Retirement Life In the Week Ended 30 December 2024
I’ve spent week number three in Essex looking after the oldies. I’ve survived well for someone who thought that they were on a whistle stop visit and only brought two changes of underwear! I won’t be making that mistake again. Mum is gradually getting better but it’s been slow progress. There’s only been a small window of opportunity each day to leave the house and get a breath of fresh air. But I’m pleased with what I’ve got done and towards the end of the week my fortunes have changed somewhat. Come and see what I’ve been up to.
What I’m Grateful For
Caring at a distance could be pretty lonely. Thank goodness for my friends and family who’ve been phoning and messaging me. I feel very supported from a distance. I know exactly what’s happening at home because Paul has shown me on a video. My Stressless recliner chairs are being restored and coming on a treat. I’ll show and tell when they’ve both been painted.
We’re so lucky in this technological age. Even in my lifetime communication was so much harder. I had a lovely boyfriend while I was in sixth form who went away to university. We wrote and phoned weekly. That was that. Even so this was positively talkative compared to how it was for past generations. I feel empathy for all those people in bygone times who didn’t have contact with their loved ones for months and even years when they went away.
Personally things improved for me midweek. My brother arrived early on Christmas morning to share the load. One or both of our are going to stay with our parents until they move to Devon. Fingers crossed we’ll complete on the purchase soon after the New Year.
What I’m Drinking
Thank goodness for Mum and Dad home grocery delivery, this week with treats to make my Christmas away from home more bearable. I snuck in a couple of bottles of red. They’ll go nicely with the cheeseboard that I’ve assembled.
When in France I happily drink the native wine but it’s expensive here. My travels have introduced to what the Iberian Peninsula has to offer and I’m impressed. ‘Cheap Spanish Plonk’ appears to be no more. There’s some delicious offerings these days and if I’m having a slurp in the UK I tend to veer towards the wines of Spain and Portugal. Pound for pound you seem to get better quality than the French offerings,
Here’s one that Sainsbury’s have to offer at the moment that I heartily recommend. The Douro, where it originates from, is the oldest wine region in the world. It’s a lovely wild place that spans Spain and Portugal. This wine was fruity and slightly oaky. It slipped down a treat over a couple of evenings. And once the bottle was empty I soaked off this lovely label, an absolute treasure of a resource for when I start my collaging.
What I Cooked For Christmas Dinner
Paul and I are going to treat ourselves to a restaurant meal in lieu of Christmas dinner together this year and have a place in mind. Meanwhile back in Southend Mum wanted duck but I wasn’t keen on mustering up a whole Christmas roast with all the trimmings in her primitive 1950s kitchen. I needed something easier and the very gorgeous Nigella Lawson came to the rescue.
I used her recipe for Roast Duck Legs with Potato and chucked in a packet of pigs in blankets into the mix half an hour before the end. Even though it was in the oven for ninety minutes the actual time spent prepping everything including the veggies was no more than 30 minutes. Red cabbage, lightly boiled and then simmered with demerara sugar, balsamic vinegar and raisins provided a jus for the meat. This easy cooking made for a very relaxing Christmas Day indeed.
This was an easy meal, so delicious. What’s more it looked pretty impressive for the effort involved. I’ll certainly be repeating the recipe again outside the Christmas period. It may well become a family staple.
What I’ve Been Buying
I’ve been doing a lot of online shopping for things that will make life easier for Mum and Dad. The Amazon man has been coming to their door most days as I discover more and more handy bits and pieces. My parents have finally caught onto the idea that buying stuff on the Internet is a breeze and ask me to order stuff. This is a major breakthrough. I’ve recently replaced an electric blanket and a projection alarm clock at their request
As Mum’s still in a lot of pain and it may not be a problem that’s going to disappear completely I’ve being buying a lot of the kind of disability equipment that I used to dole out when I was an occupational therapist. There’s a walking frame, commode, mobility trolley, a lever to help her out of bed and a perching stool so that she can reclaim the kitchen as her domain. Lots of the items that I’ve chosen are more compact than the standard NHS issue stuff and can easily be stashed away when they aren’t in use.
Mum’s also struggling to carry things after a wrist fracture earlier this year. The kettle is just too heavy for her. During a lightbulb moment I thought that we could install one of those fancy boiling water taps in the new bungalow. However we’ve settled for this Breville Hot Water Dispenser instead. It’s much cheaper and a more immediate solution. Mum’s using it already and it’s ideal. It boils a mug water in a matter of seconds. It takes two goes to fill her teapot but it’s still quicker than a conventional kettle. The blurb says it saves on electricity too.
What I’ve Achieved
For several months I’ve been sorting, tidying and clearing my parent’s house. This was initially to make life easier but turned into preparation for a house move. This week I’m done on the interior. All we need is to box up the stuff that will go on the removal van. That will be an easy day’s work.
I’m still working on Dad’s shed where I took this shot but it’s coming on. Half a century of stuff to clear but I’m making progress. It feels invasive and a tad disrepectful to be messing with this old time man cave.
On an entirely other note I finished a forty day online course, the 40 day Program for Transformation offered for free by a wonderful facilitator called LIsa Natoli. It’s based on teaching from ‘A Course in Miracles’ and focuses on helping you find your inner guide.
I can highly recommend it. I’ve come away with a greater sense of peace and a willingness to ask for help within. I worked on the course alongside a buddy, Keeping each other accountable was a successful strategy. We both graduated! This joint studying method was a first for me. It’s definitely something I’d use again. Having someone else watching my back was very effective.
What’s on the Horizon?
Here’s a beautiful photo of Southend’s beach. I took in December a few years ago. It illustrates the big sky nature of the landscape in these parts.
The good news is that I’m going home to Devon tomorrow. Whoop whoop! Mum’s mobility has improved enough for my brother to hold the fort on his own for a little while. I’ll be catching an early train and, fingers crossed, should be home by 2-ish. I’m sure there’ll be some different chores for me. But there’s also some New Year’s celebrations and a different horizon out to sea to look at.
Disclaimer
This post contains links to companies and organisations just because I’m happy with the products or services that they supply or I’m spreading the word about what they do. There may also be affiliate links to Amazon for books and other items that I am personally recommending. If you decide to make a purchase from them, I might get a little bit of commission at no cost to you.