And Finally?

It’s a long one but it’s a Bank Holiday

I’m combining these two because they mark the end of the Facebook posts about the ankle saga. 

12 August 2025 at 12.31

The community nurse says Ferretfingers can be signed off. 

All that's left is a scab. 

If he wasn't such a picker we'd be happy to leave it uncovered, but I don't want to take the risk.   

He's been picking at his shin leading to 4 little holes in various stages of repair, so the nurse can see the problem.   

I believe the picking is a stress thing - he must have been very stressed over the past six months too and it has to come out somehow.   

On the bright side he is now allowed baths and to go swimming. 

Tonight he will have his first bath since 12th March.   

Swimming will have to wait as he's quite enjoying the gym and all its machines with screens. 

FiB  Great news Ben x

Henlady  Delighted Ferretfingers’s on the final stage of recovery.

Mrs Lasagne  Really good news xxxx

Mrs Bun  Brilliant news

Mrs Poet  What a time you have had.  Am ordering the Best mum plaque now!

Paganess  Great news

Tylebach  Great news xxx

Bazoukiboy  Excellent news.

31 August 2025 at 10.07

Sitting here doing my facebook thing, hear an imperious "Mu-um", go into his bedroom with a "What?" to find him lying, smugly, with the elastoplast off and final bit of the scab gone.   

Since he was discharged by the community nurse I've been putting dressings on to prevent him picking at it (and another has gone on this morning).    

Last March his leg was open from the top to the bottom of that pink scar line, infected and clotfilled.

I'm beginning to believe it's over, but will be watching it like a hawk for some considerable time.

Ms LNR  Ahhh Ben . I am so pleased. You must have been worried sick .

Bentonbag  I was, it will take a while to get over it.

Ms LNR  It looked really bad mind . He must have been in so much pain too xx

Bentonbag  Yes, and hardly a murmur of complaint.

Ms LNR  What a brave lad xxx

Henlady  A long journey for you both xxxx

Paganess  Finally, that's nicely healed. Now, if you can stop him scratching around it for a little while longer it'll all be beautiful healthy skin. After which you both deserve a huge reward!

Bentonbag  Can you recommend any oil or ointment that I can use to moisturise it and hopefully stop any picking? I'm still putting dressings on but it's getting pricey as he reacts to the cheap plasters' adhesive.

Paganess  CeraVe or Epimax

Miss GH It's looking good xx

 

For the full saga (so far) see

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-history-of-ferretfingers-ankle.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/returning-from-hiatus.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-one-emails-and-texts.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-two-and-three-texts.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-four-journal-mostly.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-days-five-and-six-journal-and.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-days-seven-and-eightjournal-and.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-nine-texts.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-ten-texts-and-journal.html

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-days-eleven-twelve-and-thirteen.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-fourteen-journal-and-texts.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-fifteen-and-sixteen-journal.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-days-seventeen-eighteen-and.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-twenty-part-one-journal.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-day-twenty-part-two-texts-and.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-back-to-normality.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-pico-vac-dressing.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-follow-up-appointments.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/05/hiatus-aftermath.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2025/06/tomorrow-world.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2026/07/getting-there.html 

https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2026/07/getting-there-bit-more.html 

I can’t promise we won’t return to the subject, especially if there is no other useable post in the Facebook Archives 

 

 

Wardrobe Weeding

Following on from Thursday’s blog.

Regular readers will remember that last week I visited the Marie Curie shop in Wallsend Forum, and the 

St Oswald’s Hospice and Salvation Army shops on Chillingham Road.  

This Friday I had another trip into the Forum (for fruit for the knit’n’natter ladies) and found a short sleeved white cotton shirt and v-neck Cotton Traders’ t-shirt in the almost empty MarieCurie shop, for a pound each.  

Yesterday morning I went up to FourLaneEnds for Ferretfingers’ prescription and took the opportunity to look around while I was up there.  

I took a bag of rags to St Oswald's and bought two paperbacks (Ian Rankin and PDJames).   

Popped into Benton Cat & Dog Shelter Shop and found another pair of cool summer trousers (£5!).   

Then I discovered the pharmacy was shut so it had been an unnecessary journey.

But I had the hwyl so, when I got home, I dragged the suitcase of things-that-may-be-useful-sometime out from under the bed.   

Two pairs of shorts and three pairs of trousers, which will only fit me in the unlikely event that I lose 4 stone, went into the bag.   

Next I got everything out from the top of my wardrobe.   

Any garments I want to keep for sentimental reasons are now in the suitcase back under the bed.  

I tried on all the trousers, jeans and jeggings, and those which I would have to lose more than half a stone to fit into went into the bag.   

As did some tops which I’d kept in case they ‘came in handy’.

There are now at least a dozen pairs of trousers for all seasons in the wardrobe, as well as a good half dozen pairs of leggings, and some shorts.   

Not to mention dungarees, hoodies and swimsuits.  

The aim is to launder the garments on the chairdrobe when they need it, or the weather dictates they can no longer be worn, and put them away tidy up there until they come back into season.   

At least now there’s some room.

There are two and a half Sainsbury’s bags waiting to go up the road.

Half way through the proceedings Fester decided to come up for a lie down, but I was not put off and continued to sort things out around his recumbent posture. 

Middlesister would be proud of me.

 

POST SCRIPT 

The blue short sleeved shirt I got last week was far too big for me (must have been mis-sized) however it fits Fester, who has only just learnt that women's garments button up on the other side.

"What's the point of that?"

You might well ask. 

Cat Tales #46 Season's Change

Last Monday I blogged about the return of Felix to the martial bed; putting it down to the change in the weather.   

Neither cat has been upstairs for a couple of months.

It hadn’t occurred to me that our time in the office hadn’t been disturbed by a cat for the same amount of time.   

This has made life a lot easier and considerably reduced the amount of cursing.  

Fester continued to swear at his laptop and keyboard.

I managed reduced that somewhat by clearing out all the cat hair that had accumulated in the hole below the little red light under his mouse (do have a peek and do the same if your mouse is misbehaving).   

This idyll ceased the night before last.  

Fester and I were sitting, silently, companionably, at our right angled work stations; me on my desktop; him with his desktop but also using his laptop as a tv.   

Then suddenly, 

WOOMPH

THUD

and the sound of scrambling

as Felix landed on the bench.   

The mouses went to the left, the laptop to the right and Fester up to the ceiling.  

Later, when Thunderthighs joined me downstairs I regaled him with this story and we spent the rest of the evening giggling as the stream of invective at Felix filtered down from above.