Hello! I didn’t intend to be away for so long…in fact most of my intentions have flown out of the window this month and keeping up with the blog is one of them.
When I was last here, I was off to the South Coast for a few days with the family. Any time away from home is fraught with complication because of having to make sure that everything is in place for someone to take over my role in caring for my mum, so I don’t actually go away very often at all, and never for more than a few days.
To be fair, my mum really appreciates this fact, and is always very keen to reassure me that she will be fine, nothing will go wrong, and to have a lovely time.
So the last Friday in August saw us wandering around the gardens at Great Dixter, me with my camera in hand, enjoying some peace and relaxation. And then my phone buzzed with my sister’s ringtone and there was a message…’Where is mum? The house is all locked up and we can’t see her’
(To put you in the picture, my mum is very disabled, can only just walk round the house and has to have a lot of assistance to get out through the door.)
Of course the phone signal was poor, my battery low and it took a panicky gallop back to the car to plug in before I could respond, which I did by phoning my mum, because it couldn’t be true could it? It was all a mistake and she’d be sitting in her chair like always. But her neighbour answered, and yes it was true, they were in the house, the bed was made, the washing up done and there was no sign of mum…
And I was miles away in Sussex…
Several phone calls later we had established that she had been taken to hospital and had a broken ankle after slipping off her bed in the night, thank goodness for the alarm button she was wearing round her neck, and the help of the people who turned out in the night to help her and call the ambulance. (Which arrived so quietly that the neighbours didn’t hear a thing!)
And the one thing in her mind was ‘Don’t tell Penny, it will spoil her holiday!’ I can’t believe that I had been out of the county for less than 24 hours when it happened.
She apparently thought she had sent a text to my sister from the ambulance but a combination of shock and a bumpy ride meant that it disappeared into the ether, rather than getting delivered. Her first response to me when I sent her a message at the hospital was a text to say ‘I’m really cross you found out!’
I didn’t rush home( I would have been told off!) she was safe and cared for at the hospital and we returned as planned on the Sunday having had our lovely family time, albeit a little subdued.
But now I’m spending a lot of time behind the wheel, visiting her in hospital which is about 3/4 of an hour away. All things considered she is doing well, it was a clean break and while there were a few bruises they have nearly gone. There is a huge question mark hanging over the future now because her ability to cope living at home was getting increasingly problematic even before the fall…
While I usually try to keep Planet Penny an upbeat place trying to pretend that big things aren’t happening in the real world would make things fake, and that isn’t what I want just here so that is why I’m posting about it.
Now you know I hope you will bear with me if things are a little erratic. This was the quiet (ish) slot in the year for which I had booked in my Photocraft Course, which is great, but very intense.
I have this stuck up on my wall…
It seems like it’s the only way to keep going sometimes…
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So sorry to hear about your Mum I hope tou can make plans for her care in the future that will suit both her and you and that she will soon be back home safe and well. We are down to plan ? As we are supposed to be going away for our Golden wedding tomorrow but this now looks unlikely as our poor dog Curragh underwent a 90 minute opp late last night for throat reconstruction after a stick pierced the back of her throat just missing vital blood vessels. We are awaiting a call from the vet to collect her later today and then we will find out what further visits and treatment are required and if we can travel with her. Could be we will celebrate at home after all.
Hello Babs,
Having read your comment I just wanted to send good wishes for the quick recovery of your poor dog. What a thing to happen at any time, but I’m so sorry to hear your plans are in jeopardy. Congratulations on your Golden Wedding, and I’m sure you will celebrate it somehow.
We had one anniversary meal in a service station returning from a two hour trip to take our cat Henry to a Specialist Veterinary hospital when he was really ill a few years ago. Pets are part of the family, aren’t they?
I hope all goes well, sending a virtual hug x
So sorry to hear about your mum. Hope her ankle heals quickly ????
Dunno why my comment ended up with all those question marks after it. Sorry about that :-/
That’s ok Sooz! Thank you so much for your good wishes x
The other year I arrived home from the US to be greeted by a call from my Mum’s neighbour to say – they’d been told not to interrupt my holiday BUT mum had been in hospital for a week and was still there, and the doctors would only speak to her next of kin (me) so they didn’t know the prognosis. Hey ho, she was OK in the, but cripes! mixed with jet lag that was not a good week! So, I totally sympathise and send you a hug and virtual tea and cake xxx
Things will get sorted, but probably it will take up a lot of your time – these things do, don’t they!? But I hope Higgins is distracting you and getting you out to enjoy some Autumn walks. Take care – pop over to Twitter for a rant and a laugh if you haven’t time to blog xxx
Oh Celia, what a worry our mothers can be, and all because they don’t want to worry us! I hope she is now fit and well, and thanks for the virtual tea and cake. I will certainly try and do little mini things on Twitter and Instagram,
xxx
Sorry your time away was a bit subdued. It is a worrying time for you. I love your notice.
What a shame. I hope your mum makes a speedy recovery and you manage to sort everything out 🙂
So glad you’re Mum is recovering. It really is a fairly full on time when Mums and Dads aren’t as fit and able as they were. Nothing prepares you for it does it? Take good care of yourself too. So glad you didn’t return home. I did when Dad took a turn for the worse and he was furious!!
Thinking of you but I have to say I love the quote and may pinch it for my wall too!
Good luck with plan B Penny and hope your Mum continues to make a good recovery.
Sorry to hear that Penny, hope she’s ok. Looks like major decisions will be getting made sooner than later. the older people do take soon looking after especially when disabled. Good luck to you.
Wishing your Mom a speedy recovery. We lived 3000 miles away from our parents, so we were totally useless when it came to illnesses, etc. Hopefully your world returns to an even keel (or as much as possible) soon.
I echo what the others say Penny and I hope that things turn out well for all concerned.
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