Morning all,
I suspect that there were tears, Red - I stayed up, curled up with a book on the sofa (like Slugsta, I would also rather stick pins in my eyes than watch!), and ignored OH shouting out instructions and comments to the screen. As soon as it was over, given the result, I shot off to bed! Son - another Liverpool fan - had gone to Liverpool to watch the match on big screens in some pub or other - glad he was there, and not home with us for once, as he was likely to be even more fed up and disappointed than OH.
Good for you, getting the shopping out of the way early, Spamar. I went after visiting Mil and was glad to find everywhere nice and quiet, for a change.
Took a good size flask of soup into Mil and found her in the lounge, making those awful inarticulate noises that we are increasingly hearing as she struggles to say something. She seemed to be getting quite agitated, and I didn't fancy my chances of calming her with anything, let alone a bowl of soup! However, staff told me that she hadn't eaten much the day before or that morning, so it was worth a try. I was provided with a bowl and spoon, poured out a good sized portion for her and headed to sit next to her. No recognition at all, just looking at me obviously puzzled by my familiar greeting - but, as soon as I said I had some 'leek soup for her', she actually sat forward and opened her mouth! So, I started to give it to her and couldn't believe the speed at which she emptied the bowl - as soon as one mouthful went down, she was like a fledgling with beak wide open for the next. She even managed to say 'nice' a couple of times. Just a couple of spoonfuls from the end, she turned her head slightly and so I asked did she want any more, thinking maybe she had had enough. She looked me straight in the face and very clearly said 'I'll have it all' - I had to laugh. And when she had finished that bowl, she equally clearly said 'More'. So, I checked with the staff that it was OK, filled the bowl to the brim with the last of it, went back to her - and she hoovered it up! I suspect that if I'd had any more to offer her, she would have had that too!
I took the empty bowl to the kitchen area and going back to Mil, found all signs of agitation had gone. She was sat back in her chair, snuggled by her cushions, and looking very sleepy. I stayed for another 15 minutes or so, just gently stroking her face as she half dozed, before leaving. Staff have suggested that if I want to bring in some portions of soup that can be frozen, that there would be room in the freezer at the CH to keep them there, for Mil to have if she doesn't seem keen on any meal offered - so soup making is on the task list for either today or tomorrow. Pre-dementia days, when Mil lived in her own place, if she was ever ill I would often cook a few meals for her and this soup was the thing she would enjoy the most while she was getting better, a sort of 'comfort' food. I am wondering, as she is very clearly not 100% at the moment (though no signs of infection) if it was the the sub-concious familiarity of it, if maybe it brought back that 'comfort food' feeling, that made her tuck into it yesterday, IYKWIM? The main thing is she enjoyed it, and it got liquids (which the CH have also been struggling to get her to have) into her. Won't actually make her better, obviously - but it may help her feel better, which is now more important.
The housework didn't get tackled as thoroughly as I'd intended, as antics at the bird table kept distracting me yesterday - especially the presence of our latest diner, who has made frequent visits over the last 3 days. Of all things, we have a young rook who has decided to become (for the moment at least) a regular guest. We really don't see many of them around here. Jackdaws yes - I have a family of 4, including 2 fledglings that are here daily, and you see large numbers of them everywhere when out and about - but I can't remember the last time I spotted a rook, even when out wandering the lanes and fields around the village. He dwarfs the jackdaws, although not quite fully grown, and is very skitty - and greedy. He is also surprisingly acrobatic - I've deliberately bought hanging feeders that are just for the smaller birds, difficult for the bigger pigeons, jackdaws and occasional jay and magpie to get at. They hang from slender curved poles on a standing feeder, the smaller birds having to actually perch on the containers to feed, something that the bigger ones can't manage. Didn't stop the rook though - he somehow balanced on the poles and is big enough to then reach down and get at the food. Fascinating to watch him, not the prettiest of birds I guess, but something quite stunning about him anyway.
Absolutely NO intention of venturing any further than the covered patio today - it looks like the forecast for thunder and lightning storms is going to be accurate - the rain has bounced down for the last 2 or 3 hours, and I've already heard some rumbles in the distance. I'm actually hoping for it to be as bad as is predicted, as I love watching a good storm!
Hope you all enjoy whats left of the BH weekend, much love to all xxxxx
