Mum on a Monday

I shall be totally discombobulated this week because Mum was coming up today, Monday, for a little barbeque.   When she arrived she was in a bit of a state because yesterday evening when doing her regular walk she had fallen again and stopped her fall with her hands which were well mashed up along with cuts and bruises on her knees and her chin.  Fortunately she did not break anything which I find amazing.  Apparently it had taken her a good half an hour to get herself into a position to get upright again.  She had her phone with her but didn't call because she knew we were going to be out.  This is all very worrying.  She is embarrassed and didn't want me to mention it on the blog but by the time anyone reads this three weeks' will have passed and she will be on the mend again.

I ascertained that she had not been wearing her trainers but some special diabetic shoes I had bought for her which she said didn't fit properly and had a wedge heel and quite a highish one at that - certainly inappropriate for walking in and they had bitten the dust as a result of the fall.

John and I have tried to persuade her to invest in a stick which might help - we explained that lots of us walk with a stick - not least to make a noise in areas where a snake might want to pass.  She is, as always, unconvinced, this smacks of old age to her, but I think by the end of the afternoon she was warming to the idea.  She had also forgotten to put in her hearing aids today - we kept that quiet from John who just doesn't understand why she can't pop them in when she puts her glasses on.

Anyway she did look a bit of a mess and we felt sorry for her so we let it pass and took her outside to the new seating area by my shed so that she could feel the warmth of the sun but be in the shade.  She said she liked the chairs - they are ancient - we brought them from the UK with us and they were second hand then! but she is right - for us short arses they are just the right height to enable us to sit comfortably and still have our feet on the floor.

John was sat where we were going to eat.  He thinks we should remove the remainder of the green hedge and open that area up completely - still keeping the archway with the kiwi fruit growing up it but removing the wooden fence bit so you can see right down the garden - I am not sure but willing to have a look.   I would like to upcycle the front of my shed so it looks less shed-like.  I shall have to do some investigation!!!

I had got all the food for the barbeque sorted yesterday - the meat had been marinating overnight and the halloumi soaking to remove the salt.  We were having baby new potatoes cooked with butter and mint, coleslaw and a simple salad of lettuce rocket, orange, onion, carrot and pumpkin seeds.  I had opted to use the electric griddly-grill thing because I have better control over it and it is so easy to clean!

I was absolutely amazed and delighted by the amount of food Mum ate as she managed to demolish a sausage, a chicken kebab, a pork kebab and some haloumi along with a couple of potatoes some coleslaw and some salad!!!  She said she really enjoyed it and I actually think she really did.  We were all so stuffed that we had to leave it quite a while before tackling some fresh fruit for our pudding!!!

We spent the remainder of her stay watching the tennis from Eastbourne - she used to love watching tennis and then got out of the habit because she couldn't be doing with all the grunting and shrieking but I think she quite liked what she saw today and hopefully will get back into it as Wimbledon proper starts next week and that would give her a fortnight of viewing.

The new seating area has proved a big hit with everyone that has encountered it so far.  John chose that area for us to sit and enjoy an evening beer together.  He was in the shade and I was in the sun until that disappeared and was replaced by some very threatening looking clouds and we had a bit of moisture in the air so we collected up cushions and bunged them in the lounge so that they would not get wet if it were to rain.

We didn't have a late night - we were feeling a bit tired and I am hoping to be able to get my hair cut tomorrow if I can.  Charlie didn't get the brief as he had me up and down three or four times during the night for food.  His body clock is completely up the creek and he just wont take no for an answer.

He has also got his annual allergy back - he is pulling the fur out of the back of his legs.  This has been happening in the summer for the past three or four years and we wake up and find huge great tufts wherever it is he has been sleeping.  I have used flea treatment on him as this is the first thing that is advised but we come him regularly and never find any evidence of fleas but that is not to say they are not lurking in his thick old fur!  It says on tinty-web it may well be a seasonal allergy but it will be impossible to try and ascertain what the culprit is.