On Reaching a Good Age

An EB picture after a busy day when taking pictures took a back seat.   

I could have titled the day Miracles Do Happen.   After a morning at Ruth's admiring progress on her kitchen, we drove down to Mum's.   When I left last time I had wondered  if I would see her again, last week's fall only adding to the sense of there being no way back.   She got home from hospital late yesterday.   This morning my sister reported that mum was awake early and very chatty, a huge change from the lost soul of a week ago.   The tests in hospital cleared up the worries about something being very wrong - yesterday's Dr said he'd not seen a healthier 96 year old.   Lots of changes in medications were made.   Something has certainly made a huge difference.  Not only chatty but full of ideas and opinions like she used to be.  I said to her I felt like I had got my mum back!   We are all hoping it lasts :-)

In the room I sleep in here, there are some pictures of my dad and his side of the family.   Above is his sister Hilda, eight years his senior and, I think, a rather bossy big sister!   She certainly always knew her mind in the years that I knew her.   She became a nun when a young woman, a teacher missionary who worked in Africa and later Samoa as well as in the UK where she was high ranking in her order although she said she took the posting to Samoa in later life to get out of another dull administrative option.   She loved growing things, food especially and I recall hearing tales of growing vegetables and fruit in a tropical climate.  One stand out thing I remember her being adamant about was that for good sharp, well set Bramble Jelly, half your picking must be red, not quite ripe blackberries.