A brush with the law...

Day 66

Mum had booked an appointment today with a care home near Junction 15 of the M1 so I drove over to pick her up at about 10am. I was driving through the village when I suddenly noticed a police car up ahead and then I was waved over... I wound the window down and was told that I'd been clocked at 34 mph, but that could have been higher due to inconsistencies with speedometers...

Luckily, the police were just warning drivers today and after being told - in a friendly tone - to watch my speed, I apologised and drove on. The last thing I need right now is a £100 fine and points on my licence! I was annoyed with myself as generally I keep an eye on my speed (after being done three times in the past) but the police officer did say I was coming down a hill so it can be difficult to keep to the limit. Oh well!

I collected Mum who looked extremely smart today, wearing a lovely brown jumper, white trousers and a gorgeous necklace. We drove down to Collingtree and met the manager who was very friendly and welcoming. Before doing anything we had to have our temperature taken, our hands washed and sanitiser used. We had a tour around the ground floor (wearing masks) which was beautiful, with a lovely lounge area, a bright and airy restaurant and stunning gardens.

We then went up to "Memory Lane" which is the dementia ward, as there was a double room available. This is where it all went a bit wrong as this floor was much darker and gloomier than the ground floor and both of us were a bit disappointed with the bedroom. Although it was large and had beautiful views over the surrounding woodland, the bed covers looked horrible and I just couldn't see my parents living in a room like that. There would have been room for some of their furniture but I could sense my Mum's disappointment with the beds. They have a super-king at home with beautiful quilt covers and throws and this just wasn't what she was used to.

Back downstairs we went into the office and chatted about fees, which were reasonable compared to some of the places we had enquired about! I said we would talk it over and we left to go home. On the way Mum mentioned another place nearby but I wasn't sure if there was anywhere else so we just drove straight back.

Needless to say it's been another warm, dry and very sunny day today and Keith had been watering the garden for me when I arrived home. We had lunch and I managed to catch up with Vince and Sue for a long chat. They had enjoyed their time in Australia and said that the pandemic hadn't really affected their lives very much at all. One thing was annoying, though... they hadn't been checked at all when they arrived back at Heathrow, which we thought was very surprising, considering they had been on a packed plane for a long flight! Up until June 8th, people arriving in the UK don't have to self-isolate but Vince and Sue were going to anyway, just to be on the safe side.

I spent the afternoon looking at care homes, finally finding the place Mum had mentioned this morning. It's on a residential estate and looked beautiful, so I made an enquiry online, as well as emailing the manager of the local care home in Moulton.

By 5pm I had had enough so it was time to relax before cooking dinner!