It's my dads 88th birthday today. Amazing!  My husband and I are going out to dinner this evening to Celebrate along with a few of my dads friends.

For those that don't recall, my dad is legally blind, has a stairwall which he goes up and down quicker than I can, also he pegs his washing on the clothes line without help, uses his treadmill several times a week and of course lives in his own home a two story house over looking the sea.

There is a car in the garage for my use when I stay down there each week, I live at my father's house plus my own house of course not at the same time :) my husband  sometimes comes with me to dads and stays.

So Happy Birthday Dad - May there be many more.

Great days behind me, great days ahead of me!

Have had my dad staying with us before Christmas and after, then we wandered down/up the road about 1 hours drive to stay with my dad and have been home a day or two, who's counting!

Living with a legally blind man is very interesting even though he can see shadows out the corner of one of his eyes. He can't tell a male from a female until they speak.

Can't always have the TV on some days or evenings, this causes his eyes to draw out of their sockets, so he says.  

Lights have to be dimmed or not on at all.

Everything has to be put in the same place each time.

Each drink has to be poured especially in our house, dad can't see when the cup/glass is full.

Walking on his own has gone by the wayside when out and about, so it's hanging onto my arm in the special way that blind people do along with his white cane.

The past 3 years for me have been wonderful, living with my father in another city, living at home with my husband - juggling the two homes I have without a fuss.  Says something for my husband.  Once in a while he travels and stays with me at my dads house which is a large two storey house with a wonderful view of Bass Strait.  

We sit at the dinning room table and watch the Spirit of Tasmania sail past each evening sometimes we see it twice a day in the busy season. The sea can be seen from nearly every room in the house.

My husband and I are becoming grandparents again, twice this year and I am off to Queensland soon to be there before the birth, being our youngest sons and his partner's 3rd child, and it's to be a 'boy' as they have two girls.

This year they intend to get married in winter so another trip to Queensland.

My husband is going to take care of my father whilst I am gone for the birth.

When I return there is a birthday - I will be home before that, dad will be 88 years of age, and he's as sharp as a tack and uses his treadmill most days, his iPod earplugs listening to music as he treads :) 

It's a good thing I don't mind cooking sometimes, but I am not a cook.

I made my father some rissoles, then I make a jelly slice which has my mouth watering.

The rissoles I pre-cooked have frozen them and will take to my dads next week, he can manage to make some gravy and give them a bit of a cook in the microwave - he has this special magnifier that he puts up to the numbers on the microwave and off he goes...for he who helps himself will get on ok :)

This week I spent over 1-1/2 hour reading the mail to my father. (paper & emails)

I replied to 8 emails for him.

I took him grocery shopping and I bought what I thought he would like to eat, and what he can manage to cook.  Of course I let him give me some input.

Everything has to be separated, wrapped in wrap for freezing it's easy access for my dad.

He has to remember where I put things in the fridge & freezer downstairs plus where I put things in his cupboards.

I did his washing, 3 loads.

He had messed up his TV which is nothing unusual, he does a wonderful job of using the remotes with his special magnifier.  So I fixed the TV again!

I helped him make the bed.

Took him and I paid some accounts for him. 

We went to the Chemist.

Simple for most of us a big effort for my dad, and when I am on my dads phone talking to someone it's Murphy's Law that my mobile will ring.  My father listens to where the ring is coming from as I watch him and then he somehow manages to pick it up, bring it to me, I slide the 'thing' to answer the call and I put the ear piece to my father's ear so he can hear who is phoning me whilst I keep talking on his house phone.

When my father & I go shopping etc. he has his white stick which is only given to those who are legally blind plus my dad hangs onto my arm in a special way to steady himself.....next February he will be 88 years of age.  God has been kind to him thus far.

Whilst I was away my husband on that day took one of his friends who is recovering from an operation on a long drive....5 hours about, it worked out they averaged 56km an hour with only a few short stops along the way.  They drove to part of the north east coast of Tasmania and back.  

One can see how so many people that live not on this island can not imagine traveling as so far without getting too far.  If that makes sense.

                  My Jelly Slices I made and I am sure most women have made these.