Wednesday 28 January 2009

She's gone cuckoo? ....


Dear Mr Postman .. are you bringing me one of my own letters - a Hilary's snippet about my own mother .. good! -

It's not comfortable is it? .. "a/an Hilary's snippets" .. (which should it be "a" or "an"?) - still ne'er mind dear readers .. I'm quite sure you'll get the gist of my words .. this postive story is true!! Just before I start .. please tell me if you don't understand my English sayings .. & I'll add them in to my snippets by way of explanation .. if I have to be educated .. so do you!!

My Ma suddenly in mid November 2008 asked me what "Emanuensis" is .. I just opened my eyes wide, laughed & asked her to repeat the word .. I'd never heard of it .. & thought she'd finally gone 'cuckoo' - well she repeated it ... but as I had no hook .. I said I'd look .. but then forgot. 10 days later she asked me again .. I then asked her to spell it (remember she's been bedridden for two years & can't read or effectively do anything for herself) .. out came the spelling as above: this time I thought I'd better do something?? I was still laughing ... in pure amazement ...

I did forget for a few days ..but because I'd written it down - remembered the word .. it's not in my dictionary (spelt that way) .. but on Googling it .. up it came .. I selected the definition that I knew my Ma would relate to .. "Plato was Socrates' Emanuensis" ... so I told my Ma .. & added Emanuensis is a sort of scribe ... my mother immediately retorted "dogsbody" ... in English! = the person who gets all the worst jobs.

Yesterday she used the term again .. so you tell me what's wrong with that brain .. ?? I tell you I am kept very much on my toes .. not much slips by ... I asked her where the word had come from ..ie the connection .. Mum answered "Mrs Mills" .. I didn't know who Mrs Mills was .. so off on another track we went!! .. Mrs Mills was the mother of an old friend .. whom Mum had nursed & cared for to her death about 20 years ago in her Residential Care Home, which she had owned!!

Thankyou for bringing me these memories Mr Postman .. perhaps you'll have another tomorrow? ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

How the brain works is amazing, and for you to watch your mom must be very emotional. You never know what the next moment will be...

Take care, love
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Gio .. fortunately it isn't too emotional most of the time .. I just consider myself fortunate that she's got her brain & it functions quite sensibly .. too sensibly sometimes & she's always interested - even in new things ..

so I let that feed my positivity .. and think how much I'm learning from the experience and where it can lead me in the future ..

Thanks v much for your care and love - Hilary

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

Oh...I love this post... what an amazing finding.

I'm trying to find the "Hearsay" story you mentioned on my blog. I haven't been able to find it. Can you send me the link? My emails is

doris.plaster@yahoo.com

Thanks, Hilary!!

Doris

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Doris .. amazing you went back here .. hope you got the email re the "Hearsay" post .. there is none - just my chit-chat re happenings with family .. which you know a little more about now.

My Mum has been quite extraordinary .. you are so right there .. and still is!!!

Wonderful to have a comment 2 years later!!

Cheers - Hilary

Anonymous said...

Hi Hilary, sorry that deanpriorchurchuk comment earlier was from me. Blogger was doing weird things with my accounts. Finally managed to resolve it. Madeleine xox

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Thanks Madeleine ... I picked up your earlier comment - all well ... and am glad you've managed to sort things out ... take care - cheers Hilary