It was a low walking day today. I had a pampering session in the hairdressers followed by a late lunch.

The sunshine was calling me out for a walk but I resisted the urge and visited mum. She was in fine spirits when I arrived but shortly afterwards mum started to be unkind and nasty towards me, requesting unreasonable things.

She closed her eyes (deliberately) and ignored me on a couple of occasions. To my shame I was glad to leave and regretted not going for that walk…

Thursday

Today saw subtle changes to the kitchen with the plinths above and below the cabinets being fitted. There was additional work on the under-sink plumbing which is still looking neat and tidy.

Tomorrow the working surface should arrive which will allow the hob and sink to be fitted. Then all that is needed is fine tuning to the electrics and plumbing.

After my afternoon volunteering in a local school for the ‘School Readers’ charity it was time for our daily visit to mum. I learned from one of her friends that she had not been having a good day and by the time we arrived she knew she had not been herself and was upset about her behaviour.

We returned home to relax with a small pre-dinner sherry before dining in the Orange House, Wellington.

Tuesday

Our kitchen fitter experiencing none of the previous day’s travel dramas arrived on time. Shortly afterwards the tiler arrived.

Later in the morning I drove to Attingham Park for my usual Tuesday volunteering at Visitor Reception. The day was lovely and warm compared to the previous Tuesday afternoon and also the flooding had subsided. This led to a steady afternoon with some regular visitors and dog walkers returning after Christmas and the subsequent cold snap.

I returned home to find the kitchen fitting had moved on in leaps and bounds. I love the tiled feature panel behind the extractor fan.

We visited mum, who for some reason thought she was going home. Her bag was packed and she had her coat on.

Afterwards we intended to dine in Miller & Carter but when we arrived, despite the website saying otherwise they were too busy to accommodate us and we would have to wait an hour. We returned to Wellington and The Cock Hotel where we both chose different versions of the festive roast than we had on our previous visit.

As a volunteer I was allowed to see the mansion decked in all it’s glory the day before it opens for public viewing. Visitors are in for a treat.

Due circumstances beyond my control I did not have the opportunity to see the outdoor Christmas Trail as I had intended to do.