On Fridays Molly has a breakfast date, with Sharon Rubling (who we have met before) and two other friends, Diane and Darlene, who we haven't. I think they all go to church together. We had a good chat and they seemed really friendly. Topics of conversation included music (Sharon's son is a jazz musician, and she has been on a summer camp to improve her sax playing...pretty brave to join a bunch of kids to do that), the differences between the Canadian and UK school systems, and Prince Harry's tackle which has apparently been out on display at a drunken party. Molly still wasn't very hungry but did ready half a bran muffin. She is blaming her sickness on Tim Horton's mushroom soup. I don't think that can be the culprit because mum already feeling queasy by the time we went there, but I am keeping quiet and letting Tim take the blame in case the finger gets pointed at my omelettes. We can't think of anything at all that mum and Molly have had and I haven't except some half and half cream.
On the way back Molly took us for a detour down Hardy's Road (the left turn immediately before Molly's, if you're coming from the town). Sharon and Diane live down there. At the end is the Clearwater (the river that runs along the bottom if Molly's property, and Pat and Hamish's too), and a couple of little hills away from the river you can see the riverbed it used to run along before being diverted by a landslide. There are lovely views of the mountains from that road which I tried but failed to photograph, and a field full of big round bales (I did include the pic of that, although it looked more impressive in real life). It would be good to say that it was Molly's field, but unfortunately the man why rents Molly's fields to make hay had cut the grass a week ago at least, and left it to dry, but has still not baled it up and now it's all soggy.
Shirley came round with her 16-year-old grandson Douglas in the early afternoon. He brought her Molly a bunch of flowers -and has apparently been doing so for years and buys them with his own money. He was a nice lad and is clearly really fond of Molly. When she described him too us, she said he could 'dance amazingly as though he was made out if rubber', but he didn't demonstrate. Shirley soaked Milly's feet and cut her toenails which Molly was very grateful for as they have been unkindly rubbing the neighbouring toes.
Molly had a little lie down in the afternoon and mum and I had a little read, then pottered around in the garden and paid a visit to the second Day homestead which is next door to the current house but very dilapidated. Remarkably there are still things in it like bookshelves and the metal parts of a gas lamp, but it's hard to imagine how it was big enough for even one person to live in. Next we went to the Co-op to get some dinner bits. We posted mum's postcards which are all done. Andy was texted the offer of a free drink if he could guess what was on his postcard, but unfortunately his guess ('a manly man cowboy and sunset') was incorrect. I think that means he now owes me a drink instead. In fact, the card was of a welcoming Canadian beaver (see the internet for amusing video).
We prepared a Very Healthy Stirfry Dinner for Molly, featuring the rest of the trout fried nice and crispy at the edges with soy sauce, plus peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, mange tout, bean sprouts and spring onions, and then strawberries for afters. She still isn't feeling very hungry but ate a bit of it. A stirfry doesn't sound like the kind of dish to appeal to a 90-year-old I know, but when Danny was here last year (her live-in Filipino help who was, amazingly,a fully qualified nurse and a very competent chef), he cooked them and she liked them a lot. I just made sure the vegetables were quite soft.
On the subject of Danny, he has left since we were here last and taken up a job in (I think) a nursing home. The hours are more regular, it's better paid and he doesn't have to live in so eventually he'll be able to bring his family over. So Molly now has someone new, also Filipino, called Perlina, but she's away at the moment in the Philippines and not back til September. She has done loads of gardening and veggie planting in the yard and sounds very nice and helpful. No driver's license or car though (unlike Danny) so she can't give Molly lifts to appointments and things.
Mum had given Pat and Hamish a call, and after Molly had fed the cats we headed over there for a last visit. Katie was there too, having brought Pat back from her sleep apnoea test, and it was lovely to see her again. It didn't sound like the test had gone too well, or at least that it hadn't been a very positive experience. I don't think I'd sleep a wink with lots of sensors on me and knowing I was being videoed the whole time. They wouldn't give Pat any feedback afterwards either and apparently she won't get any for at least 4 weeks, and left her with big lumps of wax in her hair and no shower facilities to wash it out. Other than that all was well. Katie's nursing course is going along fine and she's due to finish in December 2013 which is good, over half way there. The mare and her foal came for another visit and got carrots from Pat. The mare is apparently called Twinkle, so they have named the baby Star (twinkle twinkle, little star ΓΌ). Only unofficially as they belong to someone else but it's a very suitable name. It was a really nice chatty visit and it was sad to go but it got late and that was that. It's always sad doing goodbyes because although you know you will be back, you don't really know when that will be.
We got back at about 10.30 and snuck in, and are in our purple and mint green room as I write. It hasn't rained so much today but it's got much cooler, and the sky is clear. We've gone from no cover through a sheet, one blanket and today at last we have both blankets on. Its quite snug and the smell in the air is making me think of autumn and bonfire nights.
On the way back Molly took us for a detour down Hardy's Road (the left turn immediately before Molly's, if you're coming from the town). Sharon and Diane live down there. At the end is the Clearwater (the river that runs along the bottom if Molly's property, and Pat and Hamish's too), and a couple of little hills away from the river you can see the riverbed it used to run along before being diverted by a landslide. There are lovely views of the mountains from that road which I tried but failed to photograph, and a field full of big round bales (I did include the pic of that, although it looked more impressive in real life). It would be good to say that it was Molly's field, but unfortunately the man why rents Molly's fields to make hay had cut the grass a week ago at least, and left it to dry, but has still not baled it up and now it's all soggy.
Shirley came round with her 16-year-old grandson Douglas in the early afternoon. He brought her Molly a bunch of flowers -and has apparently been doing so for years and buys them with his own money. He was a nice lad and is clearly really fond of Molly. When she described him too us, she said he could 'dance amazingly as though he was made out if rubber', but he didn't demonstrate. Shirley soaked Milly's feet and cut her toenails which Molly was very grateful for as they have been unkindly rubbing the neighbouring toes.
Molly had a little lie down in the afternoon and mum and I had a little read, then pottered around in the garden and paid a visit to the second Day homestead which is next door to the current house but very dilapidated. Remarkably there are still things in it like bookshelves and the metal parts of a gas lamp, but it's hard to imagine how it was big enough for even one person to live in. Next we went to the Co-op to get some dinner bits. We posted mum's postcards which are all done. Andy was texted the offer of a free drink if he could guess what was on his postcard, but unfortunately his guess ('a manly man cowboy and sunset') was incorrect. I think that means he now owes me a drink instead. In fact, the card was of a welcoming Canadian beaver (see the internet for amusing video).
We prepared a Very Healthy Stirfry Dinner for Molly, featuring the rest of the trout fried nice and crispy at the edges with soy sauce, plus peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, mange tout, bean sprouts and spring onions, and then strawberries for afters. She still isn't feeling very hungry but ate a bit of it. A stirfry doesn't sound like the kind of dish to appeal to a 90-year-old I know, but when Danny was here last year (her live-in Filipino help who was, amazingly,a fully qualified nurse and a very competent chef), he cooked them and she liked them a lot. I just made sure the vegetables were quite soft.
On the subject of Danny, he has left since we were here last and taken up a job in (I think) a nursing home. The hours are more regular, it's better paid and he doesn't have to live in so eventually he'll be able to bring his family over. So Molly now has someone new, also Filipino, called Perlina, but she's away at the moment in the Philippines and not back til September. She has done loads of gardening and veggie planting in the yard and sounds very nice and helpful. No driver's license or car though (unlike Danny) so she can't give Molly lifts to appointments and things.
Mum had given Pat and Hamish a call, and after Molly had fed the cats we headed over there for a last visit. Katie was there too, having brought Pat back from her sleep apnoea test, and it was lovely to see her again. It didn't sound like the test had gone too well, or at least that it hadn't been a very positive experience. I don't think I'd sleep a wink with lots of sensors on me and knowing I was being videoed the whole time. They wouldn't give Pat any feedback afterwards either and apparently she won't get any for at least 4 weeks, and left her with big lumps of wax in her hair and no shower facilities to wash it out. Other than that all was well. Katie's nursing course is going along fine and she's due to finish in December 2013 which is good, over half way there. The mare and her foal came for another visit and got carrots from Pat. The mare is apparently called Twinkle, so they have named the baby Star (twinkle twinkle, little star ΓΌ). Only unofficially as they belong to someone else but it's a very suitable name. It was a really nice chatty visit and it was sad to go but it got late and that was that. It's always sad doing goodbyes because although you know you will be back, you don't really know when that will be.
We got back at about 10.30 and snuck in, and are in our purple and mint green room as I write. It hasn't rained so much today but it's got much cooler, and the sky is clear. We've gone from no cover through a sheet, one blanket and today at last we have both blankets on. Its quite snug and the smell in the air is making me think of autumn and bonfire nights.
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