Hi All I don’t usually air my troubles, in fact it’s not troubles now but a positive. My wife has PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsey) a terminal brain deteriorating desease. She has only 2 years, at best to live. 15 months ago she was a normal active lady full of dreams and aspirations, now a mere shelll, now dementia has set in. My point. I’m her principal carer, 24/7. This hobby of our allows me to escape the nightmare and immerse myself in something that takes me away from my particular reality, just a for little while. Restoring Lamps does just that. I can escape, even for 5 minutes, escape to my lamp world. At night I go to sleep thinking, how can I fix that, I’m not lying awake thinking, no worrying, about my darling wife. It’s a measure of respite for me. So thank you all, just reading your comments, and my interaction with you means so much, again thank you all. Cheers Pete
Best Wishes from the USA and hoping you continue to find happiness in our hobby. I very much understand how it is a wee bit of an escape, making them work again... the light seems to be a very satisfying way of "job well done".
I wish you all the strength to live this difficult time. And your wife all the best, she also has to endure the suffering. Enjoy the work with the lamps and draw strength from them. I wish you all the best. Roland
G'day Pete, I took care of my Grandparents until the day they died. My Grandfather was as sharp as a tack or in other words he never had dementia. He was always joking around and he kept my Grandmother on the sane side of things. My Grandfather died in his sleep and it was truly a dark day when he died. He was a good man. When he died my Grandmother progressed rapidly towards dementia and she was very difficult to take care of that is for sure. You see I had a full time job and then I would come home to another full time job. It's hard to walk this road but you are a damn good man for walking it. Your lamp, lanterns and stoves will help you give you a bit of a respite. Cheers, Norman
Hi Pete! What a strong story of your and your wifes Lifes. Happy to hear You have a way to relax a bit with something that bring so much joy. Greetings from Sweden, birthplace of many a great preassurized devices.
@AussiePete Inspiring and courageous summary of your lot Pete, thank you for telling it. Best wishes. John
That's a hard thing to face, all our sympathies to you and yours. We had years of caring for a parent and the effort was draining. To see her deteriorate from what she once was to a husk of a person, well, this happens to many. Alternative activities are sanity savers - absolutely no doubt. I'll light a lamp or two for you.
Light is very symbolic, representing life itself, creation and growth, maybe I'm subliminally drawn to lamps because of light, the power and control of it. I lost a love in my life, my daughter Hayley, very suddenly and without warning. she was 16 and the darkness came in the form of meningitis, 6 hours and my beautiful brown eyed girl was taken. If I every had any belief it disappeared that day, so I don't see light in that context, however, I hope it's symbolism brings you warmth and our words bring you comfort and a little light. Martin
Best wishes to all involved, Pete. "For better or worse" indeed AMD you're standing by your commitment. Well done. I'll light a lantern for both of you tomorrow.
Your post was an inspiring one. This past year has been utter crap for me and my wife for a number of reasons but 2 things have kept me sane: my lanterns and my writing. Without them I honestly think I might have ended up on the funny farm. I'm hoping things might level out a bit soon, not that there's likely to be some massive change, I just hope and pray that nothing else bad happens. It's also kind of a thing that people ask 'how's it going?' or 'how are you?' and really, you're expected to say, 'yeah, good thanks' because if I were to run through the shit that's been going on, I maybe wouldn't be believed or if I was, people actually don't want a run down of your personal tragedies. So having a site like this and CCS can be an absolute Godsend. It's a beacon of normalcy, friendship and shared interests that has taken me to a good place when the going got tough, so... Thanks everyone.
@AussiePete For once I am without words - I just so hope, that your wife will also see the light of your lanterns in your caring eyes - even if your lanterns are not lit, the light of their relief will show in your eyes. All the best - Please let me know if you need a hand from this other side of the world - connected through this truly unique forum! To your wife and you - this lantern is lit for the night.
Pete you are a good man. And maybe I should write: all of you are. Sharing not only lamp things but also sharing thoughts, memories, stories. Most of the time we have not even seen eachother in real live and maybe never will but still we share our thoughts. Thank for sharing yours Pete and keep the light on.
Hi Pete, we are all here for you I find fixing things helps me in my mind to say positive we should all light a lamp for @AussiePete sending warm light energy your way
@AussiePete I wish both you and your wife for the best that would come. We are all here for your support. I'll light up for that.
@AussiePete I am finding it difficult to write anything kind or inspiring that hasn’t already been said in words far more eloquent than mine. Last November my Mother, now nearly 92 was diagnosed with mixed Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia and in these short few months has deteriorated rapidly becoming either very fretful and worried or verbally scathing and physically violent. This has been a very difficult and emotional time for all of the family but especially for Mother and Father, and I too have taken solace in CCS CPL and a few snatched minutes with my lamps and stoves. I wish you both peace and light, you are truly an inspiration to us all. Regards Jeremy
Something just occured to me actually... it's just that quite a few of us are at an age where significant life events begin happening more often. We've been through marriage(s), kids, home building, career building and the rest of life's challenges and now we're starting to face the next set of problems... with elderly parents, old friends and relatives passing on, illness, grown up children's problems and retirement (for some of us) and we begin to stare the third phase of our lives square in the face. For some of us, other added problems have jumped up to kick us in the teeth (or ass) and things can start to get pretty tough. Like others have said, this site and CCS are often our refuge and I'm extremely thankful for that.
@ColinG The self same feelings are prominent in most other forums I frequent. In part this may be due to the fact that as we remember our youth, we find bonds with others who experienced their youth in the same vein of interest - at around the same time. As such, we are communicating about a common era and the memories it induces, and as we know, eras come and go. What we are experiencing today is that of a newer generation(s), and if we are to understand those newer generations we need to introduce them to a bit of history that piques their interest, maybe then such hobbies and lifestyles that we once had as the norm, can be better understood and appreciated by more youthful folk, who may even be then dissauded from taking not so good lifestyles. Lamps, stoves, cars, motorbikes, & boats from previous eras, may yet help bond people together more.
My mother has had vascular dementia for the past 4 years so I know a little of what @AussiePete and others are going through, I lost my brother in law at 61 years unexpectedly last July and my father in law has just passed away aged 88, funeral is on Friday. Stay strong and enjoy your moments of Fettling as best you can, as no one can be sure how much time they have left themselves.
