Whats made you happy today?
Whats made you happy today?
(23 Aug 2014, 8:49 pm)Tom With my grandad it was really sudden. He had a cerebral hemmerage and that devastated me. I didn't even get to speak to him before he died, and that upset me.
I'm much better than I was last year now, and I deal with it. Thankfully my grandma is still here though
(23 Aug 2014, 8:51 pm)Marcus Thanks for that, Fozz. I suppose I sometimes don't appreciate my mam, and that's something I feel bad about. I don't see my dad much, because he's some kind of Head of Purchasing at Cummins in Daventry, but he makes about 3 times as much as my mam, and to be honest, he's the one who gives me and my family everything that we don't appreciate.
(23 Aug 2014, 8:49 pm)Tom With my grandad it was really sudden. He had a cerebral hemmerage and that devastated me. I didn't even get to speak to him before he died, and that upset me.
I'm much better than I was last year now, and I deal with it. Thankfully my grandma is still here though
(23 Aug 2014, 8:51 pm)Marcus Thanks for that, Fozz. I suppose I sometimes don't appreciate my mam, and that's something I feel bad about. I don't see my dad much, because he's some kind of Head of Purchasing at Cummins in Daventry, but he makes about 3 times as much as my mam, and to be honest, he's the one who gives me and my family everything that we don't appreciate.
(23 Aug 2014, 9:06 pm)Marcus I remember the last time I saw my Grandad....
It was Saturday the 22nd March, and he had come out of the hospital on Wednesday the 19th March. I still didn't know exactly what was wrong with him. I just knew he wasn't well. My mam had been living in his bungalow with him, up in Pelton, and I was on my way back from Durham on a 21 when he rang me. He seemed his usual self (really talkative, nice and kind voice) and asked me if I wanted to come up. I thought for a minute, I had 2 options;
A) - Say no, and upset him. I would only say that because I wouldn't want to see him while he wasn't well.
B) - Say yes, and go up and see him.
I didn't want to upset him, so I just said 'yeah, yeah sure, I'll be about 20 minutes'. I hopped off the 21, and ran for the 8. I got up to his house, and said hello. My mam was sitting next to him on his bed, he was sitting in his armchair. I pulled out a Steak Bake, and told him I got him something to eat (I normally did this, and didn't know he actually couldn't eat much). He just shook his head. I sat on another chair, and we all watched the TV. After an awkward silence, my mam asked me where I had been on my travels. I joked about a bit and said I'd been to Darlington, and my grandad just smiled. Another 5 or so minutes went by of just the odd look. My grandad looked yellow (from the jaundice), and had lost a lot of weight.
I suddenly said I better go get the 13:22 back to Chester, and he put his hand out to me when I walked towards the door. I gave him a little high five, and he said 'Ta'ra Hinny'. That was the last time I ever heard his voice. I walked out the door, and looked back. He was looking at me, and I said 'see you later'. He then winked at me and I walked out of Thornton's Close, and to Pelton Bridge bus stop. I sat at the bus stop, and thought. I knew he was dying, by that point. Tears began to form in my eyes, and I couldn't help but think about that scene from Family Guy, where Brian was on the operating table while he was dying, and said 'you've given me a wonderful life, I love you all'. Thing is, he came back - my grandad didn't.
I've never been sure how he died. My mam just told me he went in his sleep, but my grandma (my dad's mam) said that she told me he (and I don't want anyone to take the piss, he was dying and couldn't help it - he could barely move, he was practically in a coma, expect he could open his eyes and say a few words) soiled himself, and when the nurses came, they tried to lift him out of his chair to wash him. They lifted him up, and his head just fell back. He was gone........
Only thing I can ever say to anyone with a relative who they love, cherish your time with them. All I want to do is go to Gregg's, get on a Lime and go up to see him and watch the horse racing with him while he sits in his armchair.
(23 Aug 2014, 9:06 pm)Marcus I remember the last time I saw my Grandad....
It was Saturday the 22nd March, and he had come out of the hospital on Wednesday the 19th March. I still didn't know exactly what was wrong with him. I just knew he wasn't well. My mam had been living in his bungalow with him, up in Pelton, and I was on my way back from Durham on a 21 when he rang me. He seemed his usual self (really talkative, nice and kind voice) and asked me if I wanted to come up. I thought for a minute, I had 2 options;
A) - Say no, and upset him. I would only say that because I wouldn't want to see him while he wasn't well.
B) - Say yes, and go up and see him.
I didn't want to upset him, so I just said 'yeah, yeah sure, I'll be about 20 minutes'. I hopped off the 21, and ran for the 8. I got up to his house, and said hello. My mam was sitting next to him on his bed, he was sitting in his armchair. I pulled out a Steak Bake, and told him I got him something to eat (I normally did this, and didn't know he actually couldn't eat much). He just shook his head. I sat on another chair, and we all watched the TV. After an awkward silence, my mam asked me where I had been on my travels. I joked about a bit and said I'd been to Darlington, and my grandad just smiled. Another 5 or so minutes went by of just the odd look. My grandad looked yellow (from the jaundice), and had lost a lot of weight.
I suddenly said I better go get the 13:22 back to Chester, and he put his hand out to me when I walked towards the door. I gave him a little high five, and he said 'Ta'ra Hinny'. That was the last time I ever heard his voice. I walked out the door, and looked back. He was looking at me, and I said 'see you later'. He then winked at me and I walked out of Thornton's Close, and to Pelton Bridge bus stop. I sat at the bus stop, and thought. I knew he was dying, by that point. Tears began to form in my eyes, and I couldn't help but think about that scene from Family Guy, where Brian was on the operating table while he was dying, and said 'you've given me a wonderful life, I love you all'. Thing is, he came back - my grandad didn't.
I've never been sure how he died. My mam just told me he went in his sleep, but my grandma (my dad's mam) said that she told me he (and I don't want anyone to take the piss, he was dying and couldn't help it - he could barely move, he was practically in a coma, expect he could open his eyes and say a few words) soiled himself, and when the nurses came, they tried to lift him out of his chair to wash him. They lifted him up, and his head just fell back. He was gone........
Only thing I can ever say to anyone with a relative who they love, cherish your time with them. All I want to do is go to Gregg's, get on a Lime and go up to see him and watch the horse racing with him while he sits in his armchair.
(23 Aug 2014, 9:11 pm)Tom You'd have to be tough to cope with that - I couldn't for sure!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:11 pm)Tom You'd have to be tough to cope with that - I couldn't for sure!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:11 pm)Tom You'd have to be tough to cope with that - I couldn't for sure!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:13 pm)Marcus I'm not really an emotional person. I can think about him, and feel sad. I don't cry though, I think that was the last time I've cried to date, in that bus shelter. I hadn't cried at least a year or so before that. I does take a lot to make me cry - a lot!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:13 pm)Marcus I'm not really an emotional person. I can think about him, and feel sad. I don't cry though, I think that was the last time I've cried to date, in that bus shelter. I hadn't cried at least a year or so before that. I does take a lot to make me cry - a lot!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:13 pm)Marcus I'm not really an emotional person. I can think about him, and feel sad. I don't cry though, I think that was the last time I've cried to date, in that bus shelter. I hadn't cried at least a year or so before that. I does take a lot to make me cry - a lot!
(23 Aug 2014, 9:13 pm)Marcus I'm not really an emotional person. I can think about him, and feel sad. I don't cry though, I think that was the last time I've cried to date, in that bus shelter. I hadn't cried at least a year or so before that. I does take a lot to make me cry - a lot!
Not meaning anything nasty by this but i doubt my Great Grandmother will see another Christmas which is a shame. Her Dementia and other problems are becoming too much for her but to be honest, she is nearly 90 and im sure she has had plenty of opportunities to get the best out of life that she possibly can. And im sure i mean a lot to her as i was the first baby she had held (that wasnt her own) but i started avoiding her whenever we took our dog over for 'doggysitting' as we used to call bit because of the way she kept hugging me but now i am at the age where i can understand why she did this and just shows how much i mean to her. Now she is so bad if i was to walk in she would just sit there, look at me and think 'who is he' which is quite bad knowing that ill have missed so many opportunities to see her because i was too much of an idiot to realise why she did what she did. Think it would be better in this case to do what Marcus did, get her cremated and scattered at Mountsett Crematorium where her husband (who died literally a couple of months before i was born) is currently. Just be nice to think that they can be together once more.
With my dog, we have decided that scattering ashes isnt the best option as in reality, she didnt have a favourite place. As long as she got to go for a ride in the car out of the house she couldnt care less where we went. We have just dedicated a small table in our living room with a picture of her on the wall, a set of flowers (plastic for cost effective reasons) with her ashes. We have even made a small booklet from the time we got her back in 2001 until her death at approx 8:40am on 12th August 2014. In a way, im glad there is a Wedding on Monday coming up as it would have been her birthday but with this Wedding it gives me something else to focus on rather than what we could have been doing instead.
I was starting to get emotional by just typing all this (particularly the last paragraph as the first one hasnt happened yet but undoubtedly will. And to be frank, soon at that) and its also taking its tole on the Cats, especially the one that has known her for the full 13 years with us and always had her back when it came to him been involved in a scrap with other cats. Would have been nice for her to see her birthday but we just felt that it would be stupid to watch her suffer for the sake of a day. A sad end to a beloved family pet in my opinion.
Sorry if this post has made anybody breakdown but i just thought it would be good to let people know that other people on the forum and all around them are going through exactly the same, animal or human. Again, no disrespect intended.
Grandparents are there to be cherished - particularly for us older ones, as they have been through a lot in the war etc.
My maternal Grandad died 10years before I was born. His wife (my maternal Grandma), was a caring, loving lady - but very old school.
Despite taking me for days out on the bus and metro as a bairn and obviously loving/caring for me, she was very stand off ish with her emotions.
In a way, my mam is similar.
Her death, was quite sudden and it was as though her body/mind just gave up in one fell swoop.
I didn't see/notice everything, but thinking back, some of the signs were there.
I only found this out recently, but her new next door neighbours (a young married couple), alerted my Mam to some of the things that were going on and kept my Mam informed of her behaviour.
My paternal grandparents were of a working class background and were two I was very close too. Again, they took me out on the bus and metro as a bairn.
My Grandad was a hero in my eyes. He won the second world war single handedly as far as I was concerned when I was a kid.
His medals, his stories, his injuries...
I loved that man probably more than I do my Dad and was devastated when he died. Can still remember my Dad telling me 20 odd years ago.
It was the first person I had knew who had died and it was the person I was the closest to.
He had been ill for a while, following a serious stroke 6/7 years earlier - but being the man he was, he battled on.
Even now, he is still talked about on Barley Mow.
Just 5 months later, my maternal Grandma died.
My paternal Grandma is 94 now and earlier this year, suffered a heart attack.
She was seriously ill and we weren't expecting her to pull through.
After all, how many 50 odd year old blokes survive them - never mind a 94 year old woman.
She did and has gradually got back on her feet. Although not the person she was, she is a million times better than she was in March.
She is totally different to my other Grandma emotionally and is one of the most generous, kindest, loving ladies ever.
Although I agree with Fozz, I honestly think Grandparents are overlooked and not appreciated for what they do or what they have been through.
We miss them when they are gone, but it is nice knowing they are at peace, without any of the pain or illness they were suffering.
Love them, appreciate them and look back on the good memories with a smile.
(23 Aug 2014, 10:46 pm)Robert Not meaning anything nasty by this but i doubt my Great Grandmother will see another Christmas which is a shame. Her Dementia and other problems are becoming too much for her but to be honest, she is nearly 90 and im sure she has had plenty of opportunities to get the best out of life that she possibly can. And im sure i mean a lot to her as i was the first baby she had held (that wasnt her own) but i started avoiding her whenever we took our dog over for 'doggysitting' as we used to call bit because of the way she kept hugging me but now i am at the age where i can understand why she did this and just shows how much i mean to her. Now she is so bad if i was to walk in she would just sit there, look at me and think 'who is he' which is quite bad knowing that ill have missed so many opportunities to see her because i was too much of an idiot to realise why she did what she did. Think it would be better in this case to do what Marcus did, get her cremated and scattered at Mountsett Crematorium where her husband (who died literally a couple of months before i was born) is currently. Just be nice to think that they can be together once more.
With my dog, we have decided that scattering ashes isnt the best option as in reality, she didnt have a favourite place. As long as she got to go for a ride in the car out of the house she couldnt care less where we went. We have just dedicated a small table in our living room with a picture of her on the wall, a set of flowers (plastic for cost effective reasons) with her ashes. We have even made a small booklet from the time we got her back in 2001 until her death at approx 8:40am on 12th August 2014. In a way, im glad there is a Wedding on Monday coming up as it would have been her birthday but with this Wedding it gives me something else to focus on rather than what we could have been doing instead.
I was starting to get emotional by just typing all this (particularly the last paragraph as the first one hasnt happened yet but undoubtedly will. And to be frank, soon at that) and its also taking its tole on the Cats, especially the one that has known her for the full 13 years with us and always had her back when it came to him been involved in a scrap with other cats. Would have been nice for her to see her birthday but we just felt that it would be stupid to watch her suffer for the sake of a day. A sad end to a beloved family pet in my opinion.
Sorry if this post has made anybody breakdown but i just thought it would be good to let people know that other people on the forum and all around them are going through exactly the same, animal or human. Again, no disrespect intended.
(23 Aug 2014, 10:46 pm)Robert Not meaning anything nasty by this but i doubt my Great Grandmother will see another Christmas which is a shame. Her Dementia and other problems are becoming too much for her but to be honest, she is nearly 90 and im sure she has had plenty of opportunities to get the best out of life that she possibly can. And im sure i mean a lot to her as i was the first baby she had held (that wasnt her own) but i started avoiding her whenever we took our dog over for 'doggysitting' as we used to call bit because of the way she kept hugging me but now i am at the age where i can understand why she did this and just shows how much i mean to her. Now she is so bad if i was to walk in she would just sit there, look at me and think 'who is he' which is quite bad knowing that ill have missed so many opportunities to see her because i was too much of an idiot to realise why she did what she did. Think it would be better in this case to do what Marcus did, get her cremated and scattered at Mountsett Crematorium where her husband (who died literally a couple of months before i was born) is currently. Just be nice to think that they can be together once more.
With my dog, we have decided that scattering ashes isnt the best option as in reality, she didnt have a favourite place. As long as she got to go for a ride in the car out of the house she couldnt care less where we went. We have just dedicated a small table in our living room with a picture of her on the wall, a set of flowers (plastic for cost effective reasons) with her ashes. We have even made a small booklet from the time we got her back in 2001 until her death at approx 8:40am on 12th August 2014. In a way, im glad there is a Wedding on Monday coming up as it would have been her birthday but with this Wedding it gives me something else to focus on rather than what we could have been doing instead.
I was starting to get emotional by just typing all this (particularly the last paragraph as the first one hasnt happened yet but undoubtedly will. And to be frank, soon at that) and its also taking its tole on the Cats, especially the one that has known her for the full 13 years with us and always had her back when it came to him been involved in a scrap with other cats. Would have been nice for her to see her birthday but we just felt that it would be stupid to watch her suffer for the sake of a day. A sad end to a beloved family pet in my opinion.
Sorry if this post has made anybody breakdown but i just thought it would be good to let people know that other people on the forum and all around them are going through exactly the same, animal or human. Again, no disrespect intended.
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Getting more of the independents fleetlists completed today. New lists to be completed are Coopers Tourmaster, Gardiners NMC, Garfield Exec, Glen Valley and I've made a start on Procters, about half completed that one! Also added photos to various other lists and made a few updates to go with the news I posted in the respective threads earlier (David Dove, Pygalls etc)
See them here: http://www.northeastbuses.co.uk/operators/list.php
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(25 Aug 2014, 7:55 pm)tyresmoke Getting more of the independents fleetlists completed today. New lists to be completed are Coopers Tourmaster, Gardiners NMC, Garfield Exec, Glen Valley and I've made a start on Procters, about half completed that one! Also added photos to various other lists and made a few updates to go with the news I posted in the respective threads earlier (David Dove, Pygalls etc)Looking good!
See them here: http://www.northeastbuses.co.uk/operators/list.php
(25 Aug 2014, 7:55 pm)tyresmoke Getting more of the independents fleetlists completed today. New lists to be completed are Coopers Tourmaster, Gardiners NMC, Garfield Exec, Glen Valley and I've made a start on Procters, about half completed that one! Also added photos to various other lists and made a few updates to go with the news I posted in the respective threads earlier (David Dove, Pygalls etc)Looking good!
See them here: http://www.northeastbuses.co.uk/operators/list.php
This afternoon (for the first time ever), I managed to use WiFi whilst sitting on a GNE bus!
Tried numerous times, gave up trying for a significant length of time - but today, 7/8 weeks short of their first anniversary, a Citaro being used on the 4, had the equipment in working order, allowing me surf away to my hearts content.
(28 Aug 2014, 3:02 pm)Dan Having the opportunity to see Pat Armstrong in the office - hard at work!
If you don't know who Pat is (which is unlikely because she's kinda well known), drop Marcus a PM.
(28 Aug 2014, 4:14 pm)marxistafozzski Managed to walk through Fencehouses this afternoon and got through unscathed, no AK-Potato Guns, water pistols or fun snaps in sight, am I on the FPF list of people who are given safe passage thru the place
(28 Aug 2014, 4:14 pm)marxistafozzski Managed to walk through Fencehouses this afternoon and got through unscathed, no AK-Potato Guns, water pistols or fun snaps in sight, am I on the FPF list of people who are given safe passage thru the place
(28 Aug 2014, 4:17 pm)Marcus Seeing as I have several friends who live in Fencehouses and the surrounding area, I personally hope that I have been granted a flag of truce.
Although, considering I reference the FPF to several of Andreos' posts, I may be on a hit list. I can imagine going back on Tuesday and being shot upon entrance!
(28 Aug 2014, 4:17 pm)Marcus Seeing as I have several friends who live in Fencehouses and the surrounding area, I personally hope that I have been granted a flag of truce.
Although, considering I reference the FPF to several of Andreos' posts, I may be on a hit list. I can imagine going back on Tuesday and being shot upon entrance!
