No. 66.

Sad news today. Mum and Dad returned from their holiday in Norway to a phone call to say my Gran had died. She's been in a fantastic nursing home for a couple of years now, after a few small strokes and the onset of dementia made living in her own home impossible. The ladies that care for her are wonderful, and they really do care. They notice small changes in her personality, and if her medication has been changed, they'll keep a note of which pills caused which mood swings - then report to the doctors who can change the prescription. It's not in their job description, but they feel that things like that are important. They treat all the ladies in the home with a great deal of respect, and let them live a dignified life. My Gran liked to sit in the kitchen and watch them cook, often not speaking to them or engaging at all, just enjoying the activity around her - and they always let her.

Gran's been fading away for a while now. Mum drove 2.5 hours to see her every week (the home is halfway between our house and Mum's sister's house - a compromise that suited no-one, really) and towards the end Gran would just doze in a chair while Mum sat with her. I'd not seen her in a couple of years but feel very sad that she's gone, and am going home for a few days to stay with Mum and Dad.

Before Mum called, M and I had gone to M's Grandparents' house for lunch and cake, then played a game of golf. This building belongs to a fish processing company at the harbour and was absolutely stinking... Quite attractive in its own little way, though.

While M made dinner, I headed off to the office to send a few emails and try to sort out some loose ends so I can pass on my workload by phone tomorrow. My train is at 10am, so I'm leaving my packing until the morning.