Unexpected break

 May - August

Somehow or other I've managed to take an unexpected almost three month break from this blog! I seem to be rather good at doing that. So I'm going to put up some images of things that have happened. Most of the time life has been pretty much as usual.

This is the new car that Pa ended up buying through a car dealer. Boar found it on Trade Me. It's running really well and is quite fuel efficient, which is great with all the driving around I do. It's a Holden Vectra, same as the old one, different colour :)

The last few months are birthday season for quite a few in our family. So here are the dates and some belated birthday wishes.

Mr Magoo turned 1! on May 8th. He had a celebration at home with Frosty and Jester.

Next was Brains who turned 17 on May 19th.

A week later it was Smurfette's turn on May 26th. We had a family dinner for the both of them.

The following Thursday Frosty and Jester handed their dogs over to the Animal Control people. They decided this was a better option for the dogs. So we had to say good-bye to these two lovely creatures, Lucy and Miloe.

Frosty told me last week that Lucy, on the left, was put to sleep recently. She had a lump on her chest and they thought it was cancerous. She was 8 years old and so the animal control folk made the decision. The good news is that Miloe was re-homed :) He is only 3.

Friday 6th June - Ma had a 3 month check-up with the doctor, who comes to the rest home to see the residents. I always attend these check-ups with Ma. If there is anything in between visits the home let me know. As usual Dr Shane asked me how I thought Ma was doing, after he'd talked to her. Ma isn't as responsive as she used to be, and tends to doze off all the time, but they still involve her as much as possible. So my reply to Shane was that Ma is deteriorating. He agreed. She is not mobile at all, needs feeding most of the time and is having more pureed type foods. I told him that Pa had questions and is finding it difficult. Pa won't ask himself though! Dr Shane said for me to pass on to Pa that her life expectancy is coming to an end. She has had permanent brain damage as a result of the strokes and Parkinson's Disease Her mental age is roughly that of a one to two year old. He can't say whether it will be weeks or months. All of which we know, but it was still not easy to hear. And as he said not easy to watch what is happening. 

Pa listened quietly when I passed on what Dr Shane said. I know he finds the whole thing very upsetting. It can't be easy to see your wife of 58 years slowly fading away

Later in June it was Frosty's 22nd birthday, on June 20th.

Two weeks later it was Butcher's 24th birthday on July 4th.

Then we get a break for a while, from birthdays at least! :)

I'm going to close this wrap up of the last few months with a photo of a jewellery stand  that Locket created. She is quite a creative girl and made this from a site she found on the internet. Unfortunately I don't have a link. I think it's pretty cool!

Hmmm, the photo is a bit blurry! It is a bowl, glued to a bit of solid cardboard roll, glued to a plate. The cardboard roll is a piece cut from a tube from a bolt of material. Locket then painted it and let it dry before gluing to the plate and bowl. I suggested she use Weldbond as it works on ceramic, glass and all sorts of things. It held well.

We've had lots of visits from grandbabies and their parents which are always wonderful.