We went to an art exhibition recently where paintings by a local artist were on display. The theme of the exhibition was "femme" and the artist used a variety of techniques and styles, paintings large and small and at very affordable prices. I bought this one of three ladies in red dresses because it makes me smile!
On the 29th May we went to a vineyard for a picnic. This is the third time I’ve done this myself; the fourth for Nick who went to one last year while I was back in the UK. They are great fun. Friends, food and wine are the perfect mix.
There was a tour of the vineyard before lunch and a tour of the wine making areas after. As it happens, the wine itself was not really to our taste but it was a great day out and, at last, in gorgeous (if slightly breezy) weather.
And last but definitely not least, the roof terrace is nearly finished! I shall feel more comfortable up there when we have a guard rail at the front edge but we couldn’t wait to try it out. The weather has at last turned summery and we haven’t needed to light the fire in the evenings for about a week.
On a more sombre note, this day last year was when my father was admitted to hospital, the beginning and cause of his rapid demise. It was an awful time for him and for me, Nick and my brother, and it could have, and should have, been so much better. One year on the memories and images still haunt me and I still struggling to come to terms with how badly he was let down by doctors, nurses, social workers and carers. Inevitably I find myself, even after all this time, wondering where we went wrong and if we could have done better for him. In reality we did everything we could; it was the callousness of the system that failed him and worked against us. The signs are that the way our old folk are treated in the UK is getting worse, not better, and that the situation is way down the list of the government’s priorities. Well bellow saving their own skins and trousering public money.
It’s all behind us now and we are in a much better place in so very many ways.
Enjoy the sunshine - and the lovely roof terrace. You did all you could for your father, and the faults in the system were not caused by your lack of care. Please do not get trapped by feelings of false guilt - that would be so destructive, and spoil your life now. Focus on good memories of the happier days before all the frustration and inefficiency. And look at your joyful ladies in their swirling red skirts, celebrating their joie de vivre!
ReplyDeleteThe early anniversaries of anything tend to bring back memories, good and bad. It is still all quite raw but I'm beginning to let go and forget the bad parts.
DeleteThe roof terrace looks nice I agree a rail will be a good idea though.
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel, my Mum brings back so many memories and I was not by her side at the critical moment. The hospital told me to go home and as I arrived at the house they rang to tell me to get back, of course I was too late.
Keep well and enjoy the better weather. Diane
What a lovely picnic. I cannot remember when I attended one.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on your father Jean are almost a carbon copy of my own experience with my dearest father. I really can’t say what happened or who did what, but all I know is that one day he was happy bright and chatty, and the next he was in a coma, and that was it. It’s been 12 years but I still feel the pain.
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