Another day

Saturday:

I had a hard night. It's really hot in Sydney at the moment, and a lot more humid here on the coast than what I am used to inland. The ancient air conditioning barely cools the lounge room, let alone the rest of the house. My brother stayed up to 4:30am with the TV up loud (the only way it can be heard over the air con) and then made a lot of noise going to bed. And at dawn the cicadas started up in the tree outside my window. I felt a bit sorry for myself.

I had no intention of eating here, I've mentioned my brother's hoard of rotting food, but I did hold my nose and put milk in the fridge last night (I also brought my own tea and sugar and even our old kettle!) so I could start my morning with a cup of tea. While making it, saw little maggots crawling over the kitchen counter. Nope nope nope. I can live without caffeine.

I wandered around the local shops for a while (proper air con!) and got a couple of things mum wanted. I chose a little clock hat also had the date, because mum never knew what time or day it was, but when I put the batteries in I found that it thought 3rd Jan was a Sunday (it's Saturday). Presumably it was in 2014. Stupid clock. I even tried forwarding through all the months, just in case, didn't work. Oh well, at least it tells the time.

I spent the rest of the morning with mum at the hospital. She was asleep at first, and one of the other patients asked if I was her sister! Usually I look young for my age, I guess the sleepless night was showing on my face! When mum woke she said she was feeling quite good but she was clearly fuddled. Lots of random comments; ugly carpet, Harrison Ford, rabbits.

I went and had lunch then spent an hour in the local library with wifi. I decided to go back to the house to have a nap, but my brother started bugging me about the Will. My uncle the executor wanted it redone (format not content), my brother wanted a clause added - I thought people were supposed to argue about the Will after the death, not before! No wonder everyone keeps their Will secret (in Agatha Christie novels, anyway). Mum just wants it shared fairly and it was drafted in a way that I thought everyone would be happy with, silly me. Well I tweaked it and we got it signed and witnessed again and that's it - I'm not doing another one.

Getting it witnessed was sad. Mum is in the Palliative Care ward and it's a sad place. Not sick people who will probably get better; sick people who are dying. We asked another patient's guests to witness the Will for us, one was the wife of the old man in the opposite bed, clearly dying. He'd been there for seven months while she visited from their home in the country. She was sadly affected by the thought of my mum needing a Will, gripping my hand and crying. Mum doesn't look as bad as the others.

A nurse came and said they were moving her into a private room next door, which I was very happy about, but the nurse pulled me and my brother aside (he came in for the afternoon visit) and said it was because they needed her closer to the nurses station and in a bed they could lower right to the floor because she kept trying to get up during the night and had already had one bad fall. She's getting very vague and confused and apparently forgets she can no longer walk or even balance without help. I'm not sure why having the bed railings up isn't enough, but anyway having the private room is lovely and it's great that they are keeping a close eye on her.

I haven't said much relating to weight loss but I want to keep this record of my mum and this is my writing space. My meals aren't particularly healthy but I am not eating between meals. It's far too hot and muggy to exercise.

I had surprisingly good Thai food for dinner then came back to the hot sweaty house. My brother says  he is going to bed early so at least I wont have the noise problem, but can't do anything about the heat.