Moving on

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Life and Times

I am online so rarely now and I am getting a back log of emails to reply to. So I am apologising as I can't be bothered to reply to them all personally this weekend. My explanation follows..
Net addiction has had to wane a little, because Yahoo is playing stupid games and because I just haven't had the time.
My days are spent 'caring' for both parents. My mother has gone from home to care home to hospital, in Caernarfon and yesterday she came back to the care home. The care home is a few miles from Benllech and it is where Dad has been since December. We thought this would give my brother some respite and allow mum and Dad to actually see each other again. Its odd to think after 60yrs of marriage, almost 61 now, that they are separated for the first time.
Mum expects 2 visits a day, so my brother and I have to comply and spend a suitable length of time with mum. She is now worried and unsettled with all this moving, she hasn't taken more than a few shaky steps in years and has also been without the use of her right arm since she broke her wrist in November. That makes even walking with a zimmer/walking frame very awkward.
Dad on the other hand expects nothing and is happy with a bag of sweets, he is very bewildered by all this and has little understanding of what is going on, but is more able to walk than mum. So, Dad waddles down corridors of the care home to see mum, she can't speak loudly without coughing, and he has problems hearing. But, I am still amazed that they want each other's company... it must be love..

Wednesday 10th May
Mum is still in care home, and is now suffering a severe sprained ankle from a fall on Sunday. She is not at all happy and is fighting to return home. But has to now be lifted with a hoist. I am wondering how the social services will sort this out, but when someone chooses to be nursed in their own home, they have to comply.
Respite hasn't happened for Del, as we are sort of living on a knife edge of not knowing when Mum will be back and demanding total care.
I am still continuing my Welsh lessons... another one tomorrow.. but I am not able to put in the work that I should just now.
I am finding my feet in this area and getting to know a few people now. Having some time to do things during the day has made a big difference to me. I have actually visited a few shops, the first time since January..
I had gone from January to the end of April without having an afternoon off, except when I escaped to Spalding, and then I was busy the whole time.

Anyway, this is why there has been a shortage of blogs recently, I will try to be more animated and humourous next time, but its not such a funny time these days.

Bye all... I am off to find a cold half pint of Guinness, so not all is doom and gloom ;)

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

An old mill and me

I am putting another old photo up. This picture is one of many in the 'family box' of photos, stored at my parents house. I don't think I have any memories of this day, but I have seen the photo often enough to remember it and not even realise it had words written on the back.
Maybe it shows a link to the Dutch and their windmills, even in my youth. But the picture was taken in Mundesley, Norfolk in England. I had no idea that I was to live and teach for over 20yrs in Norfolk, although in a different area.
I did a bit of searching and found this site showing how the mill had changed over time, with some pictures from bygone eras for this mill. Windmill Pictures and info

My mum has written on the back "An old mill at Mundesley, where we had tea and climbed to the top. Sheila should not have been in this one! July 1958"

oh well, so now the truth, I was an annoying blonde in those days...



other links and pictures of this windmill :-

Windmills in the Francis Frith Collection

Click


I am hoping to be back in Lincolnshire in the next day or so.
See ya!



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