More Birthdays

Birthday Girl 2

Last weekend saw another birthday. This time a quite significant one for Sarah. We wont go into details but its more than 49 and less than 50. The party was held in a lovely pub in Sarah`s home town of St. Neots. As is usual the arrangements to mobilise the Pollards were incredibly complicated, involving leaving cars strategically placed in various locations, hotels, countless phone calls and texts and a huge dollop of confusion.

Up early on the day, Sarah washed Mums hair then set off early to meet up with her family to get ready. Mum had picked a new dress for the party but as usual decided she wouldnt wear it. We were to leave for the venue at 3 picking up the lovely old gentleman on the way. To be on the safe side I thought it better to check on the dress situation every half an hour or so. No, adamantly no, she was sure..no.

3 oclock arrives, "Mum, lets get in the car and go shall we?"

"I want to wear my dress"

"Mum, its 3 oclock we have to go"

"I want to wear the dress"

Cue Panic stations. 

Calm Jon Calm.

Bites tongue.

Manages to get dress on then faced with the agonising shoe decision process

Bites tongue a little harder.

20 minutes later we are ready to leave. Not looking at each other but ready to leave. Luckily as soon as the lovely gentleman gets in the car on the other side of town her face lights up and we're off.

The Rivermill is a lovely venue on the side of the river, an old mill. Wonder where they got the name? We have the upstairs to ourselves, 40 odd people for a meal and various others turning up for drinks. We were a little concerned about how Mum would cope with the noise and being among so many strangers but she did admirably. Out for a little walk at one point before the meal but as soon as the food arrived she was in her element. Three courses and cake to follow.

All in all a great night was had by all, followed by a monster breakfast in St. Neots Market square. Ace.

Squirrelling 

Once again Mum has started creating small stashes of food in her bedroom, maybe preparing for the coming apocalypse? This time it started with a couple of bags of chocolate cake decorations. Since the party there has been a gradual exodus of Sarah's birthday chocolates. The stockpile is growing. Small bunches of grapes disappear. Nuts, crisps and biscuits. Should we ever be faced by global food shortages Mum's room will become a Mecca for sweet and savoury snack lovers the world over.

As before I've decided to just keep an eye on things. As long as there are no food hygiene problems then fine.

Birthday Boys

We are slap bang in the middle of birthday season at the moment. Wednesday this week is mine. Then next week is the lovely old gentlemans. I will be celebrating mine sitting in a field next to a disused airfield in Northamptonshire. The gentle man wont.

Where was I?

Instalment no. 2

The problems we were having with mums blind and the wardrobe doors seem to have abated. Sometimes Mum seems to think that her "little house" is all she has left in the world..she needs reassurance that the rest of the house is still hers to use as she pleases. Every few days she seems very down, almost worried that she will be left on her own with nothing. Hard to describe really. She doesnt have the words to tell us what the problems are, or tell us how we can help. As usual humour seems to be no1 method of rescue followed by loud rousing music, walks, food, a nice cup of tea or a spin in the Jag.


This coming weekend we have yet another party, for Sarahs birthday. Mum is a little excited if unsure where when or why its taking place. She has a new frock and of course ten shiny nails from Rushton Hall. She will be accompanied by the lovely Gentleman who I am sure will be resplendent in a blazer and slacks.


Sarah has a beautiful dress supplied indirectly by one of the countries leading heart surgeons, amazing hair by one of Londons top colourists and twenty nails by Rushton Hall.


I of course will try my best to find two matching socks and an outfit that will cover my rapidly expanding girth. If I have time I may even comb my hair.

Footnote.

Last week was a full year since I had my last cigarette. I smoked at least 20 a day since I was about 14 years old. 

I am now 3.5 stones heavier and still feel like my lungs are full of glue.

On a plus side food tastes absolutely amazing, I smell quite a lot better, and more importantly, I have increased my life expectancy by quite a few years.

I hope to fully reap the rewards this year as I concentrate on shedding those stones and shifting that glue.

Its nice to think there's a good chance I will be around to look after Mum for as long as she needs me.

Get my ass back into gear.

Sorry about the lack of blogs lately, no excuse really, just seemed to have lost a bit of momentum.


Going to do a couple of updates today and tomorrow. 


First things first had a lovely email which I will copy in its entirety......

Dear Jon

Just spent a really enjoyable hour or so reading your blog, and hope you won't mind me putting a link to it on a website I'm working on just now. If you do, please let me know.

I'm currently helping out as a volunteer with a website called A Carer's Voice  http://www.acarersvoice.com 

The site was started at the beginning of May by Ann Pascoe. She's a carer for her husband Andrew who like your mum has vascular dementia.  They live in Portgower, a tiny village on the east coast of Sutherland up here in the Highlands.

Through looking after her husband, Ann has become an active campaigner on behalf of carers.  She was recently awarded a travel fellowship from the Churchill Trust and as a result, the pair of them are now in Goa, India, on the first leg of a trip where she will be looking at new approaches to supporting carers of people with dementia. 

Ann has begun blogging on A Carer’s Voice with dispatches from Goa and Andrew, who's a keen photographer, is doing his own picture blog. It sounds like they're having fun - Ann(65) has been letting her hair down on the back of a scooter, doing yoga and sampling the delights of the local cuisine. Work-wise, she's been to visit a local care home, where she presented the manager with a little bag of Scottish Heather (some kind of drawer freshener) which the bewildered recipient apparently started to nibble at.

I wondered if you thought visitors to your site might be interested in keeping up with them via a link to us? They can get straight to the blog at

http://www.acarersvoice.com/category/ann-blog/ 

I'm attaching a recent press release about Ann and Andrew  - please feel free to contact me for any other information you'd like

And keep up the good work - the new site's looking excellent.

Regards

Peter 

A Carer's Voice 

Please have a look at the site and the blogs, its very very interesting reading, and gives a good perspective on how dementia need not be the end some people think.

Birthday Girl

Last weekend Mum hit the grand old age of 75 so the girls took her for a spa and manicure at Rushton Hall, former home of the all round good egg and total nutter that was Thomas Tresham.

Heres two sisters and a Mum having a spot of lunch to tide them over..

And Sarah having a low-cal power snack after the swim..

Nails done..

In the afternoon we saddled up and travelled all the way to Wellingborough for one of the best meals I have had in a long time at the Mien Tay restaurant. Excellent Vietnamese food.

All in all an excellent weekend. Mum continuously swinging between tears and laughter.

First update out of the way..off to barbecue some dead stuff then instalment number 2 will follow this evening.