Not wishing to sound cruel or heartless, but I am glad my grandmother decided not to join us for our Sunday dinner at my parents' local pub. The pub dining experience - for me - is generally bad enough, without repeating the same conversations every few minutes because she doesn't remember anything anyone tells her, and has begun to fabricate memories to substitute for those she has lost to Alzheimer's. I hate that she's alone apart from the daily care visits, or when my mother visits to check her cupboards and fridge are properly stocked, but it's so difficult for anyone to be around her these days (she regularly chases the care visitors away, and can be downright objectionable if they're not white) because she's so stubborn and so easily confused.
My niece is as sprightly as ever, and now definitely seems to remember who I am. When she first saw me on Sunday, she still ran away into her mother's arms, but when my sister asked her if she remembered her uncle, she replied with an emphatic "yes", so she probably just didn't expect to see me, as I hadn't been there when she went to bed the night before.
I was wearing a particular t-shirt, upon which is an illustration of a cat and, when I showed it off, my niece pointed at it, and quite excitedly said "cat!". She even showed signs of the beginnings of understanding that the cat's expression mimicked my own incredulous raised eyebrow. She still isn't speaking much intelligible English other than "yes", "no" and "more, please", but she's certainly getting there... It really is quite amazing to see her develop.
The lunch itself was, I confess, not half as bad as I'd feared. Sure, the pub was crowded (had everyone had the same idea of having a Mother's Day lunch in advance of the day?) and virtually all the tables had been reserved, but the food was good (new menu), portions were more than adequate (the 'Kids Menu' portions were probably aiming for something older than two, though!), and the service was friendly. They had - most improbably - run out of chocolate sauce for the desserts, but my mother and I were happy to 'make do' with the hot chocolate sauce that's intended for use with fondues.
Just for a change, my sister left before I did - the plan all along was for her to return home on the Sunday afternoon - with me staying for a light dinner before finally sloping off home.
Today, I've been uptown, treating a friend to a Birthday trip on the London Eye - which, unfathomably, she has never been on before, despite it having been around for more than ten years now - and a 40-minute Thames cruise. I'd done both before, many years ago (though on that occasion, I spent the first quarter of the London Eye's rotation snogging, so I missed the initial climb), and additionally been on the London Eye at least twice before - once with an old schoolfriend (his sister got free tickets, I believe) and once with a group from work (I seem to recall a couple of Salespeople discussing the idea of flashing the next/preceding pod). Still, on a good day, it offers an excellent view of London.
It was a good day today, right up until we boarded the London Eye... but at least our Thames cruise was sunny and reasonably warm... while the wind wasn't blowing.
Extra treats for me were twofold - for one, my friend paid for brunch and lunch, for the other, she'd bought me a TransFormers 'Reveal the Shield' Lugnut in Sainsbury's (of all places! Must get myself to Smyth's soon!) over the weekend, and today I got my hands on it.
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