Saturday, March 26, 2022

27 March 2022 Sunday

Shatwell Farm CLANCY MOORE

‘The intention was to make something finished enough to be enabling,’ says practice partner Andrew Clancy, ‘but not so finished as to shut down potential’.


Posting it here so that I can find in in the future - the phrase about the design intent caught my eye.


I am babysitting mom as usual on Sunday - this time she is having 'high tea' at the club while I work on my laptop. She asks endless questions but stops when she senses that I am busy with work. I order her an iced latte and shave corn kernels from the cob for her to eat and to keep her occupied. She is now asking about growing bananas, and wonder if we can plant them from the seeds after we eat them. She is in good spirits as she usually is when with Sam and I - chatting about 'stuff' while we chat and make silly jokes (Sam) and rude comments (me). 

As I continue our conversation, I realise that we have the easier task of just babysitting and ferrying from Eldercare some days of the week, whereas Ni and her family has mom living with them and 'disrupting' their routine. I also realise that they don't deal with mom the same way we do; with a balance of firmness and tough love, of humour and affection, with hand-holding and 'shut-ups'. 

It seems to work and she enjoys her time with us, perhaps we are simply more patient people. Or perhaps it is because we don't have mom all the time. 

Later that evening, we had dinner with Pam before she departs for NZ on the 4th of April. She thinks that we are not confrontational as a family and things tend to get bottled up. 



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