From the East to the Wild West

In the morning I went through to Edinburgh to visit my Aunt Margaret. The roads were nice and quiet and I had a pleasant drive through, listening to the radio. It was really nice to see Margaret; we had a good chat and although her Alzheimer's is very advanced now, she seems calmer and less worried than she used to be. She asked and repeated lots of questions about Dad and how I am related to her, so we had lots to talk about. It is sad to see her unable to walk unsupported when she used to be so fit, but her nursing home is very nice and the staff are friendly and helpful. After my experiences with Mum, I am more philosophical about the changes that old age brings than I used to be. I have learned to accept these rather than railing against them as I used to. Getting upset is no use to the person you are trying to help; what they need is reassurance and cheerfulness and that is how I (eventually!) learned to be with Mum. Margaret is a lovely and dignified lady, and she looks as if she is being well cared for. I then went to Edinburgh airport to collect Davie from his flight from Milan. It was great to see him and we drove straight along the motorway to Glasgow and had a celebratory lunch at TGI Friday's, where he told me all about his adventures in Pila. He has had a great week and has loved his skiing, he had lots of funny stories to tell me. James arrived home from hill-walking near St Mary's Loch and in the evening Grandma came round; we had fish suppers and decided to watch a film. Grandma said that she likes cowboy films so after a search of the "on demand" films on Virgin Media we settled on "A Gunman's Pledge", a film made a couple of years ago, very much a traditional Western, which was fine although not anything out of the ordinary. A relaxing Saturday evening.