installed with the new tooth. All seemed to go well and little discomfort. No doubt helped by the fact that the tooth was already lose.
So one more blood test for Margaret and an eye test for me and we might be able to get away in the van?
David
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As it was a beautiful day we parked at Alport yesterday and walked up Lathkilldale as far as the Mandale Engine House and beyond to the now ruined Bateman's House. This was built in 1830, and stands over a 12m deep shaft which housed a novel design of water-powered pump to drain the lead mines, and also served as a family home. Lots of flowers out along the path including these Fritillaries.
Today it rained all morning so we had a rather damp short walk along the Monsal Trail from Bakewell Station beforelunch. It brightened up after lunch and the sun even came out this evening. Had a couple of more walks from the site this afternoon.
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Great Expectations eh, DEBSC, you just take it steady and when summer comes you should be fully rested and raring to go. Just remember that those youngsters can be as determined as us aged folk !! I'm just working on the memory of my little problems a month or so ago -- I couldn't boil myself a cup of coffee never mind a full meal -- but it took Good Friends on the fone to realise ABM was not his usual grumpy old self !! After sorting ME out they took the Lady up to Leighton Hospital to find out why her leg and ankle was so swollen that she could only wear Crocs on that foot.
Take care everybody, just remember COVID 19 Is Still There !!
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That is us all packed ready for the off tomorrow, just a few small items to go in the caravan in the morning and a final tidy and check of the house and we will be away.
All new places on this trip, hope we like them 😏
Our eldest son has had an offer on his house which he has accepted 🙂 first time buyer with mortgage in place so it shouldn't take long to finalise things. The house he has bought in England is proving a bit of an ordeal as he is in a chain. The folk he's bought from are keen to move but they are held up by the couple they are buying from, as they are still waiting for their new build to be completed which has been delayed. I think the one waiting for the new build will have to rent, as its going to be awhile and everyone is getting a bit frustrated now.
My niece sold her house and bought another is now moved in all done and dusted in a month. Decorating and new flooring still to go down but at least they are in.
OHs back is much better so hoping it stays that way.
I managed to get all the garden done this week as the weather has been fabulous. It will of course be a complete mess again by the time we get back 😩
No further news on our eldest grandaughter, she is back at boarding school but no sign of an appt for an MRI scan that's 3 weeks now. Exams start up here very shortly so I hope it doesn't impact on those, she has been working hard over the hols it would be a shame if she had to miss any.
WN, good to hear you have returned home without any issues and had a good break whole away. I suspect more lined up to follow, enjoy.
DEBSC, good to hear your Gdaughter is getting on with her life, what a very plucky girl she must be. Hope you and OH recover soon, it certainly does take it out of you if you get a bad dose.
Have fun everyone I'll look in from time to time.
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