The two boys have both finished school for the summer break and are spending their days sleeping, when they're not playing or practising cricket. Little Miss is due to leave primary school on Wednesday but is a little under the weather and home with me today. High temperature and a sore throat, I think this is the first time this year she's been off poorly. I hope she doesn't have to miss the leavers assembly tomorrow and the disco on Wednesday, although after loving our village primary school and helping and volunteering to fund raise there over the past 17 years we have had to make a complaint about them in the last couple of weeks. I NEVER complain about school, I'm very laid back and tend to tell the kids to rise above issues and get over it. Maybe I've been too laid back in the past but once I get a bee in my bonnet (yes the wasps nest is still outside my bedroom door if you were wondering) I don't let it go. I have telephoned, written and emailed the head teacher and failed to get any response, so now I'm really cross! Only two more days to go, so I should try to keep calm!
Number 2 son, who captained his club Under 15's cricket team to a win in the Norfolk ECB cup (I think that was it's title, I pay very little attention!) took them to the next round and won again. They now have to go to a National finals day in Warwickshire next Monday. So that was a huge achievement and we all get a day out on a coach!! (that reminds me of coach trips to the seaside when I was a child with my two elderly Grandparents!)
Number 2, mid-bowl |
But we did have the cricket club boat trip and that was a bit of fun on a very warm evening. The whole family went but, much to their embarrassment, I decided to drink a whole bottle of wine and giggle a lot. The stress of the week finally got to me, and I don't normally drink at all!
Some of the lovely riverside houses, you can see what they're watching on TV from the boat!
Some of the photos got decidedly wobbly after this!
On the river we passed St. Benet's Abbey, a very picturesque spot with lots of history attached.
Although not much remains this was apparently the only Abbey not closed down by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
The history of the Abbey goes back much further than that and attracts many visitors.
You get a very good view from the river and there were walkers around it that evening too.
The wildlife is suburb around these fields too.
But then my Dad arrived for a brief visit from Wales, my Gran, his Mum, who you may remember from previous posts has now become quite frail, over the past 12 months. She left her home in Devon and moved into a care home in Suffolk, to be nearer to family as none of us lived anywhere near her in Devon.
Since she's been in the home and had no responsibility and no work to do, she seems to have gone down hill, I guess it's not surprising she is, after all, 94. But it is surprising to those who know her, and upsetting.
Anyway she had been taken into hospital with one or two issues, which in itself confused her enormously. Dad arrived to stay with us and visit her daily, although being in Ipswich hospital she was a good hour and a half from us. He visited her 4 days on the trot and I went with him twice,
each day the hospital advised she would be discharged and each day they changed their minds!
On Saturday we visited and she seemed so much better, she even made a speech to thank everyone for their help and support! We waved her off in the ambulance as she was discharged and being taken back to the care home, we watched her leave as she waved and blew kisses to us.
After a two hour journey where we got stuck some way behind an accident, we were 20 minutes from home when we received a call to say the ambulance had turned around and taken her
back to hospital as she wasn't well again, with what we do not know!
So poor Gran is back in hospital until maybe later today or tomorrow, or maybe longer I suppose.
I'll try to visit again this week, either the hospital or the home, but I wish she was her old fun loving self again.
taken in 2005 |
So it's been an uppy downy kind of week or so.
And I'm a bit tired.
If you need me I'll be under the kitchen table rocking backwards and forwards!!
Hope your gran gets better. She looks very sweet in that photo with your kids. Take care, x
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz, she's always been a bundle of fun but I guess there are limits at 94!
DeleteSorry to read this about your gran....it's got to be tough sitting on the sidelines.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with work AND your daughter's school stress--you don't strike me as high maintenance, so if you do complain they ought to respond!
Such a pretty river--I want to visit England again in the worst way each time I read your posts and see your pictures.
The school matter will be resolved as we leave tomorrow - my last ever school run!
DeleteWe do live in a lovely part of the UK, river, coast and city, and only 2 hours from London on the train - have I talked you into it??
Poor gran! How tough to be relegated to the sidelines!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with handling both the job AND school stress--I hope things work out.
Just keep drinking the wine and admiring those river pictures, right?
I'm sorry to hear about your gran, it's hard to watch those we love grow old, especially as their health starts to deteriorate. I hope she can get back to the care home soon. Well done to Number 2 son, that's a great action shot of him. Hope Little Miss is feeling better, I'm sure she won't want to miss her leaver's assembly or the disco. I've never had to complain to school before this past year yet it now feels as though I'm never away from the place, I've got so many issues with them and wish that Eleanor was going to a different sixth form college but she wouldn't hear of it. Anyway, I hope whatever issue you've got gets sorted out, it would be extremely rude of them to ignore your calls, letters and emails. The boat trip looks fabulous, there's some really gorgeous riverside houses.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to get giggly over a bottle of wine or two with you ! Hope Gran recovers well.
ReplyDeleteI had to ring the primary school where both Jess & Joe went on the day before Joe's last day as apparently Joe had been, " Disgusting " in the rehearsals for leavers' assembly !!! He had been sent to the Head Teacher !
I was furious & rang his teacher as all Joe had done was make a silly face ! I told the teacher he was tired & stressed & Joe had been a wonderful pupil for seven years. The word Disgusting & being sent to the Head was over the top.
The teacher rang me back to apologise & agreed he's over reacted & yes Joe was a great boy !
I came to look for you under the kitchen table to give you a hug :) I am keeping my fingers crossed for your gran, she looks like a lovely lady. Cx
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you've had such a tough week. It all sounds very emotional, all these transitions and changes. I'm sorry about the school stress, no response from the head is a poor show. Email the chair of governors, that will get things moving sharpish, I bet! I do hope your Gran recovers. x
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like tough things coordinate arriving at the same time. Poor Gran - she really is going through it. I hope you're ok and get some breathing space and get a call from the school very soon! x
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your gran. I hope she's well soon. I hope your daughter feels better soon too. Hugs to you, hang in there.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your Gran. Hope things improve for you all round.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you had a few drunk giggles on the boat though! (I think you deserve it)
I'm sorry to hear about Gran I hope she gets well soon, sounds like a good time was had on the boat.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your Gran, sending positive thoughts
ReplyDeleteVictoria x
FlorenceandMary.com
That must be such a worry about your gran. I hope things start to calm down for you, and the rest of your summer is smooth sailing.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear that you are having a rubbish time right now. The bottle of wine and a relax and a giggle probably did you the power of good for a little while. I hope that you can sort things out - or that they sort themselves out, even better - and that your Gran is better again and out of hospital soon. Take care in the meantime. Sending you hugs and good thoughts. xx
ReplyDeleteYour poor Gran, so sorry she is poorly. Hope she recovers soon. Your Dad was nice to come and visit and try to help her. Such good news about son #2, but bad news about the school. That seems to be the way of things, you get good news and before you can blink something else happens.
ReplyDeleteTake good care of yourself.
Meredith
Hi Jan....
ReplyDeleteWe all deserve a bit of fun,eh?
Too much wine? NEVER!
Hope your other issues get sorted, and Gran is better♥️
Cheers!
Linda :o)
Bummer about the school. I can say this as your blog is in another country, but after massive fundraising for our public school for 11 years, a new principal came in (and actually fair dues tended well to a complaint I had about the massive selfish double parking - and letting kids off into the traffic!) but then was ghastly at the graduation ceremony, leaving five kids out of twenty in her prizes. So weird.
ReplyDeleteLove the 2005 picture too, get better soonest gran
ReplyDeletesometimes all we all need is a good giggle..
ReplyDeletehope things get better at work
and wishing gramdma well
That's quite a week. I do hope your daughter is better and able to do all the end of school things - it often seems to me that illness strikes when there are special events. Well done to No. 2 son and good luck for Monday, I love a nice coach trip. Sorry about the work thing, I hope it stabilises soon. If you haven't had any extra training there's bound to be the odd glitch, so don't go blaming yourself. I'm so sorry to hear about your Gran. We've had a similar time with my other half's mother. She went into a nursing home a few months ago following a stroke, but in the past month she's been in and out of hospital, with on occasion just 24 hours back at the nursing home. I do hope your Gran is able to go home soon, it sounds as though your dad is putting a lot of effort in to seeing her. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is much better week for you. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteI hope Little Miss was well enough for her end of school celebrations this week and I hope her primary school career didn't end badly.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your Gran's heath has been so up and down, I hope she is back at home and feeling better.
I am with you on the work front, I'm still not 100% happy with my new place of work, I don't think it's a long term option, but having the school hols off still is a bonus. I hope things improve for you.
Any luck with the biscuit maker?
Lisa x
Sensing the incipient hysteria bubbling beneath the surface there, Jay! Pecker up, ole thing! Is there really no-one you can talk to at work? You must surely have a line manager or someone? You can't let things mount up or you will be ill or do something really daft and feel a real ass. (Can you tell I have been there?) Also been there on the Gran front, though with us it is my mum, as you know. Things do settle down, you have to hang on to your self while the initial horribleness passes. Your Gran will reach some sort of plateau, each event is unsettling for her as I'm sure you know, we see this with my mum. At the risk of sounding ever-so patronising
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your downs of the week. I do hope your Gran has improved. My Dad too found it hard being i a nursing home. I hope Little Miss has been able to go to her Leavers service. The pictures from your boat trip are wonderful. You deserved a few glasses of wine! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteDear Jay, I sent you a long convoluted comment which disappeared up its own fundament and I haven't got the energy to repeat it. Suffice to say I recognise and identify with much you are saying and experiencing at the moment. PLEASE find someone at work you can trust and talk to, otherwise you will go off POP! And yes, I feel for you with your Gran, as you know, we are having similar times with my mum - but things have settled a lot, the beginning was really crappy and traumatic for us all. Do, do, DO look after yourself. Lxxxxx
ReplyDeleteBlimey - it never rains in your neck of the woods huh?! Hope all is soon back on an even keel and Gran recovers. Lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteSorry that you have had some difficult times this week. Hope things improve soon and next week is much better.
ReplyDeleteMarianne x
Ooh do hope Gran feels better soon....and you too!!
ReplyDeleteHope all got sorted with your school complaint and that your daughter managed to attend her final day.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of organising my elderly aunt's move from her home to a retirement home near us. At the moment it's a 1hr45 minute trip to see her and, when she has been in hospital, this is such a bind. She has no children of her own. I'm hoping when she moves near us it will give her a new lease of life - but I have taken note of your comment about your gran not having enough to do. Will make sure she stays independent as much as possible.
My son is sleeping through the holidays too!!
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ReplyDelete