Happy Monday!

• Last Monday marked eight years since my last day at Elexon. I hated the job and while I liked some of my colleagues, overall it wasn’t great,  I was made redundant and the pay off was good enough that it would have been stupid to refuse even though I was worried about how easy it would be to find something else. I took Mum to lunch when the redundancy money came in, had a few months off, got a temp job in December and survived. Just as I was coming to the end of the money, I got a job at my current firm and 5 months in moved to Internal Audit. For the first time in my working life, I feel like my skills are appreciated and appropriate. As life changes up again, I’m so lucky that the work culture means that I have the support and flexibility in my role to also be able to support Mum and do my job.

• At Mum’s I sleep in the living room on a airbed, it was what I slept on when my kitchen was being sorted in 2022 and it’s ok although putting it up and down every day is a hassle. This week, the airbed decided it had had enough and I woke up with my bum on the floor but with legs and head in the air and it felt like the airbed and the duvet when trying to eat me. After some discussion, we’re going to try something else for my sleep options..

• This week, Ma and I went to her doctor’s to discuss a care plan. We sorted her PoA out in the summer and Mum has always been really clear about what she does and doesn’t want and the PSP diagnosis has not in anyway changed her mind. So I’ve always known and supported her wishes (anyway a PoA isn’t about what I want, it’s about Mum). Which is why I was very surprised to find myself crying as I watched Mum very clearly set out what how she wanted to be treated. All of this is all of this is appalling and sad and hard and yet again Mum, as she always has, is showing me how to do hard things with grace and love and bravery. The doctor said this was one of the best conversations about this that he’d ever had, which is good because I know it’s his job but it must suck to have to have conversations like that as part of your job, I’ll stick to what I do!

• I finally have a lemon tree, it came with lemons! Yes I do want another but I’m going to practice restraint. But if anyone wants to buy me something for Christmas…you know what to do!

• I was over enthusiastic at the plot yesterday. Eight hours. It was absolutely good for the plot and my mental health but there had been a distinct lack of rest in my week which I think is why I had a migraine in Sunday night. It also wasn’t something my back was happy about. List of yoga stretches in my life this week!