The Big Day

Thankfully, I have not gone mad. Dear Diary, must remember to be a little more cheerful in future. No-one likes a whinger. The Big Day cometh. La Grande Pancake is due to arrive this evening, neither her flat nor room is ready and I am posting to the blog instead of scrubbing. Naughty moi. We are back from Spain (of course), we have "done" two Germans, sorted out Mum, a dead rat on the back lawn and held the first meeting re Direct Payments and my presentation to the new Community Support Workers. That was just in the first week, so must be firing on a few cylinders.



Spain was wonderful. R looked beautiful - more than beautiful, in oyster silk with her high mantilla of bone and diamonds draped with old lace. She carried an exquisite posy of lily of the valley. Her family were all so welcoming and so kind. The service in the cathedral was moving though the priest was a little unbending, especially since poor B was grappling with his Spanish, very manfully, I thought as a non-native speaker. The ceremony was blessed by the Pope in a letter to R & B, leaving R in tears. The girls of course, were curious as kittens about our boys wearing "skirts" and were desperate to talk to them though language was a bit of a barrier.

Back home, just in time to welcome two charming German boys on a choral exchange. That was a bit of a challenge, trying to remember how to speak but we had a good time together. The boys being so much younger, were a little shy at first, but were fine by the last night!



Back to scrubbing. I do wonder how this venture in living together with LGP will go. Will our first battle be, how to persuade her kindly that it is not on, to drive our children to school - or anybody's children for that matter? The crude fact remains that at 85 ish, there is a good chance that something will happen, and I would rather my children weren't in the car if it does. Add to that, dementia - and it's a definite no-no.

Stressed - qui moi?

Here we are out in Spain and Santiago is lovely. My hat has arrived in a rather strange shape for tomorrrow's wedding. There are bangs outside which are either fireworks or a full blown rebellion. We are all absolutely exhausted. H2 arrived back at 5am the morning we left for Spain having packed up the contents of the Grand Pancake's flat. LGP is currently abroad and requesting a ticket home - so we have to unpack some 90+ boxes in the next 2-3 days of our return. Meantime, none of the carers who had agreed to cover for our regular Honorary Sunbeam showed up - one called the day before to say that she would have to cancel - the other about an hour before they were due to arrive. For the first time in ages, I reached for the Diazepam. I can't cope with this. I have to pack for Spain,clean the GP's apartment and finish the decorating, collect the poor children, feed them, do homework with them, and get them to bed and sort out Mum at the same time. I feel I am beginning to go mad.

Operator, operator...

Amazingly, the lady from HC did phone back. But then she said she couldn't tell me anything so she would phone back again, even if she couldn't tell me anything then either. A sort of progress report of no progress. OK then. But today's the day, and she hasn't called back even to say that there's no progress. I expect she's been transferred.....Beam me up, Scottie. It would be a relief.

Mum bless her cotton socks is soldiering on woman-fully. I have booked to attend the conference "Have Your Say" for carers. Great idea and lots of carers will hold forth (just like me) but the trouble is, that TPTB are all out to lunch. The lady (another one) told me to call my local carers' centre run by The Princess Royal Trust. They would definitely help and also, to let her know how I got on. Sounded great. So I did. Guess what? Someone would me call back. (No, they didn't since you're asking...!).

And then, huge irritation at the weekend when some local yob yanked off one of the door lights outside and smashed it up. One of our kind neighbours brought it back, having retrieved it from a bin outside the chemist's - but I doubt it can be repaired. H was rude, so I told him to go and apologise. It wasn't her fault that it was mangled.

Off to Spain tomorrow. I had promised to attend about 4 years ago, but circumstances have changed and we can't really afford it. Cost of care for Mum will be £ 500 but at least she is someone who is another Honorary Sunbeam.