Dear friends in the UK and Worldwide, I feel I owe you all this letter of explanation to explain why I am sometimes unable to always continually update my website and put all that I would like to put upon it, and I would like to express my thanks to all the good people who visit me here. I do not give some personal information about myself as I am as you know a carer for my husband and in general a very private person. However I do share many of the difficulties of those that care for their loved ones at home and this prevents me for having as much time as I would like for my website and blogs etc. I have kept it going for several years now so everyone looking back can see some of the progress that has been made across the world, and since the travesty of the last labour government in the UK, (even now not very good is it?) many things need to be changed and speeded up therefore I will continue to keep my website as it is and add to it when I can so I hope you will all continue to visit, find it helpful, and also at times relaxing as not all is doom and gloom.

There have been up to this time many changes in my family as I am now a great-grandmother of 8 great-grandchildren, time marches on does it not, and as all who identify will know caring becomes an even greater part of life as we get older. My four children have now reached middle age and are now experiencing the usual various health problems that we all do, along with the social problems that the world recession brought us, but we survive all difficulties through faith in our beliefs and the strength it has given us. My two daughters are both seriously ill and their partners are also their carers, we have found it imperative for everyone in the family to realise that to give is to receive, and we are all still learning, the pace of which varies but ever continues.

Regarding myself over the past year life has dealt me some blows but thankfully not as severely as it has for so many here and in other parts of the world, but to bring things up to date here are some things that have happened to me. Recently I put a link on my website for Warm front in the UK which will help people in need of a replacement boiler, this is a good scheme but I must issue a warning that there is an extensive waiting time. Mine was unduly long and some would say unforgivable considering I had to wait well over six months and through the worst freezing cold weather we have had here in many years, at which time I contracted an infection and was extremely ill due to my asthma and an allergy to some of the prescribed drugs. Being a carer for my husband I felt I could not leave him and go into hospital and there was no one available at the time to take care of me. I thought I was going to die it was that bad, and since I have now been diagnosed with COPD borderline emphysema, also I found it difficult and still do to get a nebuliser prescribed for me and thus I had to buy one, strange considering I have had asthma for over forty years. Thanks to small miracles I am much better now and was able to cope with the upheaval of having the boiler installed, and the difficulty of living with the house like a building site, although I must say the work done by the workmen who installed the boiler and checked it was excellent.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Energyandwatersaving/Energygrants/index.htm

I give thanks to my 6ft 4 grandson, and his friend for helping to decorate and straighten things out for me. Now I have to consider having a second toilet and shower installed in order to make things easier regarding my husband's disability progressing in the future, and possibly a chair stair lift if necessary, surely he deserves these things as an 87yr old veteran, and so do I as his carer. Personally I have found help in the community scarce, actually practically nonexistent, and of course everything costs an arm and a leg, and I do not get a carers allowance or a disability grant. Life always brings us difficulties but there is never a problem unless we choose to make it one but there are times when help must come from somewhere and it is time for the UK coalition government to make that help a top priority and possible for all. I hope that people find my website helpful and I will continue to keep it going as long as I can. Hopefully as I have been told to go to physiotherapy twice a week I will be able to find it impossible for me to be in two or three places at the same time, I have been told I look fit and young for my age it certainly isn't because of face lifts, botox, dieting, and cosmetics, perhaps those who worry about their looks aging may try my recipe above, most of all stay healthy everyone and blossom where you're planted.

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