Fun Exercise

Published July 9, 2023 by helentastic67

Fun Exercise

In recent years my once family proud handwriting has gone to shit! (As diplomatically as possible) I know, I can’t understate how terrible my handwriting has become illegible. Even hieroglyphic. Is that a word?

I mean, I write it and even I can’t read it. It might be when I swear the most in the week and that could be saying something.

Who wants to play?

Here is a portion of my shopping list. Take it as a challenge to decipher my handwriting? I feel I should tell you now, for my own amusement, I call my shopping list “Shop Lust!” Because it amuses me to do so and on the top left corner are the grocery items I require.

It goes as follows…
Lasagna sheets
Vanilla Essence
Marmalade
Betty Crocker
***************

Honestly. WTF is that? My carer states “You really wanted them; it’s got several exclamation marks after it!” when this happens, we play it by ear and as we do the aisles getting me some steps in my never-ending battle to get some tiny amount to compete with my blog administrator Noelle.

8pm Friday night……
Me: How many did you get? I did 3,000.
Noelle: 27,000 so far!
Me: how many can I have?
Noelle: 5,000
We both know this is not how it works but it certainly amuses me to ask.

Doing the aisles I reach for the items I remember I need just by going down the aisles. It’s my carers job to check the list as we go to make sure we haven’t missed anything. The ********** remains. We give up as it doesn’t jolt my memory. We head home. Unpack.

My carer departs, the tasks are completed. I’m pulling towels from the clothes dryers hours later and I let out a swear word. The one ending in “Me!”

I get my phone and text my carer those exact words followed by, “sultanas!” At least I worked it out, it would have driven me crazy until I remembered.

How to improve my penmanship? Well, I’ve given up handwriting my blog posts and now I smash them out on my iPad. Not as cathartic but avoiding the issue.

And hit Like and leave a comment.

Handwriting

Published April 4, 2022 by helentastic67

Handwriting

Handwriting can tell so much about someone, doctors writing is said to be hard to read. I’ve found often illegible, because apparently, it’s because there don’t want to tell you everything. But alas, my handwriting in recent years has proven to be absolutely diabolical.

I write very small and often times my carer pulls out the shopping list in the supermarket and states “Okay, I’m good except this one?” She points out what she can’t understand. Often, I look and can’t either. “I’ll give you that one!”

Another customer might be close by and she will not realise it’s my handwriting. I think others assume we are shopping together for someone else.

Today, my carer held the list and she said “Blinky Bill?” It was a kid’s ice cream back in the day (80’s) It was about 3 ‘B’ words and I problem solve like this. Let’s just keep shopping, I’ll see it and remember I need it. We were in the dairy aisle, I called out, “Baby bocconcini balls!”

Luckily, we had already purchased them close to home. I guess I would put it down to my carpal tunnel and the sometimes RSI injury.

Osteo student and one of my Japanese carers who does a tape version of acupuncture, manage both of these issues for me but, it’s lockdown in Victoria during Covid 19. I’m lucky to have kept all my carers but, my osteo students who must cut their teeth with free clinic hours before they graduate. (They need to practice and cut their teeth in order to graduate.)

Sweet Success

Published February 11, 2019 by helentastic67

Sweet Success

I’ve had many carers that take me shopping over the years, on a Friday. That is my day for having a carer put me in their car and we go on an adventure. This is when I feel mostly like a normal person. Like I’m hanging out with a friend, laughing, joking, teasing, sharing stories. Having fun right.

Hanging out with Friends

At the moment, I’ve a young lady (Wow, that just happened, I just became an old lady) who is only 23 years old and we have the best time.

Best time

I make the habit of writing shopping list through out the week, so I can restock, but once out, I’m happy to keep an eye out for my favourite things when on special and anything new that might catch my eye.

Shopping List

My carer these days has a rule; I can only get one thing that is not on my list. “Yes Helen, but that’s your one thing”. So of course, the simple answer is you put EVERYTHING ON THE LIST. Correct.

Cherry Ripe

Cherry ripe

Snickers

Chips (you Americans call them Crisps) etc, etc, etc.

Chips

But I then of course make up the rules as we go. “I have to get Jaffa Cakes.” They’re on special. At times I will see something and just sneak it in the trolley, when I’m not looking, she will put it back.

Jaffa cake

Later, I will tell her the last bit of leftover Christmas pudding would have gone so much better with a little thick Bailey’s cream. As I dart my eyes towards her, she will go to take a defensive tone with me and I’ll tell her it doesn’t matter.

Christmas pudding

One week, we were in the lolly isle, I reached for a Cherry Ripe bar ($1) bonus reward points. C’mon, and a debate ensured.

Cherry ripe on special

“No! You already have your one thing?

“But these are on special”

“No!”

So, I just put them in the trolley. She stated that only if she could have one.

“Fine!” she thought that could stop me.

She probably needs a hit of sugar to complete her shift with me and then I told her I was allowed to get two Snickers bars. We had a quiet drive to our next destination as we both ate our Cherry Ripe and Snickers.

Snicker bars

I still win.

I win

Often by the time we work our way around, the regular familiar staff we encounter, wonder what we are giggling about, so we explain the “One thing that isn’t on the list” rule. They share their solutions for me to have a work around. But then this scenario is my young charges worst nightmare. We are standing in the queue for our checkout. On my left (my blind side) is this wall of TIM TAMS and she noticed it before I did or at least I didn’t connect. I suggested to move the trolley closer and I could just scoop them all in the trolley.

Tim Tams

We agreed it was her biggest nightmare! No one is due a TIM TAM care package. Not eve to Texas (even she can’t be trusted – she has to wait) and I already have two unopened packets in the fridge.

Tim Tams 1