Negative nelly today

 We had a nice time with husband's brother and sis in law yesterday, they brought their 17 y.o. granddaughter with them, who is a very polite and friendly girl, a credit to her parents and grandparents.  Had a lovely lunch at our favourite tearooms.  Drove (husband's brother drove) to the seafront afterwards and sat for a while looking out to sea, then back to ours for coffee and cakes (bought, for once I didn't make them).  During the course of conversation we told them about husband giving up driving, he was somewhat vague about the reasons why (embarrassment I expect).  His sis in law then said "Oh well, at least you can hire a car if you need to"!!  Erm no, the whole point of him giving up driving is that he won't be driving anymore!  I had to put her right and give her the full picture.  Even then she didn't really take it in.  It's hard trying to make people understand how things are presently, and how they will be in the future.

By 8.30 this morning we were out in the garden, getting stuck in to the weeding, deadheading, tying things up etc before it becomes too hot this afternoon.  Husband found another 'mini' cucumber which had grown to the size of a small marrow - he claimed he didn't see it.  Mind you, half the plant was smothered by potato foliage as he'd planted a couple of spare seed potatoes too close to the cucumbers, there was also bindweed about a metre in length twisted around it all, which he was oblivious to.  The peas are now finished, have been for a week or more actually, so I suggested husband pull up the dead plants and plant 2 butternut squashes in their place, which he'd grown from seed in pots and are well outgrowing their pots, trailing everywhere.  He doesn't think to do anything at all, but waits for me to suggest things.

Whilst he was doing that, I was weeding the flower bed - I was tugging a dandelion out, or trying at least, when it suddenly snapped at the base (they are deep-rooted, I should have dug it out really) and I fell backwards, landing sprawled on my back on Betty's lawn.  It's a good job it was there, a much softer landing than the gravel that was there before......although the grass is brown and spiky so not particularly soft, and I was conscious of the fact that Betty wees on that lawn.  The unexpected sudden fall winded me and I couldn't move for a minute or two.  Trying then to get up off the ground was a nightmare, and husband was worse than useless - I rolled over onto my knees, with my arthritic knees screaming in agony, husband was just tugging on my upper arms trying ineffectively to lift me.  Finally he moved the garden stool across and I used that to lever myself up.  My back and left hip are painful now, we'll not even mention my knees, I'll be one big pain tomorrow I expect.

I just feel so useless, like I'm a decrepit fat old bag with a decaying body looking after another even more decrepit and older incapacitated old man, who needs help and direction with everything.  Feeling sorry for myself right now, I'll get over it.