Reflections Blog

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FURTHER ADVENTURES WITH MY MUM !

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone!  It seems only a short while ago I was talking about my holidays and now we are almost in November ......and the ‘C’ word, which I am forbidden to mention before 

1^st December, is fast approaching!!  

It was good to have the chance to catch up with many of you over the summer months at various fêtes and events and I was amused to learn that my escapades with my mother seem to have caught your attention.  I have been asked several times when the next instalment is coming, and so, bowing to popular demand, here it is.....

My mum had been struggling to live well where she was in Enfield and whilst she enjoyed her stays every 5 weeks or so at The Vicarage, it was only for a few days at a time because she had to sleep in a chair in my office (she can’t do stairs) and anyone who has ever been into my office will appreciate that it’s more ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ than Travelodge!!  

She decided that she would have a couple of weeks respite care in assisted living accommodation in Stevenage....and she loved it.  So much so in fact that she announced, just two weeks prior to my fortnight’s holiday, that she was going to move into a flat there......immediately!!!  Now your first reaction might be ‘wow, brave decision, go for it!’  Except......the said flat was empty....no carpets, dodgy paint job, etc., etc.......and guess who was tasked with sorting it?!!  That would be me then!!

My daughters took up the challenge of painting the flat….‘no problem’ they said, despite having never picked up a paint brush since leaving primary school, ‘we’ll pop over Saturday and do it’.  Oh how I laughed!  Let’s just say that it was one of life’s learning curves for them both and they have acquired a new appreciation for their mother’s decorating skills!  To be fair, they did a very good job but it took a ‘little’ longer than they expected and neither of them has any desire to meet with a paint brush again!

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I got the flat carpeted, coerced friends to collect my mum’s furniture, put up curtain rails, suffered several visits to Dunelm to both collect AND return items, and spent hours assembling flat-packed furniture (it was a CRUEL person who designed those!!) and did my best to smile sweetly and encouragingly as my mum offered ‘suggestions’!!  Oh and did I mention that I also worked, walked the dog, etc., etc.!!  

The evening of my holiday came and we had done it, she was in!!  We pulled up outside with my new car stuffed to the roof with the last of her belongings when she looked at me and said ‘phew, I’m exhausted, how on earth are we going to unload all this?’!!!  Given that there were only two of us in the car and one uses a mobility scooter, it took all my willpower to resist the urge to state the obvious - rudely!!!

Fortunately, my holiday restored my sanity and sense of humour although my darling mum continues to test both on a regular basis!  We are now settling into a new way of life with her living so much closer and I’m very proud of her for having the courage to make such a big change at her time of life.  It will take some getting used to for both of us and I have already noticed that I have a tendency to revert to ‘petulant child’ in her presence but I am working on improving that!!

So there you have it!  I’m sure we will have more adventures in the months to come but right now, I’m rather hoping for a bit of respite myself!!

With love Ginni

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