How are you today?

[Angie]

Rocco had his first birthday on Sunday. Can't believe how quick that year has gone. He's almost walking by himself now.

Aw, happy birthday to Rocco! I know how fast it goes - we're only a few weeks away from a first birthday here, too.

And geez, I hope something comes up for you before you have to face the winter. Are jobs as scarce there as they are here? Have you been looking? If you're willing to travel, I could sure use a housekeeper, too...

[blue]

we're only a few weeks away from a first birthday here, too.

Gosh it's just flown by, happy birthday to Ellis next month!

Is he up on his feet, Angie? I've been kind of surprised at Rocco walking already, it's so long ago I had my own baby I've forgotten the sort of ages they are for various developmental stages.

I was putting him up for a nap earlier and as he is obsessed with the stairs at the moment, I decided to just let him go and see how he did getting up them (with me there right behind him obviously!) He went all the way up in one go, no problem.

And geez, I hope something comes up for you before you have to face the winter. Are jobs as scarce there as they are here? Have you been looking? If you're willing to travel, I could sure use a housekeeper, too...

The job situation is pretty awful in the UK at the moment too, as everywhere else. We advertised a 9 hour job at work recently and had literally dozens and dozens of CVs in, just for those few hours.

I've come to terms with the further loss of hours/income, I was feeling very low about it when I initially found out last week but there's no point dwelling on it. I just have to take what practical steps I can to get through the winter, and I've had experience with that the last two years. I'll end up with awesome survival skills.

Hey Angie, if they ever invent a way to get from Britain to America that doesn't involve flying or cost a fortune on the QE2, I'll come and be your mad Scottish au pair/housekeeper/chief cook and bottlewasher.

[Angie]

Hey Angie, if they ever invent a way to get from Britain to America that doesn't involve flying or cost a fortune on the QE2, I'll come and be your mad Scottish au pair/housekeeper/chief cook and bottlewasher.

Love it.

Congrats to Rocco on accomplishing the stairs! When Henry was a baby I videotaped the second time he climbed ours, and I think it ended up being 8 minutes long. Ellis started standing only a couple weeks ago, and his brother didn't walk until 18 months - and honestly I wouldn't mind if he doesn't walk for that long, either. I mean, their butts are so cute when they crawl...

On a more serious note, I'm sorry to hear you might be facing a rough winter. Are there assistance programs you can utilize? I know since my state has freezing winters, they don't shut off anyone's heat for nonpayment during those months. But the moment spring hits you either pay or you have no heat or electricity.

Not much else going on here. Husband and I are both kind of stressed and annoyed with our jobs, but of course overall we feel lucky to even have one. The thought of impending winter, too, ... just makes me feel blech. I plan to up my vitamin D! I may have to ask you to share notes on your winter mental-survival skills, Beth. I guess there's no denying there's another one coming.

ETA: The second I hit "Submit" my favorite Beatles song came on the radio - Here Comes the Sun. I try to count my blessings when I find them. [angel]

[blue]

Ellis started standing only a couple weeks ago, and his brother didn't walk until 18 months - and honestly I wouldn't mind if he doesn't walk for that long, either. I mean, their butts are so cute when they crawl...

Yeah that's the sort of age I was assuming Rocco would start walking, I'm just shocked that he's getting around the way he is already. I'm looking after him today for the first time in a week and he's progressed again in that short time, last week he was using both hands to stabilise himself when upright, leaning against the walls or moving along the sofa etc, this week he's only using one hand. He's also standing for a few seconds at a time without holding onto anything, so I'm guessing he'll be properly walking by himself very soon!

On a more serious note, I'm sorry to hear you might be facing a rough winter. Are there assistance programs you can utilize? I know since my state has freezing winters, they don't shut off anyone's heat for nonpayment during those months. But the moment spring hits you either pay or you have no heat or electricity.

I'll be OK for electricity because I pay that as a monthly charge out of my bank account, the real problem for me is that I'm on a payment meter for gas - when that runs out, I just have to get through without until my next pay. I have gas central heating/hot water/cooker, so it can make life very difficult. Last winter when I had no hot water I burned out a kettle boiling it to get water for washing!

I'll get through, there's a lot of people even worse off than me in this country right now so I should be grateful for having a roof over my head and a job at all.


Sorry to hear your job is stressing you out Angie, I know how you feel. Extra tough when you have two small children to look after as well. But you're absolutely right, we have to count our blessings.


*eta*

PS Angie I'm so sorry for mixing up your sons' names! I've changed it now, sorry love. I am so terrible at remembering names, for ages I thought your oldest was called William, for some reason? Where the hell did I get that from?

[blue]

Thought I was going to lose one of my cats yesterday. When I came downstairs little Blue was hiding under a chair, crying really loudly, obviously very distressed. When I bent down to her she tried to get up and couldn't, her back legs were all over the place and she kept falling back down. I immediately panicked thinking she'd been badly injured somehow, I just totally fell apart. Phoned my friend Jackie who works at the vet's, and thankfully she was completely calm, she came and took us up to the vets. Turns out Blue has inflammation of the inner ear, which has made her unable to find her balance. Poor little thing. [b)]

He gave her a big dose of anti-inflammatory medication and she has to have a course of tablets for a week, but she was already so much better this morning - still very wobbly, but at least she was able to walk a little bit without falling down. Hopefully in a few days she'll be back to normal.

I really thought something terrible had happened and I wouldn't be bringing her back from the vets at all, so I am hugely relieved she's going to be OK.

[RobB]

I'm really pleased for you that little Blue is on the road to a full recovery.

I would have thought your first reaction would have been to check the whisky bottle in case she'd decided that milk was a bit boring after all and that there must be more interesting alternatives.

Strange how cats and humans can have their balance affected by inner-ear infections?

[blue]

Yep, apparently it's exactly the same in cats as in humans, Rob - the vet showed me a model of the feline inner ear to explain it. When the balance goes completely like that it leaves the cat (or the human) unable to orientate themselves in space at all, they don't even know if they are upright or not. Which I imagine must be terrifying, no wonder Blue was so distressed.

She's almost back to normal now, just the occasional wobble when she's walking.

[Angie]

I'm sorry to hear about little Blue (cute name!) , and I'm glad she's okay. That really is scary. Our two cats drive me nuts on a daily basis, but I still worry about them all the dang time.

...the real problem for me is that I'm on a payment meter for gas - when that runs out, I just have to get through without until my next pay.

Is this like paying in advance for a certain amount of gas? Or that you have a lump sum and it's rationed out over the year? Sorry for my ignorance - I barely even know how it works in my own home.

for ages I thought your oldest was called William, for some reason? Where the hell did I get that from?

No worries, Beth! But my boss's name is William, so I would never, ever name my child that.

Not much else going on here. I had the week off last week between vacation days and Thanksgiving, so I'm feeling a little more refreshed. And I did get a stash of vitamin D supplements to keep in my work desk!

[blue]

I'm sorry to hear about little Blue (cute name!)

Hehe, she had it before I did! I don't think she minds me borrowing it. She's more or less back to her normal self now, but I've noticed she still wobbles a bit when she tries to turn round quickly ... this is a little worrying, but the vet did say this inflammation thing can take a while to clear up completely.

I forgot to say, in case this condition ever hits any of your cats (as in all of you on the board who have cats, I know there's a few), the dead giveaway is that their eyes will continuously flick from side to side very fast. The vet explained to me that this is the brain trying to stabilise the visual image it's receiving of the world, which is completely distorted when the balance mechanism is affected. Just something to look out for that might reassure you if it ever affects your cat, because honestly, it's the most frightening thing when you see them unable to stand or walk like that and you don't have a clue what's wrong.

Is this like paying in advance for a certain amount of gas?

Yes that's it, you basically have a top-up card. You pay to top it up in stores the same way you would a phone card, and then it goes into the meter.

No worries, Beth! But my boss's name is William, so I would never, ever name my child that.

I have absolutely no idea where I got William from, but as I say I'm dreadful with names, even with people I've known for ages. Lately I've found myself going completely blank on the names of two people I've known for years, which is kind of terrifying. I'm so absent minded naturally that I always knew getting older would be a real trial, but gosh, I didn't expect it to start in my 40s!

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, Angie, by the way. My friend Alison from Boston, who has been living over here since the beginning of the year, was surprised to see people celebrating it in the UK. I told her, with the British it's any excuse for a **** - up.

[Angie]

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, Angie, by the way.

Thank you, Beth, I did!

My friend Alison from Boston, who has been living over here since the beginning of the year, was surprised to see people celebrating it in the UK. I told her, with the British it's any excuse for a **** - up.

Well then, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving yourself!

[blue]

Oh it was terribly civilised, Alison is rather a wholesome kind of girl. She's in her mid-20s and a fascinating mixture of very modern, independent womanhood and something that strikes me as curiously old-fashioned, in a good way. Something decent and grounded but also liberal and tolerant. The contrast between her way of being, and that of the British women I know of equivalent age, is quite striking.

She's really missing home now, bless her heart.

[blue]

I know there's still a few days to go but I'm going to wish you all a happy Christmas now, I'm not going to have the opportunity to be online for a couple of weeks after today, so I hope you all have a lovely time and a great new year!

[Angie]

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Beth, and all the rest of you reading this, too...

[d.a.walker]

This is my last post, I no longer have the time to actively contribute to this forum.

I wish you all well with whatever comes your way in life.

If one of the site administators could delete my profile I'd be most grateful.

[alx5962]

This is my last post, I no longer have the time to actively contribute to this forum.

I wish you all well with whatever comes your way in life.

If one of the site administators could delete my profile I'd be most grateful.

All this because we had no time to comment your album tracks ? That's bad christmas spirit.

Anyway, you can sign off and never come back but why do you want everything deleted ?