I got those 'Can't get a decent time for respite Blue Care Blues!'

Yesterday morning I was dreaming that someone was walking up the front steps and banging on the door....until I realised it was not a dream......and someone was banging on the door.

It was 8.00 am and Blue Care had come for Dulcie's shower. There had been no warning phone call.

I had to wake Dulcie up.....we were both a bit stunned and bleary eyed.

The woman said that she started at 6.30 am.

I laid a hand gently upon her shoulder as she left and said;

"Please, please, please never, ever, ever come here at 6.30 in the morning.....even 8.30 is too early for us!"

She laughed.....I hope she got the message!

Today the phone rang at 7.30......I just beat Dulcie to it.

It was Caroline.......from Blue Care.

"Hello, It's Caroline from Blue Care, (We know......I just told them that!) Would it be possible to come at 8.15 until 10.15 for your respite?"

Something like the breath of a whale started to build up inside me except I had no blow hole for it to escape out of my head. I was slightly worried it might make one.

I stayed calm.

"No!" I said. I took a breath.

"I specifically asked last week for 10 until 12 and I was told that 'DO NOT CHANGE' would be written upon it. My respite times have been all over the place and it makes it very difficult for me to plan anything in advance."

"Do you have any appointments today?" She asked.

"No," I said, " because I dare not make any appointments because I never know when I am getting respite."

"Oh, that's no good." said Caroline.

"No it isn't." I said.

" Well perhaps they could not do it this week but next week it will be at the time you asked for."

"No," I said, " I rang them the week before and they did say that but last week they assured me that 10 to 12 would be fine this week and the woman said that she would put DO NOT CHANGE upon it."

"Oh, Let me give them a ring and I will call you back."

Dulcie got back in bed.

"I won't go to sleep," she said "but I will lie here where it is warm for a bit longer."

I waited for Caroline to ring back.

She did.

"They have let me jiggle my timetable I can come at 9.45 until 11.45. OK?"

"O.K".....it was as near as dammit.

Wendi, Dulcie's daughter called in at 9.00. She is coming on Friday for the weekend so that WIll and I can have a weekend off.

Caroline arrived while she was here.

Wendi is going to take Dulcie up to Tewantin to see her friend Cutty on Saturday. Cutty is now in a Care Home and Dulcie has not seen her for some time. It will be a nice trip out.

Wendi had rung Cutty's old neighbour Bill to get the address of the Care Home but he didn't know the address just the name.

"We will have to Google it" said Wendi.

"It's not the Kumara Care Home is it?" Asked Caroline.

"Yes," said Wendi.

"Well, I used to live in Tewantin," said Caroline and she was able to tell Wendi exactly where it was.

"Spooky!" I said.

I mentioned to Wendi about Ros's Dad's funeral which is on Friday morning. Will and I would very much like to go.

Wendi could not cover for us but Caroline piped up and said she would ring to see if they could change my Thursday afternoon respite time to Friday morning.

'Blue Care just might be able to redeem themselves here', I thought.....only in the end.....it was not possible...their schedule was too tight.

Oh well, we will just have to see what else we can do.

I left as my time was being eaten away.

I drove to Indooroopilly Shopping Mall. I had heard on good authority that the Woolies there sold 'Vimto'!

It didn't..........Ribena?...yes!.....Vimto?.....no.

It was just one of those days!