Xavier

<t>Well, I survived it, just about! On Saturday I took some flowers from our garden down to Mom and Dad’s grave. It was a lovely afternoon to walk down there and I saw quite a few other people carrying flowers and tidying graves. I had a nice chat with a family who had bought their Great Dane (named...

Uwe (German)

<t>"to quote Monty Python, 'they'll tax sex next'.." lol!<br/> <br/> With regard to the postal rate increases, I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't pitch their annual increases at several times the rate of inflation - by my reckoning, this year they are above 10%.<br/> <br/> Parsifal's idea of kee...

<t>Carers who rely on the post a lot to communicate with DWP, local authorities etc. may want to stock up on stamps this week, as Royal Mail are putting up their postage rates from next Monday. First class on a standard letter will go up by 5p and second class by 4p. Non-Value-Indicator stamps (thos...

<t>Thanks for all the suggestions so far! This is obviously a subject which touches a chord with lots of other people.<br/> <br/> The lunch idea is a nice one, unfortunately, J lives in South Wales and I live in Shropshire. In fact, she was up this way a few weeks ago and we did have a nice get toge...

<t>Very sorry to hear your sad news, Solange. You have my sympathies and you are very much in my thoughts.<br/> <br/> You do need to give yourself some time to grieve - you have been through a great deal. Now isn't the time to be making any big decisions about your future and it probably doesn't hel...

<t>Does anyone have any ideas about coping with Mother's Day when your Mom is no longer here? My Mom died just four days after Mother's Day in 2003 and I have never felt able to face the day since then. This year could be even worse as Mother's Day and the anniversary of her passing both fall next S...

<t>Hang in there Girl! I'm sure you've done a great job as a carer for your Mum, now you have to think of yourself (as well as continuing to be a support to your Mum in a different context of course). It's not easy to make the adjustment to being a former carer, whether your cared-for-person has pas...

<t>Very good article by Peter Beresford. Former carers really are Cinderellas. I am still struggling to get my life back on track regarding career, finances and health nearly three years after losing my Dad, for whom I was a carer-at-a-distance for four years and full-time carer for 18 months. I am ...