Best laid plans V. Covid
I spent a good part of the summer trying to get clear on travel rules, with very little assistance from a travel agent, who went quiet in August. Then my sister offered to collect mom, book her PCR test, print the result, do the locator form, buy her ticket and put her on a plane. Happy days.
In recent weeks I painted a fence; cleaned rugs (for evidence, check THIS out--gross); cleaned wood floors; potted plants; polished brass and silver; ironed linens; booked hotels; unbooked one hotel (wrong day) and another (wrong website--i.e. twice the cost); booked massages; requested days off scattered over three weeks; cancelled dog walk dates; set up visits with Eddis, Louise, the O'Dwyers, Julie, Mary, Fiona, Valerie, Aelish; got my car valeted; ordered a PCR test; got the hedges trimmed; rearranged the conservatory; set up David to cover Paddy during trips to Dublin and Newcastle; got Paddy a pet passport and rabies vaccine so we could go to Donegal; filled the car with the remains of the wardrobe and took it to the recycing centre; arranged flowers; ordered food; and basically caught up on all that I had ignored during the Year of the Duck Egg Blue Lounge.
Tonight, I was meant to go to Dublin, spend the night, then collect my mom at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Except. She got a positive PCR test result today. My sister has rebooked her for a second test and rebooked her flight for a week later. The good news is mom feels fine and has no symptoms, other than shock. Here's hoping it all works out for next week. Meanwhile everything is ready.
We are both suffering a pretty severe level of disappointment. So much anticipation and so much to look forward to! And now uncertainty. But also confirmation that mom is a rock star--Covid? What covid?
On the plus side, mom can watch the Ryder Cup in her time zone. And I can recover from all I've done in the past few weeks. I haven't been sleeping well lately and I am actually pretty happy about not drivng to Dublin tonight on too little sleep (and much time spent today in a content management system formatting web content).
As for decor, I'm making the most of Hillary's roses:
I rearranged the conservatory to put loungers by the doors to the garden--in the afternoons, this is the warmest spot in the house. All the wires in the ceiling are left from when the grapevine ran the length and breadth of the room.
And here's mom's room:
With glads added:
And here's a freshly laundered robe with some lavender from the garden and a fleece blanket and towel.
And finally, a bouquet for my missing guest.
Poor mom. It's a lot to take on a trip like this at her age, and during a pandemic. I thought the risks were contained because Beth and I would provide transport on either end, and in-flight air filtration is superb. I didn't see mom herself being the risk factor. You know, I've never had a test and, for all I know, I have it. I think mom and I both have a pretty sound immune system, so who knows.
Maybe tonight will be the night I get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I will cancel, reschedule, rethink the next few weeks and hope for the best. In the meantime, hopefully mom will enjoy spending time with her youngest grandchild, Emma, the last person to use the guest room above (not much traffic since the big C).
20 Sept.