Yesterday signalled a very sad day indeed as we finally locked the door on my mother-in-law’s home. Barely 7 months have passed since we had to place her into a dementia care home and virtually 33 years since she put us up there when we moved from London to Felixstowe. Obviously the end of the era is more significant for my wife but I had known this place since 1977 and had re-wired it for them and re-designed the garden that proved to be an endless source of joy for her. Dementia is a very cruel disease and the garden is the one strong magnetic draw that she still (sadly) retains.

I could have posted one of the garden photos I took here but most significantly, it was the emptying of the pantry from whence all manner of treats for high tea emerged on high days and holy days that really signified the loss. No end of cajoling to knock it out and improve it would be listened to but if anything signifies the decline of an energetic and  vibrant person, it is the gradual slide into general shabbiness that no longer meets the self-styled high-pass rules that we all allude to.

Take note. A signpost for the future?