I'm finally back! Just calling in to say that life interrupted the blogging.



After getting Penny and the kids and the two cars full of Christmas goodies back to Sydney in January, I noticed over the next couple of weeks how much more Mum was unable to do things and struggling to just get up every day and also to cope with the pain in her shoulder. I felt things were going downhill at an alarming rate and Mal, Maree and I all felt she had suffered another small stroke which made it difficult for her to walk as well.



I was facing a busy year with times when I had to be away for several weeks minding the grandkids and helping Penny and going to Rick and Peggy's wedding. I didn't feel respite care was going to look after mum all those times, so I asked for another assessment and that afternoon in answer to my prayers, I was offered a room at the aged care hostel at the local hospital. So at the beginning of March, with Mum not really understanding what was happening, we moved her there. She was not happy! She displayed behaviour quite uncharacteristic of her, but we now know it was related to illness and medication. She has had another stroke since then which has really depleted her ability to move around and made her very dependent. It was a blessing for all of us that there was a place in care for her and she is well looked after and reasonably happy now.



At the end of April I went to Sydney for a couple of weeks to mind Georgie and James while their Mum and Dad were away overseas for Dan's work. They were good kids and we got through our busy time of school cross-country, swimming for both, ju-jitsu for our little ninja G, tucker time (or cake day with G's class sending the cakes) at school, reading helper for Granma at school, mother's day stall at school, my birthday and mother's day. And that let Mal out of a big saga for our 40th (ruby) wedding anniversary as well.



Then having been home for 2 days I went off to Canberra to help Penny with a stall at the Wool Day at the Old Bus Depot Markets. And we are planning on one at Bendigo in July.

I'd like to thank my friends who called in to see Mum so she had some visitors while I was away, and to say that Maree has done above and beyond the call of very best friend duty! She is the surrogate daughter, and Mum thinks she is a very good one.

I have decided that I need to jump in and get the blog running again as we have done a bit of crafting as well.