My Mum

One of the reasons why I started this blog in 2011 was as a tribute to my Mum. She was in late-stage Parkinson's Disease and there were things I wanted to say and remember about her which I couldn't say in person. Her ability to communicate and comprehend was greatly diminished because of the dementia associated with this horrible disease.  She was slipping away from me, and there were things that I wanted and needed to remember.

Food and craft were always a big part of our lives.  My favourite times with Mum were spent watching and helping her in the kitchen. She loved to cook, especially for dinner parties and big events. All the recipe books would come out and she would nut out menus on her old portable Olivetti typewriter. She loved a challenge, and I particularly remember helping her squeeze 70 handmade meringue cases filled with strawberries and cream into the fridge for my Grandfather's 80th birthday party.

Mum kept up with all the food trends. While the rest of Australia was eating meat and two veg in the 1970s, we would be dining on cheese souffles, proscuitto and melon, and stir frys. She had an incredible repertoire of desserts, and loved all the old favourites like lemon meringue pie, apple pie, and bread and butter pudding.  The family favourite was shortcut dobos torte, which was the topic of my very first post on this blog. She also loved to bake, and our lunchboxes were always filled with cupcakes, fairy cakes, rock cakes, fruit and nut biscuits, and slices.  She inspired my love of baking, and I still use her recipes to this day.

Mum was also an expert knitter, and her winter evenings were spent making jumpers, mainly for my Dad who refused to wear anything else. She had learnt to knit as a child, and gave much of her early work to the Red Cross to send overseas during WWII.  I didn't inherit the knitting gene, but Mum and I bonded over a love of handmade things. We used to go to all the craft fairs, we'd ooh and aaah over antique lace and fabric in museums, and we both loved a handmade card.  Mum also loved flowers, and I think would have liked to have been a florist.  She had an amazing eye for balance and perspective and could whip any bunch of flowers into an interesting arrangement.

Mum always supported my craft and cooking endeavours, and kept most of the things I made her over the years. There were times when this disease got the better of her, but she was always interested in what I was doing and delighted when I made her something.  A few years ago, I did a sour dough bread making class and I popped into see Mum and Dad afterwards so they could taste the results. Mum wasn't feeling well that day and was lying down. However, she summoned my Dad into the bedroom and told him to say something nice about what I'd made. Even in these challenging moments, she was always thinking of others. Her selflessness and resilience over the years was truly inspirational.

Mum died on 20 September 2013 after a 14 year battle with Parkinson's Disease. She got a chest infection which turned into pneumonia, and her little body wasn't able to fight it off. Mercifully, it was quick - just a few days in hospital.  While I am devastated to lose her and am finding it difficult to imagine a life without her, I am relieved that this terrible disease cannot harm her any more and she is now at peace.

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