Live for the now

I’ve just been rushing round, trying to get dinner prepared before Angie, our home help arrives. Fortunately I had only had the flan case to roll, ready to fill for a Rabbit Quiche for this evening, and some potatoes to peel ready for the accompanying chips. I finally sit down before my jigsaw when the phone goes – the Care agency. Angie has had to go home sick so could she come on Thursday instead. No problem. At least they let me know before I’d got worked up about her non-arrival.

The last few days has been dominated by tales of ill-health. More details about my cousin Alma’s cancer has been spread around the family. Most of the weekend was spent talking to various cousins. Firstly I spoke to Trudy, Uncle Will’s daughter & Alma’s sister, then to Ann, Uncle Chris’ daughter and herself being treated for cancer of a different sort, then Pat, daughter of Aunt Janet, & finally to Alma herself.

All this bad news is convincing me of the need to do anything you really want to do now & to hell with the expense. 

The price of our Italian trip seems to be mounting up. Venice is not a cheap placed to stay. Occasional cold feet have crept up on me, but now I’m thinking just go ahead & enjoy ourselves while we can. Life is unpredictably transitory so you might as well live for the now & worry about the future if it ever comes.

My guidebook investigations are now progressing into the Dolomites & Lake Garda. It sounds scenically like a fabulous area. I remember once a GP suggesting we should move to the flat fen country as more sensible for a wheelchair user. I came to the conclusion I’d rather look out across the lakes & rivers to the fells and hills of this area. I may not be able to climb the hills as I did of old, but I can at least look at them. The scenery around Lake Molveno, where we are going, sounds like our sort of scenery, the sort which will make our spirits soar far above the mountains of the Alps. It should be good. We’re looking forward to it.