Hope I'm not speaking out of turn.
I'm so sorry I didn't reply to this sooner - but of course you're not speaking out of turn, you make a lot of sense, and it's how I feel too.
I've ordered mum a beautiful bouquet in a vase, and a helium birthday balloon for an added bit of fun. I've arranged for the flowers to be sent to the hotel where I'll be staying, so that I can give it to mum personally. Then, even if it's only for a very small moment, she'll know that I bought her a birthday present, well, that small moment will be worth it!!
I'm feeling really frustrated about the house again. Earlier this week my insurance company told me that they had "finally" approved the quote for the repair work, and that it will take from 49 to 60 days
So, now I'm trying to get hold of the company that will do the repairs, to see if they can give me a start date (it'll be in January, I refuse to uproot the kids over Christmas), because we'll need to move into a hotel while they repair the floor and kitchen, and I also need to arrange for our furniture to go into storage. Every time I phone, the person I need to speak to is on another line, but will phone me back - only she doesn't, and I'm so frustrated. But I hate to keep nagging, I mean, how long should I leave it between phone calls?
Sorry for the moan, but I needed to get it off my chest!!
I'll let everyone know how the birthday party goes, I must admit to being a little nervous because I don't know how much mum has deteriorated since I last saw her in the summer.
Here are the flowers I've ordered