Hasn't It Been Hot!

Hasn't It Been Hot!

You'd think that after all those years of living in East Africa, I would be pretty well unfazed by any heatwave that might come our way in the UK - but I found this first week of July quite enervating.

Mum, on the other hand, never seems to think she is particularly warm. I do monitor her temperature because I suspect her "mental thermostat" might not work as well as it should - in fact, on one of the hottest days so far, she actually asked me if she could put on her cardigan! When we are all gasping and fanning ourselves, Mum can be sitting serenely in her chair, looking around for her woolly hat.

On warm summer days, we like to get Mum in her wheelchair and take her in the garden for a while, where she can sit and enjoy the flowers and watch the butterflies - and how the cats try half-heartedly to catch one - but with the fierce heat we've had recently, I haven't risked it. Once Mum is out of doors, she can be very reluctant to come back into the house, and I worry that even if she believes it isn't that hot, she will indeed get overheated. She doesn't know when she has been out long enough.

It's a bit like the times when her brain is clearly not receiving the message that her stomach is full. We've had many occasions when Mum had polished off a very large dinner, followed by a cup of tea and several After 8 chocolates, and 10 minutes later, she is asking when her dinner will be arriving?  Again, she doesn't know she has had enough to eat.

We have booked another date for Tea at the Ritz, and I'm hoping the weather will stay dry for that special day. Mum knows we are going, and is looking forward to it so much - another occasion when she will be pampered by all the staff at the Palm Court, and have two hours to enjoy the specially ordered "very plain sandwiches - just cucumber on white bread and butter.....!" And I always ask for extra butter and a pinch of salt to go with the cucumber!

It's not only Mum who is looking forward to Tea at the Ritz; it's one time I can relax and enjoy myself on an afternoon away from the usual routine. The carriage soon turns back into a pumpkin, and our finery comes off when we get back home, but in the meantime, we're still creating memories to keep. I can hardly wait!