The Lizzie Diaries

I was recently doing some research on promoting my novel when an idea came to me that I thought would be quite fun.  I'd had a few people ask if there was ever going to be a sequel to my book - It Started With A House, and the thought had crossed my mind.  But in the mean time I thought it would be fun to create The Lizzie Diaries.  If you've read the book and liked the characters you can catch up with them daily,  here on my post.  I hope you enjoy reading about Lizzie as much as I enjoy writing her story.

Lizzie's diary - 11^th June 2013

Recently Grandma Mabel had a fall.  Now I must tell you that she’s ok, but Mum decided maybe it was time that Grandma should go into a nursing home.  I will admit that when I first heard about this plan I was scared and sad but then Mum convinced me that I should accompany them on their tour of the local nursing home and see for myself what a wonderful time Grandma would have living there. So this morning I kissed Riley goodbye (okay, it was slightly more than a kiss but you get my point, right?), jumped in my Mini and headed over to Mum’s.  I must say it appeared that Grandma Mabel didn’t share Mum’s enthusiasm for this tour as when I walked into the kitchen the look on her face was anything but happy, but there she was dressed in her Sunday best complete with her purple patent handbag (she only brought that out for special occasions so obviously Mum had warned her to be on her best behaviour). I felt a slight crack in my heart as we all got into Mum’s car and headed to the Allora Lodge Nursing Facility.  I’d been there once before so I had an idea of what to expect and I wasn’t disappointed.  Walking in we found the same room of Bingo players as last time that I was here.  Today our tour guide was a lovely lady by the name of Jessica who was obviously very well trained in making this place sound attractive because by the time our tour was over even I was ready to pack up and move in.  The idea of three meals a day cooked and delivered to your door, along with a fridge full of chocolate and the promise of a glass of wine every evening made this place a lot more appealing than the bingo tournament held in the dining room every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  Even though, I did notice Grandma smile when that piece of information was announced.  Well anyway, all went well with our visit and I did see Mum’s smile get bigger the more we looked around.  That was until we lost Grandma Mabel.  I mean this place was full of nursing staff and attendants, how could we lose her!  Mum of course blamed me.  Apparently it had been my job to keep an eye on Grandma but hey, I don’t remember getting that memo. The lovely Jessica assured us that she couldn’t have gone too far and suggested that Mum maybe visit the nurses station for some oxygen whilst she engaged the help of a lovely gentleman to help our search.  Of course we found Grandma eventually.  Our first thought was that she was probably playing bingo, as this was her second favourite pastime.  I was the one who remembered what Grandma’s absolute favourite pastime was but Jessica was a bit bewildered when I asked her if there were any attractive elderly gentlemen who were residents here.  It was the lucky (or more likely the unlucky) Benjamin Browning who was the recipient of Grandma’s favour today but I reckon I saw the sparkle in his eye as Grandma showed him her scars from her knee replacement.  Mum decided after this that maybe Grandma wasn’t ready for the nursing home just yet and suggested a quick stop for a pub lunch on the way home.  I’m almost sure that this stop was for the food.