Dec 13th 2012 13/12/2012
Well this is my final day and I have just taken a break from packing to do my diary. One of the old ladies at Casa Mabel has died; I think it was expected but not so soon. There is an air of sombreness and quiet about Casa Mabel. Nelu the cook and Iuliana one of the old ladies were with her when she died. Her death was very peaceful.
The funeral will take place within 2-3 days. The normal practice is that there is a "wakening" service (that is what Alex calls them) but according to Florence the actual term is Privegh which she describes as "a kind of watch night service where people pay their respects". Some people will stay outside and play cards while it is all going on. Food is usually served.
In the morning Victor took Flori and me and some shoeboxes to another village for distribution. We spent some time taking photos of the absolutely spectacular scenery. Then this afternoon after lunch I went for a really lovely walk in the snow. Again absolutely speculated scenery. However I did upset a flock of sheep and set off a dog barking when I walked past the gate and he barked so loud and long he set off every other dog in the neighbourhood! I walked on pretending it wasn't me who caused all the commotion (!) and as I went further gradually it grew fainter and fainter.
This evening Alex and Rody came round. Because one of the ladies whose bedroom is upstairs is now really struggling with the stairs, Rody is keen to move her downstairs which would mean moving a much more able sprightly one upstairs. (There is a stairlift but the ladies do not like using it). The downstairs lady was not at all keen on the idea of moving her bedroom upstairs. Alex and I agreed the real solution is a lift, there is an obvious place to put it which would not cause any problems - it depends on the price, but to me that is the solution, especially as the stair lift is a bit awkward and is actually 2 separate stairlifts as the staircase is in 2 halves. Certainly the lift option would be very expensive, but I must ask Alex to investigate the price.
Also Alex was planning the conversion of one of the upstairs toilet and wash hand basin rooms into a wet room so there will one upstairs as well as downstairs. This should be done within the next couple of days before Mitre goes home for Christmas.
Tomorrow night in the hotel at Budapest, maybe I will conclude with some thoughts about what has been achieved and thoughts on the way ahead.