Because I'm not the Mummy

I've been wanting to blog about what it's like to care for a parent for a while and not been able to come up with the words.

Luckily, Zuska has done it for me, and for all of us who care for a parent or older person.  While the specifics are slightly different, the issues are exactly the same.

This post was linked to in Wallaby's Down Under Feminists' Carnival, which I found through Penthe.

Progress

Ya know, I may still have "stuff" problems but it is not insignificant that in the last few months I have given away a chest of drawers, repurposed a large wardrobe and another chest of drawers previously stuffed full of unworn clothes, and there's a whole bookcase in this house (3" x 4") currently unoccupied. 

I will admit to the acquisiton of my Nanna's china cabinet, but that is all the new furniture to come in.

Am currently reclaiming the vast tundra of floorspace from the roaming herds of dust buffalo.  OK, so the tundra isn't all that vast, but there's definitely a clearing of modest proportions.

The Bearable Lightness of Unsubbing

The weeks away with Mum allowed me time to assess her level of capability and mine.

She is no longer interested in cooking for herself (although she can still manage biscuits for the grand-children and the dog food - but this can be done in peak energy times, not in the evening when she's worn out), and manage other things like laundry and grocery shopping.

While I was already doing some of these things for her, it was when she asked - now it's factored in on a daily basis.

We have got her more home assistance, so cleaning is not a huge issue and that's a big help.

In the few weeks I've been trying to accommodate Mum's increased needs, my long-suffering mates have been advising reducing my activities. Well I would, but that happened already. I stopped attending SnB and didn't renew my memberships of the textile groups I used to belong to and attend. I have resisted invitations and enticements to join new groups or to take an active role in those I have continued membership of. I don't see my friends as much as I used to or as often as I'd like. I can't afford to give up work and I'm not prepared to reduce the pitifully small time The Old Flame and I spend together so I had to look at other areas that take up time.

This week I've been uncluttering my virtual life: unsubbing from email lists, changing profile settings on the time suck that is Facebook so I don't receive ridiculous email updates, leaving Ravelry fora and unfollowing advertisers and negative people on Twitter.

Now the email I receive is from people I want to keep in touch with and is a joy. The blogs I read are the ones I treasure. There is no blog reading or email replying backlog to make me feel bad and I can keep up with all of this in the half hour or so I allocate to it each morning.

Claytons post

We're back (have been for nearly two weeks), but time and the desire to blog has been limited.

And now I'm back at work.
 
What became very clear being with Mum 24/7 for so long is she needs more assistance.  We're arranging an aged care review to see if we can get her more help around the house, but I'm not holding my breath. 

The schedule around here is pretty tight.  There is less blogging and social networking time, and no complex knitting time.  Luckily I'm nearly
done with the WIPS.  Only one thing to finish, and the rest is
unravelling.  The endless parade of beanies is about to reappear.

I'm pleased to report that The Old Flame's Mum was pleased with her blanket.. We gave it to her last weekend because the Raiders had a night match here in chilly Canberra.  Seemed to do the trick - Raiders defeated top of the league St George 24 points to 12! 

View from the Rocks

Blagged some online time at the very part time South West Rocks Library.

The blanket for The Old Flame's mother is done - I'll block it when I get home.

Also done, TOF's 4ply socks. Don't have time to go into details about why they were not knitted last year when I first cast them on - detailed updates will have to wait.

The remaining WIP is a jumper that's been on the needles for 4 years. Should be finished by the weekend.

Days here are warm, and there has been much op-shopping and unravelling of old hand-knits.

I'm off to South West Rocks for the last few weeks of Mum's winter sojourn.


A bag of books went up with my brother a fortnight ago and I've been mostly packed for a week.


One medium suitcase of the miniumum of clothes and maximum of DVDs and one smallish suitcase of knitting and associated paraphenalia - viz.

• 1 set Knit Picks nickel interchangeable needles
• 1 set Knit Picks Harmony interchangeable needles
• 1 set of mix and match DPNS,
• 1 niddy noddy,
• 1 ball winder
• usual pins, tape measures, stitchmarkers, scissors, sewing in needles etc.
• 1 blanket WIP (should be finished on 12 hours+ train ride on Monday and will be posted back)
• 1 jumper WIP (should be finished in a couple of days and will be posted back)
• 1 pr socks for TOF WIP (my carry around project for the trip) and an emergency ball of sock yarn just in case these get finished too quickly, which is looking likelyall associated patterns
• 1 coffee plunger because 3 weeks of instant coffee is no holiday.
• 1 new project's worth of yarn because the rest of the WIPs are mostly unravelling or little scraps of things that will not take any time to knit and because this "holiday" is the only time I'll get for ages to do some serious big project knitting.

The posting back is necessary because Mum's cousin is there now and I'm told he brought down another two suitcases full of hand-knits for us to unravel so I'll need the space. And that's why he deserved these socks, and why he'll probably get a few more pairs.

Back in late August.

WIPeout 2009 - my accursed socks

These took seriously too long, a month since they become the take along project, even with Pooh's help. Actually, probably says more about the lack of down-time than my knitting speed. That and my inability to take notes on pattern changes, resulting in several unravel and reknits on the second sock.

Too sick to reflect on the socks or the nature of the yarn. Just another project off the needles and not enough light to photograph them properly. Feel nice on, though.