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It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new trip! Tra la ...
This is the most emotional and bitter sweet trip I'll probably ever take in Milly. It's time to try and find better care for Mum, in a nursing home in the UK - near to my sister Pat, if we can. Her Altzheimer's has reached a stage we are battling to cope with and, after nearly 10 years, sadly Alan and I are very burnt out. Mum loves traveling, and there's a rest night on the ferry, so hopefully she won't be over-tired with The Big Altzheimer's Monster likely to raise his nasty head.
Because it's such a difficult trip in so many ways, I've gone overboard in dickying Milly up to keep me cheerful and with a smile on my dial. I've gone quasi-bohemian with a touch of Gypsy ... and by the time the trip has ended, I may have even gone more OTT with her decor ... he he he.
What I forgot to photograph (maybe later) are the three paintings I want to take to a gallery in the UK. For safe packing and to save space, I hung them on the wall over my bed and am tickled with how nice they look. I've hidden the nasty visible white hooks and cords with scarves ... just to add to my Gypsy feel. It's also my little bit of Alan to take with me ... the biggest painting is of a bunch of Freesias he recently bought for me when I'd hit a bit of a low, to cheer me up. So the painting has lovely, caring, sentimental vibes. Just what the doctor ordered.
This is the most emotional and bitter sweet trip I'll probably ever take in Milly. It's time to try and find better care for Mum, in a nursing home in the UK - near to my sister Pat, if we can. Her Altzheimer's has reached a stage we are battling to cope with and, after nearly 10 years, sadly Alan and I are very burnt out. Mum loves traveling, and there's a rest night on the ferry, so hopefully she won't be over-tired with The Big Altzheimer's Monster likely to raise his nasty head.
Because it's such a difficult trip in so many ways, I've gone overboard in dickying Milly up to keep me cheerful and with a smile on my dial. I've gone quasi-bohemian with a touch of Gypsy ... and by the time the trip has ended, I may have even gone more OTT with her decor ... he he he.
What I forgot to photograph (maybe later) are the three paintings I want to take to a gallery in the UK. For safe packing and to save space, I hung them on the wall over my bed and am tickled with how nice they look. I've hidden the nasty visible white hooks and cords with scarves ... just to add to my Gypsy feel. It's also my little bit of Alan to take with me ... the biggest painting is of a bunch of Freesias he recently bought for me when I'd hit a bit of a low, to cheer me up. So the painting has lovely, caring, sentimental vibes. Just what the doctor ordered.
As you know, if you've read my travel blogs before, I always try to
take some flowers from the garden with me, stashing them in a glass
in the mug holder on the dashboard. As we're entering autumn, there
aren't any flowers for me to pick in our garden ... except for some lovely
red and pink geraniums in my studio flower garden ... but I'm leaving those
for Alan. Instead I've packed my larger-than-life artificial flowers from my
studio to act as cheerful smile-tools and probably still life subjects on the trip.
Oh, and a cloth an Iranian artist pal gave me, to drape over the seat back,
plus some brightly printed cushions (own designs!) and a warm rust-
coloured throw on the seat. I've packed a handful of bright scarves to
have fun with once I'm parked up, as well.
This is the business side of Milly ... paintings packed to take to the
Bushmills 1608 Gallery (in Bushmills, N Ireland, of course!) if I
can fit it in before I have to be home in the first week of December.
I'm so hoping to catch up with friends in Ireland, but will only know
a little later in the trip, depending on how things go with Mum.
Mum's mattress luckily fitted exactly on top of the bed in Milly.
Somehow we still have to fit her chair in last minute!
Once again, it's amazed me how much I can pack into this little three berth motorhome - although we only ever sleep two - grandgirls excepted. She's so well designed with comfortable living space for two and an easy-peasy size vehicle to drive, reversing and three-point turning included. Mind you, that could be the driver skill too, couldn't it? (Ha ha)
More later .....
