The birthday went incredibly well, considering it involved taking an 89 year old demented person, usually on oxygen, out in public for a meal and, afterwards, the cake I made, that I showed you yesterday, ended up on television!
The start of the day did not look brilliant; we got caught in traffic and the journey, which usually takes an hour, took an hour and a half. My other half had taken the car to be valeted previously, in consideration of the passenger, but we had allowed extra time as my mother had booked lunch at 12.45 in an hotel near to her.
When we arrived at the hotel, they didn’t serve lunch on Saturday, which we only found out after she had staggered a couple of hundred yards to the hotel lounge and then the same distance back to the car. As I waited for her, oxygenless, to keel over on the car park I wondered A) just how dim I had been to let a demented person book a hotel luncheon reservation and B) who she had actually phoned while she muttered about how stupid the hotel receptionist was to have taken a booking when they were shut, had she not noticed the lack of guests? What were people thinking of these days and so on. It was not looking good.
So we decided to go to the poshest hotel in town. The car park barrier was up so we didn’t have to pay and the dining room was empty. We had three starters, three main courses, two puddings and three drinks all top quality and beautifully presented for £55. I was amazed at the value, the service, as we had the waitress and two entire chandeliers to ourselves and hooray, no other diners to have loud disparaging remarks made about them (because they weren’t there!)
Then we staggered to the car (in the free car park in the most expensive location in town) and back home, where we found a friend had delivered flowers for my mother and the carer had a box of chocolates for her. All three carers had brought presents. She opened the gifts I’d taken and I took the cake in so she could have a look before she cut it. Then a couple of friends arrived. so the other half and I took a break in the garden then served tea and cake. The friends departed just as another two friends arrived and so I served tea and cake again.
By the time they went and we tidied up it was half past six before we set off but the day had been a success and my mother was so happy. I thought she might be exhausted when I phoned this morning but she was still on a high and said it had been a golden birthday. I thought it was very lucky to be able to take a sick, demented 89 year old out for lunch including two walks and no oxygen and have her eat her entire dinner and enjoy all of it. I don’t think it would have been possible from an old folks home and I’m sure that she was able to do it because of the excellent care of the agency that has kept her so well, for one so ill, over the last year.
I got my reward when I got home. I had sent a photograph of the cake to Create and Craft TV because I knew that Claire Bowman, the producer of Cake Lace that I used to make the lace butterflies on my mother’s cake, was demonstrating. My email was read out and the producers of the show showed my photographs which some lovely person had taken the trouble to edit on to a background of a complimentary colour. You can see it for yourself for the next few days at www.createandcraft.TV go to Schedule Saturday July 12th, scroll down to the cake lace show at 11 o’clock, press the go arrow and take the clock to 32 minutes into the show, where Leonie has the clip board, to see the famous cake, which is now nothing but a sweet memory.
Crumbs! What a birthday. With the help of the friends, the care agency, the carers, Claire Bowman, Leonie, Create and Craft and the other half, who did all the driving, it turned out exponentially better than expected. It was more than a birthday, it was a gift.
JaneLaverick.com – sweet memories.