My Mum

'Sylvia' rose

As I had spoken about my Dad last time, and his rose (!) I thought I would add my Mum - and her rose (!) I have the rose, called 'Sylvia' in my garden. I planted it in the back garden - mainly because the back garden is better suited to roses because of the sun position. But I thought 'she' would like to be there as 'she' is amongst other roses, a row of beautiful fragrant lavender and other pretty flowering shrubs and creepers. I also have bird feeder there .. Mum loves birds.

My Mum loves flowers, shrubs and trees. Growing up we always had a beautiful garden .. she loved and belonged to floral groups all her life (amongst all the other activities she participated in - tennis, bowls, bridge, a fast and skilled knitter, and a fantastic seammistress - made all our clothes. I learnt to sew at a young age and then made my own.) She always saw the beauty in everything she looked at .. and still does. She is now in an Old Aged Home in Somerset West, aged 80 and still enjoys the beauty around her.

Mum and I on her 80th birthday earlier this year

As her eyesight is failing she opts for the easier way to see the beauty around her. She is always proud to mention that my Dad taught her to do this - as they had done in the war years!
In the Home, she is known as the 'binocular lady' as she is always walking outside to look at the trees, birds, the mountain range close by and will describe at length the beauty of the colours.

I thought I would just add the very comfortable lounge at the Home where the elderly gather to have their tea and chat, watch movies, do their exercises etc. She's happy there.

I am going to see a huge change in her though, when I go and visit her next week, as I have been told that her condition - dementia - has deteriorated rapidly. I can tell by the conversations I have with her on the phone every Sunday evening .... I shall see ....