been a while sorry all. not really felt well,bloody chest infection,thought i had got rid of it,it came back. and brought its mates. going back to drs tomorrow. mum has had so much pain,she is trying to struggle on,but the gout has taken up residence in her toes,goes back next week. i have been looking at what was promised at my carers assessment way back in january, that someone would come round once a week to see mum from a volunteer group,sit and have chat with her,allow me an hour or 2. hasn't happened. someone would come and help me fill in and give advice about benefit forms. hasn't happened. "my" social worker is always on other end of phone for me if i need her. well she may be but must be bloody long phone line,never available,hasn't returned calls. there is soooooooo much help for you mr lake.she said. only.i have had absolutely none. i am writing a long,vitriolic,and rather bitter letter tomorrow. see if that helps. i have to say that i am getting rather annoyed with mums carer as well, is supposed to get here at 7am til 7.30.to help mum wash,dress,etc. and once a week shower and wash mums hair. usually gets here 6.50 quick rub down with an oily rag for mum,and she is through here at 7.05. carer has cuppa gone by 7.20 at latest. she always seems to be showing new carers ropes. don't seem to stay with company long. ermmmmm do i sound bit fed up?? lolol.well,sometimes it gets to me sorry.
recent cold weather has meant my heating been going full blast,i had 500 litres back in november of heating oil,which was all we could afford, and we were getting low. then 2 weeks ago,i looked out of kitchen window,heating had just come on and vesuvius was erupting lol thick black oily sooty smoke pouring out of boiler exhaust. so i rang emergency repair line,turned heating off,good job we have electric fire in lounge,and waited. full marks. at mine in 2 hours. he came in, had coffee,switched heating on,looked,swore,turned heating off. he had to strip the whole boiler down,what a filthy job. took him 4 hours to get it going,and hardly swore what a saint lol. he told me my oil was "dirty" lot of crap in it,i had to have my tank replaced last year under guarantee,it had cracked all the way around the back,and when it was replaced the engineer said he thought all the sediment that was in the old tank,was transferred into new. also said i was very low on oil. i had to borrow,don't mind admitting,the money to pay for it off my friend,pay her back evry week. now for the scary bit. i had oil fired central heating installed 4 years last october,1300 litres of oil cost £224 $450 lucy,and my american friends, last november 500 litres cost £223. 2 and a half times more and now?? 500 litres cost me £263 thats 8p a litre more in 5 months. and that is scary.
when you think though,i used to buy 2 cwt of coal a week to heat just 1 room with coal fire,plus a storage heater in mums bedroom. coal is now around £14 a cwt 1 storage heater was 50p a night now would be at least 70p that is around £5 a week say £20 a week to heat just 2 rooms,with all the dust and making fires up. 500 litres cost 224 for 5 months which is roughly £45 a month £11 a week and my whole house is lovely and warm and all the hot water i want still half the price. but i do wonder,just how many old people there are who just darent turn their heating on. fuel prices are out of control.
duck update. donald and jem are still coming round, but not every day now,and they arent staying so long. soon,they will go. another spring is just around the corner. take care all
