Hampton Court Village - Sunday 8th Oct 2017

After almost 12 hours’ sleep (did I really do that!?) I am ready for a new day. We enjoy a moochy morning, chatting and relaxing. The sky is blue and it’s a beautiful day. 
Jill whips up the ultimate English cooked breakfast with a twist; it includes delicious farl flatbread and a devilishly good tomato onion chilli medley. 
After a leisurely morning we drive to the care home where Jill’s mum now resides. It is ten years since I last saw Marion - we spent a pleasant afternoon together in Noosa when Jill and Peter got married, shopping and pottering about, and I am pleased to be able to spend time with her now. She looks well and although she has dementia I think she has a small inkling of who I am and where I fit into the picture (I met Jill when I was 17). The staff at the care home seem very friendly and the place has a nice feel to it. Marion has a cat called Blackie who wanders about as if she owns the place. The residents enjoy the feline company. 

We go to Hampton Court Village for afternoon tea at a cafe with an eclectic contemporary vibe, colourful walls, rustic furniture and fresh produce for sale. Coffee and a large slice of chocolate Guinness cake go down a treat. 
The main street of the village is full of pubs, eateries and antique shops containing all manner of treasures. We poke around a few and it’s all a feast for the eyes and the memory. This is a lovely area that retains that peaceful olde world look and feel, whilst Kingston surges ahead with large apartment blocks being built and development happening everywhere.
Jill, Marion, Peter in Hampton Village cafe

We drop Marion back and return home for a G&T before heading out to a favourite local Asian fusion restaurant called Yimchai. I order a prawn curry and it’s sensational, as is the Aussie red. We eat and chat and drink and chat and while the night away. A wee nightcap back at home completes a most relaxed day. 
I’ve only been back a short time, but I am most definitely fully back in London mode. 

OBSERVATION OF THE DAY:
Whilst in NZ most care home staff are Filipino or Pacific Island, here they hail mainly from Eastern Europe and Africa. Otherwise the formula is pretty much the same the world over, with varying degrees of quality ... old people sitting in comfy chairs or tootling about on walkers; activities for the aged to keep minds occupied and limbs working; staff in crisp uniforms dressing worn out bodies and disposing of incontinence pads; and a dining room for folk who can no longer take on the challenge of cooking. These things await us all if we grow old enough.

Marion’s care home serves excellent food I’m told, which possibly makes it stand out!

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