sproggie14

Yes please to recipes. I'm very sensitive to chemicals so have to avoid the usual cleaning stuffs. I find microfibre cloths pretty good but there are still the odd things that need a bit of help so would be good to have something alternative to use.

Mystery solved - it's a Pimpla hypochondriaca apparently

I kept hearing this weird buzzing this evening but couldn't find where it was coming from. Then I saw something flying about that looked a bit like a big wasp but made no noise when it flew. I eventually managed to contain said beasty and I've never seen anything like it before. It's terrifying. Someone please tell me this is something native and innocent and that's not actually a massive great stinger on it's butt? *shudder*

If we're looking at essentially means testing care for the elderly why not then means test every other type of care? Why are people with plenty of money getting their offspring educated on my tax money? Why are silly vain girls getting their boobs enhanced on my tax money? The amount we contribute is already decided by our income, why should the amount we get back then be decided by our financial position again but only for elderly care? It's inconsistent and there are far less deserving things people get for free than care at the ends of their lives.

I think, to be honest, that's easier to say if you've not been in that position. I've had experience of this situation twice. Firstly with my Dad. He wasn't elderly but he had mental and physical health problems which made him extremely vulnerable. I was put under so much pressure and basically made to feel like I was a terrible person for not taking him in and caring for him myself. At the time I was working full time and sharing a two bedroom rented flat with my brother so it wasn't possible, nor was it the best thing for him as he needed round the clock supervision. As he was relatively young and had a combo of mental and physical problems, trying to get help for him was incredibly difficult and they told us to put him in a home would cost us in the region of £1000 a week. Dad, at the time, had no home and about £30,000 to his name, the result of a pathetic divorce settlement in which his second wife, who caused most of his problems, then took advantage of them and fleeced him totally. At no point did anyone explain to us what we were entitled to just said that if we wanted him in a home we'd have to find the money. Thankfully he had a decent GP who explained that because he had a certain level of health problems he was in fact entitled to a place in a home paid for by the NHS. Second time was my Grandpa who was 94 and declining with heart problems and kidney cancer. He had two major heart attacks and his mobilty was seriously affected, not least cos when he was in hospital he was sat in a chair and left to rot. Again we were threatened and hassled and they kept trying to discharge him from hospital to have his 93 year old wife also recovering from a heart attack to take care of him. He was incontinent and catheterised so it really would not have been appropriate for him to be cared for by either of his daughters who were both also still working full time anyway. Thankfully I knew from my experience with Dad what he was entitled to and we were able to secure him a place in a care home which was fully funded by the NHS. Caring for elderly relatives is a lovely idea if they don't have specialist care needs but with people living longer it's rare now really that the younger relatives are in a position to do so as they are usually working full time themselves. We pay an enormous amount of tax in this country and I don't think asking for help with care when we're older is too much to ask. If my Grandfather had had to pay for his home for example, it would have left my Grandmother homeless.

Don't feel bad Heart, it may well be true. Plenty do have a rest and find their way home again. At least you know for next time (and can spread the work )

This is not an uncommon problem sadly. More info here - http://www.helpwildlife.co.uk/RacingPigeons.html and you'll also find a list of wildlife rescues on the same site. Hopefully one will be able to take the bird in and rehabilitate it or offer sanctuary.

Sadly upgrading/changing isn't an option as this is a work computer so I guess I'll have to restrict my fuging to home from now on. Low fi skin works but is quite hard to follow.

Great to hear he has eaten

Really hoping no news is good news

Keeping him in our thoughts

We had the exact same thing with Loki. She was bringing up yellow bile, I read it could be due to an empty tummy so we started giving her breakfast and (touch wood) it has been fine since. Hopefully it's just the disruption of the holiday

I basically echo what celeste has said. I'd like to see dimensions but my gut feeling is not big enough for a permanent home. You're much better off making something to be honest eg making a simple mesh frame to attach to a shed. You get much more space for your money that way. We had red mites and they killed our last two girls Nasty things.

That was horrid. I think I need one of those helpline numbers

The pets at home one is the one he has at the moment so I'd like something other than that sort. It has definitely had some effect on his neck fur as well as Loki's and Tess' who both now have flat, fake leather type ones. Their neck fur is better on that sort but still noticeably rougher in that area. Oddly Cassie still has the pets at home type and her fur is longer than Tess or Loki's and it hasn't really affected her so I guess it has as much to do with the texture of their individual fur as the length

We've discovered that Begley's collar is worn and needs replacing so I wanted to ask fugee advice on the best sort. Begley is a collie cross sheltie so very very fluffy. I've found previously that the usual flat nylon collars make the fur round his neck rough and broken so I wondered if there was a type of collar I could get to minimise this. His collar is purely for holding his tags as ours are walked always on harnesses so it doesn't need to be tough, just comfortable really. I'd very much prefer not to use leather and if we could buy from somewhere that would benefit a rescue then all the better

Lots of positive healing thoughts being sent

Perfect, thank you thank you thank you One Get Well Soon Hamper on its way

Dave's parents little girl is going to have an op on her cruciate ligament next week. We love her like one of our own and feel so sad and useless as they live quite some distance away. We'd happily go and visit her but she gets so excited when we do that it really wouldn't be conducive to her getting rest in order to recover. We really want to do something nice for her and thought about a little gift basket of treats and nice things which we could have delivered but I can't really find anything through my googling. Does anyone know of anywhere that sells such things? Here she is

Thanks guys, my instinct said ASAP but just wanted to check Dave is on the phone to them now cancelling our day out and telling them to get it done next week (soonest vet can do apparently). Poor little girl, we're both so upset for her

Can any fugees advise? In laws dog (small terrier cross about 9 years old) has been diagnosed today with a torn cruciate ligament. Vets offered them a slot for the op next Tuesday but in laws are supposed to be out for the day with us the day after so has been put back a week to two weeks yesterday. Vets were, IMO, a little slow to offer a slot even to x-ray (took best part of a week). Not having had any experience of this sort of injury I just wondered whether waiting 3 weeks from injury to op is the right thing? She is on metacam apparently but will this be enough to keep her comfy or should we suggest to in laws that it really ought to be done sooner?

Thinking of your Dad Di Have bizarre image of chickens sucking on lollies now Wednesdays are naff. Why can't it be Friday yet?

Morning for Mummy Owl I had the weirdest nights sleep, lots of odd dreams so I'm not sure how much of it I was asleep for Day of rubbishy meetings today, have a feeling it's really going to drag.

That's interesting, thanks. We have a furminator for Begley but he gets so upset when we try to brush him that he poops himself. I wondered if maybe getting someone professional to do a hard, fast, no nonsense blitz on him might be best. Any thoughts on Loki's coat? She's the one who suffers most in the heat yet she probably has the lightest coat