Sudokuaholics Anonymous 5

Just read an interesting article about 'walkable' neighbourhoods. It suggests that when shops, banks etc are walking distance away, and there are paths, trees etc along the way, people tend to be slimmer. When people more to the suburbs where there are mostly homes and the layout is aimed at cars rather than walking, people tend to be heavier.

The point? When I quit work I moved from a place where I walked to the grocery store, restaurants and malls to a suburb where the closest store was 2 miles away (okay to walk, but not to carry groceries). I have always blamed quitting work for the 9 pounds I gained, but it may not have been that at all!

MizT - hope you got my reply to your e-mail...I couldn't save it to my pictures...but L O V E it! Perhpps sent as an attachment? Just a thought, I'm really very dense when it comes to this pooter stuff (not to say I'm backed up!)

Oh! How did that happen?? There were 3 posts to go!!!! Never mind how.... where's my broom!

Suzy - when I lived in Monterey I was a 20 minute walk to downtown. I walked or rode my bike everywhere. Now that we have retired we are out in the country (boonies) and although I ride my bike 2 times a week...it's pretty hard to do any errands. Should we go back to work??? no!

I will have to Vici. Life is too expensive! Now if I would just write that paper instead of posting in here!!!!!

Love your bear. It must be a CA thing as hubby has the same idea as you! A pooter is not a computer....

When I was working I had an upstairs office, I lived upstairs, and there were stairs most of the way down to the stores and restaurants. I moved to a single story house in a flat neighbourhood miles from anything except the school. Then I did my knee in and couldn't even walk to the school anymore! No wonder I gained weight!

My little kitty (who was a ferral kitten) has trouble with her pooter - I've always called the "Petromalt" gel I give her to keep her regular (which she HATES) her "pooter medicine".
Your hubby is from CA? Where abouts?

I have had back problems from time to time (that's what I eventually retired out of the Fire Department from - blown disc) and it makes it so hard when you can't move around, even if you want to!

Off to pick up the dinner from India Oven...be back later

Los Angeles, but lived in lots of different cities in LA and Orange Counties...

I'm converting my degree to a teaching credential (Ozzie style though - Graduate Diploma of Education) so I can go back to work. Just have to finish....

Off to do stuff too, make sure you get enough Indian food for me too...

SA5, had a wongerful sleep in this morning and feel on top of the world. Might even take Bella for a short walk as the sun is shining and no artic breeze today.

Broni, isn't it amazing what a good night's sleep will do? I am glad you are feeling better and yes, sunshine, fresh air and a walk is good medicine. It might keep you out of mischief, like doing something you should not be doing yet.

VICI, the attached file sent. Hope that works for you. Glad you liked my little avatar, I have fun doing these. Keeps me in practice so I do not forget how to do it and it is exercise for the brain, just as sudoku and jigsaws are. That is what I tell my hubby anyway :)

MizT the walk was noice, but the tummy is still a bit sore. Let Bella off in the park so she had a good run around and sniffed everything. When you have some free time MizT I would love one of your name avatars.

BRONI, so sorry I did not make you a name avatar before this. I will get on that soonest. I will need your e-mail adress to send the graphic, and I do not seem to have it. Can you private message it to me?

Hi everybody.
Well, just want to say how wonderfully colourful my 'friends' page is.... it is so good to have such easy access to links to your page. Must confess tho that it is mostly just the people in here that I'm interested in having the links too!!

Haven't been around much over the last few days... since Saturday. Recall posting and wondering how Gail would cope over the weekend without her pooter and was struck down and dumped off line myself!! Seem to have sorted out the problem and it is with great relief I sat down yesterday to start a sudoku and catch up on all the chat in here.

It is good to see that Vici has really joined and got into the swing of SA5. Good one.

Great that you were up to a walk today Broni. Can do without that blast from the Artic....I noticed the other day that it was warmer down here than it was up there .. yeehaa!!!!
Sun is smiling bravely today but it is still cold out. Will have to contemplate what to do next.... inside or outside jobs?

Wow..3700 comments. What a chatty bunch we are.
More dramas with MIL today ... ambulance was called by safety link and she is now in the RMH. She dresses in front of the heater in the lounge and this morning she was found in a confused state on the floor in front of the heater by a neighbour.

We have taken one of our dogs over to live with her for company and hubby sleeps there most nights of the week and checks she is ok before he goes to work in the morning. Interestingly Pete was at home with us last night and maybe that cup of tea that he takes her in the morning before he leaves does her a lot more good than we realised.

She would LOVE to come and live with us but I am still recovering from caring for my mother and don't feel I can take on another full time job at this stage of my life. Would like for Lachie to at least finish school before I consider that idea.

I probably need to go and make up the spare bed and ponder what we should do next. Will be easier to decide if the medicos can work out what caused her confused state this morning. No obvious sign of stroke or hit on the head.

MizT do not be sorry I have never asked before, email addy on the way.
Bean, hope MIL improves and they find out what is wrong, know exactly what you mean, heart wrenching decisions but you come first otherwise you are no good to anyone.

Couldn't agree more Broni.
Have just spoken to Pete and it sounds like she is a lot better... she is worrying about 'Old Tom'... her mate and best friend... the older of our 2 dogs. [He is the one in the bag on my page.] My life gets more and more like a script out of 'Mother & Son' by the minute... Pete said listening to the nurses trying to explain to MIL that they needed a urine specimen was quite entertaining [she is deaf to boot which doesn't help]

Coffee machine is hot... I'm having a flat white.... can't be bothered washing the milk frother and jug' and so any orders that don't involve me frothing the milk are more than welcome

Hi Bean,
Sorry to hear about your MIL, is this the first time she has been confused?

Yep flat white for me too Bean, like mine real strong. Mother and Son! could barely stand to watch that show was way too close to home for my liking, but that is another story.

I'm a flat white too - Hi Broni, are you recovering well?

MizT, I would love a name avatar too when you're not busy.....

Bean, when my father in law became ill I was the only one at home (i.e. all other rellies worked). I had two very young children and said flat out before it was asked that he could not come to live with us. He was very large and at that time I was very small and I knew I physically could not cope with his care, that the strain on the family would be too much, and that I was already exhausted looking after too young children. While I felt very mean and selfish and had guilt trips, family members were actually astonished that I even thought it was a possibility.

This is such GOOD coffee. It comes from Mario's coffee house in Glenferrie Rd. He was one of the first [if not the first] importer of coffee to Melbourne.
I don't think MIL has ever had this degree of confusion without having had a hit on the head or something....Pete said something about her not being as bad as last time but now I'm confused... don't know what he is talking about...duh? Who IS confused?????

I'm hoping it is something simple like a bladder infection.... we have got lots of aids and services to enable her to live at home but there isn't a lot we can do if she gets too confused to be safe alone during the daytime.

Broni, if you're like me that sore tummy will come and go with every activity for months. Even something simple as sweeping the floor left me aching! It was like I had never used those muscles before in my life and had just given them a good workout rather than just swished the bristly think across the floor! The good news is that it does go away eventually - I don't even know when I stopped hurting, it just happened when it was ready.

Bean, I hope it is just meds out of balance or something. Gail had a scare last week that worked out well in the end with a change in meds.

We were lucky. FIL was classified as a 100% disabled vet (US) so was on a good pension. In CA they have houses owned by nurses. A couple live in the house and look after 2 to 4 elderly residents. The nurse makes sure he has meds, gets to the doctor if he needs to (usually by contacting the family) and checks everything is how it should be. The couple FIL stayed with even willingly kept him on when he became bedridden - most won't - so he got to live in a home environment right up until the end.

Suzy... I didn't think twice about offering to take on my mother.... I really wanted to do that for my mum after everything she had done for all of us. I don't feel that for my MIL and do feel a little guilty but a lot of things would be easier with MIL than with mum and vice versa. We have everything set up at her home... meals on wheels to supplement our meals, someone to shower her, visiting library, doctor etc.... I would have to set that all up here because I couldn't do everything for her. [Feel week at the knees thinking about it] Problem is I'm not sure I want anyone else in my home ...carer or otherwise.

That was the biggest deal for me Bean - having someone in my home. Mum lived with us for several months while in between homes, and it was not pretty!!! Yet, like your mum, she has been a wonderful mum and I'm not sure what decision I would make in regards to her care. She is the last remaining parent....

Got to meet the bus....

My BIL is all for putting her in a 'place'.. but I hadn't thought she was ready for that. He said that next time she fell she might die / kill herself ....DUH...what is wrong with me but at 87/88 would that be so bad? My only concern is that she might hurt herself, break her leg/hip etc but that can happen anywhere whether you are in a home or not. I would hate to see her suffer.

My brother and I had to make the decision to put our Mum into care for her own safety and health after our Dad passed away. Bloody hard decision but she was past being cared for at home, she required 24hr attention. I was caring for them both prior to that.

Hi SA5ers.
Mamma Mia, didn't the 'FRIENDS' issue generate some talk.
I agree with you Suzy, "I think the whole debate is a storm in a teacup."
That's it in a nutshell for me, I will not add anything else!! except to say I love it.
Hubby is getting his tax done as I type here.
Hope he gets a refund, would be good.

I was up and out early this morning, a doctor's appt. at 8.15 am !!
Get up, eat brekky, get dressed, go to doc's, get undressed, get dressed again.
At least I did not have to wait long to get in.
Then did all my messages and had coffee and crosswords at Cafe 66 with my good old friend John.
I am slowly getting better at cryptics.

Broni, nice to see you recovering so well.

You are a busy girl MizT doing these avatar's for people.
Wish I knew how to do that.

Am I close?????