Walker & TV

I headed off to Phillip Island, yesterday afternoon to see Mum & Dad again. It seems so long since I last saw them, when we were in McCrae together!

I took some snippings from the veggie patch with me - some lettuce, beetroot leaves, spring onions, radishes, a cucumber, some snow peas and my very first (almost) ripe tomato!  The picture makes it look more like a pumpkin than a tomato, but it is still pretty big - about four inches in diameter!  It's amazing to think that just a few weeks ago (click on these coloured words to go to that post), this lovely big piece of fruit was barely the size of my little finger nail!

I arrived late in the afternoon, so we spent a couple of hours just chatting and catching up on each other's news. They have bought Dad a brand new walker in the past few days and he was keen to show it off to me. It's a really good quality one, sturdy but lightweight and able to fold up to put in the car.


Dad seems to walk so much more confidently and even a little faster when he is using his walker.  I think it gives him the security of knowing that, should he start to lose his balance, the walker is there to steady him.  Also, whenever his legs get a little tired, he can lock the breaks, turn around and sit on it for a little while.

I think the walker is just brilliant!

We chopped up the veggies and made a salad, which we had with sardines and fresh bread & butter for tea. Afterwards we went for a walk and Dad was able to show me what a great help the walker is to him.  It was a beautiful evening and we stopped to chat with many of the other residents of the retirement village where Mum and Dad live.  Muffy doesn't ride in the walker, but trots along happily beside Dad.  He just popped her into it for the sake of the photo!

It was a lovely evening for a walk and when we returned home, we opened the jar of plums in honey syrup that I had also brought with me, and had them on ice cream for dessert. This is the first time I had tasted them and they were pretty good!  They are quite spicy and reminded us of Christmas puddings.

Mum & Dad said they were delicious!

The next morning, Dad's carer Trish turned up as usual on Monday at 10:30.  So, after he was settled with her, Mum and I headed off to Wonthaggi to buy a new TV.  The "powers-that-be" in the government have decided that all TV channels will be going to HD soon, and all retired people get a free set-top box so that they can receive the signal on their old TVs properly.  But, instead of this, Mum and I decided it would be better if they got a new TV which would be the right (more rectangular) shape.

When we got to Wonthaggi and after looking around a bit, we found a really good LCD 42" screen TV at one of the big department stores and the staff brought it out to the car for us.  However, it would not fit in my tiny little boot!  So, we put the roof down and drove it home like a back-seat passenger.  HA HA!!  We laughed at the funny looks we were getting from people as we drove past them!


Once we were at home, a really lovely couple who live near Mum & Dad called Beth & Lyle came over to set it up and tune it in for us.  It was so nice of them to do this, as we would most likely have really struggled with it.

Once it was up and going, we all sat down for an iced tea (as it was a very hot day - 32 degrees C - although it was lovely and cool in Mum & Dad's house as they have refrigerated a/c).  Beth and Lyle showed Mum & Dad that they now have a staggering 59 channels to choose from!  Mum said that they might just stick to the four channels they were used to for now and then venture out to try some of the other ones a little later on.

The TV looks great in the corner of the living room and the screen is nice and big with a really good resolution.  I think Mum & Dad are going to enjoy watching it!

After everything was settled, I packed up and headed back up to Melbourne, in time to go out to choir in the evening.

A Special Day with Mum & Dad

On the morning after my lovely choir Christmas party, I drove Mum & Dad back down to Phillip Island. We took it slowly, stopping in Tooradin for morning tea and arriving at about noon.  At 2pm, we had a meeting with Paul, the psychologist and Carlie, the case worker. This was the first time that I had had a chance to meet these two people who are being so incredibly helpful to both Mum & Dad.

The next day, today, we went shopping and I bought them a nice new outdoor furniture set for Christmas, to go on their front porch.  Then we went out to lunch at Harry's in Cowes.











After lunch we went to Grossard Court, the aged care facility in Cowes where we had arranged for Dad to have four days' respite.  It was really lovely that they were having their Christmas party at the time we arrived and everyone was having lots of fun.  Mum & Dad knew about five or six residents of Grossard Court, because they used to live at the Penguin Resort where Mum & Dad are.  So, they were welcomed with open arms by familiar faces.

After the party, we went for a little walk around Grossard Court, so Dad could become familiar with the place.

... in the garden ...

... along the hallways ...

... in the residents' galley, where he can do some of his own cooking ...

... and in the pretty little court yard.

Dad started to get a little weary - not surprising after everything we had done!  So, we settled him into his room, which has its own full ensuite.  He unpacked his case, took off his shoes and lay back on the bed ready for a nap.  We kissed him goodbye and Mum promised she'd be back on Friday for a visit, with Muffy.

Dad's room.

Then Mum and I went back home to their lovely house, where the outdoor furniture was delivered about 20 minutes after we arrived.  We poured a couple of bourbies and sat out on the porch for a well-deserved Happy Hour!
















Mum was OK, although she had very mixed feelings about leaving Dad at Grossard Court - including some guilt.  But, she really does need the rest from having to monitor Dad 24/7 and I hope that she allows herself plenty of time to rest and recover before she goes back to pick him up on Sunday.

Swimming

I visited Mum and Dad again, this weekend. We had a lovely lunch at the Cowes Hotel yesterday, went to communion in the evening and then joined in with the shared supper at the Church. Today, Mum and I went swimming while Dad sat and watched. Then we came home and had lunch before I headed off home. During the weekend, I helped Mum set up her new mobile phone so that it can sync with her computer.

Happy Hour

What a lovely day we had today! We slept in and took it pretty easy in the morning, chatting and looking at stuff on the computer. Then we went for a swim in the heated indoor pool at Mum & Dad's retirement village. Back home for lunch and then we went to Cowes to browse some shops. Mum bought a new fragranced candle for the lantern on their front porch and we looked through the bookshop. After all that hard work, we just had to stop in a coffee shop for a cappucino (Mum), a soy hot chocolate (me) and a long back coffee (Dad). Then we shopped for the food for tomorrow's lunch with the family and returned home in time for Happy Hour on the front porch (see photos below). Went to communion at 6pm, home for tea and to watch some episodes of "The Vicar of Dibley" and then to bed.

Mum's Birthday

I am visiting Mum & Dad this weekend, as it is Mum's birthday today. I travelled down to Phillip Island by bus because Wayne and the kids will be joining us on Sunday for a special birthday lunch for Mum. It was nice, taking the bus and not having to drive ... I read some, knitted a bit, listened to my iPod, ate my lunch and then had a little nap and awoke as we were arriving in San Remo. It was all so relaxed and I had the chance to look out the window at all the lovely scenery we were passing. I arrived in Cowes refreshed and ready to spend a lovely afternoon with Mum & Dad.

Mum's thinking about selling their car and getting a buggy to drive along the footpath. I think it's a great idea and we went to have a look at some this afternoon. Mum test drove a single seater, but they will end up getting a double seater so that they can go places together.

It was a nice day.