Life is very demanding with all there is to do before Christmas. Today I was on ticket selling again for Lions in the shopping centre and I am back there on Thursday doing to same. I am fitting in visits to Mum and Ray and all the other things I have to do between that and the pre-Christmas get-togethers for the groups I belong to. Most are simple afternoon teas but I still like to attend as we break now and don’t resume again until February.

My middle son just added to my busyness by asking me to babysit twice for him this week. His wife has some day shifts and he is on call for his job. I did agree to do one but not to both. Sorry family, I am just beginning to get some freedom and not going to have someone else take it off me again so soon. It is easy to look after Lucas here as I am on the premises anyway but different if I have to take on the two little boys for nine hours.

There are plenty of parties on but I decided about half of what was on offer was viable. This is the first year for twelve years I have been able to decide what I want for myself instead of what was viable for Ray. But he would have been able to go to all I have chosen as they all have been in disabled friendly venues, it would have been the hours that would have defeated him, he was increasingly tired even before the last stroke and is now in bed for 14 - 16 hours a day/night at the nursing home.

Both Ray and Mum had an “event” last week. Mum’s was a day when she didn’t have the strength to get out of bed which is happening to her more frequently now as her body winds slowly down. Ray had a fall out of his wheelchair, pitched out on his nose. It may have been a TIA as he was fairly sleepy afterwards and much less alert the following day and for a couple of days spoke less than a dozen words. This is like other times, so nothing new.

Tonight the Christmas tree went up here, none of my doing this year as Lucas and his Mum did the work. It looks very nice all lit up and I know he is very proud of it. He is finding it hard to make adjustments to his new routines here. We have had a few arguments but hopefully that will subside. I do like as peaceful a life as I can get.

I spoke to my daughter and her family by phone and they are well and organising their last minute events for Christmas. The Salvation Army is renowned for its band music and apparently they have a few engagements in their local area. My grandson who is just turning twelve plays trumpet now. He found it hard to learn to play well enough to join the band, it has taken him three years, but he is now one of their proudest members.

As I went in to see Ray today a group of school children were coming out. They had been singing Carols in one of the bigger leisure areas. Ray loves to see children participating in musical entertainment; I think it reaches back to his own school days. The organist on Sunday was playing Carols too. The area Ray is in is well decorated without being too obtrusive, I guess with a lot of dementia patients they have to be a bit careful of how everything is placed.

I have never forgotten how my Mum “ate” the decorations one year in her Dementia Lodge. The tree was loaded with egg shaped decorations in deep reds and deep purples. It must have looked like a plum tree to Mum’s confused mind so she took each decoration off the tree, had a bite into it and dropped it on the floor. A tree full of woody plums she must have thought. How lucky she didn’t lose a tooth in the process eh?

I finally have my own computer up and running at least (yeah!!!) but will be at my other son’s place when it is Tuesday night your time, Wednesday noon mine. I was reluctant to go to babysit for that reason, I’ve already missed enough chats for one year, but he assured me his computer will do as well as mine. I am hoping no major crisis occurs while I am on chat. The little ones should be sitting down eating lunch during that time as I have asked for lunch boxes to be prepared for them.

My big prayer is for safety and good health for us all in this multi-generation household. Lucas has his cast off his arm at last and so can do so many more exciting, reckless, dangerous things. And we all know what carnage on the roads the combination of Christmas parties and summer’s stormy weather brings. Hopefully with Christmas coming fast all will be peaceful and calm for us all.