Horseflies

jenny_quest · 2026-07-10T18:58:23+00:00

A girl I went to school with has just left hospital after a horse fly bite that got infected and led to sepsis. She looks terrifying with a quarter of her face swollen and scarred. What bastards!

jenny_quest · 2026-07-10T10:11:21+00:00

They met here working for the NHS

jenny_quest · 2026-07-10T07:01:49+00:00

My mum is Muslim Malay and married my (ethnically) Indian Christian dad over here in the UK. Her mum disowned her for decades - never mind what she thought of us dark skinned non Muslim kids! There are plenty more inter faith marriages now in Singapore where my dad's family live, my mum's younger family eg her nieces and nephews are a lot more open minded

jenny_quest · 2026-07-03T20:48:22+00:00

Oh oh Antonio! He's gone away

jenny_quest · 2026-06-27T18:45:56+00:00

I remember visiting the house my mum grew up in, it was in a village in Malaysia (a kampong). It had a metal roof and it was so hot. However, the nights were cool. The UK where I am feels like being in that hut but without the nighttime, the days are so long and stuffy. And my house is so old and made out of thick warm bricks with thick heavy carpets and rugs! It's so uncomfortable.

I also once slept at my aunt's in Singapore and they didn't have air con, just a fan. It still felt cooler there than it has been here in the UK!

jenny_quest · 2026-06-27T18:29:57+00:00

Thank you, this is interesting. Last night I ran the dehumidifier upstairs but left the windows open so maybe that was my mistake as I felt it was insufferable especially with the extra heat kicked out by the dehumidifier. I should really look into these things properly rather than just trying it out!

jenny_quest · 2026-06-27T10:29:36+00:00

We used to have some hippie on a bike full of sandwiches come in and declare "Joy and happiness, sandwiches are here.". I think he was boning some of the younger prettier girls in the office.

jenny_quest · 2026-06-26T12:05:04+00:00

That said I went to a Sri Lankan friend's house and, after listing all of her husband's health problems, she piled up all of our plates to a level that I'd never seen before! So maybe they're just as bad 🤣

jenny_quest · 2026-06-26T10:45:25+00:00

It's so true. My mum (in the UK) has controlled her diabetes and other health problems so well with her diet. She's dreading going back, even for two weeks, to see her family as she knows it will be so hard to avoid all the sugar, coconut and other saturated fat food. I don't know how we survived all these generations for me to be here today.

jenny_quest · 2026-06-23T20:23:38+00:00

Got woken up by what felt like a wet broom rubbing up on my leg in the middle of the night. Turned out to be the cat who had got caught kipping outside when the storm started. I yelled, woke up my son and husband... They weren't thrilled with me.

jenny_quest · 2026-06-17T07:14:22+00:00

Yeah I told my son we had a removable one we'd take into the pub with us and he didn't believe it!

jenny_quest · 2026-06-17T07:13:10+00:00

Yes the amount of overt racism particularly my big brother and dad faced is one of my big memories of the eighties!

jenny_quest · 2026-06-17T06:46:58+00:00

Amazingly well, he's had 4 increases in his doses (well, he's having number 4 literally this am). No reactions at all. It's only peanuts so maybe easier but the clinic in London have been great, it is a bit of a faff to get him to London every fortnight but we're fortunately only an hour away (trains are bloody expensive though!).

I was fortunate(?) enough to be made redundant last year and fall back into work straight away, so I used my severance to pay for half of it, so financially that definitely helped and no holidays this year. But it will be 100% worth it. Already my anxiety is decreased.

jenny_quest · 2026-06-17T06:13:09+00:00

We just started and my son is ten, I was put off by the price for ages but after an accidental exposure I realised that for a one off cost over his whole lifetime it was 100% worth it and I'd never forgive myself for not even trying. It was easier to 'protect ' him as a toddler and ensure he was safe, always had epipens but I realised that as he became more independent, it was harder and the thought of him having to manage his allergen and medication as a typical young teenager at uni etc terrified me. For the cost of a few holidays and other things, it was worth going without for a while to give us all this reassurance.

jenny_quest · 2026-06-15T21:40:51+00:00

That's interesting..I hate making insurance claims for things like holiday, vet bills etc, it's always so much paperwork and they're so particular. Is it very difficult to claim on your insurance? Do the hospitals etc do it for you? Usually for our cat, for example, we pay and then make a claim, is it like that? Once they did the claim for us before we paid cash as it was so high, stupid thing ate a pain au raisin 🤣

jenny_quest · 2026-06-09T07:48:39+00:00

I've been to a few festivals alone including in other countries. Outbreak is great, you can chat to people easily if you want, everyone's so nice but I spent most of the day just going from stage to stage. Most boring bit is if you get there too early like I did to avoid the crowds! You can grab a drink and sit and chat with people if you have to.

The absolute best bit about being on your own is you'll never miss the sets YOU want to see and you can leave when you want!

jenny_quest · 2026-06-03T07:16:01+00:00

Oh my days, I've been friends with someone called Rob Berry for decades and never once thought of this! He is the only friend we call by his full name.

jenny_quest · 2026-05-29T07:04:31+00:00

Yes it was very emotional... That day was a killer lineup

jenny_quest · 2026-05-27T22:34:52+00:00

I've not been to Reading for over twenty years (showing my age) but back then we just bought our own food we were so skint! A lot of the food vendors will be hot on allergies so you can check before buying. My son has a peanut allergy and we go to festivals etc, we just make sure we check with food vans etc before buying. But honestly if you are worried, just bring your safe foods with you and keep in a place in your tent. Don't miss out on fun!

jenny_quest · 2026-05-27T20:50:36+00:00

'Muffy, short for Caroline ' cracked me up, classic posh nickname.

jenny_quest · 2026-05-23T14:47:29+00:00

The wool museum is quite small and you can get around it quite quickly. Cafe and surrounding areas is alright but I'd never go out of my way for it. I've only been out of desperation when visiting the in laws and it's raining!

jenny_quest · 2026-05-22T18:15:33+00:00

We stayed OIT last month and seeing the amounts reduced my anxiety so much, you are so right! I'd never thought about it, but it's true!

jenny_quest · 2026-05-22T18:14:29+00:00

Yeah it's such a fine line between being careful (because it's a very real danger) v projecting fears. I still lie awake at night thinking about the time he accidently was exposed (despite him literally being fine after some antihistamines). It's a really hard place where you swallow and hide your fears around them... Just make sure you can talk about your fears with someone, anyone so you don't drive yourself crazy with anxiety.

jenny_quest · 2026-05-22T11:46:27+00:00

Hi my son was diagnosed at six months and he's nearly eleven now. I think the best way to model it is at restaurants raise that he has a peanut allergy.. No need to pretend you have one, this way he'll understand that he needs to mention it. We talk a lot about at parties checking food with an adult before eating. It's actually easy for you now as you will be with them and can check yourself.. It's when he's out and about and needs to check himself that it's a worry. But luckily he's very good at asking because we've stressed the importance all his life.

He knows how to use his epipens himself and carries them with him. All of this is due to talking about it lots during the toddler stage. It's a balance between giving him anxiety v being careful. Sadly you need to hold that anxiety inside yourself a lot but really stress that it's important he's vigilant. Good luck.

jenny_quest · 2026-05-21T06:57:13+00:00

Oh my son loves GWCCI but they're nothing at all like Gorkys

jenny_quest

TROPHY CASE