That’s a really old one - I think I bought it in Norwich…

I’ve been a bit fragile this week, so sticking with mint tea tonight, while keeping an eye on a big pot of soup. #ConfinedCocktails

If your mum not only accepts, but actively likes the carers, and is doing well at home with their & your support, that’s a really big win. I’m glad you’ve got that.

I wish I thought my dad would accept outside help. He still thinks he’s fine. Don’t think he has a clue how hard it is for my mum.

Restorative (premix) Negroni & flowers, after a lovely walk in the sun this afternoon. Had intended to do something more adventurous but needed a post-walk nap before dealing with flowers (& the water that went everywhere when I unwrapped them!) #ConfinedCocktails #UnconfinedWalks

Such a glorious splash of colour.
They’ve survived the rain remarkably well.

Back to sleet/ snow now, but I was almost home when it started, & the rest of the walk was good.

The sun is nearly out, & I’ve made it down to the local park for coffee and fresh air. A definite improvement on the last few days #UnconfinedWalks

Getting older sucks, essentially. Seems like everything gets more complicated - and more expensive.

(Contemplating my growing collection of current & semi-current meds & grateful, in a roundabout way, that I don’t pay for prescriptions. Not that I appreciate cancer as a reason for that).

I think I’m grateful the optician doesn’t think I’m a good candidate for varifocals (prescription too unbalanced). My normal glasses are expensive enough as it is, by the time they’re thinned enough not to lie at a significant angle. Juggling distance + reading glasses is a pain, but manageable.

This is one reason I have 2 pairs of distance glasses - no matter how stupid I am about putting them in daft places I can almost invariably find one pair!

Different (& strong) opinions make for good discussion. I still remember the exam answer I wrote (I think Higher rather than Standard Grade) about how much I hated Catcher in the Rye. Which i had forced myself to read the night before the exam. Must have been ok as I got a decent grade.

I have a daiquiri for a change, having dug an excellent bottle of Orkney rum out of the cupboard - and am watching Winter Olympics. Recovery continues - having a quiet evening after enjoying lunch out & looking forward to a friend visiting tomorrow. #ConfinedCocktails

Snowdrops, cyclamen & hellebores in the church gardens this morning. Thanks to @gen3cats.bsky.social for encouraging me to go out on a thoroughly dismal day. #UnConfinedWalks

I know really. Rain is better than snow/ ice, which I really can’t risk. It’s just forcing myself to do it. Keep reminding myself that I’ll be less stiff & sore if I keep moving. I’m talking to my medical teams about overnight pain relief, which is part of the problem, but will take time to sort.

Even the (excellent) local bakery isn’t sufficient incentive right now 😢 Haven’t been sleeping well, so I’m tired, which doesn’t help. If I got that far I could do a loop round the church gardens to look for snowdrops. But not in the rain.

Yep. I’m recovering from spinal surgery & supposed to be getting out for regular walks & generally pushing to increase my step count every day. I really don’t want to go out when it’s like this 😢

If the weather is as dismal there as it is here, the cat has the right idea.

I mostly drink neat, but also good topped up with Prosecco (or your choice of fizz).

It is chilli night here, so I also had a margarita (couldn’t quite face salting the rim, but otherwise classic). Drinking with caution as I’m less than 2 weeks post-surgery & still taking quite a lot of pain meds, but it is very good to be home. #ConfinedCocktails

You get some pretty random pricing on Abe Books, though. Really shows up how well (or otherwise!) book dealers know the field. Common to find massively inflated prices for mass-produced titles by very collectible authors on the grounds that _some_ of their work is rare & worth £100s

That’s the case in the Catholic Church, where First Holy Communion is a big event. I’m not aware of it in the CofE or other UK Protestant denominations.

BCP has a form for conditional baptism where it is uncertain whether the person has previously been validly baptised (eg if baptised by a lay person in extremis & they were unsure of the wording used). I would guess that is what is meant here, though it’s a very odd way of putting it.

Got it - thank you!

I tried to sign up for this, but have had no confirmation. Can you confirm what is happening? Signed up with personal email as I’m on sick leave, but Kat Rawling did some of her research with us at Tyne & Wear Archives, & I’ve done enough work with NHS records to be particularly interested in this.

That reminds me of my granny’s tea spoon collection. Hadn’t thought about it in years.

Stuff like that happens when you’re dealing with a lot. Go easy on yourself.

Always a difficult one, even when it wasn’t the home you grew up in. Don’t rush yourselves.

This is the view from the train. Seen it many times.

I’ve only been to Saltaire once, and that was a long time ago. Probably time we went back - I’m not sure D has ever been.

I’m quite fond of the Hockney too. D has had this for a long time. Here’s a more complete view of it (pity about the reflection of the light).