An appalling silence has descended on the house since the family left. The lid to the marmite jar has mysteriously vanished without trace and bits of jigsaw lurk in the veggie rack. Fortunately Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law come to stay for a few days, so the house is full again. It's Mother's actual birthday and we have a repeat session at the pub. All goes well. She enjoys her prawns and baked potato and a spritzer, so weak it reminds me of homeopathic medicine, diluted until it only contains a 'memory' of the active ingredient. Sister-in-law has done a wonderful job bringing down a cake and we give her the works - lighting candles, singing Happy Birthday and taking photos. Well it's not every day you're 96, is it?
As well as the cake Sister-in-law has brought down a lamb casserole and some stewed apples, for which she says she'll make a crumble. I hear her pottering around the kitchen and when I go in I'm horrified to see on the worktop my old fashioned scales from the utility room that I use for weighing stuff for the garden. Last time I used it I was working out the dose of some weedkiller. 'Oh my God' I shriek. 'Please don't tell me you've used those for the crumble!' 'Yes' she replies, looking alarmed. 'Why?' I explain. 'I did wash the scales first' she says.
We eat a very subdued lunch. What do I do tonight? I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to eat the crumble but I don't want to upset her. Brother-in-law, who has a degree in chemistry, spouts supposedly reassuring science at me - something about things being soluble or not soluble, none of which I can take in. It's no good. I just feel I don't need to be ingesting nano-molecules of weedkiller or even the 'memory' of nano-molecules. Thankfully Sister-in-law takes matters into her own hands and, as we clear up, throws the offending crumble in the bin. I could hug her. They go out for the afternoon and I hastily rustle up some more crumble before they return. It's the least I can do.
In the evening we drink some bubbly before dinner. Having just booked to go to Madeira together at the beginning of next year we drink to finishing chemo and to the holiday. By then I'll have hair again. I'll be swimming again. I'll be - amazing thought - 'normal' again.
Please note - we're going away to Wales for a little break and as I don't have a 'publish later' option I won't be posting anything next week. Normal service resumes the following week!
Have a good break!
Posted by: Cornflower | September 28, 2007 at 08:48 PM
The story of the apple crumble reminds me of my Mom during my wedding. She had dyed a slip to go with her "Mother of the bride" dress in a pan that she thought she had scrubbed out very well and then made 'Finnan Haddie" in that pan and the sauce was a shade of green - similar to her slip! She threw it out, but it was probably edible!! No, you do not turn 96 every day! Enjoy your time away, Jeannie. You will feel like normal before long, but I must warn you that it will take many a year before people will ask you how you are in the way they did pre-BC (breast cancer). There is something in their voice - they sure hope you are okay and they don't want to NOT ask, but they are anxiously awaiting the answer and hoping it is a good one. I think 8 or 9 years post-BC I was still being asked how I was - in that 'awful' way! Just so you know! Have fun!
Posted by: Peg | September 28, 2007 at 06:12 PM