Stavertongirl

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Posts posted by Stavertongirl

  1. My mum was very good at giving a “clip around the ear hole”, never did us any harm. The worst thing was “You can tell your Dad what you have done when he comes home”, He very rarely shouted, spoke very quietly when he was angry, that was when you knew not to go any further.

    However if you wanted anything the best time to ask him was after he had had his tea and was sat in his armchair smoking his pipe. Never ask for anything before he had eaten! 

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  2. Glad to hear your husband had no ill effects from his fall NonnaB, apart from a thorough dog wash!
    Just had an email from my energy provider to say I have got the warm home grant so £140 has been credited to my account which will pay next months bill and some of the month after. A good day just got better. 

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  3. Not a bad day today. Had a fuddle at my Friday club, good spread, enjoyed the Indian finger food, bahjis (spelling) etc. Good food and enjoyable company.

    Got home and had a letter from NHS Bowel cancer screening saying sample was normal. Must admit this always gives me the collywobbles because of my husband, so great relief to get this. 
    Took Jj for a walk and run after his ball on the park, back home fed him & he is asleep with his head on my knee. 
    Life can be good some days despite covoid.

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  4. One of my uncles (mums brother) was a special policeman and on one of the Beatles visits to Nottingham he was with them as part of their security detail I guess. Days later he told my mum and got a tongue lashing for not getting myself and my friend in to see them or at least getting their autographs. Not that I or my friend were really bothered, we were die hard Stones fans. 

  5. We decided to take Jj back to the vet earlier this week, not because he was unwell again but we were totally confused by the “advice” we were getting from different vets. We had him on a bland diet but one vet we saw advised us to get him on a Hills dog food, when I got it it said for food allergies and skin conditions and that he could only have it and nothing else. At nearly £24 for 7 tins it was very expensive as he should have 2/3 tins a day, and he doesn’t have food allergies or a skin condition he is recovering from the giardia and all information says it takes a little time for the digestive system to settle down again and to give a bland diet.

    We saw a different vet this time and I must say she was amazing. She listened to what we said and answered all our questions, confirmed a bland diet at first, sorted out the correct digestion biscuits (they refunded the amount for the other stuff, which was wrong, and I returned it the next day) and advised how to gradually get him back on the biscuits very slowly. He will then be on these for a little while to make sure everything has settled down and we can then slowly transfer him onto our preferred biscuits. She also picked up that he had infected anal glands, we had queried this with another vet and she had said they looked okay. How she could tell by just looking I don’t know.
    So he is happily munching on chicken and rice, eating a few biscuits (I am only putting 6 in at the moment) and spitting some out and is a lot better. We have to take him back end of December/beginning of January for another check up. We got her name and will be trying to only see her in future as I don’t have a lot of confidence in those we have seen especially the one who was talking about blood tests and referrals for biopsies etc. 
    He has also seen snow for the first time today. He wasn’t sure what to make if it but decided it was good for eating! 
    I have also had the results of my test and it was normal.

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  6. It can be picked up from a lot of places. Dog poo from an infected dog, water, woodland etc. The infected animal sheds it in the form of cysts with a hard shell. We are not sure where he picked it up from. We take him to Wollaton Park, on some bridle paths and through some woods and meadows where he can be let off to chase his ball could be from any of these places. So many don’t clear up after their dogs which drives me mad especially after this. 
    I added some mashed carrots to his chicken & rice yesterday and he also had some porridge with live yoghurt mixed in (which he wasn’t that keen on) as they were on the list of bland foods and he has had an upset stomach today. So it’s back to scrambled egg and chicken & rice with a bit of live yoghurt (not all together I might add). 

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  7. Jj has not been too well recently. We noticed a few weeks ago that his poo was solid in the morning but then got looser & looser through the day. I did mention this to the vet at least twice whilst he was being treated for an ear infection related to his rather bad teething experience. She told me it would be the meat he was on and just to change it as it often happens with puppies.  Hence I now have 3 lots of different dog meat and 2 different types of biscuits. 
    It was getting worse and he wasn’t eating properly so we bit the bullet made an appointment and took a poo sample with us. We saw a different vet, she gave him a check over, he wasn’t impressed with having his temperature taken, and told us they would need 3 samples taken on consecutive days so that the lab could test them. In 3 days I went down samples in hand, well in vials in a blue plastic bag actually, and we had to wait a week before we got results. 
    They came back that he tested positive for giardia, a parasite that burrows into the intestine wall hence the diarrhoea. So armed with medication we went home and he had his first lot of wormer, antibiotics and probiotic. The next day I got a text saying the medication that had to be ordered had arrived and I could pick it up, they had also only given me 10 antibiotics instead of 20 (2 a day for 10 days). When a I got to the vets it was the wormer not the antibiotics although I thought I had got enough of that, 6sachets for 2 a day over 3 consecutive days. Anyway I took it and sorted out the missing antibiotics (which I had already paid for) which they had to order.
    When I got home I noticed on the new wormer packaging it said he was supposed to have 4 sachets over 3 days not 2. I rang the vet and queried this as on the sachets it said for his body weight he should only have 2 but was assured this was right for treating giardia which meant he didn’t have the right disage the first day. Managed to get the stuff down him, it was granules and it wasn’t easy, tablets were hidden in cocktail sausages and finally in dairylea cheese which he is partial to. The probiotic was a thick paste and ended having to open his mouth and smear it on his tongue, a process which would have been easier if I had 3 hands.
    The wormer purged him, made him really poorly, he didn’t eat anything for 3 days and he had explosive diarrhoea. There were 1 or 2 accidents in the house, something he has hardly ever done since I had him and he was a bit upset about it, think he thought he would be in trouble but it wasn’t his fault. We had to take another 3 samples in to see if he was clear after 10 days, made an appointment as well to get him checked out with him not eating although luckily he hadn’t lost any weight in fact he had put a very small bit on. Got some dog food from the vet which was expensive, they certainly know how to charge, £1 cheaper per tin on internet.

    Got a voice mail on my phone from the vet asking me to call as they had the results. Rang back and the receptionist spoke to the vet and relayed the message that the samples weren’t big enough so the lab couldn’t test them but as he was feeling better (?) to leave it for the time being to see how he went on and they would refund the money for the lab tests. I was totally confused, firstly the sample sizes were the same as the first ones and I hadn’t yet paid for the lab tests, plus the last time they saw him he definitely wasn’t getting better. Left it that the vet would ring me back, however later on we decided to go to the vets to see what was going on. Actually managed to speak to the vet and the message we got was about another dog not Jj and his samples were actually clear. He is still not eating properly and has loose poo so she advised us to get some Hills special meat and if he hadn’t improved in 2 weeks to bring him back. She asked if he was insured (he is - bit of a warning sign there) and said he might need blood tests and possibly a referral for a biopsy.
    I must admit by this point our confidence in this vet practice had waned somewhat so ordered the meat from them but did some research on the internet about this. Found out it can take a while for the digestive system to go back to normal and a bland diet is recommended for a while, chicken & rice etc, then slowly introducing the meat back into the diet. So that is what we are trying at the moment which seems to be helping a bit although we haven’t started with the meat yet. He is definitely back to normal in himself and his stomach has stopped gurgling etc. Found the probiotic on the internet that the vet gave us (a lot cheaper again) and have ordered that as well. 
    So hopefully we can get him back to normal without any invasive procedures if we can avoid it as he is only 9 months old at the end of this month. Obviously if this doesn’t work we will have to go back, just hope the catalogue of errors Is over with. 
    The other thing the vet didn’t tell us is that whilst he had it you have to steam clean everything in the house including dog beds etc. as they can keep reinfecting themselves. She did tell me to get tested as I could get it as well, which I have done just waiting for the results from the doctors.

     



     

  8. Today I am having a lazy day after one and a half weeks invigilating mock exams at a local school.

    it was nice to get back to a bit of normality and I felt a bit more confident about it having had my booster before going, however, I still wore a mask especially as the rooms were unventilated. A few of the pupils did to and one of the other invigilators as well. The school didn’t have many cases as well which helped just odd ones picked up by lateral flow tests so that helped.
    I must say the kids were a bit more of a handful than last time, don’t know if this has anything to do with the lockdowns but they were certainly a bit more unruly. We did have 2 new invigilators with us who certainly had a baptism of fire as everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I must say I didn’t enjoy it as much as usual, found it a bit stressful to be honest, but hopefully things will have settled down a bit before the next exams. A case of grit your teeth and think of the money which will cover most of the cost of the repairs to my side roof. Got 4 days off now and then just the last 2 exams on monday then the next lot of exams start early next year.
    It is a welcome supplement to my pensions, not physically hard although there are a lot of rules and regulations you have to keep up with. Some of the safeguarding has been updated this year which entailed a two and a half hour training session and 4 hours “homework”, but we did get paid for our time. I do have certificates for the courses I had to take to say I passed them which was quite a novelty, been more years than I care to remember since I took an exam! 


     

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  9. After having my booster then getting another link to make an appointment for it, I have now been notified by the NHS that, yes, I now qualify for my booster and to click on the link for an appointment at a place of my choosing. 
    Never been so popular:rolleyes:

  10. Had my booster jab (Pfizer) on Saturday at my doctors surgery, exactly 6 months to the day of my second jab. Must say the system in place ran smoothly, very impressed with the surgery nurses (not a doctor in sight I might add) who even handled an elderly lady who wanted an AZ booster as that was the initial jabs she had with tact and kindness eventually persuading her to have the booster.
    However later on Saturday afternoon I got another txt inviting me to have my booster as there were appointments available on Sunday & then got the link to book an appointment. Bit of an admin blip there.

    I didn’t have any side effects from the first 2 jabs, just felt a bit “off” on the day after the second but still able to carry on as normal. Today I have had a few aches and pains and felt a bit tired but nothing major, still able to walk Jj (between showers) etc. I am invigilating at the school from 1 November so it will have had 7 days to work it’s magic and along with my mask and taffix I will hopefully have everything covered. 
    It seems the “government” is once again sleepwalking into another crisis, don’t seem to learn from their mistakes earlier in the pandemic. Oh well I am doing my bit, just wish other people would do theirs. 

     

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  11. I did look to book the booster before I got the txt from my doctors surgery but there was a big banner telling you not to book until you are contacted. I was surprised my doctors, well the nurses really think our doctors have gone into hibernation,  are doing them. I know they did AZ in the initial vaccination push but it makes it easier being local. it means I will have had it just over a week before I start invigilating at the school again. 
    I have read that some are getting a reaction the day or so after the jab, some mild but some quite severe. I just felt a bit “off” for a day after the second jab, didn’t stop me from doing anything though so I will take that over covoid. 
     

  12. Got a txt and have booked for my booster on 23 October. Our doctors surgery which is about 5 minutes walk from me is doing them so saves trailing to the Forest again. Just hope it isn’t the nurse who did my last very painful blood test!

  13. Finally got a quote for the work on my side roof (hooray). After the original person who quoted passed away suddenly a week or so before it was going to be done I was given a recommendation for a local firm.Rang them and they came out to do a quote. It isn’t an enormous job and I got the feeling they weren’t really interested, they didn’t take any measurements etc. just had a look and said they would txt me a quote. I waited a week, rang them and they assured me they were going to do a quote but had been “busy”. If they weren’t interested I would rather they said instead of messing me around. I did notice they are putting themselves forward for jobs on another local website I go on when people are asking for recommendations for extensions etc.  Still haven’t heard anything a week on from that phone call.

    I had another firm recommended to me by someone who has rented properties and uses them. He also let them know I would be ringing. So they came out yesterday morning, measured etc. talked me thru it and I got a quote yesterday afternoon. It is now a bigger job as I have asked for a repair on my conservatory roof to be included as well while they are here (so the other builder missed out not only on that but on other things I want doing in the house but then they would have probably have turned their noses up at those as well). 
    So now hopefully I can cross those two jobs off my list. The quote is a bit more than I really wanted to pay so the decoration of the side room will have to wait a bit but at least it won’t be damp.

     

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  14. Jj is now getting quite big So we are able to take him on longer walks exploring new paths we find. On Sunday we went through Strelley village past the pub and Strelley Hall but as the wood seemed busy we carried straight on past the Mulberry, a way we haven’t been for a while. Jj was on his flexi lead which means he can sniff to his hearts content but we still have him under control. Everything was fine when his tail suddenly dropped and he didn’t want to go any further, after much coaxing we did manage to get him going again, although reluctantly, and after a bit he was back to normal. We found a field that was just grass and he chased his ball about for a while and then we turned back to go for a late lunch. 
    On the way back the same thing happened at exactly the same place. We then realised it was beside the property that has the lions, puma etc. in the back garden so presumably he could smell them and it registered as a threat? 
    He is doing very well with his training, with the help of treats and cocktail sausages (his favourite). The only problem at the moment is that he gets really excited when he sees another dog and jumps about a lot. We are trying to get him to calm down with the aid of making him sit and giving him chicken. This is sometimes successful but is dependent on the other dog owner not letting their dog approach him. Saying “he is friendly” and letting their dog approach isn’t much help when we have a jumping jack on the end of our lead! 

     

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  15. A relative asked me if I had applied for the “Warm Home Grant”, something I had never heard of. Checked with Octopus and it was on their website. Usually I don’t meet the criteria for things like that as a I don’t get Pension Credit etc. but gave it a look. Amazingly I could qualify as I get under £16,000 a year so that was section 1 filled in and surprise surprise I am over 62 so that was section 2 taken care of. Pressed the submit button and off it went into the ether.

    I then got an email from Octopus telling they had received it along with how it works. It is £140 and if I get it it will be paid into my Octopus account as a credit and the bills then taken out of it. Don’t know if I will get it or not but it is worth a try.

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  16. Can anyone recommend someone who can sort out my side room roof (the things that hold the panels in place keep slipping out and I have to hammer them back in), and put guttering on it etc. The person who was going to do it this month has suddenly passed away and I want it doing before the bad weather comes in. 

  17. Must admit I have never heard of Zoot Money at all. Does anyone remember Geno (think that is how you spell it) Washington. I can remember seeing him on quite a few occasions, can remember chanting Geno, Geno at his gigs. Think he had one hit called Michael. 
    Sorry to highjack the subject and go off on a tangent. 

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  18. Finally managed to get a blood test to check my levels for my thyroid medication today. Already had to cancel a hospital appointment because of the shortage of the blood vials. I must say it was the most painful blood test I have ever had which is saying something as my last doctor, who retired during the pandemic, could bring tears to your eyes when he did them. Think my head nearly hit the ceiling as the “small scratch” felt like she had put a red hot needle in my arm, don’t know if perhaps she hit a nerve when she did it if that is possible. I had it done over an hour ago and it is still aching and is tender to the touch, haven’t taken the plaster off yet but am expecting an enormous bruise when I do!