Happy New Year

Image Description - Multi coloured patterned writing on a pink background that says Hello January and Hello 2026

I've been taking some much needed time for myself since I last posted and feel so much better for it, sadly my parents dementia is getting worse - dad no longer recognises me until I remind him who I am 

 I do appreciate that I still have both my parents at my age, not everybody is so blessed but some days it's just so hard to recognise these two strangers as my parents, dementia has really done a number on them

I'm also really lucky to have such amazing supportive friends who've helped me too see that things couldn't carry on as they were, I hadn't realised until a few days ago just how much I'd made myself unwell as I struggled to cope with everything

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year

Dawn, Boris & Eko xxx 

We will remember them

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒍𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒍𝒅

𝑨𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎, 𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏

𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎

Image Description - Poppies growing along the left hand side of a country lane with the words Lest we forget written in white on the right hand side for remembrance day

Bank Holiday Weekend

 It feels so strange to be at home today, in the past we'd spend the August Bank Holiday weekend away at the beach, how I miss those carefree days of packing up the camper van at a moment's notice and disappearing with the boys for a few days

Image Description - A beach sunset with Himself, Boris and Eko in silhouette on the beach when the tide is out, the setting sun is behind them casting a red, orange and purple light across the whole beach and the setting sun as a white orb in the centre top of frame

 Caring for my parents is a full-time job these days and I have to be available 24/7, we have a fantastic live-in carer who I honestly couldn't manage without as I struggle to come to terms with the changes in my parents which has made them people I no longer recognise, but the biggest and most definitely strangest change is that my dad's life long chronic stammer has

Touching Base - It's been a while

So much has happened since I last posted

I've been really struggling with my own mental health as well as my parents health problems which has made me feel so very anxious

A couple of weeks ago mum suffered another mini stroke (TIA) it's the third one since her original  stroke, which makes it so hard for me to find both the time and inclination to update my blog for which I can only apologise for my absence

As a family we recently spent a long weekend in Windsor as I was also doing a sponsored 10K to raise funds for The Hunter Centre which is the day centre my dad attends each week for people with dementia and without who's support I'd be really struggling, Boris also celebrated his 11th birthday whilst we were away

Image - Full body shot of Boris the Black Cocker Spaniel majestically sitting on the Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle, his head is turned towards the left of shot and he's wearing a rainbow and silver coloured rosette that says Happy Birthday in the middle

Since dad broke his hip last

Galloping towards the weekend

Image - Boris the Black Cocker Spaniel in the middle of a green field galloping flat out with his tongue out and ears in the air, under him in blue text are the words galloping into the weekend

Yes that really is Boris galloping along at full pelt and fully extended, I used to love watching him galloping for the pure joy of it

When Boris could no longer gallop flat out due to his Arthritis, I stopped doing Galloping into the Weekend posts

This morning I was in a lot of pain and feeling particularly down about my own Arthritis, when this