HALF-DAY OUT WITH MUM

Today I managed to coax my mother out of our apartment!  Our neighbours living three floors above us has some renovation work going and there has been tons of sawing and drilling.  The work started last Thursday, continuing on Friday.  Today, the racket started again and was louder than it was before.  Mum finally acknowledged that she needed to leave the comfort of her couch for a few hours.

So Nana and I placed her into her wheelchair and off we went.  We took the elevator downstairs and sat on a public bench, just chatting and enjoying the quiet breeze.  Then we moved to the outdoor gym for Mum to do some pedalling.  

Mum wanted ban mian for lunch but changed her mind when she saw someone at the next table eating lor mee. "I want laksa," she pointed.  

"That's lor mee, not laksa.  Do you want lor mee?"

"It's laksa," she said stubbornly.  

"It's lor mee," I corrected her.  "So do you want ban mian or lor mee?"  She chose lor mee.

Mum avoids going out because her legs are getting weak.  We bought a wheelchair but she doesn't want to be seen in it.  Today it is as if traditions are broken.  I think she secretly feels proud of herself.

"We go again tomorrow," she told Nana.  We shall see about that.

***

I still have about $200 worth of CDC vouchers which expires in two days.  Today, I spent half of it on bak kwa and pork floss. Nana gets her own small pack of chicken floss.  Mum loves bak kwa but we buy them only once a year.  Are you aware that traditional bak kwa has 32 grams of sugar per slice? (gulp!)

I bought both the original pork floss and crispy pork floss.  Mum once told me she doesn't like the crispy ones, claiming they are too dry.  Today, she tells me that the the crispy ones are the best.  If you think this is just her dementia talking, you haven't read my post about boiling potatoes.  

I'll be spending 5 nights in Taipei with a couple of friends at the end of January.  Today Mum tells me that it is going to RAIN on those days for sure. What she really wants to say is, "I wish you all the very worst." :D