Val's Cafe

Skinny Keef

Hey Reshmi, my pain levels are up today unfortunately thanks for asking, but I’ve been back in ‘that’ car again today, admittedly driving rather than passenger which is a lot better, but even so it still aggravates, but what can I do when I want to take my family out and actually chat to Sucré on the journey about things we see. Can’t do that when I bike it. Although i did bike it to the zoo for lunch Friday.

Me and Loanda often used to take our own transport if we were going out. I like my bikes and she likes her Mini and having the tunes on, and then when we would get to our destination, for example a garden centre for lunch, we would make a big thing about meeting up like it was a secret liaison. Often got tongues wagging lol.

Not quite the same now I park in disabled and hobble in with the stick. Although I do get black looks and comments about parking my bike in the disabled spot, which I avoid if there is somewhere better to stick the bike. One guy was taking photos of the bike in one of the many free disabled spots recently and I asked him if everything was okay? He said oh yes, i just wanted to show my mate such a lovely bike parked up, with a blue badge on it in that space, he’ll find it hilarious. At least he was friendly.

Anyway I’ve just popped two tram and I’m gonna go horizontal for a while to take the strain off.

Evening all. Lol (i never actually sed that when I was working).

Jewels1973

I’ve just found Val’s Cafe I’m a newbie here I’ve posted two hello things rambly as usual. All of you sound like you have an excellent sense of humour and I’m so glad I found this. It’s lovely you all check up on each other. I’m Julie, 49 & from the West Midlands, not married, no kids I sound like I’m on a singles ad!! You really are a great bunch of people and whilst I wait for my never ending diagnosis I will look forward to knocking on the door of Val’s Cafe hope newbies are allowed. Much love to everyone and I hope all of you aren’t in too much pain today. Julie xxx

bosh

Hi Keef

sorry to hear your pain levels are up today

do you take methotrexate? I was just curious

im still suffering from the mxt hangover as Toni and I call it so pretty shattered really

yes some people have nothing better to do with their time than become “experts” in disability unfortunately

hope you’re night isn’t too bad take care

hi @Jewels1973 nice to meet you

good night everyone tc xx

ps Spock cookie jar, mainly for toady lol xx

Skinny Keef

Hi Reshmi, nope I don’t take methowhatsit.

x

Skinny Keef

Anyone with hip pain waiting for replacement - does the pain get worse when laying down on side with bad hip highest?

thanx

frogmorton

Morning! It's erm raining again🙄

Morning Joan hope you and Sue are well? My lovely neighbour is doing fine now thanks for asking. Kari's cat is doing really well too bless her. She has a mammary tumour or did have hopefully it's gone now. paws crossed. I think Paul might chase his tilt test today if I remind him. ((())) xxx

Morning Reshmi. Thanks for asking I am ok all ok after Friday night's yukky medicine. How about you? I hope a bit less tired toady and the normal back ache is bearable. Your Mum too is she well?

I love BIL's breakfast! Crikey I'd hazard a guess that it was not in any way shape or form vegan!! I think plant based mash probably has vegan marge instead of butter in it! Imagine people not being able to work it out for themselves though😂

Did you and your Mum enjoy that peace without your Dad?

Aw LA! He'd had enough of the grown ups talking. Bless him maybe it was giving him a headache. They like a good gossip and natter do they? That boy is brave!

Was that during the impromptu lunch that you swerved?

Are there any plans for LA to stay with you all again over the summer holidays?

Have a good day😊 It's raining so ☔ or coat with a hood required for walking if you brave it today🙄

Morning Keef How are you all? I hope recovered from that nasty cold you all got?

That thing to keep you warm on the bike - what a great idea. I only ever had a moped when I was young, but gosh it did get cold!

I remember once being out on it getting caught in a storm (summer one) and being wet right through to my undies😳

Any more news about adopting the guitar in need?

Hope you have a good day.

Morning Toady how are you this rainy day?

Isn't the weather terrible still. I do still prefer it to the fires other countries have been having though.

I have also had a dreadful gardening year this year and need to think and plan better for next year myself. My seeds will be sadly being packed away just like yours and i owe my garden a huge apology for the failures..... I need to mulch more, finish moving my veggie bed move the hydrangeas to more shady areas....oh gosh you name it I need to do it😳

Sleek only had tiniest splash of paint on her when she came home. She is quite pawticular about her fur staying pristine as you know so had her overalls on

She says she quite likes MRS B now. It's 'her' job to keep random cats out of your garden. Apparently.

That photo BTW is just so sweet bless her. There have been tiny short lived spells of sunshine when all is well with the garden (and world) 😊

Ah Kari's pusskin has a mammary tumour well hopefully not now. It was removed on Friday. She is 17 years old and seems to have taken it all in her stride bless her.

The weather on Saturday was incredibly good wasn't it? I expect Sunday wasn't as good. I think we did the right thing coming home on Saturday. It was a great event I will definitely go again next year.

Best get on I hope you have a good day today.

frogmorton

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) love to you and and your carers (()) love to Anita (()) and Val (()) and Emily (()) and your Dad (())

Toady (()) I hope you have a good day today. When do you get the results of your blood test. We did have a Woolworth’s has well. How often does Mrs B get new feathers.

Barbara (()) love to you and Mr B (()) i hope all is going has best has it can for you (()) love to your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your brother’s girlfriend (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (())

Toni (()) Kari’s puss is doing well (()) all the best to it. That’s good your neighbour is doing well (()). Love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Keef one of those you wear on your bike would be good for me on my mobility scooter. I understand your pain I had a scan on my hip it’s artificial about 30 years old. The pain is down that side. I hope you don’t have to wait to long (()) love to Loanda and Sucr’e (())

Reshmi (())) love to you and your mum (()) have a good day.

Julie (()) welcome sorry about your pain what Arthritis have you got (())

bosh

Hi everyone

good afternoon

hope you’re all doing ok?

im ok thanks but mum had hypo and stomach pains

shes just got the stomach issues now and spoke to hospital doc on phone, she just needs to rest now and eat simple food

im just a bit tired now

bye for now all tc xx

Jewels1973

Thanks for the lovely welcome everyone I hope you aren’t in too much pain today I keep saying that when you all probably are! To answer @dachshund Im not sure yet I’ve been in pain since March 2022 been to see private rheumatologist passed round different people got a high ESR I know my doctor was thinking Rheumatoid Arthritis & now my private insurance won’t pay anymore so I’m having to start all over again and hope that the NHS will take me & I can find out what’s happening. I just thought for you cat lovers out there this is our cat we call him Mr Thomas he’s a rescue cat and lovely with it. Hello to everyone thanks for you all welcoming me so nicely 🦋

toady

Hello everyone 👋

Just doing my last-minute Monday ebay listings and have not even had lunch yet, if anyone would like to pass me a sandwich - sliced cheese, any cheese, triangular, octagonal, not fussed 😂 (edit: scratch that, I put this in draft since & went to forage for something myself).

I have just been reading about Etsy sellers having trouble with their funds being put on hold frog, hope Kari doesn't run into any issues with this as the people affected seemed to think it was all very arbitrary 😮 had caused them major problems. She will have read about this as well I'm sure. Love to her cat, dear old thing, very well done getting through that, so pleased she's doing well. I loved Sleek's overalls 😍 I should get some! but I would not look as sweet as that 😔. We will regroup in our gardens next year, for sure 👍️ I will be armed with new bits of kit & lessons learned. Wasn't raining here this morning but a bit on & off since, mostly just gloomy (and cold, I'd have to say 😬). Yes you had the best of the festival by the sounds but it's nice to know it will be worth a return visit. Hope you are getting on ok with anything you're up to today - is the Fig cover on its way btw? my auction item hasn't been dispatched even 😕. Have a good afternoon :) xx

Hello joan, I will only get my bloods when I see someone next & not sure when that will be at the moment. They will just be poking about looking at my inflammatory markers I'm not expecting them to be anything different to the usual. Mrs B gets new feathers once a year, it's around now that they moult, but it's usually after breeding season ends and she hasn't nested as far as I know 🤔 I suppose she could be moulting as usual anyway, or else has just lost a tail feather or two. I still miss Woolworths so much 😣 so sad. Hope all's well with you today you'll be glad of the heating I'm quite chilly! 😬 Love to both :) xx

Hi bosh, hope you are less tired today, that 'oh toady..' was terribly heartfelt 😟 I should have ushered you to a chaise longue for a nice recline a la Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and some tea & some of those sympathetic biscuits you mentioned. Not sure what they would be like but I feel there is a definite gap in the market for them 😄 then again I probably misread and you meant 'tea and sympathy, and biscuits'. Either way something out of the Spock cookie jar will do nicely 👍️ that is a very good Spock I must say. Glad you had a little quiet yesterday with HV & MV out with EF, and today with your dad's meeting. I've never had dosa I'm dreadfully unadventurous, partly wary of my stomach like you, I think sour daal & coconut chutney might be beyond mine's limits as well, but up to that point it sounded very nice 😊. Glad the Balzac is going well in quality even if not in quantity, you do make it sound lovely, I dare not add it to the list this minute but one day. Yes there is a touch of the Poe about poor dolly's arm haha and very good point about plastic blood tests, you would need more than a sharp scratch 😬! Hope you have a good evening :) xx p.s. sorry, I missed reading about your mum's stomach pains, do hope they ease off 😔

No 'evening all' back then keef, how about ello ello ello? Heated garments actually sound like something I might give more than a 2nd thought to 🤔 have heard of them but never looked into. I went to check out reviews of cheap ones on ama*on just for the amusement of seeing if the 1 star reviews were for too cold/no use or too hot & had singed people (the former, unsurprisingly). Sorry you were awake in the early hours hope things settled down today. x

Quick hi to @Jewels1973 who I have already 'met' 😊 welcome to the Cafe. Lovely cat 😺 no cat currently but very fond of them x

Love to Barbara, Kitty & anyone not in at the moment, or anyone new 👋 xx

Skinny Keef

Hey Toady, the heated clothing made by Keis is what i use. They do a battery powered version of various garments, my jacket is actually the vehicle powered version and is the mkiii version i think. The early ones i had failed after about 6 months.

It will flatten a bike battery in an hour if the engine is off (don’t ask me how i know, but I nearly missed a ferry one winter due to a flat battery).

the battery or dual power ones are more economical.

hey Dashchund, my hip pain is new. I’m going back to docs with it. It is keeping me awake at night even when the tram has settled my back pain down.

hey Toni, cold thing has flared up a bit today, and Loanda is bad now too, although at her parents as she sposed to be working.

modern rain gear is excellent but yes i too have had the dreaded wet underwear more times than i care to remember after an hour or so in severe weather. Doesn’t happen these days thankfully.

Hey Reshmi, hope mum is okay now. My mum is 85 today.

hey Jewels. Nice pic 😁

toady

Thanks for the info keef I did pass that name by in my quick researches, nice to have a pointer as to the dual power &c. I'll definitely give it some thought, once we get anywhere near cold weather I should probably do something if it means not being unnecessarily miserable til midMay again.

Happy birthday to your Mum 🎂 I know you went to see her in advance, then forgot again to mention it today sorry. Hope she had a good day. x

bosh

Hi Toni toady Joan Keef and Jewels1973

my mum is still having stomach problems

she’s got a blood test at hospital on Thursday I’m going with her in case she feels weak when walking

it’s so heartbreaking to see her so low weak and sad

it may have been the catered food at QJumper’s party - that QJ woman has always been trouble

Keef - that’s nice about your mum.

toady thanks for the chaise lol - maybe we need a bed in VC - so we can eat biccies in shifts lol

Toni I’m glad you enjoyed the vegan gathering- yes I did indeed swerve that lunch - can you imagine coconut chutney and sour daal on top of a belly full of milk?🤢

hi Jewels sorry you’re in a lot of pain right now

I hope we all have a better day tomorrow

good night everyone tc. xx

Skinny Keef

This is the guitar Toni. Zoomed in so you can see the relic finish.

apparently Keef Richard of rolling stones asked Fender to ‘bash up’ his guitars when they supplied them coz he didn’t like them looking all new and boring and took too long to age naturally and the whole relic thing began. There is a massive argument in the guitar community about it. I personally like it, more so now I don’t have enough life left to age it myself with 30 years of playing and gigging.

i am still trying to justify buying it, even more so as I recently sold one coz i had too many as was only playing bass due to the pain……

Skinny Keef

Hey Reshmi, so sorry to hear about your mum. I hope the blood test comes back with an easy treatable thing rather than being inconclusive. Had same with my mum a few years back. Very stressful time. Please keep your spirits up and keep us informed. Sending love and hugs to you both.

Jewels1973

@toady 👋 again and thanks for the lovely comment about our cat. You’ve been so welcoming today all of you have.

@bosh Im so sorry your mum is having stomach troubles and you are a great daughter going with her to the hospital I hope things resolve quickly for her and that’s a very true statement let’s hope tomorrow is better for all of us.

Little potted history of me I’m 49, live with my dad and brother very sadly my mum passed away 8 years ago she was only 67 & sometimes you just want your mum whatever age you are to say it’s going to be alright but I’m going to have to be the one to do that. My brother is 47 and has long covid unfortunately and has had it for 3 years. My dad who still works had to be rushed to hospital in April he had to have a cervIcal laminectomy (piece of his spine removed) so we all live together so we all pulled together (we’re a very close family) and he’s working from home now he’s made of steel he’s 77! We sound a right motley crue! So been a strange year plus I have ME but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Thanks to everyone that’s been so flipping kind it’s lovely to just be able to say oh yes I am in pain rather than oh don’t worry to my friends. You are a great group of people. Hope everyone sleeps well & tomorrow is another day ❤️. Julie x

Skinny Keef

MMS

frogmorton

WHITE RABBITS

Morning Joan I'm sorry to have to say that my sister's cat took a turn for the worst yesterday her heart and lungs failed and the vet did the necessary😕 we are all heartbroken. She is now in the garden in her sunny spot. I was able to stroke her before she went to rest. Hope you and your lovely dogs are well ((())) xxx

Morning Reshmi how are you today?

Your poor mum let's hope it was just the food at QJ's party and it eases off soon. I am glad you are going with her for her bloods that's by far the best thing. Bless her. Bloomin QJ lady🙄

You were wise to swerve the meal, but may I ask is this BIL's dish of the day?

Is it WR today if your mum is up to it?

Thanks I did enjoy the vegan festival, but ate far too much stomach nearly recovered now though. All my own fault. 13,000 people were there.

I hope your day is a good one ((()))

Morning Keef thanks for the coffee.

Oh dear me poor Loanda ill and having to work. I hope she copes ok.

I rather think you should 'take in' that poor guitar it needs a good home don't you think and you have room for it....?

I had no idea that stars like Keith Richard prefer their guitars to look 'worn in'! I like the look too.

That heated suit sounds great is it safe in the rain then? Just thinking of the soaking wet underwear. The sound when it slops on the bathroom floor 🤣 It was still worth it even then.

Hope your day is good and the rain gives us all a break soon.

Morning Julie nice to see you again.

Thanks for your bit of history really useful. If you want us to tell you anything about us or any of our short acronyms etc please please do ask. We want you to feel welcome.

Here you can be in pain and forget about it for a bit or have a moan if you want to without judgement. I hope you do get to the bottom of your pain one day soon, but as long as 'they' help you not everyone gets a label unfortunately.

Your dad sounds amazing I am so sorry you lost your Mum young. My Dad was 66 my mum just 70 so I know how you feel luckily I have my older sister and brother living nearby.

I love your cat, Mr Thomas, he looks very sweet. I also have a cat whose nickname is Sleek due to her not being so slim!

Take care

Morning Toady how are you today? I hope not so bad.

Yesterday was not a good day at all. I am so sorry to say my sister's dear pusskin died yesterday morning. Luckily I was able to go round after the foodbank run in the morning and stayed until after 3pm. Her son came after work and dig a hole in the sunny spot in the garden. Kari is going to plant a pussywillow.

I have overalls not so like Sleek's they are more like mechanics old Birmingham city council ones I got in a charity shop. They are great they can go on top of even my best(!) clothes. You need some. Along with everything we shall plan over winter to have a much much better year next year outside.

My figgy cover is here! It's fabulous really a quality one made especially for teh fig so fits her wing mirrors perfectly.☺️ Will do really good feedback it's clearly hardly used and worth over !£100 I got it for 30.

I will ask my sister about etsy...hmmm? I don't think she cared about that yesterday bless her.

Take care of yourself and eat lunch!

bosh

Hi everyone

hope you’re all doing ok today?

mum is feeling slightly better thanks

hi Toni

normal walk today not WR

wppl xx

ps japanese frog bread or something like that apparently lol xx

frogmorton

Reshmi

I love the bread it's so sweet!! ❤️

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) Thinking of you I hope all is well there. Love to Anita (()) and Val (()) and Emily (()) and your Dad (())

Toady (()) sorry you have not had your parcel yet. Have a good day (()) they say it’s rain for the next month.

Barbara (()) love to you and Mr B (()) and your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your brother’s girlfriend (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (())

Toni (()) I’m so sorry about Kari’s cat she’s not in pain anymore (()) that’s good your tummy feels better now (()) How is your friend with the Yorkies (()). Love to Paul (()) and Charley (())) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Keef thank you for the photo of your guitar (()) sorry Loanda i hope it doesn’t last to long (()) love to Surc’e (())

Rushmi (()) I’m sorry your mum was bad I hope she feels a bit better soon (()) have a good day

Jewel Mr Thomas is a lovely cat how old is he. I hope you soon find out what is you have so has they can treat it better (())

Skinny Keef

Loanda foned in sick today.

Ive got another bad pain day. Thank heavens for grand parents. Sucré gone off with nanny and grandpa for the day.

laying down listening to the radio is becoming my new daily activity

Skinny Keef

Ah yes, whilst I remember Toni, heated gear must not be used wet. Decent water proof or umbrella is a must as they draw more than enough current to tazer you or worse.

very tempting to press ‘buy now’ on that guitar. Especially as i am s bit miserable.

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you today?

mum is definitely in better spirits today 🙏

her stomach isn’t fully settled but it’s better than yesterday thanks

EF are going to Portugal on holiday tomorrow

so I guess it’s prawn milkshakes daily for bill 😱

I didn’t do WR walk yesterday as that would’ve left me exhausted for whole day and not able to help mum sufficiently

wow that’s a lot of vegans

glad your stomach is almost better

sis and bill forgot to book seat numbers for flight out so BR and LA may be sitting separately- how irresponsible and ooky 😱

let’s hope an air hostess isn’t so charmed by LA that she serves him alcohol!! Oh dear.

ok I’ll go for now bit tired

have a good afternoon Toni tc xx

ps japanese frog and toad rice balls apparently lol (sorry about the eggs) xx