I feel I should start a Christmas ticker but it will be here before I blink and I am not regular enough at blogging so it may still be on here in summer so I won't bother.
Back-tracking in no order ....
J has shingles! I saw a bad rash that was blistering on his right hip on Saturday. By Sunday it was spreading fast, he had a temperature and was very pale and in pain so I took him to a+e. It was really quiet and we were in and out in 2 hours. The doctor cam in and looked familiar. Turns put he is our GP! He wasn't sure what it was and gave us anti-biotics after discussing it with the paed registrar.He asked us to come and see him in the surgery on Monday. So J and I went back there yesterday. The rash was still getting worse so the ab's are not much good as it is obviously not bacterial. He was still unsure so sent us back to a+e to see the registrar. Well what a mess followed next!
After waiting at a+e which was very busy, the reg came and absent mindedly took us to find a curtained area. "I think this one is clean" she said. Gulp! I bloomin hope it is clean. I couldn't understand her English and frankly she was vague and eccentric. She confirmed shingles and I think implied she was going off to get a prescription - after asking IMO irrelevant questions eg. was his birth normal (he's 6 1/2 and has shingles .... relevance????) ages o my other kids ..... What happened next really upset me. We were int he end curtained off area in a 3 curtain room. They start wheeling someone in and shouting for resuss. We can hear someone suffocating/choking and see their feet shaking as they are rushed in to the curtained bed next to us. J was really uspet and hid his face in my belly and kept saying "Mum can we go now". I was so upset I took his hand and we upped and left. I don't know if the reg was coming back, she has my phone number if she needs me.
Now I know it is shingles I am dosing him up with homeopathy, vit C and echinacea. It is so sore and painful for him though but we just have to wait it out. I didn't realise kids get shingles but now I know a bit more about it.

Because the older girls had their lie 1 hour radio show yesterday they took M with them on the bus and minded her. They are great in a crisis at helping look after siblings. I had to get the bus to the hospital and back and so spent about £7 on bus fares yesterday. I am going to see my doc tomorrow and ask as the paed reg was there on Sunday why did they not look at J then to save us the trauma and waste of money yesterday!!

A has just finished another term at the Garrick. J and I watched her do her monologue, which was very entertaining. She still has a few more weeks at the Royal Exchange and the girls choir.
Lots of activities finish next week till after Christmas so our schedule will quieten down a little. I am looking forward to that.

My energy is a bit low as I got very ill last week with a violent stomach bug. I slept for about 36 hours and completely ignored the pots lol. I feel I am just coming out of it a week later. I rarely get ill other than migraines so I was not very impressed. Oh well if it doesn't break you it makes you stronger.

I was going to apply for a housing association house that is being built around the corner from here but they have closed the lists because the wait is over 10 years lol. I don't want to move from here but the rent is £600 a month so I hope when I go self employed they still help with it.
Yes I have some vague plans ......

To finish off for today here is a photo my niece took of J!