Mum and me shopped till she dropped, so to speak. After days of looking forward to a day-by-the-seaside shopping, the lovely old girl could only manage 90 minutes..
But they were fruitful minutes.
We first visited the British Heart Foundation's huge secondhand furniture charity shop on the sea front, where barking gulls out droned the sound of workmen's equipment somewhere close by.
In the big shop we shuffled around looking at once loved tables, sofas and bookcases and sitting on one bookcase next to a flowered plate were two blue and white china cats.
Mum told me to get them so I did, they now sit beautifully on my kitchen windowsill. She paid for them saying that's what money is for.

As we gazed open mouthed at a variety of old wooden chairs and gorgeous dressers she came over a little delicate so left the shop to sit outside on a bench.
I felt hot because I'd been stupid enough to wear a jacket and was getting anxious over mum's increasing frailty so I quickly paid for the cats and marched up to her with a frantic smile and offer of a cold coke...

After supping the sugary drink we went into the BHF's other shop just along the road, where she bought me a blue necklace, a ring with pale green ceramic stones and edged with diamante, a blue bone china jug and a wonderful Hornsea casserole dish. She didn't forget herself in all this, treating herself to three woollies and a silver tassled scarf.

When we left the shop the sun was beautifully out, lighting up shop fronts and faces, I could have walked for miles but mum wanted to leave...

As we walked very slowly back to the car park a lump got lodged in my throat and upper chest, not because of parking charges but because she couldn't walk without tripping up.
Here we were two lovely girls bagged down with £20 worth of old goodies and all either of us really wanted was to have dad back.

It's all got too much for her I think, and it's frightening for me to watch her disappearing under her baggy clothes. But she wanted to go out and then wanted to come back so that's what we did. I hope our mini-day trip to the seaside did her good.

So.......I cooked all afternoon, making a large chocolate fudge cake and big lemon curd cheesecake, these two wicked desserts will keep us high all over the weekend:)

After the making of the sweet came the savoury (er..what?) A big beefy cobbler is baking right now.... the comforting aroma of succulent beef and gravy and tons of onions and perfect pastry wooing my nostrils is to...... LIVE for.....!


Weekend soon.
More yum.