Too much ...

This morning, before I had even got out of bed, I was tearful ...  I got mum up and dressed, gave her her breakfast and then decided I'd ring the care home we tried out last week to see if they could take her for a few days.

They could. So that's where she is - maybe for a week, they're quite happy to see how it goes. I arrived with her at lunchtime and of course the staff were very busy so I just sat in the dining room with a cuppa until someone was free to take various details from me. It was such a nice atmosphere. Only eleven people in there for lunch - the staff all very friendly and chatty. The residents (both dementia and non-dementia, in together) were very sociable. When I arrived a lady (who is the mother of my crochet teacher and the reason I know of this place) told me to sit mum at her table and she'd look after her. She used to be a  nurse and still likes to care for people.

Another lady came over to chat to me - very excited because she'd known mum through churchy things and knew of my dad (who was a GP)

I think it's a good place - and some day it will be mum's permanent home, perhaps.

I came straight home and have done nothing since - I'm just wondering how soon I can go to bed!

Last night I decided to tackle some of the oodles of junk that's been hoarded in every nook and cranny of this house. I started in a walk-in cupboard which is full of packaging and cardboard boxes - and has four shelves stuffed full of 'things'.

So, one shelf at a time I'm getting on with it - I found a bag of stinking old pipes, a bag of rusty castors, various bits of a squashed metal tea service, lots of nasty florists' baskets and cheap plastic pots, neatly collated and labelled bags of pieces of polystyrene, innumerable vases - mainly chipped and cracked, a huge bag of crepe bandages (unused - but historical), a couple of pots I made as a child (one hand built, one thrown) ..

There's all sorts waiting for me on the other shelves - 1930s toasters and vacuum flasks - more vases, more neatly tied bags containing who knows what ...

Mum was a pioneer of recycling and always wanted unused and unwanted stuff to go to 'the right place' .. which is why much of it is still in the neatly labelled polythene bags!

I threw some stuff out - but I'm struggling! I even checked out pipes on eBay - and it seems some are worth a fortune!

Amongst all the tat are two very chipped and cracked, but beautiful enamelled Chinese plates - perhaps they're worth millions - who knows?