A Lighter Heart

I have said it before I know, but I do get spoiled by having the marina to myself, and all the peace and quiet, the tranquility, the chance to be alone for once. Today was wet. Very wet at times. I forgot my waterproof trousers, and today would have been a good day to have them. As it turned out, I was away from the marina for most of the day. A couple arrived as I was leaving, and I wondered if, although it is Friday the marina might still be empty tonight. MasterB and I had a bit of a play and a cuddle after breakfast, and it was only when he took himself back to bed under my pillows that I set off. I had some shopping to do and then it was time to see Aunt. Although I speak to her regularly on the ‘phone, I haven’t seen her for a while, and I was dismayed to see how she has slowed down. She sounds just as lively as ever on the ‘phone, so it was a bit of a shock. We had lunch together and I showed her my iPad. She tried out the keyboard and liked it. Next we checked with her telephone provider to see how much it would cost for her to have WiFi. Eureka, there is a special offer at the moment and it will actually cost her less for the first twelve months than the phone package she has now. Deal.Now I need to get her a tablet. I’m leaning towards the new Samsung as it takes a USB, and is supposed to be very straightforward, but am open to suggestions.
Aunt had an appointment at the dentist’s so I left her there and headed to Mother’s. What a change. She was so much more present today, drank her fruit juice and chatted to me, though admittedly I was not at all sure about the conversation. She listened quietly to poems, agreed that they were beautiful, but the biggest hit was when I sang psalm 23 to her. The bedroom door was closed, so no one else could hear, but she grabbed first my hand, then my whole arm and gazed at my face with a fixed intensity that was only interrupted by a very nice carer bringing her some tea. Mother didn’t want the tea, but she enjoyed the hand washing ritual that preceded it. She took full control of the towel, drying each finger carefully. Afterwards I put some hand cream on my hands and rubbed it into hers, I started the movement for her of rubbing in the cream and she took over. Fabulous.
I drove back to the marina with a lighter heart. The couple who I had seen this morning were leaving. The marina owners were on site. I chatted with one of them, and then extricated myself when she got onto politics. It could have been tricky. I think she was probably a Margaret Thatcher admirer. The rain turned to hail, then suddenly the sky cleared and the sun came out.

I took my camera and went for a short walk, thinking that if tomorrow is as nice I may delay my return to the smoke. But I have changed my mind. Two couples have turned up. A moment ago one of the women was calling across the marina to the other. They are off to the pub for the evening. I don’t feel I need to know this. It seems to me a bit like a claiming of the space to fill it with their voices. Sound travels on the water. MasterB growled and became watchful. I shall go home tomorrow after all, taking the goose egg that the marina owner gave me. Two domestic geese have decided the marina is their home. I reckon they have been dumped. They eat lots of grass and poo prodigiously. The marina owners are determined there will be no goslings. They need to find an animal charity that will take them and rehome them. After supper MasterB and I had a good game with a rope which resulted in him using the litter tray for a most enormous poo, so that’s good. When I have finished my cocoa I may just head to bed with my book and hope that the return from the pub is nice and quiet.