Dementia Awareness Week 19th – 25th May

Dementia is something which has touched my life and is one of the things I worry about in the future.  Two thirds of people living with dementia are women and although it is most common in older people, it is not a natural part of growing old but is caused by diseases of the brain.

My witty, intelligent, active, lovely Grandma was taken away by dementia years before she passed away.  She was always scatty but her forgetfulness gradually developed into something more than just a personality trait.

I hate that I can’t remember when she started to show symptoms.  Dementia crept up on all of us.

I hate that I find it hard to remember who she was before dementia took her away.

I hated her confusion when she realised something wasn’t right and she tried to hide the fact she couldn’t remember.

I hate that I was unable to share my pregnancies, births and wedding with her.

I hate that I was scared for her to hold a newborn Spud but then I hate that she too was unsure and refused to hold him.  She was a Mum of six and Granny to many more yet she didn’t want to hold my baby.

I hate that she wasn’t my Granny for so long before she died and I wasn’t sad at her funeral.

I grieved for her long before she passed away.  She had already gone.  So different from Granny who applied face cream at the rate of knots.

Who rode her bike everywhere.

Who cooked a mean roast chicken.

Who once got stuck in a children’s fairground ride with her bottom sticking out of the little car’s window.

Who was always laughing and had smiley eyes.

Who mistook candle wax for jam (and ate it) when we had ‘posh’ breakfast after staying over.

Who could say ‘llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch’.

Who was very fondly remembered by all who met her as ‘Nance’.

Who loved gardening and with whom we spent so many happy summer holidays.

The thing I find hardest is trying to remember the past before dementia.  Memories get clouded with time.

Although it was incredibly sad to see Granny deteriorate, there were flashes of humour.  We took Pooh Bear to meet her when he was born and she was asleep for most of the visit but when she saw Spud playing she piped up and said he was ‘fabulous’.  This made us smile.  He is fabulous.

She always loved to sing old songs and although her repertoire dwindled, this didn’t change when dementia took hold.

I will always remember my Grandad telling us that neighbours who used to chat to Granny were now avoiding her.  She was always so sociable and was happy to chat to anyone and everyone.  She didn’t discriminate or judge.

I wish I’d taken more opportunities to hug her.

I wish I’d been more prepared and understood more about dementia when she was first diagnosed.

I’m glad I was contacted by the Alzheimer’s Society to highlight this week.  I have had tears in my eyes as I type and I’m thankful for the opportunity to remember her and to write about something I haven’t really wanted to share before.

By talking about dementia and sharing stories we can help raise awareness so that it isn’t such a scary thing.  Better understanding could help families cope with the symptoms of dementia and better support each other.  Wider acceptance and understanding will help those with dementia seek support and lessen the stigma in society.

Please share this post and your own stories to raise awareness of dementia and the work the Alzheimer’s Society and others do to support those with dementia and their families.  There is a wealth of information on the Alzheimer’s Society Website regarding research, support in your local area and what to expect when someone you know and love has dementia and much more. You can follow on Facebook and tweet #talkdementia on Twitter.

Pee, Poo and Paper!

After a heavy downpour a few months ago, the drain on our drive seemed blocked and our drive flooded with water very nearly entering the garage.  We thought Spud was the cause as the day before, I’d caught him throwing stones into the drain.  Little Monkey.

Anyway to cut a long story short, it wasn’t Spud it was a blockage in the main pipe.  As we believed the blockage to be in our own pipes, we called a plumber who charged us £80 to stick a few rods down our back garden drain but he couldn’t clear the blockage.  After five phone calls, we eventually found out who dealt with our drains and sewers and they were brilliant actually and came out with a huge pump doodah and found the blockage down the road.

Before we called the plumber, My Dad had spent a good hour or so with his own rods trying to shift the blockage in our sewer pipe.  We didn’t know it was in vain at the time and thought we had blocked it somehow.  I couldn’t understand what all these dirty rag type things were.  They looked like baby wipes but we don’t put them down the loo so thought perhaps the boys might have done it without us realising.

It turns out that they were wipes of some description but they weren’t from us.  Neighbours further up the sewage pipe had been flushing NON-FLUSHABLE wipes and causing us a load of hassle in the process.

United Utilities contacted me through Tots100 asking if I would like to highlight this issue so I obviously jumped at the chance.

Staggeringly a whopping £9 MILLION is wasted across Cheshire alone because of problems caused by wipes, which we are lead to believe are flushable, being flushed down the loo. If the blockage is found to be in your own pipes rather than the main sewer pipes then you are liable and have to pay for them to be unblocked.

Image Courtesy of United Utilities

It may say flushable on the packet but baby wipes, cleaning wipes, cloth nappy inserts, face wipes, toddler wipes, cotton wool  etc etc are NOT flushable.  Food stuffs, fats and oils should not be poured down the drain either and now here in Chester we have food bins you can put those into.

Image Courtesy of United Utilities

I double-checked on the cloth nappy inserts as they are paper and biodegradable but as they don’t break down quickly enough, they still cause blockages and should also be put in the bin.

The United Utilities campaign is running with the phrase ‘Pee, Poo and (loo) Paper’ If it’s not Pee, Poo, or Paper, DON’T flush it!

You can find out more about What not to flush and how it affects the sewage system, the environment and the workers who have to deal with the rubbish we flush on the United Utilities website.

It’s not only a problem in Cheshire and you can find out what the worst offenders are in the North West with the United Utilities Flush Facts Infographic (Liverpool has a massive Make-up wipe issue!).

Please pop over and watch the video ‘You Can’t Flush This‘ with MC Plumber :D  It’s a fun video and Pooh Bear loved having a little dance to it but the message is serious.

Please share this message with your friends and family.  You might never have to deal with a blockage yourself but your neighbour might find themselves forking out because of your flushing habits.

‘Pee, Poo, Paper THAT’S IT!’

****WARNING****  Don’t scroll down to the next image whilst eating but I think it’s important you see all the gory details…

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Image Courtesy of United Utilities

Disgusting.

“My Heart Has Joined The Thousands…

…for my friend stopped running today”

Since before I can remember we have kept rabbits as pets.  When I was younger than Pooh Bear my parents, seeing how taken I was with my neighbours bunny, bought Thumper.  After her we had Frisky and Bobtail, then Pippi and Pop(py), the five kittens (name for baby bunnies) Littlefoot, Petri, Ducky, Sara and Spike, and more after those.

I remember spending hours sitting with my bunnies sharing my highs and lows with their willing ears.  I even used to take Pippi out in a pram and she used to lick your nose!

Fast forward to 2007 and my sister sent me an email showing a photo of a gorgeous bunny, Flopsy.  She was in need of a new home and I couldn’t resist going to see her.  She was the biggest, fluffiest rabbit I’d ever seen and I knew from the moment I met her, that I wanted to take her home with me.  The family she was with was very sad to see her go and had their hands full with a kitten (of the feline variety) but were happy she was going to a good home.

I can remember Scatty Dad’s (who was just Scatty Boyfriend at the time) reaction when he saw her.  She was sat on the sofa with me and he was shocked at her size “She looks like a cat!” :D

We had a lovely time at my old house and she would come inside most evenings and sit with me.  She used to hop off and have a drink then hop back up, getting me all wet from the water which had collected on her mouth and whiskers!  Shortly after she came to live with me I had her spayed to reduce the risk of her getting cancer and it was a nightmare.  I had to try and stop her from jumping up whilst she healed so Dad made her a pen to keep her in and she hated it.  I think I gave in after a day and let her run riot around my bedroom.  Thankfully she didn’t do herself any damage but the same can’t be said for my straightening tongs wire!

She slept outside in the yard and was relatively sheltered from the weather but on one particularly snowy and very cold night, I decided I’d sleep better knowing she was nice and warm (despite me putting a rabbit hot water bottle in her bed) – I know, I know, she was pretty pampered.

Bad idea. I get more sleep with Pooh Bear!  She’d run around the bedroom with her massive feet making a terrible racket then launch herself on to my bed with a great thump and insist on sitting on my pillow practically on my head!  It’s funny looking back but I was soooooo tired the next day :D  She even weed on my duvet the monkey!!!

A few months later I was away in the New Year with work and was really missing her.  I was only away for one night.  It was at this point I put two and two together.  I’d been feeling rough for a few weeks on and off and now I was missing my bunny more than I ever expected – hormones???

Yes, I was pregnant.  Whilst Scatty Boyf and I saved up a bit extra for a house deposit and started our house search, we moved in to my parents.  As she’d been a part-time house bunny at mine, my parents let her do the same at theirs.    She continued being as cheeky at theirs as she did at mine and almost sent my Dad’s dinner plate flying one evening as she jumped right up onto his chest for cuddles.

Once we moved house and settled in, she joined us and was able to enjoy our new life with us.  She didn’t come in the house quite as often as the laminate flooring wasn’t to her liking (think Bambi on ice) and she really enjoyed our garden.  As I was at home with Spud and then Pooh Bear, she was able to run free every day.  Still nosey as ever, she loved it when the boys came out to play and had her nose in everything they were doing.

Although a cherished member of the family, I always feel guilty she wasn’t receiving the same attention she had before the boys came along.  As the boys have grown, she has had more and more attention and I was looking forward to this Summer with her.  Both boys loved stroking her and she was so patient with them.

Unfortunately, we weren’t destined to enjoy the Summer of 2013 together.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a dry rash on her side and thought nothing of it.  It looked like she’d just rubbed up against something and caught herself so I kept an eye on it.  In no time at all it was clear it wasn’t a rash.  There were two huge lumps forming and she had been scratching and biting at them so off we went to the vets.

To cut a long story short, after some initial, fruitless treatment, I made the horrible, awful decision to let her go. The vet was lovely and said I’d made the right decision and seemed genuine but I couldn’t help thinking she says it to everyone.

She looked so big and fluffy and peaceful as she lay there. She was the most beautiful bunny I’ve ever seen and somehow looked more beautiful in death.

I stroked and talked to her as she slipped away then gently placed her back in the carrier.

Unfortunately, Spud was in the car on this particular trip so we had to try and explain that she wasn’t here anymore.  Except, he could see her.  So she was here.

I think I fluffed the death explanation and tried to use ‘The Lion King’ and the stars to offer an explanation.  He understands that she is ‘sleeping’ but in a way which is different to when we go to sleep so she won’t wake up but was asking how she was in the ground but in the stars at the same time??? Good question little man. So many flaws in our explanation. Scatty Dad and I need to talk about how we explain things in the future.

I had planned to write this post the day after we lost our bunny but I didn’t have chance to sit down properly and write.  I’m glad I didn’t as I think the post would have felt more sad and negative.  Taking time has meant I have been able to look back fondly and not dwell on the end which was eating me up.  I can now see that we can have pets in the future and enjoy their lives, company and the lessons they teach without worrying about having to make the most difficult decision I have ever had to make. Again.

First Bounce of the Year!

Spud had us all awake before 6am this morning so we’ve all been a little grumpy from the get go to be honest. The weather is glorious today and the sun is shining, although there are still some stubborn snowmen refusing to melt completely.   We couldn’t stay in and waste the sunshine. Knowing that my planned walk would turn into Spud moaning about being tired and Pooh Bear more than likely falling asleep in the mei tai, I came up with a genius idea to give them some fresh air without too much effort…

I even managed an action shot…

This post is linking up with Coombe Mill’s Country Kids so please pop over and see how everyone else is enjoying the late spring weather.

Mummy Mugshot #17 – Have Sling, Will Travel

Lately, I have been using my beloved Moby Wrap a lot more than usual.   Now Pooh Bear is 22 months, he doesn’t go in it often as we’ve just gotten used to using the buggy instead.  Spud is still getting over his toe op and not been walking as much.  Their double stroller is as basic as you can get and now they are older and heavier, it is a real struggle to push.

I’m so grateful we have the Moby and I’ve used it every time we’ve been out and about this week.  I did wonder if I would be able to carry Pooh Bear far enough in it but it was no effort at all.  His weight is distributed across my shoulders and back so it’s really easy.  On one outing, Pooh Bear actually fell asleep before we had managed to get out of the door so I’m guessing he likes it too!

Here we are a little bit wet (well I am anyway) from all the rain this weekend.  We survived a bus ride and a walk through town with Moby and single buggy without overheating or getting backache so I will be popping him in the wrap more readily in future.  I’m not glad Spud had to go through an operation but I’m glad it gave us an opportunity to rediscover our Moby :)

What have you been up to this week?  I had heard there was more snow on the way but all we got is rain here.

Bibsey Mama is linking up this week with a gorgeous photo in the sunshine so please pop over and take a peep.

 If you have any photos, past or present, you would like to share and link up with Mummy Mugshot this week, grab my badge and leave a link in the comments and I will add it to the main body of this blog post.

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