Every visit to see mum relaxed and happy in her wonderful care home, Greenacres, was a pleasure. The very last pic I put at the head of the last post, of her being wheeled by cousin Diana and her husband Lee to the YouTube Christmas concert I held in the conservatory. Here she is with them just before that, decked out in the Xmas jumper brought along by DiDi (you might also just make out the Winchester Bible enamel brooch I bought her, about which she very genuinely enthused - never one to fake it).
The two loveliest of carers, Myrna and Krishna, happened to be working on Xmas Day, and Myrna made the WhatsApp connection possible so that Mum got to see the view from Sophie's balcony in Siena
and also to say hello to our hostess, here looking pleased with the Mali crib I found her in a Bologna cloister charity sale.
It was a good day between chest infections: her voice was bright and strong, and as always she was fully responsive to everything even if she'd forgotten where we were. I'm happy for that, and no regrets other than that I wasn't with her right at the end. It was exactly a year ago that I sat beside her bed in Epsom Hospital when she was suffering from an infection and delirious, not expected to last the night, and found how miraculously her ravings were completely stilled by the Mozart slow movements I played her. She pulled through then, came back to herself after a month in hospital - the change the minute she got back to Greenacares was astonishing - and got to celebrate her 93rd birthday in style, with all her Banstead friends plus my 'sisters', goddaughter Sara with daughter Hanna and grandson Lenny, and cousin Diana with Lee.
Around Easter there was another blip which brought me back from Ireland earlier, only to find her sitting up and doting on the ducklings which receptionist Sarah had hatched and brought around. After that she got ever livelier, her memory actually improving, until nearly the very end. I'm profoundly grateful for the love and care shown by her carers, especially Krishna, Franco, Myrna and Sarah. Here's Myrna with her last month.
This is a quiet time while the coroner signs off, I get the death certificate and the funeral arrangements can go ahead - no point me returning from Dublin until early next week. We'll give her a grand send off, I know, and celebrate a life well lived. More on that anon.
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