Life is getting back to something like normal

Life has certainly been very different this year. Since I last posted to my blog in February, I spent my time with my mum in Adelaide until late April. By then Mum had decided she was not able to live there on her own, so I packed a bag for her and brought her to my home in Canberra.

The process of arranging residential care then took over my life, all the while taking care of Mum. In June I managed to break my ankle when taking a basket of washing out to the line. I was confined to a "moonboot" for ten weeks and then began the slow process of getting the ankle to move again, a process that is still ongoing. Back to the physio tomorrow for another visit.

Mum moved into St Andrew's Village in late August and has begun to settle in well. Three weeks ago, I travelled to visit my sister in Victoria for a couple of days and then together we went to Adelaide to pack up Mum's home in a retirement village. This process was quite difficult both physically and emotionally and took two weeks. Both of our husbands also came over for the last few days to finish the process. We completed the hand-back last Friday about lunchtime and began the long drive home, towing a very heavy trailer.

We stopped at Barmera the first night and Narrandera on the second, getting home on Sunday. Mum was happy to have some of her furniture around her again, especially her rocker. Each day I am going over with a box of things to unpack for her, and am trying to find time to unpack the boxes of things I am keeping myself.

On a crafty note, I have been crocheting mostly in the past few months as handwork. I discovered a blanket that I made many many years ago as an extra large granny square was beginning to fall apart in places where the wool had worn out, so I am remaking it, larger and in small granny squares which I will lay out and crochet together with black wool. I have bought quite a few balls of wool to supplement the blanket, and then found quite a bit in Mum's stuff which I have added as well. It will probably end up being 2 blankets, not just one by the time I'm finished.

My friendship group has started making "Quilts for Others" for Canberra Quilters and I have an almost completed top at the moment together with fabric put aside for 4 other tops. I am looking forward to being able to get back to sewing, but can't see the dining table at present as it is full of bits and pieces that I need to find places to store them.