Sunday 30 June 2013

Blooming lovely

The other evening I was busy watering the plants in the greenhouse, the vegetable patch and the plant pots we have in the garden.  Mum was sitting in the conservatory with her cup of coffee staring into the alternative world she disappears to most of the time now, 'away with the fairies' is a suitable term that comes to mind. I was enjoying coolness of the early evening and the time out from a fractious day of discontent trying to motivate Mum to get out of bed and enjoy the sunny day we had with no success, instead she appeared in her usual attire of nightie and weetabix stained dressing gown.

My garden watering complete I returned to the conservatory, chatted idly with Mum and watered the various  minature roses that were blooming beautifully there after being rescued from abandonment. When I had finished I disappeard upstairs to change into something more comfortable to sit in the lounge for the evening. On returning downstairs Mum had disappeared and when I asked Dad he said that she was outside, I looked in the garden but could not see her but I could here her distinctive breathing, I looked through the kitchen window and observed her from a distance, what I saw both made me smile and sad at the same time.

Mum had found an artificial leafy plant in a pot which was ready for the dustbin and had been put to one side with the garden bags ready for disposal. With great care she righted the plant, put some water in the watering can and with loving care watered the plant, it brought tears to my eyes, she was totally oblivious to the fact that it was artificial, which ordinarily would have been funny!  Mum shuffled to the house grasping my hand as I met her at the kitchen door and struggled to climb the two steps into the kitchen. She let me know that she had found and watered a very dry plant, I smiled and said I must have missed that one and she did a good job! 

Mum is becoming less mobile and less lucid but she is missing her role of being useful, watching me watering the garden, a job she used to do, had spurred her into action, as I had obviously missed watering one of the plants!

I often find the plants in the conservatory swimming in water as Mum has decided to fill them to the brim,  I go round unnoticed and drain them all without saying anything. 

Mums life was spent nuturing children, she fostered children, was a child minder and obviously had her own now she has nothing to nuture, mental note get Mum more involved in the tending of the garden but keep the tools well hidden!  Now that is another story altogether.......