July 15 coming to grips with Mum's situation.

The trip to Brisbane for ALIA was very interesting and we all felt this course was presented well. It was very intense though being confined all day in a small apartment which acts as an office. The office manager was a little dog Billie who wore a striped bow tie for the occasion. Very different. The social dinner following the assessment was very convivial, one of the best we have attended.  The next day when I was leaving our apartment hotel I discovered my swipe would not allow me to leave. I even left the car and tried to swipe in manually first but apparently you need to do that in a car! I had entered the carpark prior to registering so I had a parking ticket. The reception had said I would be fine but I suspected that would be wrong. I should have left and returned with the swipe. In my effort to back out of the exit I bumped into a pole and scratched the back bumper. I was pretty upset because it is my brother's car. Anyway I finally got the reception staff to swipe me  and my companions out. What a relief! When I got to Mum's place I took some Jiff cleaner and scrubbed off the black marks on the bumper and joy, there is only a very tiny, tiny chip in the duco.

The rest of my time I spent with Mum and I am seriously concerned. She is very fatigued, has lost about a stone in weight and has very little appetite. It seems that the cancer has begun to impact on her activity level. I feel so helpless not knowing what is going on so I have decided to organise things in Melbourne and return to Mum for the next few weeks. She needs support and I want to be there for her. Jonathan and Clare will need to find another sitter for Ziggy on Wednesdays, hopefully Clare's sister Chipiwa will be able to help. I will miss him so much because he is developing so quickly now and is so much fun. I have disentangled myself from courses and arrangements that I have had planned to free me up to return to Brisbane.

My next big issue was the wedding. The invitation said formal and that we needed to wear black, white or black and white! As the mother of the groom I wanted to be really smart and edgy and not safely boring or old frumpy Mum. Those two fashionistas will look so fabulous. My lace blouse needed dressy pants and I felt that it wouldn't be formal enough. I set off to Carla Zampatti boutique for pants and decided to try a couple of dresses. OMG! The Cream/white Gigi dress looked fabulous and felt so right. I didn't hesitate. This is the dress! It is so simple but with a twist and even though it isn't floor length it looks so dressy I am over the moon. Even with my black tights which were not the best look. It is long enough but I could wear it to cocktail parties and get a lot more wear than a full length gown.

 Trouble is I bought the pants as well. An expensive day though entirely satisfactory. I don't usually spend this much money on clothes but you can see why they are expensive when they fit perfectly. It is a great relief to have the main event sorted. 

Now to pack for Qld.