About me meme

Having nothing much to write about today, I thought I`d have a go at this, which Dave had put on his Blog the other day - but, it`s much more difficult than I thought. (most section answers are not in any particular order of preference!)

7 things to do before I die

• Relearn to play the piano
• Have time to "be me" and enjoy life with no work and no ties
• Make a will
• Learn to say "no"!
• Become a better flower arranger
• Complete a needlecraft picture I started a few years ago
• Take a last breath
  

7 things I do now

• Work!
• Photography (not expertly)
• Cook
• Clean the house
• Feed my pet bird
• Enjoy driving
• Try and write a daily blog
  

7 things I can't do

• Draw or paint (wish I could)
• Pick up a spider (or any creepy crawly!)
• Stand the sight of blood
• Speak in front of a large group of people. I can read aloud to a group, but not stand and speak.
• Swim
• Be in a confined space
• Push a wheelchair up a hill
  

7 things I find attractive in the opposite sex

• Gentle strength
• Nice hands
• Sense of security emanating from them
• Kindness
• Sense of humour
• Thoughtfulness
• Quiet spoken
  

7 things I say most often

• Hello
• Please
• Thank you
• Is it?
• Did you?
• Yes
• Morning
  

Celebrities I most admire
Difficult one this, as I`m not into films, tv (very little), sports, etc...etc... but here goes....

• Cliff Richard - for the way he is so open about his faith
• Alan Titchmarsh - for his way of imparting knowledge and information in such an easy way
• those who genuinely help charities, without it being a big publicity stunt
• those who don`t brag about themselves
• Jimmy Saville
• Lifeboatmen - who become "local celebrities" for a short time after they`ve gone out of their way to save lives in difficult seas and conditions.

7 favourite foods

• Fish & Chips
• Jacket potatoes
• Toad in the hole
• Roast goose (at Christmas)
• Ice-cream
• Steamed ginger syrup sponge pudding
• Chocolate orange trifle
  

Ten Tons Lighter

I feel ten tons lighter.

No, I`ve not been on a slimming diet, I got some keys yesterday.
The keys to my mothers new flatlet in the Care accommodation she`s moving into. What a weight that feels to be lifted off me. In fact, two separate people this week have said to me "you look so much better" "really different", "a different person". And I feel it.

Yesterday I went into the flatlet and (you`ll laugh at this) took lots of strips of white paper, two tape-measures and measurements of some furniture from here. Getting down on my knees on the floor, I carefully measured and then made outlines of the white paper strips to see how things would fit in. One of the staff came in to speak to me as I was doing it, looked at what I was doing and said "I`ve never seen that done before! What a good idea!, what an organised person you are". I`ve never moved house (as I think I`ve said before on here), but it seemed a logical thing to me to do.

Now, the test comes this morning, when shortly I`ve two men and a van coming to move some of the lighter furniture items over to there for me. But, Mum can`t move in yet, because the bed we`ve ordered won`t come until next week. Still, it will give me time to get everything else in place for her. I hope!

Good News

I heard at last this week that my parent has been allocated a place in a care housing complex just a short way from where I live. It`s a lovely light, bright, purpose built modern building where she will have her own flatlet - sitting room with kitchenette, bedroom and beautiful big bathroom. I quite envy her the bathroom!

My mother seems happy about it. I think she feels a lot easier knowing that at the press of a button or pull on a cord there will be someone there 24/7 for anything she needs.

So now it`s thinking of what furniture and household items she can take from here, what will fit in, and what she needs to buy. I`ve been out this week and bought curtain material and an aunt is kindly going to make them up for her.

What a relief it all is, I feel that a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

So far, so good

I got Mum safely to the Care home on Friday and she`s got a nice size bright room on the ground floor, and, surprisingly, she didn`t protest when we went to leave. Even she, when I visited on Sunday afternoon, said it`s nice and level in here. (At home we`ve ridges and slightly different levels from the carpet edging to kitchen tiled floor, bathroom etc). So maybe she`ll come to see that it is for the best.

The "telling point" as to the future will be today. I`ve to meet the Social Services person there this morning when she comes to do an Assessment on Mum.

I feel very blessed to have such a good church family. I`ve had countless inquiries as to how Mum is, and a number of them are either going to write to her, send her a card, give her a ring (she`s got her mobile phone with her), and go and see her. One has even offered to (if she can), go and fetch her and bring her to see a flower festival, and take her back again. As well as all those offers, there have been those who have offered me support, both practical, and someone to talk to.

Ring......

Following on from what happened yesterday, I feel I just can`t take any more. So in a way it was quite a traumatic day, as first we waited for the doctor to come to see my parent, sometime between 12 and 3 I was told when I rang up. So, as I wanted to be there when they came I took time off work.

What time did the doctor arrive 5 to 3. She asked us both lots of questions, asked Mum to show her how she did walk... so up gets Mum, and walks better and quicker (well quicker for her) than she has for weeks!... Was I mad! Anyway on insistence on my part that I felt Mum should go into a home for respite care, she (yes, it was a lady doctor) told me to ring Social services, which I did.

A very nice person answered the phone, asked a lot more questions tried to connect me to the right departments, was unable to, so said they`d ring me back. It got to 5p.m - no phone call, so thinking they would be finishing work about then, I rang again, but was assured that no, someone would definitely ring me.

About 7p.m. the phone call came. More questions. And, the outcome.... they`re going to pass it today to District Assessment and someone is going to ring me!

I await developments.

Did I hear a voice?

It was just gone 5 a.m. and I awoke from a deep sleep thinking am I dreaming or did I hear a voice.

I got out of bed to investigate.... and there`s my mother on the floor in her bedroom, she`d fallen again. Well, I say on the floor she was on her knees on the floor having fell that way and unable to get up. Again I couldn`t lift her. So again I had to make a 999 call. Thankfully the crew arrived in very quick time, and eventually between them they got her up.

It really worries me, having her living with me like that and likely to fall at any time. I feel that the time has come when she ought to be in a home where she can be cared for and have trained people on call. But, can I convince her of that, for her safety and good as well as for mine and my peace of mind?

Home

I`m home again, having had a wonderfully relaxing holiday. Now it`s back to - no, I`m not going to say reality - I`ll say back to routine, to not being my own person. Last week, I was ME. An adult with other adults, doing things at normal speed, going out, walking at normal speed, untied. Now, its back to being a "mother and child" feeling, somehow not a person in my own right (at home anyway, not at work, that`s different again). How I wish I`d moved out years ago and become my own person.

Last week seemed more like reality than this does. I felt more at home there than I do in my own home with my parent being here all the while. I just felt so accepted as I was.

It`s very hard to put into words exactly what I mean, and this might read as a load of senseless words, but I know what I mean!

Party Time

I`m not really very much of a party person. No, that`s wrong.. I should say I`m not a party person at all. I don`t enjoy them at all. But the other week I received an invitation to a relatives Golden Wedding Party. Not having many relations, I felt that I really couldn`t say no.

Opening the invitation envelope and unfolding the sheet, I read it, and then read it again to see if I`d read it right. A very unusual venue for an big Celebration like a 50th. Wedding Anniversary I thought.

No, it wasn`t a large hotel,

nor even a small hotel.

Not a big posh restaurant,

not Chinese, Indian, Thai, nor any other kind of weird foreign food that I won`t eat.

So, last Saturday night, off we went, there were about thirty people there, ok, not a large party, but I still felt very much, as always, an odd one out. The place had not made any attempt to put tables together and a lot of us sat (me included) with our backs to each other. All I could face was a wall and an elderly person I didn`t know opposite me. We were a table of six people and of the other at least 4 of them were well over 80, well, nearer 90 than 80! So that made for a really scintillating evening! (I don`t think). As soon as I could decently make a get-away I did.

The food was nice.

Where were we?......

.......in the local fish and chip shop down a side road!

True to life?

Always one to enjoy having a go at these fun quizzes one comes across on here, I had a go at one I saw on Dave`s blog to see if it worked for me. Here`s the result

Ivy took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Intense, vital, and animated, taking a delight in ..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

It`s almost uncanny how accurate this has turned out to be. (although there`s one line which doesn`t apply..... but I`m not saying which!!)

Namely....

I`m stuck for inspiration again today, so I`ve cribbed something from someone else`s page! I`ve not been tagged to do it, but thought I might as well as I`ve nothing better to write about. It says.... "players - you must list one fact, word or titbit which is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your name

When you are tagged you can write your own blog-post containing your name facts etc; at the end of your blog-post you can choose the amount of people that your name has to tag (i.e.- 6 letters, 6 people to tag)."

So, here goes on my name.... not a lot to write as its a short name!

I = Ice-cream. I love ice-cream - well, not in a romantic type of love, but in an enjoy eating way. My favourite I think has to be vanilla with a chocolate flake crumbled on top. Or one of these. There`s just something about ice-cream and chocolate that go so great together.

V = Vehicle - well Car really, but there`s no C in Ivy! Learning to drive was the best thing I ever did (I just wish I`d done it years before I did). Just to get in the car and drive off is still a thrilling feeling - no not in the sense of racing along, but in the way of freedom. It`s a "place" of my own.

Y = Youthful. Well, people never think I`m as old as I am, so I suppose that must mean that I look young. I certainly don`t feel as old as I am, and I`ve plenty of energy and enthusiasm for doing things and learning new things, especially new "gadgets" like computers!