Categories: uncategorized
Date: 15 January 2006 21:35:45
The Vikings seem to be taking it easy on the side of the bath. The battle was long and hard and they look in need of a rest, especially poor Audrey and Sigurd the Dragonslayer. Even the dragon looks exhausted and seems to have broken a fingernail. Poor thing.
Today has been a day of light hearts and lighter shoulders. My sister commented how much easier at heart she felt today, just knowing that Dad is in the hospice, and said that if she felt that at such a distance, then how on earth must I feel. I know how I feel! I know that I haven't niggled at the Smudgelets once today. OK, so I did niggle at them twice about dropping their coats in the middle of the hall floor, but that was about all. And what's more, I've been singing all day. And I mean all day. Silly made up songs, hymns, singalong songs in the car... not a single repetition (apart from when the Smudgelets demanded an encore of Fling It Here, Fling It There!) Mind you, I did have to exercise some serious restraint when visiting the hospice as we'd just sung "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I'm going to eat some worms" and found ourselves naturally progressing into the song we usually sing straight after that - "Where shall we be in a hundred years from now?" which somehow didn't seem quite appropriate for the hospice!
Dad is doing well there and was delightfully chirpy, especially as he'd just had his second jacuzzi! They're spoiling him rotten. His greatest fear, I think, is that he might not want to come home. He'll have a day or two more, at any rate, as the hospice feel I need a longer break and they still want to try to readjust his medication too. They will get back to me tomorrow. They want to try, very carefully, to suggest to him that he might accept a little more help. Wonder how successful that will be! I felt a real traitor telling them how awkward he can be because he can be delightful to care for when he's in the right mood and that is the only side of him they will have seen.
After the swim came fun time. Straight home to change and grab a snack, then off to the pool. We went to Sandown because the water is so much warmer there - which isn't saying much! But it always feels more like a trip out if you go somewhere different anyway. It was great fun. I did several lengths, Smudgelet had another go at swimming without drinking, Tiddles worked on his stamina and his tumble turns, and we all played sharks, and a rather fun game whereby they jump into my hands and I throw them back into the water. Gosh, they're getting heavy! One benefit of being a bit plumper is that I am floating really well. I didn't even need to tread water!
From swimming we were debating whether we should have a proper roast dinner when we got home but just happened to be passing MacDonalds. So now the Smudgelets are full of delightfully decadent burger and chips - a crime to eat such rubbish on a Sunday :D Well, if you're going to make the most of a day of respite, you have to do it properly, and Grandad would certainly never approve such disgraceful goings on! :D Then home to change into our PJs (mid afternoon - wonderful!), snuggle together on the sofa under my duvet, eat Ben&Jerry's IceWich (a sandwich of giant choc-chip cookies and icecream) and yogurt-dipped raisins, and watch Garfield the Movie on DVD from the library (must take this one back before it's overdue!) Yahoooooooooo!
The house is a mess and I don't care. We have no clean clothes for tomorrow and I don't care. I haven't done any marking and I don't care. For this weekend the Vikings are defeated and I'm having fun.