Sunday 8 December 2013

Life's ups and downs


Hello to all my friends. Just a short post to explain my absence for a while. Not only have I been having problems with Blogger but some personal stuff has been going on too. Hopefully all is beginning to get back to normal but do apologise that I've been unable to leave any comments recently, totally out of my control I'm afraid.

As for me - well I had a nasty fall at the top of an escalator three weeks ago - my fault entirely as I wasn't paying attention as I neared the top and went flying over, and until my daughter pressed the emergency stop, everyone else flew over the top of me too! Anyway the upshot was I broke my thumb - well a chipped bone really and after a trip to A&E have been in a splint since then.

The same weekend I lost my very dear Uncle Jack who had been ill for some time. Although expected it was very hard to accept.


He was my late Mum's brother and meant the world to us all. The funeral was Monday down in Bournemouth a 250 mile round trip. However we decided to spend the night before in an hotel nearby to cut back on travelling time. On our way down we stopped at Winchester - more about that another time.

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Me with Uncle Jack and Auntie Rosa on their wedding day 65 years ago

To cap it all I've now gone down with a cold which, on its own is not a problem - we all get them - but it's left me with a nasty chest infection. Anyway enough of all that - Christmas is coming!

I have my grandson Leo staying for the weekend and right now I'm sitting in his school hall where they are holding their Christmas Bazaar and he's having a whale of a time on the various stalls trying to win some prizes. And of course a visit to Santa made his day.


Well that's all from me right now and I'll be back very soon. Got to get back to decorate my tree, make some decorations and bake a cake! Apologies for a gloomy post but I guess life's like that - lot of ups but occasionally some downs.

Take care x

60 comments:

  1. Hi Patricia,
    There is only one way now and that's up. Let's hope all your bad luck is behind you and that Christmas and 2014 will be a happy one. Hope you enjoyed Winchester and so sorry about your Uncle.
    Hugs
    Elizabeth

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    1. Thank you so much Elisabeth and yes Winchester was lovely x

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  2. Dear Patricia - they say things come in 3s so with blogger, your accident and loosing your dear uncle that must be an end to it.
    Hope from now on everything is well with you, and that you have a lovely Christmas and can look forward to a new start in 2014.

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    1. Yes I hope this is a turning point now Rosemary. Thanks for your wishes x

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  3. Dear Patricia, so sorry to hear about your beloved uncle, and your awful accident. Thankfully it was not much worse - escalators always strike me as potentially dangerous! What a sweet little girl you were for your uncle's wedding; now as a grandmother, you are having the joy of taking your grandson to see Santa. Jealous!!

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    1. Thanks for your good wishes Patricia and I'm definitely avoiding escalators for the time being! x

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  4. It is difficult isn't we. Hope your thumb heals soon and you get rid of your chest infection. Everything that happens near Christmas always, for some reason, takes on a greater emphasis doesn't it?

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    1. Thankyou DC, I'm beginning to feel a lot better now x

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  5. Gosh, so sorry to hear all your woes, and hope things will pick up from now onwards.
    Joy x x x

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  6. Oh Patricia, sometimes the world throws things at us and life becomes hard for a while. I'm so sorry to hear about your accident and the loss of your dear Uncle Jack. Blogger misbehaving and the inevitable December cold must just have made things worse. I do hope you are starting to feel better and can enjoy the fun of Christmas preparations with your family.

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    1. Thankyou Perpetua. Normally I'm a pick myself up and dust myself down sort of person, and not prone to moaning but somehow I just started typing and it all came out. Everyone's been so kind. x

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  7. Dear Patricia, you really have had a huge year, haven't you, with the highs and the inevitable lows. nd personal loss is difficult- never a good time to lose someone but Christmas season makes things seem worse. An then your thumb on top of everything - you poor thing. Hopefully the good things - nativity plays included, will warm the cockles of your heart and help you through. Don't worry about blogging - we will be here when you have time to come back. Try and cut back a bit perhaps, on your usual festive arrangements, the planning, I find is as stressful as the activity! Warm hugs, Lynnexxx

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    1. Thanks Lynne for your kind words. I've missed my blogging and am lifted by everyone's good wishes. You're right about the stress that preparations can be, so I'm quite laid back about it all. x

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  8. Condolances on the loss of your dear Uncle. Blogging can take a back seat for a while whilst you get over your nasty accident and get rid of the chest infection. Your lovely grandson will no doubt cheer you up. Take care:).

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    1. Thanks for your kind words Rosie. I'm beginning to feel a lot better now x

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  9. I'm so sorry to hear about your fall on the escalator. It sounds like it was quite scary. I'm glad your daughter thought to hit the emergency stop button. Hopefully your thumb heals quickly!

    I'm also sorry to hear about your uncle. It must have been very hard to say goodbye to someone you obviously loved so much. Hugs to you...

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    1. Thankyou Kristie, your kindness means a lot x

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  10. Hi Patricia, sorry to hear you are having a such a rough time of it and my condolences on your loss. I hope things are on the up for you now and you enjoy your time with your grandson and that your chest infection doesn't hang around too long xx

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    1. Thank you so much Tracy. I had a good weekend with Leo, cheered me up no end x

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  11. So sorry to hear about your beloved uncle. Even when something is expected it's still a shock. Hope you feel better soon xx

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    1. Thank you for your kind thoughts Anne. I'm feeling a lot better now xx

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  12. So sorry to hear you've been having such a sad time. Life can be so awful at times.
    Hope you start to feel better soon.

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    1. Thank you very much Kathy, I appreciate your kind words xx

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  13. I'm sorry to hear all of this, Patricia. I hope you're feeling well and all healed up soon. I'm very sorry for your loss. Thinking of you.

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    1. Many thanks Jennifer, I appreciate your kindness xx

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  14. Oh what a time you've had, I'm sorry to read that life hasn't been great recently but I do hope things have started to improve and you'll be able to enjoy the festive season and find all the good in life again.

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    1. Many thanks Louise. I'm not one to complain normally but this past few weeks had left me feeling low but I've been lifted by everyone's kindness xx

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  15. Oh dear poor Patricia - sorry to hear about all your woes - sometimes life stinks. Hope you feel better soon. p.s. just looking at tbe bride's bouquet - that has to be the biggest one ever.

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    1. Thanks for your kind wishes Elaine. Yes her bouquet was taller than me! xx

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  16. So sorry to hear of your fall and your sadness too. Sending you a big hug and hope you feel better soon.
    Love Gilly xx

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    1. Your kind words are very much appreciated Gilly, thankyou so much xx

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  17. Sorry to hear things haven't been great for you just lately, I'm sure a Grandson weekend made you feel brighter - I've spent many hours sitting in school fairs watching the kids trying to win back all the prizes I donated the week before!
    Sending best wishes to you.

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    1. Thanks Jay I feel a lot better now. Yes the school bazaar went on a bit but the look on his face when he won three large bottles of lemonade on the hoopla made up for it. He could hardly carry them back to my seat! xx

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  18. Sounds like you have had a bad time of it lately, I hope you are on the mend now.

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    1. Thank you so much I'm feeling a lot better now xx

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  19. Sorry to read about your Uncle Jack. A sweet photo with you in it at their wedding.
    What an awful time...to think all those people falling over you..you must have been so scared and in agony.
    It could have been worse.
    I sympathize with you... i am not very happy with blogger.. It sometimes goes haywire.
    I recently had problems as you know.
    I too have not been posting as much.. I have been going to lisbon to see Mr. M.. he is still very ill and in hospital. A sad time for us all.
    like you say Patricia.. life is full of ups and downs.. I only said to my sister the other day..I feel as though i am on a roller coaster.
    sending you big hugs.. take care.
    happy decorating.
    val x x

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    1. Thank you so much Val. I'm feeling a lot better now and trying to be a bit more laid back with everything. Blogger can be a pain at times but I sometimes count to ten before losing my rag. I would hate to lose contact with all my friends who mean a lot to me. I feel uplifted by the caring comments and inspired by others' lives. It's a great way to communicate with such a diverse group of people from all corners of the world. I do hope Mr M is comfortable and getting the TLC he deserves. I pray for you all. Be in touch soon.
      Patricia x

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  20. Oh Patricia, I hope things are picking up for you now. I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. The photo you've shared of him and your auntie is lovely.
    I really hope you're healed and feeling back to normal soon.
    Sending you a big hug, Elisabeth x

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    1. Thankyou Elisabeth this really means a lot xx

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  21. So sorry to hear about the loss of your dear Uncle and your broken thumb. It somehow seems worse when these things happen so close to Christmas. Thinking of you.
    Sarah x

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    1. Thank you Sarah. Feeling much better now x

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  22. I'm sending you a warm hug. I'm so sorry about your uncle and hope you get better in time to enjoy Christmas fully.

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  23. I'm so sorry to hear that you've had a rough time lately with the loss of your dear Uncle, your accident and bad cold. I hope you're feeling a lot better now.

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    1. Thank you so much Linda for your kind words. I do feel better now thankyou. xx

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  24. I'm sorry to hear about your accident and the loss of your Uncle Jack. I hope you've turned a corner now and your cold is getting better.

    You don't look old enough to be a little girl 65 years ago!

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    1. Ah thank you for the compliment but I'll be 67 next birthday! Feeling much better now thanks xx

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  25. I'm sorry to hear about your accident and the loss of your Uncle. I hope you soon feel better, take care. x

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    1. Thank you Julie. I'm feeling much better and looking forward to Christmas now xx

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  26. You have had your share. I am sorry to hear of the passing of your dear Uncle and your accident. Take good care of yourself and remember that better things are coming tomorrow!

    Hugs from Holland ~
    Heidi

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    1. Thanks Heidi it's onwards and upwards from now on xx

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  27. Dear Sweet Patricia, now it is my turn to apologize for not knowing that you were feeling poorly, too. That among everything else. I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, it is always hard to say goodbye to someone we love. That photo of the three of you on his wedding day is a treasure . . . you are adorable :)
    I hate escalators! I am always nervous getting on and off them. You poor girl that had to be a terrible experience. Thank God your daughter was with you.
    Here's to brighter days,
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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    1. Thank you so much dear Connie, your words mean a lot to me. I'm much better now and looking forward to Christmas. xx

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  28. Replies
    1. Hello Leo. Did you like that photo I posted of you then? I've got a few more to add soon. Have a lovely weekend little man. Love you xx

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  29. Hi

    I'm just catching up with everyone to see how they are getting on with their cracker swaps

    I know it's a busy time of year but we are getting closer to last posting dates (i'm working on mine this weekend with the hope of getting it out early next week)

    please can you make sure you have made contact with your swap partner and exchanged addresses

    I'm really looking forward to seeing what you send and receive

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  30. Hi Patricia
    So sorry to hear your sad news about your beloved uncle and your frightening fall and cold on top. I wish you a speedy recovery and things that make you smile over Christmas and happiness in 2014. Love and hugs
    Sarah x

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  31. Oh no! Sending hugs and love to you.

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  32. Dear Patricia,
    My apologies for the lateness of this comment, but I've been having some problems posting/commenting too!
    You will probably be feeling much better by now. Hope so.
    Nevertheless, life has been tinged with sadness with the passing of your dear Uncle. I am sorry.
    With Christmas approaching fast, no doubt you will be busy. Hope the thumb is healing well and not hindering your activities.
    Thank you for your always welcome and cheerful comments on my blog.
    Sending a big hug from across the world :)
    Betty

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