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.

 

Oh No It's Broken!

There have been no blogs for the past week or so because Ferretfingers has had to have the plate and pins that were put in to support his broken ankle in 2020 (see February/hospital blogs) taken out as they’ve been causing a long standing infection.   

At some point I shall probably blog further about this.

As you can imagine accompanying him to hospital, albeit day surgery under general anaesthetic, and nursing him at home since has taken it out of me.

Add to that preparing for and presiding at the WI AGM and I’ve simply exhausted myself.

However I’ve had a decent night’s sleep and this is too good to resist.

From Facebook Archives

19 March 2024 at 16:58

At lunchtime at Ouseburn Farm Ferretfingers went to the loo and was there for so long I wondered whether I'd missed him coming out.

The shop lad came out so I asked him whether Ferretfingers was in the gents. 

Yes. 

What was he doing? 

He didn't know.

So I opened the door a little, called his name and heard "Oh No!"

"What?"

"There's a hole!"

"Well leave it alone.  If there's a hole in something just leave it alone" which I knew was pointless but hope springs eternal.

"Oh No It's Broken."

"What's broken?" 

And, more to the point, will I have to pay for it to be repaired?

I could bear it no longer so I pushed to door further open and looked around it to find Ferretfingers standing with his pull ups at half- mast and his underpants forming a sort of little lime green skirt.

He had found a hole in the crotch and worked at it until it was completely rent asunder.

I'm afraid I couldn't help laughing.

Nor could the farm manager and staff when I explained to them that we were going home early and would be visiting Sainsbury's underwear department on the way

Miss Doozer  The image of the lime green skirt

LNR Never a dull moment for you Ben

 

 

Sauce For The Goose

Following on from yesterday’s Everyday Sexism

From Facebook Archives

12 March 2013 at 16.13

Men say that the Women should come with instructions but what's the point of that?   Have you ever seen a man read any instructions? (Nicked from Supercosmic )

Boatman  Forgive me, but many women do come with instructions: lots of them. It starts with your mum...

Bess Cavalier  Actually, my husband does - he loves a good instruction manual (to the point of taking them upstairs as bedside reading) and feels really cheated by the modern tendancy for pictogram instructions, which he thinks is just dumbing down!

Boatman  Well designed 'things' should need no more instructions than are strictly necessary. How it works is good; when to oil is probably necessary...