How are you all?

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Genuine question. 

Haven't been around as much as usual and only manage to pick up bits and Bob's on other threads and am genuinely interested in your wellbeing. 

I will start it off with we are coping well in this strange new world, business is good and we have managed to keep safe and are just starting to venture out a little bit. 

This isn't so much about what you are doing or where you are going, there are other threads for that... How are you coping? How is your mental health? How has this pandemic changed your life? 

Not cruise related? Don't care... 

Andy 

 

Great idea for a thread Andy.

Pauline and I have worked from home during lockdown.

Pauline went part retired 8 years ago to help look after her late mam who eventually died of her dementia in October 2018 so she only works Monday and Tuesday.

Since the lifting of restrictions we have took picnics down to the beaches near us that are 5-15 minutes drive away.

We have toured the Lake District twice and went to Harrogate and York Designer shopping outlet yesterday.

Today like most days we are lazing in our garden or cutting the grass etc.

I will be working from home again as mask wearing in independent retailers that I call on was patchy last week.

Graham

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by grapau27

[Adawn47]

26 minutes ago, kalos said:

I think I wrote about my heart failure a while back which way back in 
October was 20% and last checked had gone back up to 48%.
It took some getting my head around but with the help of my wonderful wifes
support I learnt to live with it.
The Covid then came along  but by now we were used to staying in so in a 
way we were already coping .
Yes there were a few tears as Mrs K has heart condition and she wondered 
when  it will all end as her Sister got the news she had breast cancer.
She is doing fine with the treatment,so far so good.

The Mrs seems to cope fine until she goes online and see's the beaches  or 
crammed pubs ,this really gets her going  .
Me I try to look forward and never look back ,unless I could learn from it.
There are people out there who are not coping as well and feel down and 
if I can cheer them up I try to with my posts on here .

Sometimes they need a serious answer which I will always help with if I can .

 

Up to yet we have had the built in oven pack in on us ,we just sent off for a large 
work top one as we have a large kitchen anyway .
Our main TV decided to pack in as well. We simply just ordered a new one .

Who would have thought it ..Me and a smart TV 

We have learnt to take whatever life throws at us ,no good comes from stressing  out.
Try to keep safe folks and "Don't worry,be happy" 
Take up a hobby like ..Sailing for beginners ..No experience needed  to park it up !
Just ring Jean at the harbour office , she will sort you out .

Seriously  you all take good care . 

Kalos, you are an inspiration to us all, and I for one , am grateful for your uncomplaing foolishness. I don't want to get sloppy here , but I hope 

to meet you on a ship one day to give you hug.💕

Avril 

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, Adawn47 said:

Kalos, you are an inspiration to us all, and I for one , am grateful for your uncomplaing foolishness. I don't want to get sloppy here , but I hope 

to meet you on a ship one day to give you hug.💕

Avril 

I think it would be a Group Hug if all us regulars met up on a ship.

[indiana123]

Just before the last two posts,  which say it all, I was about to post  big thank you to you all, with special mention of the foolishness (as Avril eloquently put it).  

 

I can't speak for everyone on here but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the giggles, mainly from frequent posters.  The usual suspects know who they are🤣😍

 

This place has become a little haven to pop in and out of to read (mostly) a friendly word or two.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by indiana123

[kalos]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

She's had it for a few days now and triaged with the doctor this morning who seems to think it's costochondritis . As he couldn't examine her he's sent her to the hospital to make sure it's nothing else. I Google too and her symptoms are the same. Funny you mentioned sugar. She was diagnosed type 2 diabetes a month ago.

Avril 

 

54 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I hope your eldest daughter is okay.

I regularly used to leave my heavy sales file on the back seat and twist around to bring it to the front and several times my doctor said my chest pain was costachrondritis after doing an ECG.

If they do an ECG at hospital also ask for a blood test to discount a heart attack.

All my tests in December were fine but it was the blood test that alerted the consultant who got me into the cardiac ward immediately.

Best wishes Avril.

Graham

 

 

Avril  hope you are getting some good news about your Daughter .

The worst part is not knowing and waiting for the results .

 

Hope you and Pauline are keeping well Graham .

Sound advice you are giving out there .

If it don't feel right have it checked out .

I set off with just a pain under a rib ,thought I must have pulled something .

I put up with this over a week as I had time off work went walking up and down Robin Hoods Bay

and along the sea front of sunny Sunderland  (love that sea front) the pain went away and then as we got home 

it came back with a vengeance , which got me a right sweat on .

So glad the Mrs rang 111    Never In a million years would I have guessed what was up with me.

 

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, kalos said:

 

 

Avril  hope you are getting some good news about your Daughter .

The worst part is not knowing and waiting for the results .

 

Hope you and Pauline are keeping well Graham .

Sound advice you are giving out there .

If it don't feel right have it checked out .

I set off with just a pain under a rib ,thought I must have pulled something .

I put up with this over a week as I had time off work went walking up and down Robin Hoods Bay

and along the sea front of sunny Sunderland  (love that sea front) the pain went away and then as we got home 

it came back with a vengeance , which got me a right sweat on .

So glad the Mrs rang 111    Never In a million years would I have guessed what was up with me.

 

Thanks Kalos.

We are fortunate to have some fantastic beaches up here and hopefully the 4 of us someday will meet up for a walk along the promenade and a drink and meal at the Seaburn hotel.

Pauline insisted I went to my doctor's who sent me next door to Sunderland Royal Hospital where my NSTEMI (mild heart attack) was treated with a cardiac stent and medication so we both are greatful for the girls potentially saving our lives.

My total cholesterol is now 2.5 and I have lost 2 stone in weight after totally changing my diet.

I was delighted to hear your heart function has improved and hopefully soon your cardiac team can set out your cardiac plan to vastly improve your heart condition.

Take care mate.

Graham

 

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, indiana123 said:

Just before the last two posts,  which say it all, I was about to post  big thank you to you all, with special mention of the foolishness (as Avril eloquently put it).  

 

I can't speak for everyone on here but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the giggles, mainly from frequent posters.  The usual suspects know who they are🤣😍

 

This place has become a little haven to pop in and out of to read (mostly) a friendly word or two.

 

 

 

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

Thanks for asking. I'm sure this is not going to be a flippant,  tongue in cheek thread and it will be somewhere to discuss the more serious outcome of the situation we have all been thrown into. 

To begin, Frank and I and our family are all doing well. It was a little easier to cope with all the restrictions at first as you had hope that this would soon be over. As the months have gone on its becoming more and more difficult to believe this will get any better than it is now. I'm still optimistic, I'm that type of person, and am optimistically looking forward to next year. What I feel now is anger and frustration that fewer and fewer people are still following the guidelines and others couldn’t give a toss. Frank still won't venture out but does a lot in the garden when the weather permits. I've been to town a few times when I have to but that's not often.

We seem to have turned into hermits and having to rely on public transport doesn't help our situation. We've seen the great grandchildren a few times now and that's a bonus. To be really honest though Andy I feel as though we've been put under house arrest. My eldest daughter is on her way to hospital as we speak. The doctor seems to think it's costochondritis but wants to rule out other things first. I sound like a right Moaning Minnie and there are worse than me I know.

We'll there you go Andy. You asked for it.😆

Avril 

 

Hope your daughter is ok, Avril.

 

What the government asked the over 70's to do was huge. I think now that society has opened up a bit, people are forgetting that there's still a lot of people at home for whatever reason. My friend's mum is a bit like Frank. She works in the garden, but won't go any further than that. Before lockdown, she had lots of activities that she went to, but now doesn't seem to want to do so much

 

As you say, it doesn't help matters as to having to use public transport.  I went on a coach trip, a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't been on a bus or train yet. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet.

 

Honestly, feel free to vent, it does you good, and I think most people empathise and understand 

[DamianG]

Thanks for another great thread Andy and everyone who has contributed.

 

Being restricted hasn’t really bothered me that much. Close friends (including an ex-paramedic whose wife is a senior nurse) tipped me off what was coming at the end of February so in my mind I was as prepared as I could be though, of course, I had no idea of the reality of it. I didn’t miss watching sports anything like as badly as I thought I would (despite being a rugby season ticket holder for 40 years) and in some ways I have enjoyed the slower pace of life in general. 

 

Michelle has had health issues since last November but finally had a long overdue hospital appointment this week so we hope that is the last piece of the jigsaw on the way to long term recovery. Kyle has coped well with being stuck at home, in the main thanks to technology which means he can FaceTime friends and play games online with them. He’s had his moments of course, but I’m sure most kids will be the same.

 

We’re not confident going out yet so I’m just doing the shopping and that’s it. Everyone’s got to decide for themselves and at some point, I’ll be confident enough to go back to things like going to church and eating out again. Michelle is desperate for a holiday so we have booked a caravan at the coast near Bridlington for 4 nights at the end of the month. We did make a big decision this week in allowing Kyle to go away for 2 nights glamping with our friend’s family including my Goddaughter and her sister who are almost like surrogate cousins to him. He asked why we’d said it would be okay so I tried to explain that we thought that the risk was worth it so that he could go away and have some fun with kids his own age. I think, for me, not being able to take Kyle to his gymnastics classes or on a spontaneous trip to the sweet shop or KFC (his favourite) have been the hardest restrictions, daft as that may sound.

 

When we adopted him, it took just under 3 years from us applying to be adoptive parents to him moving in (no fast-tracking for us). Though he attached to us early, we then went through 2 very difficult years before he truly settled down and started to become the fantastic son that we now have. We are pragmatic and patient people (we had to be) and over those 5 years we learnt that everything passes with time. No matter what strife, hurt, upset etc. that you are going through or feeling at any particular moment in time, keep going and things will eventually change. That’s what Michelle and I keep reminding each other whenever either of us is feeling a bit down.  

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

 

The one thing that does depress us (and in the scale of things it is very minor) is that we have very little to look forward to, holiday wise.  Our Arcadia cruise was cancelled, we took the decision to cancel our Ventura January cruise, and our Spanish villa holiday in September. "All" we have left is Lanzarote in November, and a Saga cruise in March, both of which I am doubtful about. In the current environment I see no point in planning any other trips, and whilst I know the UK needs exploring, it does not have quite the same appeal.

 

I understand that feeling.  It seems to me as if my life has 'shrunk' a little. This is the prime period of my retirement, where we have our health and sufficient funds to do what we want.  We had a lot of plans for this year, all gradually cancelled or postponed. 

 

We've been going on cruises since 2001, and in recent years have normally taken more than one cruise in a year. So we've  had that mindset of only being months away from our next cruise.  Our next cruise is in March, and we are almost certainly going to cancel. 

 

Next year is quite a big year for us. It's our 40th wedding anniversary next August, and my husband will be 70 in the October.  Therefore we have booked two 'big' cruises around this time, in the October at the time of my husband's birthday, then a bucket list cruise in January 2022 which includes Brazil and the Amazon.  I can barely even think about these cruises, as everything is so uncertain, and I'm not  even sure I want to go on them anyway.

I've always booked cruises as soon as they are issued, as I normally like to have lots to look forward to.  Even booking short breaks seems quite fraught at present, what with sudden lockdowns and quarantines. I think I'm going to have to learn to book at shorter notice.  

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Dermotsgirl

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Spent a fortnight every summer there until I was 12 or so, driving up and down from Colchester every day in the family A40, spending the days in a beach hut at the Naze  end.

My aunt had a caravan at Walton. Going up to see Auntie Grace at the caravan was a feature of my childhood.  

[Dermotsgirl]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Similar story here Wowzz. 

We had use of a Caravan on Naze Marine for the 6 weeks school holidays throughout my childhood and we also rented a Beach hut just the other side of the pier and spent all day there through the Seventies and early Eighties. 

Staying on the same holiday camp in September. 

Andy 

I wish I could remember where my Aunt's caravan was situated.  All I can remember is that there was a swimming pool on site. We used to go up to visit her when she was staying there, in the mid 60's to early 70's 

[SarahHben]

Thanks for another great thread Andy and everyone who has contributed.
 
Being restricted hasn’t really bothered me that much. Close friends (including an ex-paramedic whose wife is a senior nurse) tipped me off what was coming at the end of February so in my mind I was as prepared as I could be though, of course, I had no idea of the reality of it. I didn’t miss watching sports anything like as badly as I thought I would (despite being a rugby season ticket holder for 40 years) and in some ways I have enjoyed the slower pace of life in general. 
 
Michelle has had health issues since last November but finally had a long overdue hospital appointment this week so we hope that is the last piece of the jigsaw on the way to long term recovery. Kyle has coped well with being stuck at home, in the main thanks to technology which means he can FaceTime friends and play games online with them. He’s had his moments of course, but I’m sure most kids will be the same.
 
We’re not confident going out yet so I’m just doing the shopping and that’s it. Everyone’s got to decide for themselves and at some point, I’ll be confident enough to go back to things like going to church and eating out again. Michelle is desperate for a holiday so we have booked a caravan at the coast near Bridlington for 4 nights at the end of the month. We did make a big decision this week in allowing Kyle to go away for 2 nights glamping with our friend’s family including my Goddaughter and her sister who are almost like surrogate cousins to him. He asked why we’d said it would be okay so I tried to explain that we thought that the risk was worth it so that he could go away and have some fun with kids his own age. I think, for me, not being able to take Kyle to his gymnastics classes or on a spontaneous trip to the sweet shop or KFC (his favourite) have been the hardest restrictions, daft as that may sound.
 
When we adopted him, it took just under 3 years from us applying to be adoptive parents to him moving in (no fast-tracking for us). Though he attached to us early, we then went through 2 very difficult years before he truly settled down and started to become the fantastic son that we now have. We are pragmatic and patient people (we had to be) and over those 5 years we learnt that everything passes with time. No matter what strife, hurt, upset etc. that you are going through or feeling at any particular moment in time, keep going and things will eventually change. That’s what Michelle and I keep reminding each other whenever either of us is feeling a bit down.  

Damian, you and Michelle sound like amazing parents, Kyle is blessed to have been adopted by you both. I’m sitting in my garden with tears in my eyes reading your post.
My younger brother is adopted but we totally forget that after all these years, we even talk about him taking after various relatives [emoji4]



Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[DamianG]

2 minutes ago, SarahHben said:

Damian, you and Michelle sound like amazing parents, Kyle is blessed to have been adopted by you both. I’m sitting in my garden with tears in my eyes reading your post.
My younger brother is adopted but we totally forget that after all these years, we even talk about him taking after various relatives



Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

You're too kind, thank you. Sending you the virtual Kleenex!

[SarahHben]

 
You're too kind, thank you. Sending you the virtual Kleenex!

Thanks, I need it 🥴


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[happy v]

We are tickety-boo, Andy. Thanks for asking.

No job or money worries for the family. We are all off on a family holiday next week. Just been out buying drinks and nibbles. Honestly at this present moment I'm very happy and excited.

I'm glad things are good with you and Michelle. You are such an upbeat caring person you deserve happiness. 

      Love V.

[SeaJane]

1 hour ago, indiana123 said:

Just before the last two posts,  which say it all, I was about to post  big thank you to you all, with special mention of the foolishness (as Avril eloquently put it).  

 

I can't speak for everyone on here but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the giggles, mainly from frequent posters.  The usual suspects know who they are🤣😍

 

This place has become a little haven to pop in and out of to read (mostly) a friendly word or two.

 

 

My thoughts exactly indiana! I don’t post on here very often, but look forward to reading the posts every day and greatly appreciate the mostly cheerful and informative posts from the regular contributors. 
 

As several others have said we are fortunate to be retired so our day to day lives have not changed that much. However, having no children or family close by we have greatly missed our usual activities and meeting up with friends etc. We have struggled a bit with not having anything to look forward to in relation to holidays and trips away, but know we are so much better off than many in these difficult times. 

[Adawn47]

57 minutes ago, indiana123 said:

I can't speak for everyone on here but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the giggles, mainly from frequent posters.  The usual suspects know who they are

I'd been looking on this forum for a couple of years. Reading through the interesting posts and learning about the different characters with differing  views. I finally took the plunge 6 months ago and I'm glad I did. Many on here share my sense of humour, which is a bonus, there's not many of them around😆. A wide range if topics are covered and I find myself glued to my phone some times. It's been a rock for me during these months, and this crisis seems to have brought all of us (with a couple of exceptions 😉) closer together than just the usual forum. 

Avril 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Thanks for another great thread Andy and everyone who has contributed.

 

Being restricted hasn’t really bothered me that much. Close friends (including an ex-paramedic whose wife is a senior nurse) tipped me off what was coming at the end of February so in my mind I was as prepared as I could be though, of course, I had no idea of the reality of it. I didn’t miss watching sports anything like as badly as I thought I would (despite being a rugby season ticket holder for 40 years) and in some ways I have enjoyed the slower pace of life in general. 

 

Michelle has had health issues since last November but finally had a long overdue hospital appointment this week so we hope that is the last piece of the jigsaw on the way to long term recovery. Kyle has coped well with being stuck at home, in the main thanks to technology which means he can FaceTime friends and play games online with them. He’s had his moments of course, but I’m sure most kids will be the same.

 

We’re not confident going out yet so I’m just doing the shopping and that’s it. Everyone’s got to decide for themselves and at some point, I’ll be confident enough to go back to things like going to church and eating out again. Michelle is desperate for a holiday so we have booked a caravan at the coast near Bridlington for 4 nights at the end of the month. We did make a big decision this week in allowing Kyle to go away for 2 nights glamping with our friend’s family including my Goddaughter and her sister who are almost like surrogate cousins to him. He asked why we’d said it would be okay so I tried to explain that we thought that the risk was worth it so that he could go away and have some fun with kids his own age. I think, for me, not being able to take Kyle to his gymnastics classes or on a spontaneous trip to the sweet shop or KFC (his favourite) have been the hardest restrictions, daft as that may sound.

 

When we adopted him, it took just under 3 years from us applying to be adoptive parents to him moving in (no fast-tracking for us). Though he attached to us early, we then went through 2 very difficult years before he truly settled down and started to become the fantastic son that we now have. We are pragmatic and patient people (we had to be) and over those 5 years we learnt that everything passes with time. No matter what strife, hurt, upset etc. that you are going through or feeling at any particular moment in time, keep going and things will eventually change. That’s what Michelle and I keep reminding each other whenever either of us is feeling a bit down.  

Great attitude Damian.

I hope Michelles health issues can be sorted and you have a brilliant holiday in Bridlington.

Graham

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I understand that feeling.  It seems to me as if my life has 'shrunk' a little. This is the prime period of my retirement, where we have our health and sufficient funds to do what we want.  We had a lot of plans for this year, all gradually cancelled or postponed. 

 

We've been going on cruises since 2001, and in recent years have normally taken more than one cruise in a year. So we've  had that mindset of only being months away from our next cruise.  Our next cruise is in March, and we are almost certainly going to cancel. 

 

Next year is quite a big year for us. It's our 40th wedding anniversary next August, and my husband will be 70 in the October.  Therefore we have booked two 'big' cruises around this time, in the October at the time of my husband's birthday, then a bucket list cruise in January 2022 which includes Brazil and the Amazon.  I can barely even think about these cruises, as everything is so uncertain, and I'm not  even sure I want to go on them anyway.

I've always booked cruises as soon as they are issued, as I normally like to have lots to look forward to.  Even booking short breaks seems quite fraught at present, what with sudden lockdowns and quarantines. I think I'm going to have to learn to book at shorter notice.  

 

 

It is our 40th wedding anniversary August 22nd 2021.

I will be 65 in October 2021 so what a coincidence with the dates etc.

We also are very wary of cruising again and even spending nights away etc.

Booking at short notice will be our theme for next year too.

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

What a lovely thing to ask everyone Andy.

We have been lucky during the pandemic because neither of us have had any additional health problems and David's heart condition has been stable.  We are retired so have not been impacted financially due to having excellent work pensions.  The worst thing has been not seeing friends and family. My OH is 65 today so we are having a little barbecue with my sisters and niece and their husbands in our garden this evening, it will be the first time that we have been together since the lockdown began.  My niece was diagnosed with cancer 3.5 weeks ago and had surgery last week so that has been a real downer for us.

I am just thankful that we have gotten this far with no one close to us has had the dreaded virus.

Wow, happy birthday to Mr Josy? 

Glad you are getting through it OK, I hope your Niece carries on fighting. 

Have a lovely evening in the garden, it has just started to rain here and I have just painted the shed... 😢

Andy 

 

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Great idea for a thread Andy.

Pauline and I have worked from home during lockdown.

Pauline went part retired 8 years ago to help look after her late mam who eventually died of her dementia in October 2018 so she only works Monday and Tuesday.

Since the lifting of restrictions we have took picnics down to the beaches near us that are 5-15 minutes drive away.

We have toured the Lake District twice and went to Harrogate and York Designer shopping outlet yesterday.

Today like most days we are lazing in our garden or cutting the grass etc.

I will be working from home again as mask wearing in independent retailers that I call on was patchy last week.

Graham

 

 

 

 

 

Glad you are getting out and about Graham, have enjoyed seeing the pics. 

Thank God for nice gardens and good weather. 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, indiana123 said:

Just before the last two posts,  which say it all, I was about to post  big thank you to you all, with special mention of the foolishness (as Avril eloquently put it).  

 

I can't speak for everyone on here but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the giggles, mainly from frequent posters.  The usual suspects know who they are🤣😍

 

This place has become a little haven to pop in and out of to read (mostly) a friendly word or two.

 

 

Summed up nicely Indie, we all get something from this site and all hope we are giving something a bit useful back. 

I'm glad to be in this funny little gang.. 

Andy 

[Josy1953]

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

Wow, happy birthday to Mr Josy? 

Glad you are getting through it OK, I hope your Niece carries on fighting. 

Have a lovely evening in the garden, it has just started to rain here and I have just painted the shed... 😢

Andy 

 

We have had a lovely day here, there was just a short sharp shower this morning but very warm and sunny since.  David has just had a phone call from his brother in Tennessee to wish him happy birthday do that was nice.

My niece is feeling very positive at the moment, I just feel so sorry for her because she spent the first 14 weeks of lockdown working nights on the Covid ward because she is a nurse and her husband can only work days and no one could look after her children because of the rules and now she thought the things were getting back to normal this happened to her.

Keep well.

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, DamianG said:

Thanks for another great thread Andy and everyone who has contributed.

 

Being restricted hasn’t really bothered me that much. Close friends (including an ex-paramedic whose wife is a senior nurse) tipped me off what was coming at the end of February so in my mind I was as prepared as I could be though, of course, I had no idea of the reality of it. I didn’t miss watching sports anything like as badly as I thought I would (despite being a rugby season ticket holder for 40 years) and in some ways I have enjoyed the slower pace of life in general. 

 

Michelle has had health issues since last November but finally had a long overdue hospital appointment this week so we hope that is the last piece of the jigsaw on the way to long term recovery. Kyle has coped well with being stuck at home, in the main thanks to technology which means he can FaceTime friends and play games online with them. He’s had his moments of course, but I’m sure most kids will be the same.

 

We’re not confident going out yet so I’m just doing the shopping and that’s it. Everyone’s got to decide for themselves and at some point, I’ll be confident enough to go back to things like going to church and eating out again. Michelle is desperate for a holiday so we have booked a caravan at the coast near Bridlington for 4 nights at the end of the month. We did make a big decision this week in allowing Kyle to go away for 2 nights glamping with our friend’s family including my Goddaughter and her sister who are almost like surrogate cousins to him. He asked why we’d said it would be okay so I tried to explain that we thought that the risk was worth it so that he could go away and have some fun with kids his own age. I think, for me, not being able to take Kyle to his gymnastics classes or on a spontaneous trip to the sweet shop or KFC (his favourite) have been the hardest restrictions, daft as that may sound.

 

When we adopted him, it took just under 3 years from us applying to be adoptive parents to him moving in (no fast-tracking for us). Though he attached to us early, we then went through 2 very difficult years before he truly settled down and started to become the fantastic son that we now have. We are pragmatic and patient people (we had to be) and over those 5 years we learnt that everything passes with time. No matter what strife, hurt, upset etc. that you are going through or feeling at any particular moment in time, keep going and things will eventually change. That’s what Michelle and I keep reminding each other whenever either of us is feeling a bit down.  

You and Michelle are amazing people Damian

Andy