Wolves miniature painting

I'm slowly trying to get back to full work capacity... For those who had wondered where I was all this time: We had a family crisis to deal with, which derailed me for months, still ongoing...  

This is the first art I created SINCE APRIL. I painted this miniature mainly in hospital, in the hospital's Costa Café, whenever I had a few minutes break from my watch or when mum got treatments and the doctors wanted me to be out of the room. It's done in acrylic and has the size of a credit card. 

We had moved house to the wonderful countryside in Devon back in April - which was, quite frankly, stressful enough - had just settled in, when after only a couple of weeks we received a phone call from my father in law: mum had been rushed to hospital! She was always a very healthy and active person, so it came to a complete shock to us. At that point, we simply thought she would be out of there after a few nights of observation. How completely wrong we were... they diagnosed her with cancer!!

Months and months of treatment followed, with us taking it in turns to be day and night with her. We moved BACK to where we lived before, we needed to be closer and look after our father in law, too, who isn't in best of health and needs caring.

Mum in laws health didn't improve, regardless all the care they gave her, and she was moved to a hospice, where endless seeming weeks followed, waiting for her passing. By that point she was merely skin and bones, she couldn't eat, barely speak or see any more, but her gestures suggested that she was still sharp and clear in her head and until last minute hadn't lost her humour and spirit at all. I was with her the night she died and let me tell you, it is not the 'peaceful falling asleep' they try to sell... It was traumatic. 

So, we are now looking after our father in law, who has simply decided to give up in his grief (they knew each other since they were 2 years old, went to school together, they had never been apart) which is a full time job in it's own and very straining. Especially mentally. Absolute hats off to all caring personal, nurses and doctors, I really don't know how you cope with this all the time. If you are any of those: You are amazing, and make such a difference, to the patients AND relatives.