enforced filial duties

[rattfan]

chaosmanor pegged this just right! My mother is in hospital for a hip replacement operation, which was done on Thursday and I went to see her on Saturday. It's never easy to have a conversation with my mother, for whom a hearing aid appears to be optional depending on how she's feeling, but even worse when she's on happy pills. She was at first trying to hold out against accepting the pills but is now accepting the view of everyone else that if you're hurting after an op, you take whatever they'll let you have!

Hollywood Hospital looks more like an expensive hotel, with a beautifully designed lobby, plush carpets, quiet corridors and the fanciest hospital room I have ever seen! And since I'm a regular visitor when chaosmanor has to go into Royal Perth, I've seen a few. I've even stayed at Hollywood Hospital myself but that must have been a discount ward! This is the private patient area and nothing is lacking. Which is quite reassuring when it's a relative of yours lying there very pale and knocked around and not able to give you half the hard time they usually do.

Considering it was my birthday, I expected all manner of grief concerning my advanced years and the fact that the grey patch is spreading much faster than it was last year and why wasn't I married with children (or not married with children, as sometime it is unclear whether she just wanted grandchildren by whatever means). Nothing. It quite unsettled me.

At least she's quite determined to stay there for a few more days at least so it doesn't look like I'll get my excuse to take this week off work. I'm rather conflicted about that; desperately want the time but taking it to hang around my mum's house fetching cuppas was not in the game plan.

So that was the Rat's birthday. Now at home trying to do some writing work but the brain is not obliging. Would any writer out there like to give me an assignment?!


Sue(/lj-cut>

Comments

[buoy-wonder.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

Thinking of it as gaining wisdom instead of age.

[delicious-irony.livejournal.com]

Happy hatchday! Good to hear from you again.

Good to hear your mum's in good hands. I hear good things about Hollywood Hospital.:> And also good to hear she's well on the mend.

Have a good day - how are the four-foots?

[ratfan.livejournal.com]

Greetings, Ondine

[almost sure I know who you are :-)]

Thanks for good wishes. Yes, Hollywood Hosp is so fancy I almost want to go there for a holiday. Hopefully they keep M in until she's okay because I'm about as much use as feet on a fish re medically-assisting anyone. I've only ever nursed small furry rat beasties. Speaking of whom, they're mostly okay except one has persistent mites and is going to have to go back to the vet. Again. [sigh] And it would be the one who eeks in terror *before* anything is even done to him.

Hope your cat is off the anti-depressants soon. Can't *believe* that!

Ratfan

[vonstrassburg.livejournal.com]

So why aren't you married with children?

Happy Birthday, anyway.

[ratfan.livejournal.com]

You never asked me, sweetums!


Ratfan

[muffinmonster.livejournal.com]

Since I was away this weekend (and offline because dryhde's computer wasn't connected to the internet world), I'm wishing you a very happy belated birthday now :) Over here it's considered very bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday in advance! (And it always drives me nuts when Americans to that all the time, not sure how it is in Australia.) We've got a little something for you, but that will to have to wait for delivery by Sabine's parents sometime in November, I'm afraid.

[ratfan.livejournal.com]

Is it really considered bad luck? I never knew that.

I guess here we tend to follow the American custom but people are more likely to wish you a happy birthday in advance by saying, "For tomorrow" or "next week" or whenever, so presumably the good wishes are in limbo until then :-) I know my mother was very spaced out because she completely forgot to say anything at all. On the day!

Sue