From Unlawful Killing to Corporate Manslaughter (by sarah)

Yesturday saw another fraught day for the family - my side. They had recieved a letter saying that the police where no longer going to be persuing the unlawful killing verdict thing on my uncles death. So of course everyone assumed that the case was just being dropped but when they got to the meeting about it, it turned out it is being handed over to health and saftey making it a far hueger thing.

I again will not write any details as I do not want to affect the case in a negative way - but this is good as from what I saw the night he died just about everything was wronge. And something has to be done before even more people die unnessasarily.

Dad couldn't make it to the meeting as he had to go to the eye hospital for a check up on his laser surgery - he hadn't been sure weather they were going to be doing more then and there or not. But they looked at it all - one eye which has been lasered twice is absolutly fine but the other one is a bit of a concern and he has to go back in six weeks time to have it looked at again - if more blood vessels are growing he'll have to have a laser round the whole thing which they don;t really want to do - I assume there is some sort of rosk thing involved there with the amount of lasering they need to do but I dont really know.

Barbara also managed to have another fall at the weekend and so she was back at the drs on Tuesday (we met in the waiting room) and today she went for physio session for it. It would appear shes done something to the muscel that goes into the arm pit :/

I think that all thats currently going on.

Jaw Ache, Flu and Impetigo (by sarah)

I had been meaning to book an appointment with the dr for ages as I feared I had brought the bed bugs from london back with me - itchy red lumps were still appearing on my legs and now on my stomache.

I had unfortunatly scratch the bedbug bites I and some had gotten infected. Then on Saturday I woke up and found I couldn't open my jaw very far and couldn't really shut it either - I lost my ability to bite. Side ways movement was painfull and cuased clicking and crunching - from one or two old bites I was covered in red spots - but not in a way I would associate with a rash - was I being bitten? I haven't found any bed bugs here and have been making Al hoover the bed and stuff just in case.

Smaller incidences of the jaw restriction had been happening for a while but nothing like this - I couldn't eat and drinking was hard.

Sunday my jaw was a little better and I could eat soft things but my hearing had gone west and by night time I was starting to show cold symptoms.

Monday Al phoned the dr as the glands in my neck had swollen to look like small chicken eggs on the outside - my joints are all stiff and achey - I felt/feel pathetic - obviously I have man flu - ie I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill.

So the Dr looks at me and checks my tonsils and is concerned I can't open my mouth and then the question - when did I last go to the dentist - erm.... I don't remember - in fact thinking about it I don't think I've been to see a dentist since I was about 11 :/ might have to remidy that shortly.

Podded and pocked and questions asked - everything is inflamed and may or may not be the flu, and the red spots aren't insect bits but maybe infetigo. So not knowing what that is I look it up when I get home and it doesn't look anything like the stuff of the wikipedia page but thats cos there are different types - its a bacterial infection cuase by the strep stuff that cuases sore throats etc... It's common in toddlers and sports people and take advantage of cuts or insect bit that have been scratched.

Mmmmm... so if this is what it is I think that were I was bitten by bed bugs in London was ultamatly the cuase of this - of course I shouldn't have scratched but I do it in my sleep. Symptoms include swollen lymph glands and flu like symptoms :/

I have Fucidin cream which is an antibiotic and steroid mix. They are hoping that this will clear it up - I have to put it on each spot indivdually.

I have another appointment for a weeks time and if my glands haven't gone down by then it'll be blood test time.

It took a little bit of time for me to work out that infetigo was impetigo. I am now being very cheesed off about bed bugs. I am now going to have a bath - get Al to change all the bed sheets, apply the creme and sleep.

Oh and I'm going to have hairy legs as I'm not allowed to shave or wax them - they reckon that they should have it cleared up in time for me to not have a hairy leg summer - lets hope so.

Mum’s Cancer Stuff – Good News (by sarah)

Mum went back for another ultra sound today just to make sure there really weren't anymore lumps as the drs had been arguing on this point.

The scan was clear which is fantastic! So now I have my fingers crossed for Thursday for two reasons:

First off dad has to go back for another lot of eye laser stuff and secondly there is a meeting about the enquiry into my uncles death - so we will have to wait and see.

Red Nose Day – Or Jean as A Clown Day (by sarah)

Today was Red Nose day and as always I made sure I had a nose - I have been collecting the different ones since I was 4 years old and have fond memories associated with each:

The first one I got in hospital, they came round with a tray and I didnt have any money but some else bought me one. It got droped and rolled behind the wendy house in the day room - the nurses and a doctor move the house so that I could get it back.

I dont remeber what order they appeared in but there have been tomato ones, hair do ones, poking tongue out ones, fluffy ones, ones with embossed faces and heat change ones which got y brother into trouble as he announced in that pink mean pregnant.

Jean wasn't really old enough to participate in the last Comic Relief but she was this time.

And though it was a bit too close to the World Book Day dress up her Pre-school were having a clown day.

I found out about this a few days after I found out about the World book day event and I basically work on both costums at the same time.

I made the hat with a bit of help from Jean - the buttons were all of her work which is cool 🙂 as I think they look fantastic. As always the hat had to be pink - I let her choose! We also decorated one of her large white t-shirts with glitter fabric paint that I got for her snpw cloud costum. She had a great time swerling the paint on the t-shirt and I did manage to get a magizine stuck inside the t-shirt - it was there to stop the front of the t-shirt sticking to the back!

Barbara had a pair of childrens clogs - proper wooden ones that are just right for Jean and she loves them and I thought they would make good clown shoes!

Dad however did have to sand the jagged sharp glue away from the inside of the shoe - one of the clogs had been repaired at some time in the past but very very badly.

I then picked up the strippy trousers from a charity shop for 50p - these can double as pirate trousers or count draculars trousers! That and the £1 for the nose are all that I laid out for the costum everything else was 'in stock' as it were which was cool.

The hat is far too heavy - it is also just about the sturdiest hat ever and in the process I discovered that fabric glue is good for sticking more than fabric!

Jean was really excited about this outfit though she kept insisting she was Aladdin!

She made me wear my red nose to take her to pre-school in and I even went inside wearing it. They were doing show and tell and Jean had to go straight to the front to show her hat off!

We sent her in with her trainers as the clogs are not very practicle for running etc...

She had a great time and we bought lots of little smiley brown cakes with red glace cherry noses to eat from the nursery - I then wizzed off to London to look at a piece of the moon 🙂

I was a bit sad not to see more red noses but as mine was secreted in my bag at this point I woundered how many other people had them but just werent wearing them! I did however give some money to a man in red tights at Paddington station - he had a red curly wig, face and nose 🙂

I have unfortunatly left this years red nose with glasses on, on the ear of @ndy's nabaztag in the office in Highgate :/

Hopefully the 'how to' on the hat and t-shirt will appear on Salaric Craft soon.

Science Writers disappointment (by sarah)

I thought things might be getting abit tight to enter the Young Science Writer of the Year compertion and as this year is the first year since I found out about it that I am actually in a position to enter.

No floods, being healthy enough to actually get stuff done and being back in the science world even though its part time. With my ambition/long term goal being bringing science to the masses I was actually really looking forward to stretching the writing skills I have been learning over the last few years - to me this was a fussion project and looked like fun.

This year is also the last year I am young enough to enter - so I went to the website and... its not running this year - not explanation or anything just no running 🙁 Looks like I'm not even going to get my chance at it - I mean I boubt I would have done very well at it but at least I would have tried but the oppurtunity has been plucked from me.

Never mind - tomorrow I get to put my moon rock in a machine for blasting!!!! Mwahahahahahh!