So excited were my sister and I buying new plants for the garden, that we completely forgot we had Mum and Dad with us. They’d been left sitting in the shade at the garden centre with strict instructions to ”behave yourselves”, while I sauntered around deciding what perennials and shrubs we needed. The purchases were carefully placed into every available space of the car so there was no option but to shove our parents in at the last minute.
It can’t be fixed
The mist has rolled in, silent and insistent. It’s crept under locked doors and into private spaces, obscuring what was. I want to return to when the sun shone every day; when he was strong; when I could call out “Dad can you fix this?” But for the first time in our lives, he can’t. So a fog has settled on the household. Continue reading “It can’t be fixed”
Lean in
Spending time with my elderly parents is more adrenaline pumping than a roller coaster ride.
Dry Eyes
Sandwiched between every airport goodbye and hello are millions of family members who cope with living apart. Continue reading “Dry Eyes”
His…tory, Her…story
As kids we grew up in the shadow of the Korean War but were protected from the details
Following Her Footsteps
My red shoes (the replacement ones) are no match for mum’s black canvas tackies with their neatly tied laces. The rhythm of her rubber soles racing down the corridor wakes me. I follow to help but am not quick enough off the starting block and when I do eventually run up alongside she refuses to pass the baton. It’s then I realise this is not a team relay but an individual marathon. Continue reading “Following Her Footsteps”
Defying his age
My dad has a thing for bathrooms, not that he spends hours preening himself in them or that he is incontinent, it’s just that he likes tarting them up. And at the youthful age of 88 … Continue reading “Defying his age”