Not sure what to do !!!

I know Mr Darcy would not manage living with my mum @Shaz51 either in our house or her's.

I know Mr Darcy would not manage living with my mum @Shaz51 either in our house or her's. ---- tottally the same here my @Former-Member

makes it hard xx

Last day of he year @Shaz51 🥂💥💥💥🥂

❤️❤️❤️ @Shaz51

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.

There was a pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.

"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."

"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.

"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.

"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right."

- A.A. Milne

Sending thoughts to those having a Difficult Day today and hope you have your own Piglet to sit beside you 🧡

@Emelia8, I've been reading a few news articles about some of the areas that were firegrounds earlier this year, and now coping with flooding and/or wild weather while trying to deal with the virus... Big load. Lots of thoughts and prayers with you and your community. x

Also in the position where both Hubby and I have had to stop work due to our Older Daughter's MI. She doesn't live at home, but having to be available for repeated crises wears you down over time. We're both "creatives" so were self-employed working from home, but there's still social circles connected with that kind of work, and one odd thing is that there's less of a dividing line between "employed/not employed". You cut back and slow down until eventually you realise it's gone so far that there's no foreseeable prospect of being able to "pick up" to the point where you can actually earn anything from it. I still get caught out sometimes with grief over what I've had to leave behind.

@Anastasia, so you're one of those people whose birthday parties are almost impossible to organise because all the potential guests are already going to another party that night? Or do you roll with it, and just tell yourself that the whole world is celebrating your birthday, they just don't know it? 🙂

I turned 50 almost two years ago. It's actually turned out to be a good milestone in some ways. Hard to put a finger on why...

@Shaz51, you're between a rock and a hard place. I think for the long term, yours and Mr Shaz's wellbeing needs to come first, but at the same time, you don't want to miss out on being there for you Mum when she needs you. I hope you can work out a real solution.

Haha @Smc yes!!!

I just roll with it now. I do have fireworks each year so I always feel special :):):)

That is good to hear, I hope so too. Have a lovely day dear Smc x

Oh you are a flatterer @Anastasia 😊 re your comment that I have a 'young screen presence'. Thank you ... I think?

Oh yes, I remember the year when I turned 50 (such a long time ago 😂) ... I think it dawned upon me that year that I really was getting old/er. I have always been mistaken for someone quite a bit younger than I am, but I think more recently I definitely look my age. Certainly I feel it.

I think I was attracted to the volunteer work in nursing homes because I had my own parents a long way away from me and I was unable to visit them. So it was a bit like ... I will help out someone elses parents, and hope that someone elsewhere might do the same for my parents. Too late for my Mum now of course, but Dad gets looked after well by the people we set him up with for AgedCare. The people who deliver his meals each day, and do some cleaning and bed changing and showering once a week are really fabulous to and with him.

I do a bit of all sorts in the nursing home when I do go. I am in the Volunteer Community Visitor program, and have been allocated a certain person with similar interests, but whom has no other visitors. But I also help out with activities and outings sometimes. But my main role is to visit this particular person and spend time with her as her special visitor, someone specifically for her. Its sad because so many of these residents have no family left, or none living nearby. But yes, hopefully one day soon .. the facilities will be able to reopen to visitors and I can start going again.

Oh yes, the power did eventually come back on on Monday. It was only out for just on 2 hours. So all good this time. Really just an inconvenience because we had no idea how long it would be out for. Not sure if I could cook the planned dinner or if I would have to resort to cold chicken and salad. The only thing in our house that is not electricity reliant is our wood burning fire in our living room. We had that going on the day, and at least it provided a bit of firelight in the dark.

I have read that wind has a negative influence on mood for a great number of people. I do live in a lovely area of NSW. But I gues like many people in the Bush ... mother nature can strike back with droughts, fires, floods and storms. We all take our share of those in Australia. After all we are, in Dorthea Mackellars famous words:

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

Love the Pooh Bear and Piglet story .. thank you so much for sharing. 🤗 Its so sweet.

It sounds as though you work for a good organisation, and thats absolute priceless. Though with the changed circumstances meaning a change of roles, it does mean some added stress unfortunately. But at least its something you can do from home, and in todays COVID environment, thats a big plus I think.

Are you working today? How is your Boy getting along so far?

Emelia 🌸