Posties

 Much of the recent 'excitement' in the household has been around son's new job. About a month ago I got a random call from somebody I used to do the Christmas Tree festival with. Their son was about to start their first proper job and they were offering his regular teenage job to son.

Teenage job is basically delivering the 2 local magazines to around 500 households. The money isn't bad. It's one magazine + leaflets every month and bi-monthly also delivering the local area magazine.

On Friday at 17.30 I got a text to say that the leaflets had arrived. It was a bit late for me to go and get them then and so after dog walk on Saturday morning son and I went over to pick up.

All very organised. We got boxes of leaflets, boxes of magazines and a trolley to walk them around with. First task was to batch the leaflets with the magazines. Very strict rules, the leaflets had to be on top of the magazines not in them.

So we duly (yes I helped) went to work at the dining table, batching the 5 different leaflets with the magazine, building piles of 20 of these and then putting rubber bands around them. The whole thing took 2 man hours.

Once done I said to son 'we should really make a start on this so we can see how long it's going to take'. As expected there was then a huge teenage strop. I said 'fine, it's your job you're messing up not mine - do what you want'.

10 minutes later son said he wanted to give it a go. So we set off with a plan just to do the area nearest to us (which we'll do last moving forward). I took one side of the road and he took the other.

Now the side I took was far more stressful than his. Mine was on the 'uphill' part  so every house either had a drive with a 45 degree angle (like ours), or a huge set of steps up to the front door.

I'd done about 15 houses when I looked around for son - he'd completely disappeared. I freaked out and called his name. No answer. Started to panic (which is silly - he's 14 and twice my height), but rushed back home and got husband out to hunt for him. 

Husband found him quickly, wandering down the road in a sort of teenage way. I asked him where he went 'you were so slow' he said 'I just went around the corner'. I got son to help me finish the road I was on and we went 'around the corner' to finish the bit he'd done. This time we stayed on same side of road, he'd take one house and I'd take the next.

Very quickly I identified how he'd been so quick. I said to him 'I'll take this house you take the one next to it'. 'Oh I don't do those ones' he said, 'because I can't work out how the letterbox works, so I've just been leaving them'. 'You've WHAT' said I....

Anyway we finished that road, with me teaching him how different letterboxes work (for real), then we went back to the first road he'd done. Going to each house. 'Did you do this one?', 'No', 'OK let me show you how the letterbox works'. 

Seriously he'd left at least half of the letterboxes! There was also the moment he dropped an entire stack of magazines and leaflets - and blamed it on me because that 'must be one of the batches I put together'. Honestly, you've got to love a teenager.

I could see that it was going to take a while before he's efficient at this job - though I do believe he'll be efficient eventually. Thing is it takes about an hour to do about 60 houses - so I can see husband and I being involved in the long term.

To be honest I don't mind it - I found it quite zen. Purposely didn't put music or earphones on and just enjoyed being nosey about people's gardens. So on Sunday morning I decided to do another chunk of delivery nice and early before anybody woke up.

This was largely because I really wanted to make some time to see Mum and Dad later in the day. They've both been for some heavy duty tests at the hospital recently. I know there's something seriously wrong with both of them, but they're not telling me. Mum indicated to husband that they have found 'something' in Dad's bowel. Though no information on the tests she had.

Dad's dementia is absolutely storming now. He still remembers who we all are, which is a blessing. It's going to be hard when he loses that thread. 

Anyway, I'd been trying to arrange a get together, hopefully taking them out for a roast lunch at a local pub. But I keep having to cancel because they keep being pulled into hospital (ominous huh). As a result I decided that I'd just do an unplanned call on Sunday to see if they were in - then I'd drive over to say Hi and have a coffee. I know if I'd planned in advance it would have turned into a full lunch, with family expected - which is pressure on them. Plus son and husband needed to continue with the leaflet delivery.

It was lovely to see mum and dad - it's actually ages since I've been back to their house. They like to drive around - they are part of the generation that used to go out for a 'Sunday drive'. My idea of hell. Also Mum doesn't really like cooking any more (and Dad can't), so we tend to invite them to ours and I do a special lunch for them.

It was actually lovely to turn up at their house. I fell in love with it they day I first saw it. I remember we were house hunting, we'd been to see loads and when we turned up at their house it was love at first site. There's a tiny stream in the front garden, with a rock garden - the house is really pretty and there is a long garden at the back with a mini wood at the end.

The garden looked stunning - over the stream is a weeping willow - last time I saw it - only a short time ago - it was tiny - now it's really grown and it's just so pretty.

What I would say is that without their 'we're going out so let's dress up and put game faces on'. Mum and Dad really didn't look well. They looked shattered and neither of them were holding it together very well. Though they were lovely with me and made me feel really welcome and loved.

I'm beginning to worry that Mum has dementia as well as Dad. I told my brother, but he thinks I'm making a fuss. 

Of course a further worry at the moment is the economy - it's likely that houses prices are going to take a nose dive. Hopefully we'll not get to a point where mum and dad need to go into care - ideally they'll stay at home for as long as possible. If they do need to we'll need to sell the house to pay for it - obviously the houses prices will go down, but it's unlikely the cost of care will do anything but go up.

Still we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. 

I anticipate some very messy, heart-breaking and difficult times ahead.