Tony is going for a weeks respite holiday at Kielder Forest in Northumberland at the beginning of June. We took him to look around a week past Sunday and booked and paid and filled in two five page forms while we were there. They wanted a holiday pack of medication for him. I'd never heard of that but checked with our chemist who wouldn't do it because he doesn't normally get his medication in blister packs???? He does get his medication from them with the script going straight from the surgery electronically. Well he did, now he gets it from the chemist a couple of miles away who will do a holiday pack. Then I had to sort insurance out, Go Compare and Saga, £52.00 so compared to the rest of the quotes I thought I did well with that. Then instead of the receipt I was expecting I received an Invoice for the full amount of the holiday which we'd already paid and even more frightening the two sets of blank forms and an extra form to list his medications. It took me hours to sort it all out.

It will be worth it though he will be able to go bird watching and use his camera they will take him round the reservoir and surrounding areas in a seven seater golf buggy. There are trips out on Kielder Water to see the Osprey's nesting site and they even have a boat they can push them straight onto in their wheelchairs. They also have a full course of outdoor activities, I know he's keen to try the archery but I'm hoping he tries the absailing as well they do it in a wheelchair. They've decided this is the best week for him so they must think he'll fit in well with the others staying that week. There are 13 rooms for disabled downstairs in the main building and we're lucky the Calvert Trust have three centres around the country and this one near us is the only one doing this for disabled. He can't wait.

What a very exasperating set of experiences with pharmacy and with paperwork - I am glad you moved Tony's custom to a helpful pharmacist.

What a lovely respite week. Whenever I have heard of Kielder Water, I wished I could go there.

The insurance sounds good too but not the additional extra shock of re-invoice and repeat mountain of form-filling. So some of the preliminaries have been a bit of a nightmare for you.

Not long till June. Let's hope this lovely weather lasts, but not hot - just pleasantly sunny and warm, I hope he will have a wonderful time.

Good Grief, Carol, what a palaver! You must have been close to tears of frustration!

When June used to go they picked her up in wheelchair accessible transport. They had their own doctor and dispensing nurse, and travelling carers of course.

We used to be in trouble because I used to jump in the car and go and see ner with small treats like flowers, tarte citrine or a pint of cockles (if she was out on a tripI left them)!

I hope Tony has a wonderful time marieann - but what about you?

Are you going with him or do you have other plans?

That sounds superb, Marieann. I hope Tony has a great time and comes home with some superb photos and a suntan. Hope you manage to get some quality "me time" while he's away.

It will be wonderful not to be wide awake between 4 and 5 in the morning and getting up to prepare for carers coming at 7, Andere. I wish I had been this efficient when I was young I was the one always running for the bus for school and later for work.

I'm not going Carol I would hold him back he's being pushed around everywhere and my legs won't do too much. He was asked did he want the easier week with half day activities or the one with full day activities and he picked full day. I think you should see things but also relax on a holiday.

They don't have resident doctors or nurses, Laurie, just use the local doctor and community nurses when they need them. This is an extra to their normal activity holidays. They have 13 rooms for disabled people but can only take 5 a week who need one to one care. Funnily enough the advert did say you would be picked up and returned if you lived within 50 miles of the centre and we are 49 miles away so I was happy enough to do that but what they actually do is pick up from 3 different points to the South. Hexham and Newcastle were 2 and I can't remember the third but if we're wheeling him into our car to take him to Hexham we decided we would rather just take him ourselves to Kielder.

I wish you could go to see Kielder, Viv. It isn't just the fact they have wonderful scenery and an exceptionally good observatory the drive to get there is interesting. They're right on the Borders miles above Gretna Green you can just slip into Dumfries and Galloway. I like Dumfries.

I hope Tony has a lovely time Marieann.It sounds very nice,hope he gets good weather.While Tony is away enjoying his self you must enjoy the break too.No slogging yourself with washing and ironing

You can sit and watch tennis, have a nice take away,no cooking.

That's the greatest benefit got from respite.

I didn't begrudge June one iota of the care she needed, bot oh the bliss of an unbroken nights sleep!

laurie53 wrote:Good Grief, Carol, what a palaver! You must have been close to tears of frustration!

When June used to go they picked her up in wheelchair accessible transport. They had their own doctor and dispensing nurse, and travelling carers of course.

We used to be in trouble because I used to jump in the car and go and see ner with small treats like flowers, tarte citrine or a pint of cockles (if she was out on a tripI left them)!

It's not me laurie - it's marieann.

We're both married to a Tony so I can understand your little name slip.

Thanks. Apologies to both.

You've mixed me up with Carol before Laurie. No apology necessary it's nice to get a reply in any form.

I agree with you about the sleep deprivation I found that harder than anything to cope with and when I'm tired I get irritable so I have to be extra careful to think before I speak.

It's damned difficult to compose your face into a bright smile at 2.30 am!