Jacket potato with cheese and roasted Mediterranean veg

Mum was in a seriously clingy mood today. The moment I woke up she wanted a hug (I had to ask her to let me use the loo first). She washed her hair and, while she dried it, I went into the kitchen to get myself some breakfast. Within moments, the hairdryer stopped whirring, and mum appeared in the kitchen doorway to see what I was doing.

Later, mum put the television on and I grabbed my laptop to do some work on the blog and on my cookbook. Again, only moments passed before mum came to see what I was doing, and she sat on the end of my bed to watch me work. I found the scrutiny and constant observations sufficiently unnerving that I logged off and went to sit in the living room with mum.

I was very grateful when one of mum’s friends sent me a message to ask if mum fancied a walk, and took her out for long enough for me to at least make a few phone calls. I’ve arranged for the owner of a local care agency to visit and meet us both next week to discuss respite care for a couple of hours once a week, confirmed that the Memory Service will be able to help with getting some counselling for mum, and arranged for an electrician to come round and fix our wall light with the missing pull cord.

Then they came back and we all, plus doggo, sat in the living room and chatted about various things, while I gave doggo belly rubs in exchange for very many kisses. I adore this dog, even when she followed me into my room and tried to get under the bed, for reasons only she knows.

Dinner was the latest installment of ‘things mum likes to eat’: this time actually two of mum’s favourite things, jacket potatoes and roasted Mediterranean veg. I cooked the potatoes in the microwave, then baked them in the oven for over an hour so they were buttery soft inside and crunchy on the outside.

The walk left mum in a slightly brighter mood, as often happens, and she ate her dinner with genuine enthusiasm. I must admit the potatoes were very good, and I ate mine quite enthusiastically, too.

Tomorrow I have a visit from the Occupational Therapy team in the morning, then I have to make yet more phone calls in the afternoon: as I said to the friend this afternoon, the many things that need doing are constantly floating around my head like mosquitoes, and whichever one I grab first is the one that gets dealt with first. That’s why I’ve arranged for the wall light to be fixed ahead of getting the plumbing or the leak in the conservatory roof sorted: it’s not about priority, just about recall.

And any minute now mum’s daily dose of Strictly will end and I’ll be recalled to the living room. This is exhausting.