Keep The Home Fires Burning

From Facebook Archives

25 March 2014 at 22:48

I think I may have passed my celtic pyromania onto my sons.

I've been so cold and miserable recently I finally gave in and laid a fire in our newly installed grate (using the bits of waste timber from the house renovations). 

The boys were fascinated. 

Thunderthighs even left his laptop and tv, came down from the loft and spent most of the evening with me. 

Once it had got going we found all sorts of naughty unrecyclable rubbish to throw on - most of which went up really well (sorry ecowarriors but it's a toss up between our enjoyment and landfill).

Fester came out with a good point "You're warming your mind as well as your body." 

True the central heating works perfectly well but a fire is more convincing at making you feel warm.

And I could bore Thunderthighs rigid with stories of how his grandma and greatgrandma used to lay fires, the use of blazers and banking up coal fires with llidy*.

Hendlady  Did you make real toast on the fire??????

Bentonbag  No, the only toasting fork I have is my Granma's antique brass one with a Rabbie Burns handle.  Also I've not yet got back the knack of getting a good red glow going - not sure if I can manage it without coal.  But I'm on the look out for a poker and/or set of fire irons if anyone knows where I could pick some up.

Drummermant  You forgot to mention holiday cottages...

Bentonbag  "You can be sure of a warm welcome in Wales"

Being pedantic it was second homes rather than self-catering cottages which at least give some sort of income and a little work on change over weekends.  

(That's my guilt at using holiday cottages assuaged 😀)

Mrs KA  TRUE quality family time spent watching the flames dance. very theraputic too.

Maughans in Whitley bay sell companion sets but look in Featonby's first.

Mrs Poet  Warming your mind is lovely.

Mrs Frayarn  I used to love that at my grandpa's, making a fire and keeping it going, hypnotic and very relaxing.

Dulcima  Wouldn't be without my coal fire.  It warms the fabric of the house like no central heating ever does.

* I honestly don't know the English for this as it was what Granma always said.  'Coal dust' perhaps - tiny little bits of coal the size of grains of rice.  She would scrape the bottom of the coal shed and keep an enamel pie dish of llidy by the fire which she would use to 'bank it up'; to keep the fire going slowly and safely if she was going to be away from it for a while.

 

An Unexpected Find

A request on Facebook from an old schoolmate for a photo of our fathers, who were friends from childhood, when they were boys has sent me rummaging through the CD-RWs for the original scan.

Not being sure which disc it was on (they’re labelled a little better now) it took a while and on the way I discovered some other treasures.

These included very old family photos which I’d remembered seeing but had forgotten that I had and some documents scanned by Bigbrother.

Amongst these was a letter from our maternal grandfather’s half-sister dated 17^th April 1969.

Grandfather was born in Montrose (Scotland) in the 1880s.  His parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents worked in the linen manufactory while his maternal grandmother kept house for them all and cared for the younger children.  When he was ten his mother passed away, at which point her husband (our great grandfather) returned to Northern Ireland to find work, fully intending to take his children back when he was settled.   

Our great-great-grandmother had other ideas, having lost a daughter she seems to have been determined to keep her grandchildren.  She won and, sadly for him, she had turned our grandfather against him so much he refused to have anything to do with his father or even use his surname.

Some years later Great-grandfather remarried and had another three children. 

Grandfather refused to have anything to do with them as well, even when his half-sister attempted to reconnect.  His daughter however, our lovely Aunty Edna, did write to the lady I suppose we should call Great-Aunt Alice.

Great-Aunt Alice wrote her letter from Springfield Road, Belfast, and following four pages of family history and news, she closed with

“We are having a lively time here with the civil right marches and Paisleyites, I am sure you read about them ….God Bless You All Love Alice”

Which, considering what was going on in Northern Ireland at the time (The Troubles) is an understatement I both appreciate and applaud.

 

With Friends Like This

From Facebook Archives

22 March 2017 at 17:17

To Tynemouth with Ferretfingers to relieve Mrs Poet of some books and have a coffee and chat.   

We had intended walking to Cullercoats but Ferretfingers decided we'd walk to North Shields instead. 

So through Knotts Flats, down the concrete steps and along the riverside path to the Fish Quay for lunch.   

Then to the Ferry to South Shields and Metro all the way home.  

 So we missed most of the rain.  

 The ferry went up the river almost as far as Royal Quays to keep out of the way of an outgoing container vessel before crossing over.

Mrs Poet  It was really lovely to see you, Ben.💖 Thanks for relieving me of the Japanese photographic porn .

 

The History Of Ferretfingers' Ankle

As promised yesterday

7 February 2020:  Ferretfingers slips on gravel and breaks both ankle bones

9 February 2020: A plate and pin are put in Ferretfingers’s ankle at the RVI.

15 June 2020:  Scar and leg become red and inflamed, photograph sent to GP.  Diagnosed as cellulitis, anti-biotics prescribed.

10 February 2022 - From Facebook Archives

“After his bath last night Ferretfingers came to me saying "Woe is me" and showed me his ankle.  There is an area of redness on his broken ankle wound.  It was sore and puffy and there was puffiness down by where the ankle bone sticks out.  It appears to be less puffy but there seems to be a little black bit in the middle of the swelling.  I've sent photos to and had a telephone appointment with Dr F and she's emailing a prescription to Lloyds Pharmacy.”

The little black bit turned into something like a small boil erupting pus.   

The anti-biotics seemed to work but it never totally cleared up.  It would looks as though it had, then a week or two later there would be another eruption of a small amount of pus.  Whenever this happened, and for some days after, the wound was cleaned with hand sanitiser, which stopped things getting worse.

27 February 2023 - From Facebook Archives

“I was back up with Ferretfingers with his infected scar, again: the third time since he broke his ankle.  He was given fucidimide (?) cream at his annual medical and, whilst it improved things, it's still red and we we're still getting little drops of pus every few days.  Dr A had a good look through his notes, including the photos I sent during lockdown.  He's got a course of anti-biotics.  Back in a fortnight to see if it's healed and then she wants to organise an ultra-sound to check there isn't anything nasty happening deep down where we can't see it.”

11 April 2023:  X ray showed nothing

27 April 2023:  MRI scan showed nothing

10 May 2023:  Another prescription for Fucicide (?) cream

27 September 2024:  Annual medical – anti-biotics Fluoxocillin – and 30g Hydrocortisone 1% thinly applied daily for two weeks, also Hydromol ointment for dry skin twice daily.

21 October 2024:  GP took swab – Fluoxicillin – course ended 30^th October

5 November 2024:  GP refers Ferretfingers to Osteology.  Recommends replacing Hydromol with Dermol lotion which we have used most mornings and every evening since

17 December 2024 – From Facebook Archives

“Ferretfingers's ankle has flared up again. The second/last lot of antibiotics (Fluoxicillin) seemed to work.  Finished last Monday, Saturday night it was red and Sunday sore again with an eruption of puss.  Got an appointment at the GP and as soon as Parkside Pharmacy opens this morning I'm collecting another, different, lot of antibiotics.”

15 January 2025:  Another eruption.  More Fluoxicillin

It continued to calm down, then become inflamed, develop a head, erupt, get cleaned, calm down, repeat…

12 February 2025:  Ferretfingers is seen by the Osteology team at the Freeman Hospital.

13 March 2025:  The plate and most of the pins were taken out under a general anaesthetic as day surgery. 

Ferretfingers must not get the dressing and bandages wet, must keep the leg elevated and has painkillers.  He cannot attend the day centre, or Ouseburn Farm or go out with his outreach worker.  Swmimming is out of the question.  

I’ve put him a chair and pouffe in the sunny bay window where he has access and control of the tv, his laptop on a high stool, his tablet on the windowsill and cold drink on the coffee table.  He’s entertained and fed but does sometimes call for painkillers.   

At night he has the bottle we bought when he came home from the RVI in 2020 by the bed and my day starts with pouring the contents down the loo and rinsing it out.

Oh the glamour.

Ferretfingers has a follow-up appointment on Wednesday 26^th March.

Watch this space.