2026 Diary (Page 75)

2026 Diary - Page 75

Jonathon joined us at Da Raffaela in Bromley for lunch (yummy).

It was our last KRA tennis session for this year and it was lovely that quite a few people turned up to play. We played until it was too dark to see the tennis balls.

21 October

Mum - she managed to get out of bed and sit in a chair today (with help) which was great to hear. I've booked train tickets to go to Harrogate tomorrow so I'll see her for myself when I get up north.

Pauline visited Mum this afternoon. The doctor / surgeon was pondering over a different kind of knee brace with a view to Mum being able to go back to Emmaus in a few days time. If that's possible, it will really cheer her up.

Carole met me at Harrogate station and we went to see Mum. She's in Fountains Ward but in a side room so it's nice and quiet for her.

Mum looks really frail with a nasty black eye. She was back in bed but had been sitting in her chair for quite a while today which is good.

Chrissie from Emmaus will visit the hospital to carry out an assessment on Tuesday with a view to Mum moving back to Emmaus next week, all being well.

Carole and I met Pauline at Thirsk Garden Centre for lunch. I was surprised to see robots delivering the food to the tables. They were quite cute!

I went through a load of Mum's papers and popped up to the bungalow to bag up bed linen, table linen, towels and the papers that need to be burnt ready to go to Christine's next week.

Carole made a lovely fish pie for tea then she and I went for a walk round Knaresborough in the dark.

25 October

I did some catching up with bits and pieces today. Washing, gym, Tesco, Boots, taking leaves out of the pond, topping up all the bird feeders, feeding the foxes - they tried to tell me they were absolutely starving but Jonathon said he fed them a bit while I was away.

The wind was really strong so there are leaves all over the garden. There didn't seem to any point in gathering them today only to gather more up tomorrow so that's a job that still needs to be done.

Mr. Brown and Vixie were waiting for me when I got home - anyone would think they hadn't eaten for a month!

Vixie

Jonathon and I went to Da Raffaela for lunch. I had lasagna for a change - yummy and very warming.

I gathered up a lot of leaves at the front of the house and cleared the steps at the back but then ran out of daylight before I could do any more.

28 October

I had a brief visit to the gym before we started our busy day,

First stop after breakfast was Knaresborough to collect the bags to take to Christine's. We called into Pocklington on the way to Catton so Jonathon could check the charity shops (very little of interest) and I could get take out lunch from Laveracks for us all.

We had also hoped to get thank you cheese for Jenny and Peter but the deli was shut so no chance of that.

Today would have been Dad's 92nd birthday so we went to visit him in Whixley churchyard. It's the first time Jonathon has been there so it was good to show him where Dad's ashes are.

I popped in to see Mum but she was very poorly today. Fast asleep so I didn't wake her up. She came round for a little while but didn't recognise me. Carole, Pauline and I are visiting tomorrow for her birthday.

We are back in Room 920 where we should be. Jonathon moved all the stuff from the car while I was visiting Mum and we are now unpacked so can settle better.

We went to Vivido for yummy dinner.

Although it's November, our roses have decided to continue flowering and look very pretty against our front wall.

More autumnal, I spotted this lovely fungus while I was litter picking. I think it's Parasol Mushroom and apparently it's edible but not for me!

I collected some jars for Christine from one of our neighbours then settled in for the evening.

garden

Our Lovely Autumn Garden

3 November

Lots of errands and catching up to do today.

First job - take the soft plastics to Tesco and get back home before James and Co came to do the trees.

Once they were busy, I went to the gym for circuits.

Before they left, James had a look at the hedge cutters we'd brought from Dad's - I had a go with them in the afternoon and they worked fine!

Next job was to take the old newspapers to Andersons then I sat for a while on the phone before successfully booking my next Covid jab.

Spy Alarms came to service the house alarm. They weren't here long and seemed quite efficient.

We had a bird food delivery, a flower delivery and various parcels from Amazon - it was like Piccadilly Circus at times.

After dinner, I took the latest batch of hearts to Frances Chappell then tidied up all the empty garden sacks (James took the green waste away with him) so they are ready to be filled up again.

Tried to talk to Christine but she and a fellow committee member were busy filling in a form to request some grant money for their village hall.

Carole phoned. Mum is still quite alert for short periods of time but soon gets tired. We've had an offer on the bungalow of £350k but the possible buyer isn't ready to proceed until their property is sold. It's scheduled to be auctioned towards the end of the month. Our fingers are tightly crossed.

5 November

I went to M&S to do a food shop before going to the gym. Frustratingly, although my Egym band appeared to connect at the start of the workout, it failed to record it. Grrr!

The photos of Oli that I'd ordered arrived so most of the frames I brought back from Knaresborough are now in use. I'd measured one incorrectly so Jonathon now has the task of finding a replacement frame!

I took Tisha and Nellie out for a walk after dinner. Tisha seemed fine on the walk but she has a cough and was quite bad when we got back home. She's been to the vet and needs an Xray but is on steroids for a few days first. Poor little dogster.

I cut the front mini pyracantha back using Dad's hedge trimmers. Worked well but the battery soon runs down. Probably because it's so old.

Pauline went to see Mum. Unfortunately, Mum's not at all well today - very pale and tired.

6 November

I went for a walk first thing then Jonathon and I met Derek at Manicomio for lunch. Maureen didn't join us because she and Christopher aren't feeling 100%.

Jonathon went straight to a gig when I came home.

I went to Tai Chi in the evening.

I had a call from Francis Chappell asking for 6 red and white hearts for a grieving family so I made a start on those.

7 November

I had an abundance of fox visitors this morning (there was a 5th one - a youngster - just out of camera shot as well).

I went to the Egym for a little while but couldn't do much because I had to be at the station for the Knoll walk.

Our walk today was to South Norwood Country Park and Beckenham Cemetery. Everyone who came seemed to enjoy it. Allison got on the wrong train so missed it but I'm sure I'll do the walk again.

9 November

Gym first then Gilda came and we went for our Monday walk. We stayed local (Gilda is always short of time because of her Monday class). We came across this lovely Autumn wreath on our wander.

Jonathon and I went to The Orpington for lunch. It made a niec change and I enjoyed my cheese and tomato croissant.

Carole messaged to confirm that the ambulance is booked for tomorrow to take Mum back to Emmaus. Mum seems to be looking forward to going home!

10 November

Mum went back to Emmaus today. Carole said that the care team had put some lovely flowers in Mum's room to welcome her back. Hopefully she'll soon settle into her new room on the ground floor.

Circuits was cancelled because Darcey wasn't very well so I pounded on the treadmill for a while then did a tiny bit of egym before heading home.

The foxes were behaving quite strangely as I was starting to cook dinner so Jonathon went down to the pond to find a heron struggling underneath the nets. Thankfully he wasn't harmed and we got him out so he could fly off to safety.

I finished the red and white hearts last night so took those down to Frances Chappell. I was going to get the bus back but when I looked to see when the next one was due it was quicker to walk. I'll definitely have done my steps by bedtime today.

2026 Diary - Page 75
17 October Mum survived the night but is still very poorly. They managed to stop the bleeding last night so that's under control but she has a few small broken bones around her knee replacement and will have to stay in hospital until a knee specialist has seen her. They are managing to keep her pain under control which will help. Carole and I agreed the final wording for the bungalow brochure so that's now on the market. Fingers crossed that we find a buyer at a reasonable price quite quickly. I had a quick visit to the gym then went to the doctors' surgery for my annual flu jab. It was all very efficient and I had most of the morning at home. My arm is a little bit sore but nothing major so I should be able to sleep well, staying off my left hand side.

I went for a walk after dinner - stayed local and enjoyed the Autumn colours. The walk wasn't all about colours - I met a lovely, friendly cat and admired some of the early Halloween characters that are starting to appear in people's front gardens. I caught up with Christine, brought her up to date about Mum. Laura was at her house so our call wasn't as long as normal.

18 October Gym then church. I've achieved Diamond status in the EGYM - hurrah! That's the top level but I'm not sure I'll be able to retain it too easily. I was feeling a bit heady from my flu jab so I stayed in my pew at church rather than going to the front to sing. I took the Knoll Walkers to Tubbenden Meadows and Darrick & Newstead Woods this afternoon. Lots of lovely autumn colour and fungi to admire along the way. Mum is very out of sorts - very frustrated with not being able to do anything. Hopefully, the knee man will see her soon.

19 October Carole let me know that Mum either needs to have an operation for her knee or have a pot on for 6 weeks and possibly not be able to walk again. Mum has decided the op sounds the better bet albeit that sh isn't really strong enough for the anaesthetic. Mum has had a load of medical visitors today and the plan is to get her as hydrated as possible; get her pain under contrtol (she has a number of broken ribs as well as her broked femur) and increase her haemoglobin levels. The earliest they will be able to operate is Friday but that's not certain. I've agreed with Carole that I'll go north before the operation once we have the date. The bungalow sale is looking quite positive with 5 viewings lined up so far and one second viewing for later this week. NFU phoned in response to Mum's letter to them but they can't talk to me without her so I've asked them to put her request on hold until Mum's feeling a bit stronger.
Gilda had a meeting today but Mark joined me. Thankfully, the early morning mist had cleared by the time his train arrived so we had a lovely, sunny walk.
		Jonathon joined us at Da Raffaela in Bromley for lunch (yummy). It was our last KRA tennis session for this year and it was lovely that quite a few people turned up to play. We played until it was too dark to see the tennis balls.
20 October Mum - the medical team have found another complication as a result of her fall which means she won't be able to have her operation after all. She will be kept comfortable and as pain free as possible but that's all they can do now. Carole says Mum seems to be accepting of the situation. Jonathon - went to see an oral surgeon and had bad news that two of his large back teeth need to be dealt with rather than just the one he thought. He's now booked in for that treatment in November. Me - Gym and circuits to start the day. Ben was supposed to come to help in the garden but it was too wet so I managed a bit in the veg beds on my own then got rained off. Gilda and I went to The Peacock Theatre to see "Stories" (tap dancing). It was very dark and dramatic - amazing dancing.
21 October Mum - she managed to get out of bed and sit in a chair today (with help) which was great to hear. I've booked train tickets to go to Harrogate tomorrow so I'll see her for myself when I get up north. Pauline visited Mum this afternoon. The doctor / surgeon was pondering over a different kind of knee brace with a view to Mum being able to go back to Emmaus in a few days time. If that's possible, it will really cheer her up.
	I delivered the latest batch of newsletters to my "patch" then went to the gym. The Ivy are changing their loyalty programme so Jonathon and I went there to use up the points I'd accumulated. I was scheduled to have my hair cut on Saturday but I'll be in Yorkshire so went down to change it. There was a hairdresser available so I had it cut there and then. I feel like I've been scalped. Hope it doesn't take too long to grow again. I've cancelled my covid jab that was due on Saturday but they haven't opened dates for after we get back yet. Sadlers were helpoful when I cancelled my ticket for tomorrow so I now have a credit voucher to use. I packed my bags for tomorrow's trip north and packed a load of stuff for our trip back north next Tuesday, just in case I end up staying up there (not expected).
22 October Gym first then it was time for Chit Chat at The Orpington. There were only a few of us today but we had a good chat. I had a very quick bite to eat at home then had to get an earlier train to London than expected because of cancellations. I still got to Kings Cross with plenty of time to spare. There was an amazing Formula One car at Kings Cross station and my "big" train was on time so a nice easy journey north.
	Carole met me at Harrogate station and we went to see Mum. She's in Fountains Ward but in a side room so it's nice and quiet for her. Mum looks really frail with a nasty black eye. She was back in bed but had been sitting in her chair for quite a while today which is good. Chrissie from Emmaus will visit the hospital to carry out an assessment on Tuesday with a view to Mum moving back to Emmaus next week, all being well.
23 October I got up and went for a walk before breakfast. There'd been a lot of rain overnight but, thankfully, it stopped as I walked out of the door. Marie came to Carole's and M & I went to see Mum. She was really chatty this morning but still frustrated that the staff weren't at her beck and call as much as she'd like.

		Carole and I met Pauline at Thirsk Garden Centre for lunch. I was surprised to see robots delivering the food to the tables. They were quite cute! I went through a load of Mum's papers and popped up to the bungalow to bag up bed linen, table linen, towels and the papers that need to be burnt ready to go to Christine's next week. Carole made a lovely fish pie for tea then she and I went for a walk round Knaresborough in the dark.
24 October The sunrise was amazing when I went for my walk this morning. I wandered along Abbey Road then back into the town centre to knaresborough Castle where the views of the autumn colours were stunning.

		You get a lovely view of the viaduct from the castle.
	Carole and I went to the bungalow after breakfast to do one momre check, replace the batteries in the heating thermostat and add some more stuff to Christine's sacks. From there, she dropped me off in Harrogate and I had an easy journey home. A family joined my table on the train at Leeds and the children kept me amused all the way to London. It was pouring down when I got to Orpington so I was very pleased to get home and into the dry. Pauline went to see Mum today - no change really but she thought Mum was a bit better than when she saw her on Wednesday.
25 October I did some catching up with bits and pieces today. Washing, gym, Tesco, Boots, taking leaves out of the pond, topping up all the bird feeders, feeding the foxes - they tried to tell me they were absolutely starving but Jonathon said he fed them a bit while I was away. The wind was really strong so there are leaves all over the garden. There didn't seem to any point in gathering them today only to gather more up tomorrow so that's a job that still needs to be done.

26 October I delivered newsletters to Alicia and Peitra, two outliers, this morning before I went to the gym. I walked through Priory Gardens en route - it was all quiet with plenty of birds around.	Mr. Brown and Vixie were waiting for me when I got home - anyone would think they hadn't eaten for a month! Jonathon and I went to Da Raffaela for lunch. I had lasagna for a change - yummy and very warming. I gathered up a lot of leaves at the front of the house and cleared the steps at the back but then ran out of daylight before I could do any more.	Our acers are looking stunning now that they are turning into their lovely autumn colours.

27 October It was a nice surprise to find new icons on the EGYM machines for Halloween - so much more interesting than boring gold coins! Our drive to Yorkshire was straightforward but our usual OK Diner didn't get round to taking our order so we moved on to the Newark one where the service was great. We arrived at the Crowne Plaza in Harrogate to find the room we'd booked and paid for had been given to another customer so we are in a different room for one night then moving to "our" room tomorrow.

28 October I had a brief visit to the gym before we started our busy day, First stop after breakfast was Knaresborough to collect the bags to take to Christine's. We called into Pocklington on the way to Catton so Jonathon could check the charity shops (very little of interest) and I could get take out lunch from Laveracks for us all. We had also hoped to get thank you cheese for Jenny and Peter but the deli was shut so no chance of that.		From there, we went to Christine's and got rid of 6 bags of stuff from the bungalow and a box of stuff from us. I took Bertie for a walk along the farm track and admired the calves on the way back.

		Today would have been Dad's 92nd birthday so we went to visit him in Whixley churchyard. It's the first time Jonathon has been there so it was good to show him where Dad's ashes are. I popped in to see Mum but she was very poorly today. Fast asleep so I didn't wake her up. She came round for a little while but didn't recognise me. Carole, Pauline and I are visiting tomorrow for her birthday. We are back in Room 920 where we should be. Jonathon moved all the stuff from the car while I was visiting Mum and we are now unpacked so can settle better. We went to Vivido for yummy dinner.
29 October Mum is 89 years old today. Carole, Pauline and I went to see her after lunch. She was a bit better than yesterday in that the team had got her into a chair but she was still really tired and 10 minutes of us being there was more than enough for her to cope with. Carole had brought cake and she had a few cards around. She's since been moved out of the side room into a bay on the ward so hope she settles in quickly. The update from Emmaus is that she can go back there but can't go back to room 14 on the upper floor. She'll need to be on the ground floor in a much smaller room so she won't be happy but it's still better than staying in hospital when she's OK to leave or trying to find another care home.
		Before all that, I went for a pre-breakfast walk and a second walk before going to see Mum. My second walk was through Coppice Woods. It's my first walk along these paths and the sun was lighting it up beautifully. Jonathon and I went to the bungalow in the afternoon and loaded up the boot with all the stuff we need to take home. Carole came to help then we had a cuppa at her house before going to The Tannin Level for dinner.

30 October We couldn't really decide what to do today and, in the end, decided to travel back to Orpington rather than have to rush back tomorrow. I went for a very misty, pre-breakfast walk before we set off. Today's walk was all around The Stray and the mist / fog made it quite atmospheric. I followed the suggested route (on my phone) to get me back to the hotel so walked along streets I'd not walked before.

		The journey home was very slow in a few places so it took us ages but at least we are home and unpacked ready to face the day tomorrow. Carole messaged to say Mum is a bit brighter today. She's now on the main ward rather than in the side room so she has more to occupy her mind.
31 October It was really misty this morning when I went to the gym. As I wasn't supposed to be home yesterday, I had a free day today so I could spend quite a bit of time there, doing my steps, weights etc. I spent quite a bit of the afternoon sweeping up leaves, monitored by the foxes who clearly thought they'd been abandoned and were starving (they really weren't). The fish weren't at all interested in eating but I took a load of leaves out of the pond then removed the bit of food I'd given them. The sunset was really pretty but seems to be very early!
		Jonathon and I went to Da Raffaela for dinner then to the Churchill Theatre to watch a Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. It wasn't Mischief Theatre's best production but it was quite funny in parts.
1 November Another nice, long session at the gym before leading the Knoll Litter Picking session. We had nore volunteers than ever today and some had already set off before others arrived, hence two photos.
		Although it's November, our roses have decided to continue flowering and look very pretty against our front wall. More autumnal, I spotted this lovely fungus while I was litter picking. I think it's Parasol Mushroom and apparently it's edible but not for me! I collected some jars for Christine from one of our neighbours then settled in for the evening.
2 November Today is Gilda's birthday - 70 today! Before we went for our Monday walk, I went to the gym. No tennis in the wintery months so I have to do my exercise some other way. Our walk was very autumnal with lots of lovely colour. Shaun was home from the garage having passed his MOT. He'd only done 19 miles in the past 12 months so Tim at the garage didn't think it was worth giving him a service. I spent the afternoon tidying up the garden. Again, loads of autumn colour so it was a pleasure to be outside in the drizzle! Pauline cleared Mum's room at Emmaus and put the photos, ornaments etc. in the wardrobe at the bungalow then went to see Mum and reported that she seemed a bit brighter today and was quite chatty which is definitely better than a week ago.

Our Lovely Autumn Garden
3 November Lots of errands and catching up to do today. First job - take the soft plastics to Tesco and get back home before James and Co came to do the trees. Once they were busy, I went to the gym for circuits. Before they left, James had a look at the hedge cutters we'd brought from Dad's - I had a go with them in the afternoon and they worked fine!
	Next job was to take the old newspapers to Andersons then I sat for a while on the phone before successfully booking my next Covid jab. Spy Alarms came to service the house alarm. They weren't here long and seemed quite efficient. We had a bird food delivery, a flower delivery and various parcels from Amazon - it was like Piccadilly Circus at times. After dinner, I took the latest batch of hearts to Frances Chappell then tidied up all the empty garden sacks (James took the green waste away with him) so they are ready to be filled up again. Tried to talk to Christine but she and a fellow committee member were busy filling in a form to request some grant money for their village hall. Carole phoned. Mum is still quite alert for short periods of time but soon gets tired. We've had an offer on the bungalow of £350k but the possible buyer isn't ready to proceed until their property is sold. It's scheduled to be auctioned towards the end of the month. Our fingers are tightly crossed.
4 November Very sad news from Carol today - she's had to have Mia put to sleep. She's been poorly for a while but seems to have gone downhill very quickly recently. Carol is, understandably, very upset. The offer on the bungalow has been increased to £355k but is subject to the auction sale being successful. We should know by the end of the month.
	I went to the gym when I eventually got up (had a bit of a sleep in today). Jonathon and I went to Masala Dabbas for lunch. As they've stopped servicing Jonathon's favourite dish, we decided to share a chicken biryani and some pekora. All very yummy! As Alma has had to go to Albania for a family funeral, I did some cleaning before going to Knit and Natter. There were no squirrels today so it was very quiet with only Anne and me there. Gilda, Jane and I went to The Churchill Theatre to watch "The Other Side of Murder". It was rubbish!
5 November I went to M&S to do a food shop before going to the gym. Frustratingly, although my Egym band appeared to connect at the start of the workout, it failed to record it. Grrr! The photos of Oli that I'd ordered arrived so most of the frames I brought back from Knaresborough are now in use. I'd measured one incorrectly so Jonathon now has the task of finding a replacement frame!		I took Tisha and Nellie out for a walk after dinner. Tisha seemed fine on the walk but she has a cough and was quite bad when we got back home. She's been to the vet and needs an Xray but is on steroids for a few days first. Poor little dogster. I cut the front mini pyracantha back using Dad's hedge trimmers. Worked well but the battery soon runs down. Probably because it's so old. Pauline went to see Mum. Unfortunately, Mum's not at all well today - very pale and tired.
		Our front garden
6 November I went for a walk first thing then Jonathon and I met Derek at Manicomio for lunch. Maureen didn't join us because she and Christopher aren't feeling 100%. Jonathon went straight to a gig when I came home. I went to Tai Chi in the evening. I had a call from Francis Chappell asking for 6 red and white hearts for a grieving family so I made a start on those.

7 November I had an abundance of fox visitors this morning (there was a 5th one - a youngster - just out of camera shot as well). I went to the Egym for a little while but couldn't do much because I had to be at the station for the Knoll walk.		Our walk today was to South Norwood Country Park and Beckenham Cemetery. Everyone who came seemed to enjoy it. Allison got on the wrong train so missed it but I'm sure I'll do the walk again.

		By the time I'd got home and we'd had dinner, it was starting to get a bit to dusky to garden so I caught up with the ironing instead. Carole reported back that Mum seemed a bit brighter. The plan is for her to return to Emmaus House on Tuesday so we are hoping that all goes to plan and Mum can get settled there again.
8 November I went for a walk before breakfast. It was really misty to start with but the sun burnt it off quite quickly. I visited Poverest Park, Covet Wood, Broomhill Common and Broxbourne Gardens - we are really lucky to have such a lot of lovely green spaces in the area.

		As it's Remembrance Day, the Knoll Residents Association prepared a wreath with names provided by our members of people to be remembered. The photo of the war memorial was taken by Diane rather than me. I went to the gym after dinner and to Carol B's to collect some photographic magazines for Henry. Jonathon's new iPad arrived so he has a new toy to play with. Caught up with Christine (finally). She's had two dogs all weekend but Laura collected Percy later in the evening.
9 November Gym first then Gilda came and we went for our Monday walk. We stayed local (Gilda is always short of time because of her Monday class). We came across this lovely Autumn wreath on our wander. Jonathon and I went to The Orpington for lunch. It made a niec change and I enjoyed my cheese and tomato croissant. Carole messaged to confirm that the ambulance is booked for tomorrow to take Mum back to Emmaus. Mum seems to be looking forward to going home!

	As it was a lovely afternoon I decided to do some gardening. The youngest acer is changing colour and looking really pretty. I took the sticking up bits off the bottom Pyracantha then pruned the Cotinus. I had hoped to use the hedge trimmers on a couple of the smaller fir trees but the batteries are defunct so that was a non-starter. I was supposed to have my Covid jab today but apparently my GP surgery think I'm not eligible so that's a visit to be made later this week to find out what's going on.
10 November Mum went back to Emmaus today. Carole said that the care team had put some lovely flowers in Mum's room to welcome her back. Hopefully she'll soon settle into her new room on the ground floor. Circuits was cancelled because Darcey wasn't very well so I pounded on the treadmill for a while then did a tiny bit of egym before heading home.		The foxes were behaving quite strangely as I was starting to cook dinner so Jonathon went down to the pond to find a heron struggling underneath the nets. Thankfully he wasn't harmed and we got him out so he could fly off to safety. I finished the red and white hearts last night so took those down to Frances Chappell. I was going to get the bus back but when I looked to see when the next one was due it was quicker to walk. I'll definitely have done my steps by bedtime today.
	Knoll Chit Chat group had a catch up at Fiesta Mexicana in the High Street. We had a few new people which was good to see. We had our first choir practice for Christmas this evening. As usual, five songs to learn but we've done a couple of them before so that should give us a good start!




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