Brain Teasers / Workouts etc

[Mrs5K]

Hope you are ok after your fall. Your council repairs sound as good as our councils. We had more snow over night and it’s very slippy out today. It’s difficult walking with a stick & having to drag your leg along. Thankfully hubby helped keep me upright.

Puzzles were good today.

A 5* for me on Waffle too.

#waffle1443 5/5

streak: 6
#wafflerookie

Wordle was a great 3 moves. Very happy with that.

Wordle 1,659 3/6

Shame about your connections. You’ll get there though. I did ok today. Had a slip up on blue & purple but happy with end result.

Connections
Puzzle #937

Hope all ok & your mum is settling down & you aren’t battered & bruised from your fall.

[ManjiB]

Only my pride was hurt when I fell as I have never slipped and fallen before (at least that I can recall).
Mum is doing OK, but might be under the influence of the medications which are having a sedating effect, though she has started communicating again - asking for help when she needs changing or has become uncomfortable.
Also, she was only bloated once a few days ago - this was rather strange as it was a “one off” and hasn’t happened since. I can’t see why or how this happened but am thankful her bloating seems to be under control.

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You are on a good roll with the puzzles.
I have to confess I only solved the connections today by luck as after the first two I didn’t have a clue and so had to try pot luck. With all lives in tact, I got away with it thru’ process of elimination and a lot of luck as I could easily have blown it. Even now I am not sure I get the connections and certainly didn’t know the Rhianna #1 hits.

Today's results

Connections
Puzzle #937






- Luck rather than skill
Wordle 1,659 4/6*

- definitely skill - one of my favourite musical instruments
#waffle1443 5/5

streak: 105
#wafflecenturion - marching on as centurion with a 5* solution

[Mrs5K]

Good to hear no more than your pride was hurt when you fell.

I bet it is great to hear your mum communicating again. That’s definitely progress. The meds could be making her tired. Rest will be goos for her too though.

I had a good puzzling day again. It doesn’t matter how you solve the connections it all counts. I often take pot luck with them.

A solid 4*s on waffle.

#waffle1444 4/5

streak: 7
#wafflerookie

After yesterdays great wordle attempt today was a mighty phew.

Wordle 1,660 6/6

Connections was ok. Took me a bit to get going but got them all. I have to say yhe 4th purple one was a very lucky guess although did involve some process of elimination.

Connections
Puzzle #938

Have a good Sunday. Back to work for me tomorrow. It’s been nice having some time off and not having to fit everything around work. It will probably take me all of 5 mins to feel like I have never been off

[ManjiB]

Yes, it’s good to signs of Mum returning to herself.
Clearly the medicines are impacting her and it puts us in a dilemma as we don’t want to have a repeat of the asprin incident. It is tricky and we must consider carefully. Unfortunately, as much as I would like to consult with the doctors, their track record has not been good and as far as I can tell they are party if not wholly responsible for things that have happened to Mum post-stroke and that which was caused by improper / unmonitored use of medicines.

The current medicines are exactly the same - they don’t know what caused the seizures but prescribed medicines “forever”. As ridiculous as it might sound, they don’t have a clue and they must be thinking statistically Mum will not be around much longer and so the “long term” sides effects or incorrect diagnoses will not come into play.

Whilst Mum is returning to herself, there is no doubt she is being constrained by the medicines. There are signs of side effects such as sleeping too much, muscles wasting etc. we shall have to see how she gets on in the next week or two as she will have been home for a month by then and medicines will come into review phase.

As at now, all seems good.

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Well done on continued success on the puzzles, I was nobbled again by the connections and again I should have done better. The others were OK.

Puzzles today

Connections
Puzzle #938




- Woeful

Wordle 1,660 4/6*

- Slight consolation
#waffle1444 2/5

streak: 106
#wafflecenturion

Disappointing 2* finish, but a finish is a finish.

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It’s Monday and I am staring at the connections board with no clue as to what connects to what.
Having done the other puzzles, I might as well post the results and if I do make any connections I will come back and update, if not, it is another blank for the connections.

I expect you will do better.
Have a wonderful week

Monday's puzzles as at ...

Wordle 1,661 4/6*

#waffle1445 2/5

streak: 107
#wafflecenturion

#deluxewaffle189 3/5

#wafflecenturion - did better on the Deluxe with an impressive 3*

[Mrs5K]

It must be difficult with your mum. The meds are probably having some effect on her. Sometimes it takes a while for them to settle in and then some of the side effects might ease. But I know your mum isn’t a medication person so they just might not be right for her at all. I wonder if speaking with a pharmacist might be better for you as they fo specialise in meds. I had to have one of my meds altered at the weekend as it was causing issues I hadn’t realised it was meds causing.

It is good that she is starting to be more like her normal self though and I hope that she continues to improve over the coming days.

So today’s puzzles were a bit of a phew.

I almost lucked out on Waffle. I dropped a couple of letters in the wrong place accidentally and just about achieved Waffle with no moves remaining. Phew indeed!

#waffle1445 0/5

streak: 8
#wafflerookie

I haven’t had chance to look at Deluxe Waffle yet.

Wordle I got ok but did take a lot of thinking about. A solid 4 moves.

Wordle 1,661 4/6

Connections were again a bit of a headscratcher but got them in the end.

Connections
Puzzle #939

Well done on your puzzling. Hopefully you got somewhere with connections although it was tricky. Think social media and art movements for 2 of them.

Today has been frustrating with nothing going right but hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Have a good evening.

An update.

I have now completed Deluxe Waffle and happy to announce I did it with 3*s.

#deluxewaffle189 3/5

#wafflerookie

[ManjiB]

@Mrs5K

But I know your mum isn’t a medication person so they just might not be right for her at all.

I think with the latest incident which I know was caused by medications I am now, possibly for the first time in a long time beginning to wonder if I/we are doing the right thing for Mum.

On the one hand we know the meds caused the problems, but on the other, we believe the new meds are helping to repair some of the damage (but also causing new damage). Ultimately, Mum has to be strong enough to live comfortably and if that means having to make some compromises and making difficult decisions, then that is what we have to do.

We are into the seventh year and apart from a couple of scares, we have only seen positivity and hopefully this can continue. Also, as she is beginning to start communicating again and showing signs of her real self, this could be just a continuation of her journey with no plateauing. Sometimes when I look at her, I just can’t work out how she does it. I know I keep saying this, but I can’t help it, she is so amazing and I just wonder what she might achieve if she had some of the recovery aids at her disposal. I guess time will tell.

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I did miss out on the connections yesterday - funnily enough because Mum demanded immediate attention

Even today, the connections are causing me a headache though I have got the amber group. I’ll keep that on the back burner and post the others for now.

Puzzles

#waffle1446 5/5

streak: 108 - a 5* performance

Wordle 1,662 4/6*

- I might sign up for this as I must be on a bit of a run (I think we both are).

[Mrs5K]

Maybe there is a compromise to be had with the meds. If they are helping and the side effects aren’t too bad then it may be worth seeing how she goes. If she’s on seizure meds for example then having another seizure is likely to do more damage than the meds are. But I don’t know anything about meds really so am just offering my opinion.

Hope that your mum is still improving.

Today’s puzzles went better than yesterday. I shared a great 5*s in Waffle with you today and I am now almost in double figures with my streak apparently if I get to 10 ai join the bronze league again.

#waffle1446 5/5

streak: 9
#wafflerookie

Wordle was a solid 4 again. Although did need some thinking about. I think I needed the energy the word suggested I needed.

Wordle 1,662 4/6

Connections went smoothly enough. I had a couple of hiccups along the way but all solved.

Connections
Puzzle #940

Hope you have more success with Connections today.

[ManjiB]

@Mrs5K

If she’s on seizure meds for example then having another seizure is likely to do more damage than the meds are

Hi Ann - thanks for your thoughts which are much appreciated.
We feel that the medications she is on has not been prescribed based on a through assessment and diagnosis of condition. Mum is not a patient they want to “waste” time on for reasons already covered in previous posts.

They have prescribed the medication to treat symptoms, not the cause.

We have thought about it as we always do and we believe that the seizures were caused by the terrible time she had when she got no rest and sleep for a month. That was a very stressful time for her and lack of sleep and stress are known to cause seizures. Remember, she was seizure free until now apart from the few she had about a year after her stroke.

So to us and based on what we know about her, this medication is totally not right for her and its side effects are noticeable. But as always, she is somehow dealing with it.

This is probably the most challenging time for me right now as I really have a dilemma and it’s not easy trying to work out what is best. All I can do is give it my best shot and hope she does what she always does which is to solve her own problems

I guess it must be my turn to get a break on the puzzles as I just had a quick play and solved them all within 10 minutes. So plenty of time to tidy up my room tomorrow - long overdue.
That said, I can try to solve the Sudokus which I enjoy and don’t play as much as I used to.

Here are the results ...

Another 5 * Waffle and average stars now up to 2.9 - it will soon be 3
#waffle1447 5/5

streak: 109
Connections
Puzzle #941



- So nice to get a straight run especially after the last few days.

Wordle 1,663 4/6*

- Really happy with this nutty game.

[Mrs5K]

It must be extremely difficult for you all to decide what to do for the best with regards to your mum’s medication. If your mum was able to communicate her wishes to you then I have no doubt that it would be much easier for you. All you can do though is weigh up the pros and the cons and make a decision based on what you think will be best for your mum. I have no doubt that is what you always do even if sometimes the decision doesn’t turn out to be the best one. As long as you are comfortable with what you are doing then that is all that matters. You can always go back a stage if you feel things aren’t progressing as you would have expected.

Well done on your puzzle results especially connections. Maybe your puzzle luck has turned

I have made it back to the bronze team with waffle but only got three stars today not the lovely five that you achieved. My average is 2.74 which is the highest it has been.

#waffle1447 3/5

streak: 10
#wafflebronzeteam

It seems we solved connections in the same order today. They came fairly easily for me too.

Connections
Puzzle #941

Wordle 1,663 4/6

Another solid 4 for me. I too am nuttily happy

Stay safe in the forthcoming storm. I’m hoping it won’t be as bad as they’re forecaating for us.

[Mrs5K]

Just a quick one today. Had a very busy day at work and head needs a rest

Todays scores on the doors are:

Waffle 3*s

#waffle1448 3/5

streak: 11
#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle took 4 moves.

Wordle 1,664 4/6

And connections successfully avhieved.

Connections
Puzzle #942

Hope your day has been a good one.

[ManjiB]

Well done on the puzzles Ann and hope you got a good rest

An interesting day for me …

"Puzzles "

As is often the case, Connections got the better of me …
Connections
Puzzle #942





- Slightly disappointed, but I am not yet good at this game and so these failures will occur. More practice will help.

Wordle - A puzzle I have played a bit and now feel very confident about. Any losses will not be taken too lightly
Wordle 1,664 3/6*

- still looking for the ultimate first guess win

Waffling had me wobbling today …

What a waffler I am ...

#waffle1448 X/5

streak: 0

Oh dear - I was thrown by the wobble and made a couple of rash moves and then I was in trouble. In the end I was one move away from saving my streak, but all good things come to an end …

And so now I must create a new run of 150 to see what comes after being a Centurion.

But, I know I won’t have to wait that long as I am sure you will do it first
Now that you are back to the bronze team, you will surely continue onwards towards the next milestones. Wishing you success

Vrijdag 09/01/2026

Time to lay the ghost to rest

I am afraid I had a terrible day yesterday after my Waffle run came to an end in the early hours and so today, I just had to lay the ghost to rest and whilst they are not by best efforts, I am now on my way to rookie status on the Waffle, Wordle streak continues and Connections came good too.

Now all we need is for Mum to settle down a bit more and it’ll all be hunky dory
#waffle1449 3/5

streak: 1 - Nice to be off the mark again

Wordle 1,665 3/6*

Connections
Puzzle #943

[Mrs5K]

Oh that’s a big shame. I was convinced your Waffle streak would continue to rise. I am sad for you. It doesn’t take much though to lose it. What you describe is exactly what happened to me.

But welcome to the rookie club. Although you’re definitely not a rookie given your centurion status. You’ll soon be joining me in the bronze team.

Sorry you had a rough day yesterday. Hope things have been a bit better today.

Storm Goretti paid us a visit last night and it all looks very pretty out there – or it did this morning. I don’t mind the snow melting away though as we get a bit stuck where we live if it snows. I would like to be able to visit my Mum tomorrow as I haven’t seen her since Christmas. It also threw a power cut into the mix today.

Today’s puzzles went ok.

Waffle was a wonderful 5*s and considering I made a wrong move I can’t complain at all.

#waffle1449 5/5

streak: 12
#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle took all 6 goes as it could have been one of many different words. I had 4 of the 5 letters on my 2nd attempt and was luck I got the word on my last attempt. You did loads better than me on this one.

Wordle 1,665 6/6

Connections took some head scratching but we did get there in the end. Some by process of elimination but they all count.

Connections
Puzzle #943

Hope you have a more settled weekend.

[Mrs5K]

How are things today? Hope it’s a bit more settled.

Todays Puzzles

I thought I was going to blow waffle as I had a difficult start but I did well in the end with a great 4*s.
#waffle1450 4/5

streak: 13
#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle was a busy 3.

Wordle 1,666 3/6

Connections had a slight hiccup on the first one but once corrected rest came easily enough.

Connections
Puzzle #944

It’s a very cold day again but sun is shining so looks lovely with the snow on the ground.

Take care.

[ManjiB]

Today has been nice.
Mum has been more relaxed and we sat her on the commode to help with the bowel movements.
One of the biggest downsides for her is having to wear a pad and do the toileting in pad or lying in bed. It is so very unnatural and she is very conscious of that.
The commode session was successful but requires a bit more fine tuning. Once it’s sorted that will be another huge step towards her ultimate goal

It’s been a cold and grey day. We had some snow a few days ago, but overnight rain washed it all away and since then it’s just the miserable overcast and cold days.

I managed to get the puzzles in early and it was a success.

Puzzles

#waffle1450 4/5

streak: 2
Connections
Puzzle #944




- happy once got blip sorted
Wordle 1,666 4/6*

- wasn’t so manic in the end

[Mrs5K]

Good to hear you had a good day yesterday and that your mum was more relaxed. Sounds like the commode use is coming along well too.

Well done on the puzzles. You’re on a roll.

I did ok today.

Just a 3* for waffle

#waffle1451 3/5

streak: 14
#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle was a lucky 4 moves.

Wordle 1,667 4/6

And connections had a little blip again but all solved in the end.

Connections
Puzzle #945

Hope your nice day has continued into today.

[ManjiB]

Yup! We had another good day, though there may be problems lying in bed. Not sure if it might be the dreadful acid reflux. We need to trouble shoot a bit.

The commode is definitely a help and we had it working fine until the carers were left on their own and then something happened which led to Mum not using the commode. To this day I have not found out what happened and which was sudden. Nobody is owning up to it and Mum can’t explain though she knows!!

Has been OK sitting out in RR and Wheel chair.

Doing OK with puzzles - blitzed them and am now a Rookie again

Puzzled

Connections
Puzzle #945

Wordle 1,667 4/6*

#waffle1451 4/5

streak: 3
#wafflerookie

[Mrs5K]

Glad to hear you had another good day. Long my they continue.

I think you mentioned your mum was having trouble sleeping in the bed before her recent hospital visit. I hope you manage to work out what the issue is. I don’t know how long she has had the current bed/mattress but I wonder whether it is in need of replacement. I imagine it is like our own beds where mattresses should be replaced every few years (although mine hasn’t been replaced for far too long). You’ve probably already tried it but maybe the angle of the bed needs altering. Raising it a little may help or perhaps even different pillows. If it is reflux is there something she can take before bedtime that might help? Something containing mint perhaps.

You’re on a roll with the puzzles.

I did ok today. Waffle I was a little disappointed with as I only got 2*s but it was successfully achieved.
#waffle1452 2/5

streak: 15
#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle was a good 3 moves.

Wordle 1,668 3/6

Connections just the one little hiccup but I got them all easily enough today.

Connections
Puzzle #946

I have started deluxe waffle but not had chance to finish it yet. So will post that later if I get chance.

Hope the new week is a good one all round. It’s meant to be a little warmer this week which is good news. Might be able to turn the heating down for a little bit. Save a bit of money

[ManjiB]

Hi Ann - thanks for your suggestions.

Mum did indeed have trouble sleeping and we concluded it was down to the acid reflux issue/asprin damaging the stomach lining. Sadly for us, or rather for Mum we were too stupid to a) figure out what the problem was and b) take necessary action. Of course it’s easy to say don’t beat yourself up about it and it can happen to anyone etc. etc, but the fact of the matter is poor little Mum suffered very badly for over a month got no sleep and to add insult to injury she ended up having seizures (we attribute this to the lack of sleep for one month).

So all in all, it was the [uncontrolled] use of anadin by the consultants/GP (they should have buddied it up woth a PPI e.g. omeprazole that started the ball rolling. Stomach damage took long time to repair and whilst it was being repaired acid reflux kept Mum awake at nights for over a month.

Thankfully, we believe this might now be under control but are aware the new medications are a minefield with potential side effects already evident - Mum’s body is a temple and no medicines should be used. But this is life and things happen

Mum has a medical bed and it is regularly checked. The bed can be adjusted with various slants and angles both for upper body and lower body etc. so it is unlikley the bed is/was the problem.

Acid reflux or rather the damage is being repaired by use of PPI (omeprazole - stopped as potential disagreement with Mum’s body and now on Famotidine which is given on an as needed basis but we are due to discuss / review this with the GP along with the Levetiracetam anti-seizure meds.

Who knows, Mum may be drug free again and before we know it some other problem will rear it’s ugly head as these things have a way if “incubating” and then being triggered but we hope we have learnt some baluable lessons from our experiences and Mum will not have to suffer unnecessarily again. At the very least we must seek a second opinion sooner rather than later..

Ultimately, Mum is Mum and she looks after herself

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We both seem to be off to a good start with the puzzles in 2026. Let’s hope it continues

Puzzles

Connections
Puzzle #946




- Looks like we both got caught with a red herring with the blue group, though mine was an orange and yours was green!

Wordle 1,668 4/6*

- Nice three four you
#waffle1452 5/5

streak: 4
#wafflerookie - Jumpin’ Jelly Sticks! 5 * in and rookie status confirmed
Deluxe not yet started - I am playing some of the other word games which I am finding addictive, probably as they are new and hence more challenging.

Wrt turning the heating down - they say it is good to have cooler rooms. My favourite celebrity doctor the late Michael Mosely did a podcast.

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley - Cold Therapy - with Michael Mosley - Cold Therapy - Ep 1: Colder Room - BBC Sounds

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It’s Tuesday already!!!

Wow! Slept like a log. Put Mum to bed at 2 am after freshening her up. She was totally relaxed and helpful and then she was out like the light. She slept through and when I woke up from my catnap thinking it might be 3 am or 4am much to my shock it was 6:40 am. I did a double take and checked both clocks and then the clock on the computer which was on pause.

Normally, my sister is up at 6am to start her shift but I didn’t hear anything and so she may have been tip-toeing around us to let us sleep or she may have overslept. I started prepping in case she had overslept but she then shuffled in and carried on with her prep. I sloped off to continue my catnap!

Here are Tuesday’s puzzles

Tuesday's puzzles

Connections
Puzzle #947



- Brain seems to have adjusted and success rate is increasing …
Wordle 1,669 4/6*

- continues to be relatively straightforward, again brain almost at stage when it becomes second nature
#waffle1453 2/5

streak: 5
#wafflerookie - This was annoying as it affects my goal to hit the 3* average. It is now 2.93 so need to increase by 0.07 !!!

Might be sooner rather than later?

Not sure if it is sad, but I have worked out that this can be achieved before I have played 250 games if I can get a few more 4* or 5* performances. There we go - something to aim for. And why not?

[Mrs5K]

I was reading a little article last night on acid reflux (must have been in a magazine or something). I was surprised it said that it is most often caused when someone isn’t eating enough as when you eat enough / plenty the top of the stomach closes off preventing the acid escaping but if you don’t have enough, it doesn’t close off properly and then the acid can escape. It did make me wonder if there was something in that with your mum given that she is PEG fed. But hopefully as you say it is now under control with your mum.

We always have our heating down quite low. Often it is only on 12 or 14 degrees. I don’t like the house to be too hot as it can breed germs but just makes me feel more lethargic generally. I do feel the cold more now though but that’s because I don’t have any meat on my bones. Hubby also likes to turn it up occasionally, so we do sometimes have a little battle with the thermostat

Todays puzzles weren’t too bad although I would have like to have done better on Waffle.

It was an ok 2*s today. Same as you.

#waffle1453 2/5

streak: 16
#wafflebronzeteam

I got 3*s in the end on Deluxe Waffle.

#deluxewaffle190 3/5

#wafflebronzeteam

Wordle was a complete lucky guess at 3 moves but I’ll take it. I don’t know why by the word suddenly came into my head and as I was struggling to think of anything else with the 2 letters I had found I just tried it.

Wordle 1,669 3/6

Connections went smoothly enough although took me a little bit to get going.

Connections
Puzzle #947

You must have needed the sleep. Hopefully it did you the world of good. I too was later getting up this morning – alarm went off which is unusual for me as usually up before it. That threw me out a bit so took me a while to come around today. I have aching neck and shoulders at the moment which are driving me nuts which isn’t helping with my sleep. But I must have dropped off after being awake for a few hours, not long before it was getting up time.

Have a good rest of the day.

[ManjiB]

Hey Ann - Mum’s “acid reflux” might be due to the low volume of feed, but the thing is she has been on this diet since the stroke i.e. she’s always had "low volumes being fed over a long time. For that reason, I am not sure if this might be the cause. Even if it is, we can’t give her more food because her diet has been worked out by the dietician and she is fed on schedule rather than her asking to be fed e.g. by saying she is hungry.

Also, the acid reflux stopped once she was admitted to A&E and we effectively fasting for a few days before the “low level” feed was reintroduced.

All we can say for now is she does not have that issue as she is lying in bed and not complaining (as she was for that nightmare month). Also, she continues to improve and is close to her old self. Some of her “naughty”/cheeky traits are becoming visible, she is “singing” again and all in all she seems happy again. She has lost a tiny amount of weight (about a kilo) but dietician is not worried and nor are well.

Her discharge meds are about to run out and now it’s a question of do we ask for more or do we say she has completed the course and she is back to her former self and so let things be? That is the only question I need to answer and I suspect it will be me as my sisters will not commit one way or the other. Also, whilst the GP will have received the discharge summary instructing them to review and follow up, historically they have left it for us to contact them - they have not been proactive.

It’s almost a month since she came back home and this is the first time it has taken her so long to “recover”, but then again it was the most difficult issue she has had to deal with. So yet again, she has done it - come back stronger