Extreme Knitting Redhead: Windy Wednesday

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Windy Wednesday

Well, the weather today was bright but rather cold and windy so I planned an 8 mile run that took me across country and through woodland for some of the time so I was sheltered. It was lovely and bracing but rather slippy in the woods as there was lots of mud and many puddles to negotiate. Amazingly I managed not to fall over and returned home in one piece!

I totted up my mileage for 2007 and I ran 2115 miles which is nearly 400 more than 2006. I doubt that I'll run as many this year as I don't intend to do any ultras (well not so far any way...............)

This is a book I stumbled upon in a secondhand book store a few weeks ago - The Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting, published in 1961. The front cover is of no interest but what made me smile was the name of the publishers - Mills & Boon. Now you wouldn't associate them with this sort of book nowadays!

Here is a centrepiece I've just completed but haven't blocked yet and the photo below is called 'Daffodils' and I rather fancy that as a Spring project.

My patchwork scarf has come out of hiding and when I look at it I can see some of Barney's hairs woven into it from when he sat on my knee whilst I knit. It made me sad but happy too as I shall always remember him when I wear it. Now I want to get it finished so I shall be concentrating on that for the rest of this week.

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.