Poland to London

The house and garden as we left

Guest house with matching roof

From the driveway, quince tree

Front of house  

Back in London

We drove back slowly, stopping in Wroclaw to see a cousin and family, then stopping in Nuremberg to meet up with my son, Laurie and his family. It made the trip home much easier than belting across Europe in 10 hour stints. None of us had ever seen Nuremberg. It is a charming city with a knockout National museum. It would take days to see it all. Exquisite examples of carved and painted Baroque sculpture. The best stuff came from that region anyway: tools, clocks, instruments of all types, carving, gilding…. on and on. So much to see and so little time, we just got a glimpse.

The parents were well catered for. A lady called Karolina (Polish) came daily and cooked not as required: one portion for Henry, with a little more for my mother, but for an army. She couldn’t be stopped. For some reason I found in a drawer a total of 3.5 kilograms of caster and icing sugar. Was she preparing to make several monster cakes?

Two days in, I was anxious to get on with my London cheesecake. I wanted to use the yummy plums we brought back that were on the point of calling it a day. So, in a smaller kitchen than my Polish palace, and with several other things on my mind I nevertheless got on and made it.  It looked good, and smelled good, so when I proudly presented it to my gasping old dad, (gasping for the cake, that is) I didn’t understand when he told me they both thought it was horrible. He does exaggerate at times but really, it was not good. I thought so myself; couldn't understand it. Then I realised, I forgot the sugar.

Father is doing very well. He is so happy to have us back, we eat together each night, with stuff from the jungle that was the garden and he gets drunk.  Mother doing less well. She stays in bed all day, unable to stand or support herself, totally dependent on my dad.  Her Alzheimers is not bad though, in so much as she is complaining of boredom. 

I need to swim every day now, to get fit again. There was the warmest welcome from my lady swimming chums who I had missed and who sweetly had missed me. We meet regularly to have coffee after our swim and Henry is very much part of the group. And good it is to take him by car again, so he doesn’t have to risk life and limb getting the bus.  I understood he would get a taxi while we were away. He has a subsidised taxi card, so he rings the company and in theory they come.  However, he told me that on several occasions, although they had been given the pick up time, they kept him waiting several times. Visiting a friend nearby, but too far to walk, he waited on one occasion 1-¼ hours!  So, for swimming, back to the bus, of course.  

I am looking forward to seeing some of the exhibitions on in London just now. How wonderful to be able to do that.  Top of the list are Ai Wei Wei, Auerbach, Hepworth and Goya. Masses to see. 

Auerbach and Lucien Freud

Auerbach

Goya

Goya

Hepworth

Sad times

16 September

25 years ago on this day my son, Tom, died from cancer. He was 18 years old. At 13 he developed Hodgkin’s Disease.  Unfortunately, acute lymphoblastic leukemia followed, suddenly, five years later - as a result of his treatment. It raced through him and after 12 weeks in hospital we lost him. 

17^th September 

This day, in 1939, the Russians invaded Poland. In Poland there are masses of films, of course, and we watched several documentaries on television.  The history of this part of the world is endlessly interesting. I have refugee parents, from Vienna and now we are partly living there I am more curious than ever. There is plenty of material to research, once I can read in Polish!My good friend in California has discovered the treatment she has been undergoing for this miserable disease is not working. Terribly sad, and for friends, what a dilemma! How helpless you feel. Do I jump on a plane, or what?  Jackie Collins (the author who died very recently) kept her illness from everybody. Even her sister.  But then she would have missed out on a spread of loving support. What would I do? It is terribly sad, for everyone.

Onward and upward

Back to lessons with a new teacher, Dorota, who makes me talk and after 1 hour and 10 mins  I was exhausted!  But it was great.