Sunday, December 01, 2013

Groundhog Week.



Mother is not well, ho jolly ho!  Pardon me while I don't care. I don't care because the exact same time last year mother was not well.  I ran around in circles making sure she was comfortable etc, etc and by the 10th she was sitting up making Christmas cards as though nothing had happened. So this year I'm not caring. I was there on Friday and did it matter that I was not feeling the best, no, the orders came thick and fast.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of my father's death and I'm hoping she doesn't remember or I'll get a sobbing phone call.
The Home which was always a pleasant place is not so anymore. They had a Residents and Relatives meeting on Wednesday and I had my list of complaints ready to go except I didn't get a notice that it was on. How strange!  Three times on Friday I had to get up and move the bed control and emergency bell back within mother's reach. The next carer to swing it out of the way and not put it back was going to get a mouthful. It's called thinking of the resident but they don't seem to have it in their skulls.
Definitely not going to the Christmas Party, far too close to a full moon and mother could not sit up that long in the wheel chair. The pain in her back needs more painkillers. I need a rest from Mother.
I need a rest from my sister, snivelling about how much the bank account has gone down and do I have to keep buying dvds for the old girl, yes, it keeps her off the phone to me. This really pissed me off considering how much she won over the Cup Carnival and spent on herself.
I have found I can still sew although I must take breaks and I can still paint but not draw, holding a pencil really cranks up the pain in the index finger so it's just a matter of doing one and tracing it off. Like last year, expect the cards sometime in the future, how much can I do in 23 days.
Lovely to see Miss O'Dyne for 15 minutes because I had called a cab to take me guess where. She left a bag of lovely jars to paint, lovely big pantry jars. 
I also have next year's diary to cover, 3 boxes and 3 other books. I've saved them to do all at once because the pain in the hands is going to need an icepack around both for 24 hours.
And just to top off all the other aches and crap, I put my foot down on the escalator just in time to have the next step come up and scrap the skin off the back of my leg.  Add that to the cat/Jasmine rash and you have one very bad tempered bitch.
I know this is probably a bit late for HighRiser's Christmas cake but I always cut at least 6 layers of newspaper to put over the top of the tin, not on the cake, but over the tin to stop any burning. My oven is a very hot one on the top shelf, too cool on the bottom so this always worked for me. Keeping the fruit in plonk for at least 4 weeks always had me worried about the oven just exploding from the fumes. 
You know where I'm going for Christmas lunch but then I'm coming home to quietness. I have too many memories of Christmases Past, some I never want to re-visit. 
I suppose when I visit Southland tomorrow those damn songs will be going full blast. Another reason for the quiet on the 25th.

6 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Hugs.
And I have (finally) started making Xmas cakes. And have bought more rum and brandy.
Do whatever you need to do for you. Creative swearing has been a help to me...

River said...

You're doing so much, I'm tired just reading about it.
You're wise not to fall for Mother's not being well, if she gets as well as last year again, you'll be smug and well deserved. Tell Santa to put sister on the naughty list.
I read about Andrew's cake, it seems to me the recipes and cooking times haven't been adjusted, ever, from when cakes were baked in wood fired kitchen ovens, in slow heat, in thick, big old cake pans, for hours. Today's ovens are very different.

Fen said...

I hear you. Look after yourself lady x

R.H. said...

You slammed mother into an old folk's home to ride around in taxis all day eating chocolate. Now you try to square off by complaining about the joint. Good heavens, I'll grab her wheelchair and bring her back! How would you like that?

JahTeh said...

EC, creative swearing is always a help. I'm sure even the cat does it. More rum and brandy?

River, sister already punished. Mum rang her at 7 yesterday morning when she was having a sleep in before work. We're still trying to work out how she dialed the number, what was she doing awake at that time and why was she looking at her mobile for the time when she has 3 clocks around her bed.
I gave away my huge cake tins which my grandfather had made for my grandmother's wood oven. I made a cake in one and it was Easter before we'd finished it.

Fenstar, I hope your bed arrives before Christmas, all those spaces to be filled with presents, lovely.

RH, she'd be dead by now if I hadn't bothered, hell, she was at Death's door in January but kept calm and carried on for another 12 months. Good carers are led from the top and that isn't happening. You have to watch a place that suddenly uses Agency staff, they don't ask questions and don't work either.

Anonymous said...

Tip noted and will pass on to Household Management. Now if our kitchen goes up in flames......