How Was Your Day?

[Zear0]

3 minutes ago, Daggers said:

 

I resigned from Southend and was headhunted by Newcastle. 

 

The wife thinks I'm sitting in the office working.

Walked before you were pushed more like.

[Daggers]

Just now, Zear0 said:

Walked before you were pushed more like.

They pulled out of contract talks twice - I wasn't having that

[Parafox]

As an aside to my post regarding meeting our grandaughter, we were walking to the meeting venue and passed a end terrace wall that appeared to have had green paint chucked on it. 

 

Mrs P said I wonder if that's a Banksy? 

 

I said nah, looks like someone's thrown paint at the wall.

 

Turns out:

 

 

"A mural that appeared overnight on a residential building in north London is the work of Banksy, the anonymous street artist has confirmed".

[Thefox81]

On 15/02/2025 at 19:44, Parafox said:

 

 

Thank you both for asking. It went well. 

 

The organisation is a privately funded (through clients and other revenue streams) called Family Futures and they provide support and advice for "looked after" children and their families. They help to engage these children in opening up about their feelings and worries and provide them with  important information about the reasons for being adopted or fostered and guide and support them through the potential emotional fallout of what they have experienced.

 

In our case, we had already had some contact with our grandaughter through the post adoption contact mailbox scheme where annual letters and photos are exchanged between us and her ant her adoptive parents so we kind of knew bits about her life after going into care and knew what she looked like from the photos we had.

 

Prior to going to meet her, we were full of anxiety, hope, excitement not knowing how this would pan out.

 

We knew that the specialist had asked Ellie to write down questions that she hoped we could answer about her birth mum and her 6 months living with us 16 years ago.

 

When we walked into the room where we met Ellie face to face for the first time we all fell apart with emotion. Tears, hugs, kisses. A long period where none of knew what to say but all we could do was look at our grandaughter in almost disbelief. She's tiny, delicate and very pretty. So much like her birth mum at 16. She was dressed in a pink velour tracksuit that her birth mum would have approved of. 

 

She sat between her adoptive parents for a while then decided to come and sit with me and Mrs P. She held our hands as we started to answer the questions she had for us (which she had written on a large sheet of paper at a previous session she had been to) and it almost broke my heart.

 

Having to tell her the truth about the difficult early life her birth mum had and the short life Ellie spent with us was really difficult and clearly upsetting even though she knew quite a bit already as the adoption process requires all the information available, but to hear it hear it substantiated directly from us was tough for her and us and we had to stop a number of times for us all to have a breather.

 

In between times Ellie kept looking up at me and smiling. I so wanted to just scoop her up hold her like I did when she was a baby. 

 

She was quite shy, which is understandable in the circumstances, but our concerns about her not engaging with us or treating us like strangers was totally unfounded. It really was like meeting a long lost loved one for her and for us. She seemed so relieved herself that we were what she remembered even at that young age and what she hoped we would be like from our contact letters.

 

The brief attachment we made in the first 6 months of her life seems to continue to be there for her and certainly for us. She still has and still cuddles, a pink hippo soft toy we got for her after she was born and her adoptive parents said she hardly goes anywhere without it, even trips abroad.

 

She's had a difficult life but her adopters are dedicated to her and have given her the best, most positive life experiences she could ever have even in often quite trying situations as she displays so much of the behaviours that her birth mum did. And they continue to do so which is so gratifying and important to me and Mrs P.

 

We have another meeting with Ellie at Family Futures in April. In the meantime we are getting together ourselves to have a day out and we will take our other adopted daughter, Beth who is Ellie's aunt, with us so she can meet her as well. Beth had to say goodbye to Ellie when Beth was 9 yrs old and was devastated as she had formed a deep attachment.

 

Now we are getting our relationships back and all seems good.

 

On a slightly negative side, Ellie's birth mum is back in the MHU as she isn't coping and needs additional help. She does know about our contact with her daughter but that's not the reason she isn't managing in the community.

 

Also, we have a second grandaughter that has been adopted. She's 14 now but the adopters don't allow contact so it's unlikely we'll see her any time soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So haopy for you and mrs P. A wholeheartidly story that give anyone a warm happy feeling inside. Long may it continue for you xx

[FoyleFox]

2 hours ago, Parafox said:

As an aside to my post regarding meeting our grandaughter, we were walking to the meeting venue and passed a end terrace wall that appeared to have had green paint chucked on it. 

 

Mrs P said I wonder if that's a Banksy? 

 

I said nah, looks like someone's thrown paint at the wall.

 

Turns out:

 

 

"A mural that appeared overnight on a residential building in north London is the work of Banksy, the anonymous street artist has confirmed".

So, you were right. Someone has thrown paint at the wall.

[Parafox]

1 hour ago, FoyleFox said:

So, you were right. Someone has thrown paint at the wall.

 

But in a very artistic, anonymous way.

 

Apparently.

 

The tree was there already and I never even noticed it. It had been trimmed by the council for whatever reason and then Banksy came along with several tins of green paint and seemingly lobbed them at the wall and then painted a woman with a jet washer at the base. 

 

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, Daggers said:

 

I resigned from Southend and was headhunted by Newcastle. 

 

The wife thinks I'm sitting in the office working.

 

So do you. 

[spacemunky]

It's times like these when I really miss living in a condo and not having to shovel snow.

 

RIP my back 

[Jon the Hat]

On 16/02/2025 at 03:44, Parafox said:

 

 

Thank you both for asking. It went well. 

 

The organisation is a privately funded (through clients and other revenue streams) called Family Futures and they provide support and advice for "looked after" children and their families. They help to engage these children in opening up about their feelings and worries and provide them with  important information about the reasons for being adopted or fostered and guide and support them through the potential emotional fallout of what they have experienced.

 

In our case, we had already had some contact with our grandaughter through the post adoption contact mailbox scheme where annual letters and photos are exchanged between us and her ant her adoptive parents so we kind of knew bits about her life after going into care and knew what she looked like from the photos we had.

 

Prior to going to meet her, we were full of anxiety, hope, excitement not knowing how this would pan out.

 

We knew that the specialist had asked Ellie to write down questions that she hoped we could answer about her birth mum and her 6 months living with us 16 years ago.

 

When we walked into the room where we met Ellie face to face for the first time we all fell apart with emotion. Tears, hugs, kisses. A long period where none of knew what to say but all we could do was look at our grandaughter in almost disbelief. She's tiny, delicate and very pretty. So much like her birth mum at 16. She was dressed in a pink velour tracksuit that her birth mum would have approved of. 

 

She sat between her adoptive parents for a while then decided to come and sit with me and Mrs P. She held our hands as we started to answer the questions she had for us (which she had written on a large sheet of paper at a previous session she had been to) and it almost broke my heart.

 

Having to tell her the truth about the difficult early life her birth mum had and the short life Ellie spent with us was really difficult and clearly upsetting even though she knew quite a bit already as the adoption process requires all the information available, but to hear it hear it substantiated directly from us was tough for her and us and we had to stop a number of times for us all to have a breather.

 

In between times Ellie kept looking up at me and smiling. I so wanted to just scoop her up hold her like I did when she was a baby. 

 

She was quite shy, which is understandable in the circumstances, but our concerns about her not engaging with us or treating us like strangers was totally unfounded. It really was like meeting a long lost loved one for her and for us. She seemed so relieved herself that we were what she remembered even at that young age and what she hoped we would be like from our contact letters.

 

The brief attachment we made in the first 6 months of her life seems to continue to be there for her and certainly for us. She still has and still cuddles, a pink hippo soft toy we got for her after she was born and her adoptive parents said she hardly goes anywhere without it, even trips abroad.

 

She's had a difficult life but her adopters are dedicated to her and have given her the best, most positive life experiences she could ever have even in often quite trying situations as she displays so much of the behaviours that her birth mum did. And they continue to do so which is so gratifying and important to me and Mrs P.

 

We have another meeting with Ellie at Family Futures in April. In the meantime we are getting together ourselves to have a day out and we will take our other adopted daughter, Beth who is Ellie's aunt, with us so she can meet her as well. Beth had to say goodbye to Ellie when Beth was 9 yrs old and was devastated as she had formed a deep attachment.

 

Now we are getting our relationships back and all seems good.

 

On a slightly negative side, Ellie's birth mum is back in the MHU as she isn't coping and needs additional help. She does know about our contact with her daughter but that's not the reason she isn't managing in the community.

 

Also, we have a second grandaughter that has been adopted. She's 14 now but the adopters don't allow contact so it's unlikely we'll see her any time soon.

How lovely for you all.  A loving connection with a baby at that early age is so important, I have no doubt her ability to have what sounds like pretty normal relationships with her adoptive family is down to you and your wife. 

 

I think for adoptive parents it must be a bit terrifying to allow contact when you adopt a baby from difficult circumstances, your desire to protect your child is paramount.  I hope your younger granddaughter chooses to reach out when she is old enough to choose herself.  A sister and loving grandparents could be an amazing discovery for her.

[HighPeakFox]

I'm exhausted, no two days are the same living with Long Covid.

 

However, the tri-annual blood checks show everything is stable from a cancer (or not in my case) point of view. I just wish there was more knowledge out there about Covid, but it's going to be years I fear.

[Thefox81]

20 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

I'm exhausted, no two days are the same living with Long Covid.

 

However, the tri-annual blood checks show everything is stable from a cancer (or not in my case) point of view. I just wish there was more knowledge out there about Covid, but it's going to be years I fear.

Glad your ok as well as can be Peaky 

[Jattdogg]

15 hours ago, spacemunky said:

It's times like these when I really miss living in a condo and not having to shovel snow.

 

RIP my back 

The snow mounds on my street are taller than the SUV's and cars. I have a one stage electric toro snow blower which helps big time.  That said you still have to shovel when the snow banks are so tall. I'm knackered. Snow storm Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Thank fook today is a holiday. Just been resting.

[Izzy]

Day 1 in Aiya Napa. Woke up to glorious sunshine. Lay by the pool at 10am, fell asleep, woke up at 1pm

 

Red as a beetroot. Got sunstroke. Been sick. And it was only 19 degrees.

 

Nice start…

[Dr Marco]

Enjoying a pint after coming back from playing indoors football five a side

Scored 7. 2 of left foot

some Vardyesque goals too

 

[Dr Marco]

7 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Day 1 in Aiya Napa. Woke up to glorious sunshine. Lay by the pool at 10am, fell asleep, woke up at 1pm

 

Red as a beetroot. Got sunstroke. Been sick. And it was only 19 degrees.

 

Nice start…

Brits abroad <3

[Daggers]

12 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Day 1 in Aiya Napa. Woke up to glorious sunshine. Lay by the pool at 10am, fell asleep, woke up at 1pm

 

Red as a beetroot. Got sunstroke. Been sick. And it was only 19 degrees.

 

Nice start…

Looks nasty

 

[Daggers]

In other news: Never ever ever Google 'sunburn penis' 

[tom27111]

Currently in the tattoo studio having a unique piece on my calf.

 

Will update later, you're going to want to see this 

[The Bear]

4 hours ago, tom27111 said:

Currently in the tattoo studio having a unique piece on my calf.

 

Will update later, you're going to want to see this 

webuyanycar.com with Micah Richards' face?

Edited 26 February by The Bear

[Jattdogg]

6 hours ago, tom27111 said:

Currently in the tattoo studio having a unique piece on my calf.

 

Will update later, you're going to want to see this 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXy3Egrr6xy/

 

 

[tom27111]

2 hours ago, The Bear said:

webuyanycar.com with Micah Richards' face?

 

8 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXy3Egrr6xy/

 

 

 

[The Bear]

Same difference as that Instagram post isn't it? A massive penis in blue.... 

 

Edited 26 February by The Bear

[tom27111]

I feel a bit like Jed Maxwell.

 

"It's took 14 hours, I fainted 3 times" 

 

[Milo]

25 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

 

 

Ya looney...!!! 

[Jattdogg]

26 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

 

 

Not bad but get a tan ffs! Lol