The highs and lows of getting old...

So the other day I was stressing about the abundance of gray hairs I have, which would better be described as streaks, cluster and great mass. In addition now all the hair I lost after being pregnant is growing back so I have all these gray spiky bits sticking up, it's just charming. But alas this was easily fixed by a box of dye....

Unfortunately I don't think a box of dye will be enough in a few decades. From what I can see the majority of growing old sucks dogs balls. This has been a big year for my grandparents (the boys great grandparents) and a mammoth year for my mum and aunt looking after them. My granddad god bless has got dementia and moved to an old people's home. This meant he had to leave my nanna in their home. How much would it suck being separated from your partner of over 60 years and watching him slowly disappear? In addition my nana is a twin and has therefor never really been alone her whole life until now. We thought once we got granddad into a home and everyone adjusted the bulk of the issues would be solved. How wrong we were. Thanks to my nana's undiagnosed and very crippling anxiety disorder there has been a domino of issues for my mum and aunt to deal with. These issues make grandad's pail in comparison. My nanna is miserable the majority of the time and blind to the impact of her anxiety on all around her.  I personally vote for drugs and we are all working on that one....

Nana Molly in her hay day...

Nana on the right with her twin WW2

In saying that today is a happy day, my Nana Molly turns 87. The highs of getting old in her case are sharing the bulk of her life with her best friend who is still partly here, being able to see her children have children, her children's children have children and be around to enjoy them. I have very fond memories of staying over at my grandparents as a child, nana would always cook a roast and the beans had a special taste (I think it was all the salt they were cooked with). The bathroom always smelt of talcum powers and I had them both all to myself. In the morning my granddad would put on his sandles and and we would walk to get the paper. I would get 20c to spend of lollies, picking each one individually. I would then carry the white paper bag home with my lollies and eat them after my breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Nana with my mum and aunt

Nana with my boys..

The last year has made me think allot about old age, taught me allot and scared the shit out of me . My mum and aunt have been to hell and back dealing with the decisions that had to be made and the ongoing drama of one kind or another. They are amazing daughters and amazing woman who I both adore and admire. I keep reminding mum that we will have to look after her one day and to be nice. Truth be told I would be the one completely lost without my mum. Again old age is really going to suck...

So here's cheers to 87 Nana. My birthday wish for you is a truck load of Valium so you can see the joy and good again and enjoy year number 87....

Cheers Carla