Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Poor Mum

The day started off not so well with the news - a text from my mother - that she fell at work and was taken to hospital.  It appears she got stuck or tripped, fell on her head, and injured a lower limb.  So those of you who pray, please remember her.  Thank you :)

See, for the past couple of months she has had what seems to be a pinched thoracic nerve and couldn't walk properly on her right leg as well as having poor balance.  And now her left leg is in a cast.  I don't know the details because I think they turned her phone off after the first few messages, but my cousins, aunt and uncle are there for her.  Still, I feel pretty helpless and very terrible.  So instead of prostrating myself on the sofa I thought I'd come here.

Not only did she have a stiff right leg, but her ankles were very swollen for a few weeks.  Plus, during the trip to Canada she was recovering from a cold but as soon as she returned to London she was hit with a nasty chest infection and was put on two consecutive courses of powerful antibiotics.  Trying to open a bottle of cough medicine one night she cracked two crowns.  So for the two months she was off work, she spent going to the doctor for meds and a referral to the neurologist for her apparent nerve problem next week - at the same hospital she was admitted to today; the dentist for temporary additions to her existing bridge and a referral to a periodontist for implants, an appointment she may miss if she's laid up.

So now because she can't climb the stairs to her place, a social worker is going to see her and she may be given a ground floor flat or something.  I hope she doesn't have to quit work:  they have  trained her up only two years from retirement and she likes helping people (she works with special needs residents in a group home).  

I don't know what has happened!  Last summer when she joined me in London she was all fit and energetic and kept going on about how young she feels.  But since moving she has broken down a lot.  The cold grey weather has changed her diet from healthy organic grains, greens, and proteins, to more comforting foods including cream - but she is so well informed about food and supplements, I tell her she should be a dietitian.  She hasn't been able to afford the gym - but she used to be so good I would tell her she could teach classes.  She outspun all the young women in her spinning classes, and younger guys used to hit on her.  I call her condition Englanditis because in all my years growing up there, this is the kind of pattern that I would see with every woman over a certain age there, like clockwork.

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But I am allowed to comfort myself.  I took a shower this afternoon with a selection of lovely things I picked up last week at TJ Maxx.  I may never shop at the pharmacy again now that TJ Maxx has expanded its exquisite toiletries section.



Pure & Basic comes out of California and doesn't even have a website, just a gmail address.  The gardenia and lavender smells gorgeous and leaves the skin feeling naturally soft, clean, and unstripped.  It doesn't foam, it pearlesces.

Beautao also comes from California but of this lot it is the product I would give up first.  Still, bamboo is all the rage at the moment which makes me happy because some types grow dizzyingly fast making them a very renewable resource, and it is a more eco friendly fiber to produce than cotton.  (If you want to learn more, click here.  I once spent hours on this site reading about all the others.)  I have some bamboo sleepwear, underwear, and a bamboo wraparound cardigan - oh, and soybean protein pajamas - I will show you if you want to see them sometime.

~H2O+ comes out of a lab in Chicago and seems to be a decent replacement for the increasingly rare Biotherm products I used to like years ago.  Of course I won't stop using Origins.

Finally, best of all:  Hush Rituals...unfortunately their website doesn't work and the postcode leads me to a business park in Chester, UK.  But the products leave my hair and skin feeling soft and smelling sweet; the scent still lingers in my hair which never happens once the conditioner is rinsed off, and it feels shiny and soft.  After I tried the first soap and lotion set I returned to the store and bought two more of everything else....but what will I do when I run out?

I love loove looove the clean cotton seed and white tea aroma of the soap, and the lotion continues the theme despite the addition of passion flower oil and red seaweed.  They smell like a smoother, more grown up version of the fresh white musk I used in my 20s.  My room spray is...guess what... Egyptian Cotton linen spray with white lily, jasmine, and woody balsam notes from Bed Bath and Beyond.

I seriously wish we had scratch n sniff screens.

22 comments:

Selba said...

So sorry to hear what happened to your mom. I really hope that she will recover soon and get healthy as she used to be. She'll be in my prayer :)

Exquisite toiletries... how nice! The smells of it must definitely give comfort :D

Anonymous said...

Very sorry to hear about your mum, Liv. Will be praying for her speedy recovery x

meimei said...

I hope your mum gets better.

and I do wish we have scratch and sniff screens

Anonymous said...

Liv, I'm so sorry your mom is in such a state. Will pray for her and for you. I know you must be distressed to be so far away. The "Englanditis" condition you describe is very interesting.

Christopher said...

Some Biotherm, I think is available at Bath and Body Works.h2O is an interesting line, I had a seaweed moisture mask from them several years ago.

If you ever want to treat yourself to some spa like zing, try Juice Beauty's Green Apple Peel...(to DIE for! they have it in normal and sensitive, though both will make the skin red for about 40 minutes..the enzymes really do make your skin smooth and clear)

I do so hope that everything is well with your mother, please keep us updated as to her condition and know that we are thinking of her and of you.
xo

Anonymous said...

Liv, thank you for telling us about your Mom. Will certainly pray for her. I hope she will recover well and that the general downward trend will take a turn for the better. It must be hard on you too. Hugs.

The Moody Minstrel said...

That is really sad about your mother. What a strange run of bad fortune! I hope her world takes a turn for the brighter soon.

Englanditis? What, is it a rule in England that women have to be like cars, i.e. they suddenly start falling apart once they're past their warranty?
(I know...that was crass.)

Still building atmospheres, eh, m'lady? ;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear that about your mum. I hope that she recovers soon. Certainly the weather lately, and indeed most of this year hasn't helped, how we feel over here at present.
Take care! xx

Miss Dallas said...

Sorry to hear about your mother, Liv! Chin up, OK! I'll be praying and thinking about her!

Miss Dallas said...

P.S. I love Aveda stuff! Especially the Rosemary Mint collection. What I love best about it is that not only does it smell amazing, but it also is so fresh and tingly without being irritating!

I've fallen in love again with their shampoos and styling products, but it's an expensive addiction!

Olivia said...

Selby - too bad I don't do the chup chup thing or award medals for the first comments. But anyway, you won.

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Pete - thanks xx

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Mich - my dad needs to invent the scratch n sniff screen because he's the first person I heard talk about it.

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Nikki - thank you for your prayers, they mean a lot.

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Kissy - Although I used to buy it at department stores in London, I heard Biotherm left US stores a few years back and is exclusively online - and every time I go to their website they are out of my foundation. So it's Origins, Aveeno, Aveda, and miscellaneous good stuff for me now.

I've been thinking of doing a peel for some time now, so may try that one if it's not too expensive.

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BH - thank you, and I hope the only way for her to go now is back up to where she was before.

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Minstrel - yes it's true, I am sure it's written in the Magna Carta somewhere!

I will never stop building atmospheres. After my shower every so often throughout the evening I would sniff my arm. I had to laugh at myself after a few times!

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Flighty - to tell you the truth, it doesn't help that she misses Texas every day when she's not at work, so she needs to distract herself a lot for the next few weeks.
xx

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Jo - thank you my dear!

Oh don't tell me about Aveda. I get my hair done there because of the products and the hand massage and the stylists are great. I buy my lip balm from them which is like $10 a pop, but so worth it. If I buy anything else there I will get into trouble, as I can just about afford Origins. Must be careful...

Olivia said...

Mum update: her heavy plaster cast was removed today and replaced with a fancy compression/inflatable moon boot thingy, and she has crutches. She will be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

She was taken home and lifted up the stairs by a couple of strong ambulance drivers. My cousins were there to settle her in and buy her groceries from Waitrose. As they live round the corner they are checking in on her and keeping me updated.

I spoke to her today and she sounds good.

Thanks again all of you for your positive thoughts, good wishes, and prayers. xoxo

Selba said...

I'm happy to hear the update that your mom sounds good.

*hugs*

Have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to read about your mom. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday!

Tagged you with a meme on my blog today. Let me know if you have time to tell me more about you during this busy holiday season.

Olivia said...

Thanks Jessica :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, thank you for the update. I hope her spirits improve as her body recovers. I know you said that staying distracted (with work) has helped her, but now that's she's required to rest... will keep praying.

Anonymous said...

Hello. I mentioned about your mum on an email earlier, so I shall just comment here about your other clothing and cosmetic-y bits. To begin with (and here I just can't supress a crass, schoolboy response, but aren't bamboo undies and a cardy just a little, um...uncomfortable? Where's the give?) And like a lot of chaps I suppose - though obviously not all - you lost me way back there during the soapy section. I bow to your powers of flowery, showery description! True literary inspiration to banish perspiration! (Me and my juvenile humour will now exit stage left...)

meimei said...

oh thats grand. I'm happy she is getting better.

and how are you faring?

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear Mum is doing ok and on the road to recovery.

Glo said...

Hi Liv ~ I was so sorry to read of your mum's condition, especially when she was in such good shape not long ago ~ but glad to hear she is back home again. It must be hard being so far away from her under the circumstances. Luckily there are family members close by.

Loved soaking in your luxurious sounding 'scentiments'....

Olivia said...

Mr B - bamboo is actually softer than cotton and it has antibacterial properties.

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Mich - me, had more stomach complaints yesterday but other than that am doing ok.

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Glo - yes, I kind of want to be there to make tea and nag her and hug her, and stuff.

"Scentiments", I like that :)

Anonymous said...

Hello. Just a quickie. I tried calling your mother today, but couldn't even get a dialling tone. I tried this afternoon and again during the evening. Still nothing. No doubt the error is on my part, but would you mind emailingme the number again and I shall try once more. Thanks.

(I thought I'd use this segment rather than send you a proper email because it's now 3.20 am off to bed am I.) Night-night x