Parkinson’s and call girls. Now that is life! 🤭

Long time no see on here. What can I say? My version of life is very exciting! Especially these days as Mr Whale’s🐋 Parkinson’s disease has moved up a gear or two.

The year of Covid 19 has, for us being a year of infections, falls, hospital stays and has now culminated with a rather fetching hospital bed residing in our lounge. Very nice! It has an air mattress which rumbles along as quietly as it can… think fish tank pump. ( Once upon a time we kept fish, so that’s okay. ) Enormous fun can be had with raising the bed up and down, raising the top or bottom, and wait for it… both together. We need to get out more, but this cowardly disease prefers to mess with Mr Whale’s head and slowly but surely rob him of his ability to do so many things.

I paint a pretty glum picture of Parkinson’s. But, it’s not all doom and gloom. Somewhere beneath the surface of this evil, b*****d of a disease the man I married some twenty seven years ago, still exists. Occasionally his brilliant sense of humour, which made me fall in love with him, escapes for a brief moment. A good laugh is a tonic for tired and worn out souls.

Currently slipping in and out of a delusional state Mr Whale yesterday told his son that he had just had his call girls in! My stomach hurt from laughing. Later, during a more ‘with it’ moment he saw the funny side of it. His carers probably would as well. They’re a smashing bunch who help to keep him safe and me sane. And when Mr Whale and me both had to test and isolate because of suspected Covid, these amazing folk came in wearing their ‘welding masks’ as one describes them and full PPE. I don’t know how they manage in masks, let alone the full clobber! ( Gear.)

Thank God for Mr Whale’s 🐋call girls.

So, we battle through the days, as we all do, living in a very different world to the one we used to know.

Thanks for stopping by and here’s hoping that you’re managing to find your way through this madness.

Dorne x

Starry night!

In the early hours of this Christmas day, as I prowled round the house turning off lights and extinguishing candles, I was taken by the beauty of the night sky.

I grabbed my trusty mobile phone ( chosen for its nighttime photographic capabilities… I do use it as a phone as well – occasionally ) and headed outside.

The sky made me gasp. Such beauty and also heralding a special day.

My image doesn’t do it justice, but you can make out Orion’s belt above our tree. I’ll keep working on my photography.

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and festive season.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dorne x

This is how I feel this morning.

It’s rather timely that I’m currently working on a post about fibromyalgia, because I appear to have a good dose of the brain fog this morning.

So, we have a post that promises a chill out video and invites you settle down with a coffee etc. Only the video has not made it. Well, not just yet.

It turns up a few minutes later, when your coffee is cold.

Disconnected, fuzzy headed, a bit weird? That and much more is to be found on here.

I shall leave my two halves of the posts… they are so me.

Back to the post about fibromyalgia and me which will appear at some point. Hopefully in one post.

Thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x

Morning coffee break.

I’m still learning how to use this new editor on here and I mostly like it, when it works!

I’ve not posted videos before so here goes.

Grab a coffee, comfy seat, warm throw and get a quick fix of nature at its most peaceful – I reckon.

Thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x

Erm! Where is the lovely, relaxing video? I’ll be back.

Dorne x

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It’s a boy bump!

My daughter is carrying a second son and we are all absolutely thrilled to bits.

It does feel strange, with his older brother Daniel not being here to see him. And I have no doubt that he will remind us of Daniel at times, but, he won’t be him. That will probably take some getting used to. There will be mixed emotions to deal with.

But this little chap will be so very welcome and loved. He comes to us as we are still all learning to cope with the passing of his older brother. How good it will feel to hold him and have that sense of hope. For his parents to have a future again, albeit not the one originally envisioned.

Life doesn’t always work out as we plan and hope, but in amongst the dark days and tears there is the glimmer of sunlight again. I am truly grateful for that.

His parent’s consultant and midwifes are supporting them brilliantly, through what will be a complex pregnancy. A few health issues have been a bit of a niggle, but then every pregnancy comes with its risks and concerns. We live in hope.

This grandma is hopeful and looking forward to meeting our new family member, who is due in early spring. I am sure his other grandmas will be equally excited.

So, it’s fingers, toes and everything else crossed as we wait for our little man to join us. A name has been chosen for him, but I’m not giving it away until he is safely here with us and his mum and dad have decided it suits him and they make it official.

Until then, it’s shopping for baby stuff and dreaming my dreams. It feels great to be able to go back into the baby/ kids section of shops. For so long I’ve not been able to face it.

But what really thrills me is seeing mummy and daddy to – be getting ready to be parents again. Because they are brilliant at it!

Please keep your fingers crossed for us all and thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x

Baby scan day.

No, I’m not pregnant – but my daughter and her fiance are… again.

Those of you that pop on here and read my intermittent ramblings will be aware of our sad loss two years ago.

Just shy of his fifth birthday our grandson Daniel sadly passed away.

To say it has been tough is an understatement. Approaching this devastating loss from my angle it has been a double whammy. I lost my precious grandson and I’ve had to watch his parents work through their unimaginable loss and grief. Words fail me.

And they have silenced my writing since. I have still scribbled in my notes books – confused, emotional and often angry words: and probably in that order.

I’ve drafted pitches to editors, for magazine articles and features and concluded that my head was elsewhere.

On here, are many drafts of unfinished posts and pages that began with gusto, but fizzled out long before I came to the conclusion.

I’ve given myself time. So has my family and today we will hopefully find out whether the baby that my daughter and her fiance are now expecting is a girl or a boy. It’s the twenty week scan.

It feels weird. Exciting and terribly scary, all at once. Not because we’re scared of what could happen – although those circumstances and ideas accompany each and every one of us through life – no, this is because we wonder what it will feel like?

Will we feel guilty if we get caught up in the moment as we bond with a new baby that is full of hope? A baby that gives us a future. A future that was cruelly snatched from Daniel, his parents and all of us, when he passed over.

I often feel Daniel’s presence and I am convinced that he still walks alongside us all. I think he will be a big part of his little sister/ brother’s life. The new baby must not have to live under his shadow though.

It will be a challenge to be happy again with a new child. But, it’s a challenge that we are all up for. Because, life moves on and we find ways of coping. The dead walk with us and we have nothing to feel guilty about.

Not long now before we get to know whether we need pink or blue togs.

I personally can’t wait and I get a feeling that wherever Daniel is he is jumping up and down with excitement also.

I’ll keep you informed and thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x

Give me sunset over a sunrise.

My parents probably thought that naming their first born daughter after the dawn, albeit concocting an usual spelling of it, would result in a soul that embraced the early morning.

Err… wrong.

This dawn sometimes sees the dawn as she lumbers to the loo. Then she clambers back into bed and resumes her snoring.

At this time of the year there are some amazing sunrises, although they do come with a warning …

Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.

The sunsets are just as fantastic and less dangerous.

Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight.

I look forward to the sunsets and head off with the Daisy Dog to drink in, what is for me, a magical time of the day. The sun is leaving us for the day, but in the meantime we are treated to an amazing show of colours, before the inky blue sky takes over.

I feel such a sense of peace as I watch the sunsets at this time of the year. My corner of the world prepares for rest. Wrapped up against the elements it feels good to watch ‘nature’s show’ and then head home for a mug of hot chocolate.

Before an evening in, if I’m lucky, under a fluffy throw on the sofa, binge – watching box sets… usually zombies and vikings.

As I said before, dawn doesn’t even come anywhere near me. Dracula is perhaps more fitting as I revel in the dark, cosy evenings. Don’t get me wrong – the lighter evenings have their attractions, but I adore dark and mysterious.

Autumn and winter? Not a problem for me. How about you? Dawn or dusk?

Thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x

It’s all right, I’ve got cover – kind of.

Oh yes, when I bought my last washing machine I duly took out a cover plan. It was common sense and a no-brainer.

Last night the said machine decided to make a weird, rather worrying noise. No problem! I’m covered.

Yes, they will come out to repair my poorly washing machine… in a week’s time.

A whole week!

Now, there’s only two of us and a pesky greyhound in this household, but between us we keep the dirty wash basket very busy. It hasn’t had a vacation in …. never.

And here’s the thing. If I got my local repair guy out – as he comes out to my other non-covered appliances – he would likely turn out this week and quite possibly have our poorly machine working, or declare a death sentence sooner than a week today. That way, I could skip off to choose a new machine and know that help was on the way. I may well wait a week to have a washing machine funeral and then wait some more for my new baby. All the time with clothes growing new life forms of their own in the wash basket.

Yes, that was really clever of me.

This cover plan will be allowed to lapse and my local guy will be up for a job next time.

But before then, we have a week of hand washing of smalls, that aren’t that small. And with two grown adults that fail to hit their mouths on a regular basis, things will get very messy. And that pesky greyhound will not wear boots to prevent muddy paw marks.

It’s okay. Just calm Dorne! I’ve got this. I’ll just fast-forward this week.

Is there anyone else out there with dirty smalls and a washing machine that refuses to wash them?

Thanks for dropping by.

Dorne x