A few minutes ago I put the kettle on because I fancied a cup of tea, then went into the conservatory, where hubby was sitting reading the Sunday papers. I said "Wanna cup of coffee?" (he doesn't like tea). He said "Yes please", so I went back to the kitchen to make it. Got my mug off the draining board, had a little think, went back to the conservatory, said "Did you say Yes or No?". Not the first time I've forgotten something so quickly - I guess we've all done it now and then - wandered into the wrong room at work, and looked a real prat when the occupant looks up expectantly and you have to admit 'sorry, didn't mean to come in here', or you go upstairs to get something, then can't remember what you were going to get, so you visit the loo and force yourself to spend a penny just so you haven't had a completely wasted trip upstairs, then the second you reach the bottom of the stairs again you remember what you went up for in the first place. Happens more frequently as you get older. Makes it hard to have a conversation though cause you forget common words sometimes. Have to say things like "My thingy's broke, you know, that thing you put the wotsit in. It's like a record, but small and shiny. No, the wotsit is, not the thingy.
Yesterday we(me and hubby) went to see his mum. It takes us a couple of hours to drive there, so we only go every three or four weeks. The sun came out on the way there and the autumn colours were absolutely magnificent. When we got back I googled 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' which was the only line I could remember. Got the whole poem, and printed it out. Think I might print out a few more poems and make them into a My Favourite Poems file.
Anyway, hubby's mum is nearly 91, and getting a bit frail and crooked, but she still lives in her own house and cooks her own bit of dinner. She says she wants to stay there till she dies, so we (the family) are all trying to make this possible for her. Her other son and his wife live in the same town, so they visit every week, and clean the house and do her shopping and washing for her. We do any odd-job repairs, and organise things like getting her favourite chair re-upholstered when the seat starts to sag. She loves a bit of cake, but she's allergic to eggs, so I usually bake an egg-free cake for her before we go to see her. We're going to get her an Over-Chair Table because she said she was having trouble reading the newspaper, cause her arms ached after holding it up for a few minutes. This table's on casters, so she'll be able to pull it towards her after she's sat down, and it tilts, so she'll be able to put the paper down. but still be able to read it without having to bend forward, which makes her back and neck hurt. She loves to have a moan about things. This visit it was her debit card - They've sent her a new one apparently, and they've changed it! "It looks different, so it might not work the same." "There was nothing wrong with the old one." "I don't know why they have to keep messing about with things" We just listen and smile and sympathise. At least it made a change from the trials and tribulations of incontinence pads.
