FLO PART TWO

Well, the sad saga of Flo goes on this week. After an adventurous two days with us last weekend and yes, I'm pleased to say Phil DID take his Mum home, he knows never to cross me! ;-)

Twice this week she has fallen in her bungalow the second time really badly. Flo refuses to wear her alarm round her neck to press in an emergency, this then alerts a central system that send someone around to see if she's ok. Instead she crawled to the phone, rung her brother who's in his late 80's and got him to come round at 3 am, he then has to press the alarm, but in Flo's eyes thats fine. 

The second time she fell, she smashed her face, she is now black and blue down one side of her body. Because of her Grand children and brother being at the hospital to see if she was ok, social services thought  she had a network of relatives to take care of her. This unfortunately isn't so. All have demanding jobs with young children. Social support yes, care no.

Because of this I made Phil go and get her on Friday afternoon. She's so frail and has had the stuffing knocked out of her. She thought by coming to us again she was on a jolly, but after her calling for me twice in the night to help her go to the loo, she knew this wasn't the case.

It took me forty minutes to get her down stairs today, so tonight she is sleeping restfully on our couch. Don't worry it's deep and at least she can wash in the cloakroom down stairs tomorrow and it will be easier for me.

Tonight she had to face the indignity of me having to pull down her knickers when I got her to the loo for a wee. She can't even do that now.

I thank my lucky stars I live in a country where health care is free. I phoned social services this morning and they phoned back twice today, the last time being 8.30 this evening, to arrange for her to be reassessed (sp?) on Monday. They are talking of getting her into a rehab home to build up her strength, all which is free. They'll then see what to do afterwards. 

We go on holiday this coming Friday and as Phil's brother is on a cruise for a month we talked about canceling. His sons have rallied round and said we must go, they'll look after her if Social services needs more time to find her a place in rehab. I have faith though. The woman on the phone tonight was calm and reassuring. Our social services has taken a bashing in the press recently with the death of a young baby, battered by its drugged up parents, but I have every faith that they will deliver.

I was comforted by Flo's last words before she lay her head on the pillow tonight, she asked for a kiss and as I went to move my head away she whispered in my ear. 'I love you ya know, and if you put me in a home I'll come back and haunt the bloody lot of yas. Remember that wont ya?, And you better tell all the rest of em too' 

Yes Flo, I love you too............ Seriously though, I do, Now its time for my bed as well.

PP xxxxxx

MORNING ALL!

Hello Groovers,

Thank you all for your mails wondering where I'd gone to. Well, nowhere really. We've been busy socially and away for the past two weekends, but to be to be honest, my creative juices had dried up. In turn it put me off reading my fellow bloggers journal's............. Sorry guys.

This weekend was going to be a weekend of catching up with journals, washing, cleaning, bill paying etc but the Friday before last I got a call from Phil's 90 year Mum Florrie

'Is that you boy?' 

'Um yeah Flo, wassup?' 

'Well, instead of you coming to see me next time, can I come and stay with you?' 

'Ummmm, yeah ok, what's the problem?' 

'Oh nuffin, no it doesn't matter'

'Well it does Flo, cos if you don't tell me I can't come over and pick you up ok?'

'Well....... pauses, I'm lonely'

Oh my God, it was like someone shoving a knife in me, I felt so bad.

Last October, she fell over putting her milk bottles out, yeah, we still have milk delivered here. 

She shattered her hip, smashed all her face in and broke her arm in four places. We were on holiday at the time but fortunately, Phil's brother was at hand so she wasn't alone for long.

Since that time, we go and see her regularly and also took her to my folks at Christmas.  She does get visitors everyday, but who say's you can't still be lonely huh? That's a bad state of mind to be in.

I promised to go pick her up to stay this weekend just to get her out and see something different.

When I told Phil, he went mad and said he couldn't afford to take time off work. No problem, I'll pick her up and take care of her, we'll have a good old fashioned Mum and son in law bonding sesh, a girly weekend!

I was up at 5 am on Saturday morning to drive over to hers and then bought her all the way back home. We went shopping and I let her choose what she wanted to have for lunch today, then we walked the mall singing doing the Lambeth walk. I swear people thought we'd been let out of the nut house. By the time we got back, I was just as exhausted as she was.

To see that old girl smile and laugh the way she has warmed the cockles of my heart, I realized it's gonna come to us all eventually. 

Yesterday afternoon she had a little kip and last night I cooked dinner for her and we sat and watched the film she'd picked. I am Legend with the hunky Will Smith (unghhh) 

Why she picked that I don't know but I suspect he does the same for her as he does for me ;-)

She talked all the way through the bloody film and then screamed out everytime a mutant came on the scene, by the time the film had finished, we'd both filled our knickers three times with fright lolol.

I put her to bed at 10.30, weary and tired myself I fell asleep on the couch then dragged my sorry arse up stairs about midnight. 

Phil came in at 6 a.m. and I was up to make him a cuppa to take to bed with him.

That's when he dropped the bomb shell. 

'What time are you running my Mum home tonight?' he asked.

'Ummm, I was hoping that you could take her back so I can have a bit of me time and catch up with a few things?'

His parting words were 'you invited her up for the weekend, I didn't. So you can take her back home too'

With that, he picked up his tea and went to bed.

I can't repeat what what I said under my breath, but he's right, I did ask her up, so tonight I'll take her home and then drive all the way back. 

Then when I finish hacking my husbands miserable moaning body to bits with a rusty chainsaw, I'll clean up and watch the Desperate House wives episode I've taped with a nice glass of wine.

Love ya. PP xxxxxx