Monday round up

Good morning everyone.

It seems such a short time since I was saying this last week, I can hardly believe another week of the year’s gone and March is here already.

I enjoyed some cold but bright weather here over the weekend, interspersed with the inevitable rain, but on Sunday morning I was so delighted to hear a dawn chorus, and see some early sunshine, and the return of my annual visitors, the pair of ring-necked doves, to the tree outside my apartment, and where they are currently hanging out together, shooing away a lone noisy magpie who has been using it as an occasional bachelor pad during the winter. Thank goodness for a little brightness to report.

So, on we go to our new week. To those who us joined over the past week, a warm welcome, and many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the forum with their opinions, support and valuable help.

Has anyone else been watching the BBC series ‘Murder 24/7’? I caught up on that over the weekend. It’s a police documentary mini-series and is generally very interesting, (although quite gritty). But I was particularly caught up in a short but sad and distressing case that came up in the second part of episode 3, in which a man had thrown his own mother over the balcony of her nursing home, resulting in her death. She was suffering with dementia and receiving palliative care, and the program really did capture a moral dilemma for a generally very loving son. I thought the outcome of the trial was as fair as it could be, given the awful circumstances. If you happened to see it, what did you think? And if you didn’t but have access to catch-up TV, the series is well worth a viewing, but I should warn that some of the scenes are not for the faint of heart.

Lynd raised a very interesting point on coronavirus and upcoming holidays. It’s a dilemma isn’t it? We none of us know how this is going to turn out, and I think the general consensus was that it’s probably better to stay put, if you haven’t already got firm holiday plans in place, until the way forward becomes clearer.

It was also really interesting to hear of hers and others' experiences of social prescribing, in which we might be offered non-medical help by our GPs as a more holistic approach to some of our health conditions. I think it can only be a good thing and would like to see this become more common. It makes a lot of sense to consider how our social situations are influencing our health. I think that Healthunlocked has a part to play in that too, as it's really helpful to find groups of people whose experiences are common to your own. It makes you feel less alone.

Thanks too to all who contributed to the discussion on aggression in Caring.

I hope everyone gets off to a good start to this week, and hope you’ll continue to find time to check in on our Care Community.

Best wishes and remember to take the time to care for yourselves as well as those you care for.

[sassy59]

Hi Callendersgal, I really can’t believe it’s March already but we have our son’s 42nd birthday to celebrate on Sunday so something to look forward to. The weather at the weekend was very mixed but the sun did come out eventually.

Grandchildren round yesterday which was great fun and a beef casserole was enjoyed by Pete and I plus daughter in law and granddaughter.

Hoping you and everyone have a great week. Take care all. Xxxxx

[Hidden in reply to sassy59]

Hi sassy59,

Sounds like you had a really nice weekend and I'm so pleased for you. And another to look forward to next week, with your son's upcoming birthday. Family weekends really are lovely aren't they? Enjoy your week too. x

[sassy59 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your kind reply Callendersgal. I love family weekends and we’re looking forward to Easter too.

Stay well. Xxx😘

[Lynd]

It's a gloomy outlook out there regards Corona virus. I was a bit alarmed that people of my age group have been told to avoid crowds. How do you avoid crowds in something like a supermarket. I suppose you could order online but surely your mental health will suffer if you have to avoid going out????

So far I think Government information is not clear enough. I think it will be picnics in the park instead of holidays this summer 😁

The situation you mentioned on the TV sounds horrendous Callendersgal.

I presume he couldn't cope with seeing his mother suffering. Only guessing as haven't watched it.

Well spring ha sprung. Bits of sunshine and daffodils out in all their glory.

There is a very good Facebook page called Villager Jim. His photos are a joy.

Worth a look.

[Hidden in reply to Lynd]

Hi Lynd,

I'm definitely going to take a look at Villager Jim's FB page. Thanks for the suggestion. Despite all the dirty weather we had in February, spring has managed to keep itself on track and it is so cheering to see the spring flowers emerging, along with the the birds.

I'm not worrying unduly about coronavirus itself as there's no point. What's aggravating is the government's mixed messages and the overall feeling that it has no clue itself how to manage any crisis arising because of it. But the world has faced worse before and I'm sure we'll learn to cope with whatever restrictions are placed upon us. As you say, better to take pleasure in the smaller outings for as long as we can, for now. And the more mature among us might be at an increased risk of serious consequences of coronavirus, but weighed against that is the fact that we are much more stoic and better at managing crises than the young.

Yes, that was the absolutely the reasoning behind the unfortunate case in Murder 24/7. A sombre reminder of what can happen when the correct support isn't in place for someone, for whatever reason.

Anyway, good to hear from you and enjoy your week. I hope its a good one!

[secrets22]

I find it frightening how quickly the time has flown by,March already,surely not...but seems to me once Wednesday is here the weekend is on us,and I look back and see that I've done very little.

No I did not watch Murder 24/7.....I prefer Escape to the Chateau and A new life in the sun,and almost any documentary .

Wishing you all a happy week.

[Hidden]

Hi secrets22,

Oh I absolutely love both Escape to the Chateau and A New Life in the Sun. Such lovely escapism and to do it from an armchair with none of the risks, is probably even better than doing it yourself!

I don't think we should ever berate ourselves or feel guilty for finding we've done very little over a period of time. Most of us have had times when there was too little leisure and far too much to do. Having not much to do is only a problem if it's accompanied by feelings of boredom, loneliness or guilt. But it's odd how we can feel judged if we just enjoy doing absolutely nothing. I always get that feeling when I've had an occasional lie-in, as though it's somehow written in the laws of the universe that you must be up by 8am. (But I fight that feeling, of course)!

Thanks for your contribution to the debate, and I hope you have a pleasant week.

[Lynd]

I like those too. It amuses me when people are shown the most amazing properties and they are sniffy about them 😁

Shakespeare and Hathaway has been a good afternoon series.

Longing for summer when we don't do much daytime TV 😁