Sailing On . . .

. . . but not quite yet. Mum is still with us, now mid-afternoon, here in Largs. We are told her ‘sailing on’ could happen at any moment, that it’s completely unpredictable. We are a little sleepy after sitting up with Mum all through the night, one of us sometimes dozing in the armchair but the other always handholding from the straight back chair.

The lighting was low and the music, including Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Debussy’s Clair de Lune and many others of a similar tone, suffused the space so that it did not feel like a wait but rather a time of reflection and thanksgiving.

Today, our musical selection has consisted, so far, of popular Scottish standards, many name-calling places where Mum used to hike and youth hostel, sung by a variety of artists with our fellow Paisley Buddy, Kenneth McKellar, to the fore. Whether Mum can hear any of it is another matter.

Thank you so much for all the supportive and loving messages yesterday.

Tonight will come as it comes . . .