International Fleet Review, Sydney Harbour, 2013

I had to get up early to pick up Mum from the nursing home, drive to town, park the car and get onto the train. The staff had dressed her really nicely for the day, by 7 a.m. and she was waiting by the lift.

It wasn't too hard to take her out on the train. We watched the ships from the Opera House viewing point and then because Mum was tired of walking we took a ferry to Balmain and back. It was perfect weather and a nice trip.

We ate at a cafe. These days I have to choose finger food for her because she just doesn't manage a knife and fork very well. She had chicken nuggets and chips.

She also doesn't handle hamburgers or sandwiches well, wanting to pull them apart.

I was exhausted and snappy by 6.30 p.m. when I finally got her back into her room, gave her a shower and put her into her pyjamas.


It's nice that she's till managing to have fun, even if she doesn't remember the fun for long afterwards.

With her grand daughter and son in law

Mum and me

On the ferry

Me and Mum on the ferry

Sydney Harbour and a ferry

It's dark in my brain today

Sometimes Mum has amazing insight into her condition. The other day when I picked her up to take her out, she just couldn't put the seatbelt on. "The seatbelt Mum, not the seat! No!" I said. And she replied:

"I just can't do it. It's dark in my brain today."

That is just so descriptive of what she's going through. It gave me insight into how her brain feels. It sometimes feels like night has descended.

On the positive side we've had lots of nice outings and she's still able to enjoy them.

These photos are from a trip to the little seaside town of Huskisson on the South Coast of N.S.W. where her parents had a holiday house from 1931 to 1986.

She wasn't sure where she was so I had to keep reminding her. She went for a very long walk around the beach and the town.

She enjoyed listening to some music, too.