The Sister (note straight hair)
Last Friday I got the train down to Canberra, to stay with my sister in order to visit my father who now lives in a Care facility there. My sister met me from the train and we went via the shops to her place. First thing I noticed was that she had straightened her hair. She has always had wavy to curly hair, a rich honey blond. Now it is dead straight.
My sister is a great cook, probably learned during the years she was a vegetarian. She made us a lovely meal with fish and an assortment of Mediterrainian vegetables. Followed by sorbet and frozen raspberries. To die for.
Saturday we went to visit my father in his care facility. He has a largish room with a bathroom. It has cupboards, a bed, some shelving, his computer desk, his bed and some chairs. (My sister and I squabbled in the car going home about who would inherit it ;-) ). It has a pair of large French doors that open onto an unenclosed roofed patio. There is a white hydranger bush next to it and it leads down to a beautiful garden of plants that flower all year round, and lovely trees. Just a delightful setting.
My father wanted me to adjust some clothing for him, so most of our time was taken up with working all that our - measuring, trying on, pinning and telling stories. He was in great health and has grown quite a beard. We agreed to meet for lunch the following day. The afternoon was taken up with unpicking some clothes for some adjustments for my sister and talking.
On Saturday we met Dad up on Red Hill, the highest point in the city itself. There is a restaurant there. We had a lovely lunch; Dad and my sister had steak with salad and I had a chicken terrine with slices of toasted Turkish bread with a tomato relish that was the nicest I have ever had. Dad has always been a story teller and a collector of stories, so now that he is living somewhere new he has new stories. It is never dull spending time with him.
After lunch my sister dropped him home, since he lives in the same suburb. She has borrowed her son's ute for a while while she waits for her new car to be delivered, so she can only take one person at a time. I used my phone to take some photos of Canberra, which I will share soon, while I waited.
The afternoon was spent talking and sewing. Her grandsons came home (they live with her) and we chatted with them for a little while. We watched the Iron Chef that night, which is a bit amusing.
The Father
Monday I did some more pinning and sewing. My sister collected my father again for lunch. We chatted about things as I kept on sewing. Then I took some photos. They are not the best, done with a phone camera, but you can get the jist.
Later I went to the station to get the train. But due to some "Operations failure" (i.e. probably drunk train driver), they had cancelled the train and put on buses. I am not the best traveler after dark on the roads. Meeting up with the old Person doesn't help matters either as he hates driving at night as well.
And final say of all goes to my sister's 18 year old cat, Lala - talk to the tail...
