Busy bee

There are many times when, as a widow, I spend a lot of time on my own, talking to the wall, watching far too much TV and not seeing a soul. But this last week has been very busy with a lot of people contact.

To start with, one of the neighbours aged 93 in my cul-de-sac, whom I have known for over 30 years, was recently discharged from hospital, having had a fall and over three weeks' rehabilitation to get her walking and back to semi-normal. We have always looked after one another's houses when one of us has been on holiday, so have one another's house keys, so I have been on-call to tend to her every need when the carers couldn't help. (The visiting carers come three times a day but can only stay about 15 minutes, so don't have time to cook a meal or do much with her other than help her with her rehab exercises.) She is managing to do her own meals and get dressed/undressed on her own, but, as she is poorly sighted, she has not yet risked going upstairs to bed and sleeps in the downstairs reclining chair. I have been doing errands like bringing clothes down for her, hanging washing and helping her on the computer with her online food deliveries, as she cannot see the keyboard very well. I have sat with her a few hours several times this last 2 weeks to just chat, as her step-children have been away on a three-week holiday. They return today, so hopefully my duties will become less.

On Thursday night, I went out with my choir girl friends, whom I haven't seen in weeks as our choir is on its summer recess. We had a lovely Italian meal in our local High Street and chatted until nearly midnight. It was so good to catch up with their news. 

Then on Friday, I had a shift at our local foodbank and afterwards our team, as usual, went for coffee and cakes afterwards at a local café to chat and make plans for a day-trip we are all doing next week to visit an old team member who has moved to Christchurch in Dorset. After that I scurried home as there was an informal gathering on our communal lawn to welcome in a new neighbour who moved in 7 days ago. It was good getting to know her, as well as catching up with some of the existing neighbours.

Today I am doing an afternoon shift at our local park Information Centre. I am in charge of the rota and had recently advertised on Facebook for new volunteers to come forward. Six new people had responded and I am holding an induction session this afternoon to tell them a bit more about the volunteering role and sign them up officially, if I haven't scared them off in the process. 

Next week looks busy too.... a shift in the Foodbank charity shop on Wednesday, the trip to Christchurch on Thursday and then my choir friends and I are going to see the ballet Giselle on Friday evening. 

I've hardly had 5 minutes on my own, so the wall must have felt very lonely without me talking to it!