lorryw

Hi Bid, I fancy the Twiggy book and definately the "Mama Mia" dvd. Also hoping Santa could squeeze a bit of peace of mind into my stocking.....or Johnny Depp. Loraine xx

Does anyone else have problems cooking those foodie posh sausages. You know the ones, apple and pork, caramalised onion, garlic and herb etc etc. Everytime I cook them the smoke from the grill is intense and they take forever to cook. Yesterday was eventful. Firstly while walking the dog I thought I had discovered a corpse in the park. After flagging down a passing neighbour we decided he was drunk and sleeping it off but called an ambulance anyway as he had obviously been in the park all night. I was shocked at the amount of people who had simply walked past without a second glance. Back to the sausages, I placed them under the grill and they were spitting and spluttering a lot. Suddenly a huge woosh and the flames were licking out of the top of the grill and onto the cupboard above. I panicked and thought I would douse the flames with a tea towel, screeching as I did it. My husband ran in turned off the grill, closed it and the flames went out. He said I had looked like a demented Kermit the frog, leaping around waving a tea towel. After a quick cry I finished them off in the frying pan. Normal sausages are fine but for some reason the posh ones are a nightmare to cook, or is it just me? Loraine

Ooohhh! Cant wait for the new "uncensored" Baddad. I know how you feel though, moderating is a pretty thankless task, you cant please all the people all of the time. We fellow minions welcome you. Loraine xx

Hi Lou Just cling on to the fact that at the moment you are all safe, you, Kai , your little one and your unborn baby. You all desperately need professional and reliable support. I know you have been through so much nonsense over the years and have been let down left right and centre and it makes my blood boil. Try and stay calm (easy for me to say) and let your sister fuss over you. You need TLC by the bucket full. If you lived nearby Id have my coat on and be on my way now. Love Loraine xx

Oh Lou, I am so sorry you are having such a horrible time. Social Services are the absolute pits and should have stepped in a long time ago. I do not know what planet these people live on, everything is down to cost. They forget that they are deaing with people not just names on bits of paper. I have my fingers crossed that things will move on for you and you can find some peace of mind. with love Loraine xxx

I have fought for 4 years for a service for my son (I wont bore newcomers with the details). He is severely autistic with severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. Our local social service department is piloting Self Directed Support (heres some money find your own support). We are at our wits end and our son is bored stiff and sick to death of us. My social worker is aware of 4 other families in a similar position in Basingstoke but wont give me any contact information. If anyone out there knows who they are could you please ask them to pm me. I feel we would be much stronger as a group rather than individuals which is possibly why SS wont even pass my contact details on with my permission. I could write a very,very long book about the whole sorry saga. thanks

Oh dear , poor little sausage, I hope it heals quickly. I hope you get to the bottom of it all. They are such a worry!

My own bank was very unhelpful when we were trying to open an account for my sons direct payments. I went to a well known building society (in tears after banks treatment). The staff were very kind, even made me tea, and we opened an account with me named as "trustee. We will investigate power of attorney but it seems very expensive and not many lawyers seem to know what they are doing.

Goodbye and good luck Theresa. I will miss your compassion and good sense. with love Loraine

Bye bye Bid, I will miss your posts and your ability to cut to the chase and give brilliant advice. take care Love Loraine xx

Brilliant news Mandy. Your post has really cheered me up. Loraine xx

She is gorgeous, I love all her little cat toys. I know how you feel, its lovely when you get a new furry member of the family. We had a year gap after our little beagle died and didnt realise how much we missed having a four legged friend. Loraine

In America melatonin is sold in health food stores. It is sold with all the vitamin supplements etc. Im not sure why it can be sold over there without regulation but over here is only available on prescription. You can also buy it on line (from perfectly legitimate sites) very easily. As JsMum says the body it is sometimes a good idea to give it a break for a few days because the body sometimes builds up a tolerance to it.

Hi Bid, I would definately apply. A few years ago a friend applied because her son had a peanut allergy and was awarded middle rate. I know the forms are an absolute pig but your children have a need above and beyond most NT children. Good luck Loraine xxx

Hi Lou, Lovely to hear from you again. Sorry to hear everything has gone so pear shaped with Kai. It is all so hard isnt it. Congratulations on the new baby and pleased everything is going well with your toddler. Still fighting for some kind of day service for our lad. Four long years have now passed and have been to the end of my tether more times than I can count but keep on going (just). Take care Loraine xxx

Avoid sunlight,wear dark glasses and lather your face in sun factor 30. Or is that for vampires...... love Loraine (wrinkly and proud)

We have lost a ceiling and currently have a heavily water stained kitchen ceiling. Our son is now 23 and still loves to run the taps. We have had to turn them off at the base, which is a real pain but we arejust trying to break the cycle. The constant running of the hot tap was ruining our new boiler and goodness knows what our fuel bill will be.

Hi Julie, I presume the respite is funded via direct payments from your Social Service department who should have adviced you about insurance etc. I hope if this is the case that you were not simply handed the money, given a list of carers and left to get on with things. I would get in touch with your local disability team and explain what has happened. Your post raises the issues of safety and liability which Councils in there rush to push forward with the "personalisation" agenda have overlooked.

Have a brilliant time. I was born in Edinburgh and my Mum and Dad are driving up there to see family as I write this. My other lot all live in Perth. Small world!! Say hello to my Mum and Dad for me. love Lorainexx

Mobile phones!!! Especially those wretched blue tooth head set things that make people appear to be shouting at themselves.

Hi Tsmom, Which County to you work for? Im also a TA and my wages are spread equally through the year. How typical in our crazy education system that different areas have different systems.

Well done, I know when I had visit from the "suits" one chap talked at me for 15 minutes. In fact I lost the thread of what he was talking about and switched off. He must have been totally convinced I would withdraw my complaint and looked stunned when I said I was continuing.

Hi Nikki Good luck with the meeting. Loraine xx

Hello Nikki, I have been through the complaint system (we live in the same County) last year and Nic is absolutely right. They have a time scale in which complaints have to be answered. I also went to the Ombudsman after they virtually ignored my initial complaint. I think the whole complaint procedure is detailed on the County website. Stage 2 should involve an investigation by an independent person from another County. We had a lovely lady who interviewed all relevant staff and us. She produced a very damming report and upheld all our complaints which was sent to County. However we found that they simply argued with her findings. I was so angry that we went to stage 3 which shocked them. Stage 3 involed a panel of independant people and the staff from County and you and a representative. It was a bit daunting but worthwhile in the end because things improved because of it. Keep notes, dont be intimidated, have someone with you and you will be fine. Remember its their job to "smooth things over" and If you dont feel completely happy with what they suggest to change things just carry on fighting. If you want to get in touch PM me.

What a horrible thing to happen. Im always shocked that people can sink so low.