Most Sundays after church, I go out for cake and coffee with my Dad's cousin (which makes him also my cousin but with some extra designation)
It all started when he had a year long driving suspension and I volunteered to drive him to or from church. The suspension has ended but we have created a tradition I enjoy.
On the way to the patisserie I took some photos. It seemed to be a day for interesting sights. I wish I was a better photographer. I'd probably do better if I stopped the car rather than just try to wing it while I wait for a red light.
I visited mum today. She was tearful and grumpy when I arrived but cheered up when my sister arrived and despite her protests that she isn't hungry, she ate her lunch of meatballs and vegetables, cake with custard and then topped it off with a yogurt brought in as a treat.
Her cognitive ability is up and down within a single visit but seemed particularly bad today, perhaps made worse by endone she is on for a painful ulcer.
I think the mural on the side of a house is quite unusual here, and it is good.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your mother. I saw the same from my mother about food. She'd proclaim it was awful and then eat every scrap.
I love the colours in the mural.
DeleteMy mum's response to the food is sometimes mood related. If she's grumpy she says they want her to starve. When she's happier "the food has improved lately" It's understandable, she really hasn't got any connection to the outside world
I suppose we all dread going to your mum's stage. I certainly do. I have observed so much of it. Complaints seem to be the attention-getter. Lovely mural and so lovely you can meet up with your cousin.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
WWW, old age is no fun and mum has always assumed she could push through but I think this stage requires an unfamiliar surrender.
DeleteCuzzy and I set the world to rights quite frequently
You're right about complaints for attention. It is exhausting to listen to
DeleteAs Mom's memory declined her interest in food virtually disappeared. Things she loved became just fodder and even though we were able to have her living at her home with 24/7 help (we also went there every single day) she thought she was in a nursing home where they were punishing her by not letting her go home.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been so disappointing to give her the type of care everyone wants and still see her unhappy. The way the dementia interacts with the environment is so unpredictable. I heard of a man who thought he was on a cruise and loved every minute
DeleteVisiting the elderly is always a surprise as you never know what you'll get.
ReplyDeleteHumanity can be that way 😀
DeleteI am glad your visit to your mum was a happy one. the mural is beautiful and so is the bike which is a gorgeous colour. We had bags of lemons left on top of the mailboxes a couple of months ago.
ReplyDeleteI was quite taken with the bike
DeleteI agree, the colours in the mural are lovely - gives the place the look of a fairy tale.
ReplyDeleteKeep taking the photos.
Sx
Thank you, Ms Scarlet
DeleteMy late parents had excellent cognitive abilities to the very end, thankfully. But some of the other older members of our family are not so sharp. I can easily deal with physical weaknesses, but not understanding a word of what an auntie said makes me sad and frustrated.
ReplyDeleteMy mum can be understood but is repetitive and often interweaves several stories. The hardest part is the constant complaining.
DeleteThat is indeed a great mural and it was bold of the homeowners to get it done. Maybe they did it themselves - which would be even better. I don't know what to say about your mother but you have my sympathy. It can't be easy.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the rest of the house is a subdued green.
DeleteYou don't need to respond about mum. My comments about her are just there because I feel the need to write it.
Your mother cheered up in the presence of her two daughters ; that was the best part.
ReplyDeleteYour photography's just fine. The shiny turquoise bike was eye-catching to say the least.
The two houses you passed on the way had me imagining the feel of the neighbourhood.
Often I wish my bloggers would do the occasional vlog just so I could hear their voices and laugh,
and I could see the places they write about to evocatively.
Cousins and cousinage.
I was at my Uncle George's funeral in May 2025. He was 104.
His late wife was from Livorno so people came from Tuscany to Glasgow for the service.
I met Adrianna my second cousin for the first time who was most friendly and is living in London.
In passing she said she'd never eaten spaghetti & meatballs in her life though she grew up in Livorno.
Adrianna said it must be New York-Italian.
S
Adrianna said that her grandmother - my Aunti Ginetta - had a delicious way of cooking rabbit.
DeleteI've only eaten rabbit once. In a family restaurant in Hoogstraten, an hour's drive from Antwerp.
I remember seeing rabbits hung in butcher's shops. As a child the sight horrified me.
Rabbit's vanished from the Scottish diet as I'm sure it has from Australia's diet, Kylie.
All those butchers with the sawdust on the floor have vanished too. Supermarkets sell meat.
Hi Jack,
DeleteRabbit is available from specialist butchers here and i have cooked it twice because i was curious. I didn't do a good job and it's expensive so I'll stick with chicken!
I remember the butchers with sawdust on the floor and parsley around the meat. I have sweet memories of the old fashioned fabric and haberdashery stores. Also gone the way of the dodo.
Hello Kylie
DeleteYour understanding and frustrations about your mum seem to be common in so many ways. I have always had food centred issues as a vegetarian of more than forty years. I try very hard to be generous about others diet and I do cook meat for friends and family but sometimes I fail and I complain about the standard of vegetarian food in cafes and restaurants, not to mention food hygiene issues.
I dread being institutionalized in my old age and living on what I regard as mass produced, ultra processed factory food. I really hope I am like the chap who thinks he is on a cruise and enjoying himself. And that I am grateful for the care I receive. Helen
Hi Helen,
DeleteVegetarian options are usually not great but better than 40 years ago.
My son is vegan and he's been given some awful meals.
The aged care i work at does fresh foods. The meals are obviously a bit institutional but chef works hard at a very challenging task.
Also, cooking meat for family is going beyond the call of duty. Well done, you
DeleteYes, I can imagine the constant complaining must be exhausting. And how exasperating that she says the food is awful but then happily gobbles it up.
ReplyDeleteI've been slow on the uptake , Nick but i'm learning to not engage. If I smile and nod it saves a lot of drama
Delete