Weekend and Mothers Day

It has been a whirlwind weekend. Sunday night at the moment, round 8.30, and my housemates are both in bed, so a good time to download the last few days. First Gramps continues to get stronger, enjoy his meals, ask for treats, managing all his own personal needs now, hardly any coughing, telling a few stories, laughing. Really remarkable. NOni also was in better spirits over the weekend, just relaxing a bit more over the two days, starting to name things she is taking to the new place and also starting to pick up things she wants to take. I am building a list, just writing things down on the list whenever she mentions anything. She still gets pretty tired and is ready for bed by 7, but she has finished two crocheted blankets since I arrived and manages to get around to many small things in the day. She has not been out of the house so much since I arrived but does not seem too worried by it, still does not want to leave gramps on his own. 

They are also talking freely now about how they all thought Gramps was dying. He keeps trotting out his line, I thought I was coming home to die but instead I got better. He says he feels confident now that he will recover, even though he thinks he will not ever get back to his former level of health. But he is In Good spirits and every day is remarking when he does something that three weeks ago he thought he would never be able to do that again.

Noni visits her plants near the back door every morning. She loves them and made me put plastic food containers under each one so the water does not run out the bottom of the pots.

Gramps is still working on his business drawer and as he predicted he has a small pile of papers he will keep with him, a lot of other stuff tossed or shredded (they have a shredder) and then a final collection of items which are ready for distribution to whoever. 

When we spoke to John at Atria, he told Dad that he would have to be able to manage his own Oxygen. So far I have done most of the management for him, putting t he tubes on him, connecting these to the OzygenConcentrating   machine and switching it on. But from Saturday he has been trying to put it on and take it off himself. 

Yesterday morning I did manage a walk for a coffee and some fruit as Gramps was going to get himself up with no assistance. Linda came and went through the day until the afternoon when she was going to take Noni for an outing. but at the last minute she decided she did not want to go so I got to go. But they did ask us to being back  take away, Maccas for Gramps, Taco Bell for Noni. Trader Joes first where I got to replenish my food supplies, the Kolhs dept store then picking up the takeaway. A picked up a card for Noni and a small present. 

Back at Miller Avenue we sorted dinner for them and shortly after I got a call from Krista to come up for dinner, dependent on N&G getting themselves to bed without my help. They said they thought they could manage it so off I went for my third outing of the day! And a bonus glass of red wine. 

The next day was Mother's Day. The Martinellis came by after church and were closely followed by Krista and kids and Michelle with presents, cards, bread and lunch eat. Gramps had had a late  breakfast but was happy to get stuck into lunch meat and bread. 

Martinellis had been invited to a picnic With Natalie's family at the big park in San Mateo and she really wanted me to come with them. Noni and gramps were fine with that  so we got them settled with all they needed in the den and off we went. It was blanket on the grass, food on the blanket style picnic. Natalie's parents, sister and son Javier, Natalie's aunt and uncle and grandmother and then us. There were three coolers which became seats of tables for food so people or things had to be moved to reach drink or food. I did share the our word Eskis and said that by Australian standards they were a bit on the small side. Spent most of the visit talking politics and comparing countries with Natalie's uncle Bob who lives in Marin and is a big fan of Dick Spotswoods newspaper columns. Small world.