I had a long day at work today; we're extremely busy because it's summertime but also because one of our local competitors has closed for 18 weeks for a refit, so all their customers are coming to us instead. I'm certainly not complaining about the rise in trade, it can only be a good thing, but phew it does tire me out at the end of the day!
The best thing about today was going round to my grandparents' residential home in Llanfairfechan for a barbeque! I persuaded my boyfriend, B, to come with me (until today he'd only met my parents and my brother) and meet my Nain and Taid (Welsh grandparents). I'm so glad he agreed to come, we had a lovely time.
We missed the actual barbeque because it started while I was still at work and I wanted to go home and change first, but we arrived in time for cake and some wine, so all was well.
Nain and Taid live in a lovely residential home called Llys y Coed in Llanfairfechan. It's organised into private flats, with their own kitchens & bathrooms etc..., but there's a communal sitting room that residents can use and a residents' restaurant. My Nain and Taid moved there after becoming a bit unsteady on their feet (they're in their 80s), and they have loved every second of living there. There is such a nice community spirit among all the residents and the staff are so friendly and don't intrude at all. Residents can choose how involved they want the staff to be - my Nain and Taid just have someone pop in to see if they're okay every now and again - and you can choose to have your meals in your flat and cook in your own kitchen or eat in the restaurant with the other residents - most people choose to have their dinner together because it's like dining out with your friends every day.
B and I had a really nice time. I haven't seen Nain and Taid in a while because I've been so busy with work and dissertation, but I'm going to have to make more of an effort to go and see them, I've really missed them. B and I caught up with them while they were sitting in the sunshine with some of their friends (98 year old Mr Jones, Mr 'The Headmaster' Evans, Mrs Evans and a lovely lady called Annie, who held my hand and admired my garnet and opal ring and said that B and I would be engaged soon! That was a surprise to both of us!) Taid insisted that B and I had to try some of the cakes that were for pudding after the barbeque and tried to get us to drink sherry (we both politely declined and had red wine instead!)
It was nice listening to them regale each other with stories; most of the men had stories from where they were during the war or mischief they got up to, Mrs Evans was telling me about her Canadian boyfriend who she met when she was in the WAAF. Apparently he looked just like Clark Gable and he was extraordinarily handsome, but he was much older than her and 'unsuitable', but she said all this with a twinkle in her eye!
I always enjoy spending time with my grandparents and their friends. It's easy for younger people to forget that older people ever had a life before becoming parents and grandparents, but the more I spend time with my Nain and Taid and their friends, the more I appreciate the stories they tell and that they were my age once and having similar experiences to me. B was really impressed with Llys y Coed too; it's a really lovely place, it feels more like a halls of residence than a typical 'old people's home', and the residents and staff treat each other really well. In some residential homes the staff barely connect with the people they're looking after, which takes away dignity from everyone.
Time for bed now, I think. I have another early start for work tomorrow morning. Goodnight from me, B and the residents of Llys y Coed, growing old disgracefully :)
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