A letter to Dad

Dear Dad Conversations with you were always difficult. Being so much older than us was a part of it. I've tried hard not to carry on this trait with my kids - the gap in years between you and me is the same as it is between me and my girls. But mostly you weren't …

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Birthday Girl

It was Mum's 76th birthday on Wednesday. We had meant to go over and see her but the weather has been hostile just lately. The news has focussed mostly on Scotland and the East coast where the brunt of the cold weather hit. We got off lightly but it was still foul here. Temperatures dropped …

The Beast from the East?

The media in England have overreacted to a recent spell of snowy weather and cold. This time, an arctic system has bobbed south and sucked cold air in from the continent. They call it "The Beast from the East". You can hear me sighing, can't you? My youngest wondered briefly if school would be closed …

Less of the same

Plan A was to leave off bringing Mum over for Sunday afternoon. The disturbance she caused when she got back last time was too much to truck on a weekly basis. However, after a reassuring call from the Home, we brought her over again. She's had a good week, talks everyone silly and was even …

Dementia Update

It's been a weird few weeks. I was ill with the flu - the real type with pain and weakness, not the Man Flu. I went back to work too soon and paid the price, having to stay off some more. Then I hurt my back and this was further aggravated by my coughing - …

A long goodbye

It's Sunday so I went to get Mum from the care home. We've missed a couple to allow her to settle. She was ready to go but fast asleep with her fellow residents. I woke her gently and am sure the look on her face was not for me: just a distance in her eyes. …

Another battle won

Why do people have to be so bloody arsey? Mum went into a care home two weeks ago and we've cleared the house. Well Gill has cleared it. Works like a Trojan she does. So having got rid of twenty years of tat we obviously want to hand the house back. I phoned her landlord, …