And so the year ends...

Tonight we are going out as a family with friends and neighbours for a meal and a dance (disco style) at a local Chinese restaurant. Both the boys will have their girlfriends with them, but, our friend Dave won’t have company after his latest lady friend did a runner and headed off home while he was playing badminton yesterday afternoon. She was weird - which seems to sum up all of Dave’s ladies but hopefully he’ll learn from this episode and stick with less complicated examples of the female race. That aside, we have taxis booked to take us down town so we can all drink as we like. The restaurant is the May Sum in Babbington Lane, Derby which is that rare place – one that the whole family likes, and is recommended if you are in the area and like buffet style, serve yourself food with lots of options and the chance to go round the hot plates as many times as you like.

Fred (he lives 2 doors down the close) has spent today trying to clean out the inside of his car after his dog was sick in the back of it. That dog is greedy and so fat! Perhaps Fred will stop over-feeding it now. Boy did that car stink.

Earlier today Andy got a call from Mum as Sue was on the phone learning all about Dave’s runaway lady. Dad had slipped down out of his chair so the two boys went down and pulled him back up into it. He sleeps a lot, but, thankfully that allows Mum some rest from his otherwise constant demands. She has to feed him and hold cups so that he can drink, in fact, he now is totally reliant on her and the carers that visit twice daily for everything.

On a happier note, with the Christmas card that we got from Jo & Richard there was a short epistle summarising their year, how the girls are getting on, Richard and his business(es), family and so on. Seems like some things never change (family relationships) while others develop and move on. The two girls appear to be doing well with their studies (a good thing) but appear to be into horses (hmmm…) and acting as free stable girls to Richard’s sister Christine (so she’s not changed then!). As ever we wish them well and hope that just perhaps, we can get to see them sometime soon in the future as I now struggle to remember the last time we saw them.

Total curve ball here – I got my car insurance renewal through which I thought a bit steep at £460. A bit of shopping around on the internet (using MoneySupermarket.com ) and a few phone calls on 0800 numbers and I moved to another insurer getting better cover and protected NCD all for £313. That’s better!

Christmas through to New Year has been a family affair. Boys in, boys out, boys and girls in, boys and girls out and various combinations including family and friends. In between I’ve found time to keep up-to-date with the chores, ferry folks about in Dad’s Taxi and re-decorate the master bathroom which was in a bit of a state with peeling wallpaper and general shabbiness. Just need to put a blind up, touch up some silicon sealant round the hand basin and behind the bath taps and the jobs done. Probably do those little jobs next weekend – I like having something to look forward to!

I found the time to ring Don & Liz in Colchester the other night and had a good old chat with the man. He's not been in the best of health through this year and has appointments with his GP for some tests to hopefully get to the bottom of his troubles early in 2008.

Sue got a phone call from Graham's wife to say that he had been taken into hospital (the DRI) on Christmas Day as he couldn't breath and he's been diagnosed with pneumonia. The ultra sound scan showed that it has got a hold of most of his upper torso and he will be off work for 8 – 10 weeks. Get well soon Graham is our message. It’s a shame you can’t go on that holiday in January but there will (hopefully) be another day and time for that. Health has to come first.

I haven’t bothered to do anything about the failed headlight on my car, other than decide that it’s time to change it for something cheaper to run. Top candidate at the moment is a Vauxhall Astra as I quite fancy the 150bhp diesel version – just need to decide on 3 or 5 door. I’ll probably go for the 5 door as it’s more practical and one of the things I hate about the Mercedes is the enormous doors that come with having a 3 door. I also like compact and the 3 door coupe version is longer than the 5 door hatchback. Still, no need to rush so I’ll give myself a month to find one I like – February is a quiet month in the motor trade so there should be some opportunity for haggling a better deal.

Anyway - time to get shaved, showered and dressed up in the glad rags for tonight's little effort. Happy New Year to one and all.

December 25th

If like us you are of the Christian persuasion then I hope that you had a Merry Christmas, and if you are not, then I wish you whatever it is that you wish on yourselves (so long as there is no violence involved).

Our day is drawing to a close, and it has been a good Christmas. Dad was better than we could have hope for based on the previous week, they both slept well Christmas Eve so Mum wasn’t too tired. Suzie & Mark went down in the morning for about 40 minutes, then Andy & I went down for slightly longer in the afternoon. Dad stayed awake for the duration of both visits and joined in the conversation. Phil & Joyce came to ours for Christmas dinner and stayed for tea. Presents were exchanged and opened, and both of the boys’ girlfriends are here now (probably for the night). Tomorrow is another busy day with a small crowd due here for the day. More fun and games and karaoke singing (one of Mark’s presents).

I’m off to join in with the others and I’ll add more news over the next few days. Peace & goodwill to everyone on this all too small planet that we call Earth & Home!

The week before Christmas

What a week.

Saturday Dad went into hospital - I've covered that already. Sunday afternoon I took Mum in to see him for afternoon visiting hours, and he was looking a lot better. Wednesday Mum went to visit him in the afternoon and while she was there the medical staff said that they would be sending him home the next day. Good for Mum she stood her ground and said that if they did they'd be leaving him on the door step as she would be out all day and there was no time to get carer arrangements made.

Thursday was Gran's cremation in Norwich. We picked Mum up, leaving at 8:00 and I drove all the way, both down and back. It was a nice little ceremony, with the 3 sisters there, Mum, Sue with Godfrey and Do with Allan. Angie and John made it from Colchester, then there was Godfrey's Mum, his older brother Clive with his wife Jackie and Do's newly wed son Jason with Claire his wife. And me and Suzie. Do had booked a wake at a nearby hotel and everything went off just fine.

Friday was last day at work, busy trying to get everything entered into all the relevant systems ready for the Christmas shut-down. At 10:00 Mum got a call from the hospital saying that they were sending Dad home. He turned up in an ambulance, on a stretcher, which the paramedics couldn't get through the front door, so they made Mum move all the furniture so that they could take him in through the conservatory and through the bungalow. Then they refused to operate the winch or hoist so Mum had to get him off the stretcher and into his chair - and it's this sort of thing that makes me so mad (she's 71 years old!).

Saturday was chores day - washing, tumbling & ironing. Sue and Mark did the shopping at ASDA. We all did our various bits of running around, which continued into Sunday. John came up to stay with Dad so Mum could go to the carol service at the local church - but in the end she was so tired that she called off. That's currently my biggest concern - not that Dad might pass away (that would be a blessed relief after all these years with MS) but that Mum is getting so worn out that she may precede him. She deserves a life!

Spoke to sister Christine in USA a couple of times over the weekend - she's thinking of coming over to see Mum & Dad for a few days. Right now I'm not sure that would be a good idea because he could either improve and she'd be left with a memory of how bad he is right now, or, he could continue to deteriorate as fast (or faster) than he is now and she'd have to decide whether to come back again for the final farewell.

Monday - I went down both this morning first thing (to see John before he left for home) and again this afternoon. This morning the carers were there getting dad out of bed and into his chair. He looked tired even though he’d just got up.

This afternoon he was still asleep following lunch. John walked Sheba this morning and I walked her this afternoon. The whole time I was out with her Mum said that Dad had slept and that she had had a chance to get 40 winks also. She looks drawn and he doesn’t look good at all – in John’s words, he’s gone down hill over the time John was here (Saturday 13:30 to Monday 9:00) so we’ll just have to wait and see. It may be the drugs he’s on (some powerful anti-depressants) which mum is going to reduce the dosage to him to see if that improves things. Either way Dad looks and sounds like he's given up the fight. He's even talking about "the other side" and much of the time he's not aware of what he's saying - like last night he woke Mum up in the middle of the night shouting at her to "get this food off my chest". Of course there wasn't any. Oh dear... I have a feeling 2008 may start off kind of rough.

Any way - to one and all I say Merry Christmas! – make the most of it and speak to you all sometime soon.

Proud parents 2

Yesterday was a busy day, a really busy day - topped off by a visit to Mark's old college for a presentation evening where the students from his year received their certificates for their exam passes - mostly A level GCE exams. Envelopes were presented to the students by the High Sheriff of Derbyshire and each student got to have a photograph taken with him. Mark's envelope contained a "final demand" for the return of some books from the library and a note to say he'd get his certificate when he'd handed them in - which he had done earlier in the evening. Some good music played by current students of the college for entertainment, the usual rather dry speaches by the Chairman of the College board of govenors (he's also the local Coroner) and the College Principal. Oh, the usual stuff and nonsense. It was good to see some of his old football and class mates and get an update on their progress, and to see some of the parents too - it's surprising just how quickly you loose touch with each other.

Changing the subject completely -- Mum visited Dad in the City hospital during the afternoon and reports that he's making very good recovery. They started repeating the treatment that he received last time on the assumption that the two cases were linked, which means that they avoided a 2 day delay that he suffered last time. Some blood samples have shown traces of "bugs" so they are now trying to determine what those "bugs" are. Then they will put him on a 5 day treatment before he's allowed home. That means he will be in at least until the weekend. Mum is making the most of the rest. Hopefully I'll get up to the hospital to see him tonight.

But a better Sunday

Mother came to dinner and enjoyed her Sunday roast. Chris rang from America between the main and desert courses, so a well timed chat. After clearing the table and doing the pots I took mother up to the City Hospital to see Dad. He is much better, much improved on yesterday. Comparing this event to the last one I'd suggest that he is today, 24 hours after admission, where he was last time after 3 days on the ward. Mentally he seems to have lost a day, but, that is being put down to the affects of the morphine they administered to get him out of his chair and the house and into the ambulance.

Mother & I stayed with him from 14:00 - 16:00 (the whole of afternoon visiting time) apart from when I wandered off to the local store to get him a box of tissues that he asked for. Both of them are more relaxed about it because Dad has been told that they are treating him for exactly the same condition that they treated him for last time. He has a room to himself which is considerably bigger than the one he had for his last visit. Only thing he doen't have is a radio or tv that works - there is one in the room but it's bust. They are sending a person round tomorrow to replace it, but, as he mostly sleeps he's in no rush. A good sign is that he stayed awake for the whole of our visit, something he has not achieved over the last few months while he's been at home.

So yes, a really crap Saturday, but, a much better Sunday!

I kid you not.

Friday 14/12/2007 - I drove to work and my headlights were fine. On the way home I stopped to collect Mark and all his accumulated junk as he's finished the first semester at Uni and over the break they wanted the students rooms. So all his stuff into the back of hatchback. I noticed that the n/s/f headlight was on but pointing at the ground 10 feet in front of the car and not up the road as it should. A quick poke around and decided to phone my local franchise dealer to see if they could fit me in on Saturday morning. Success.

Today - Saturday. Up bright and early to drop car off as they were going to "fit it in" to their busy morning schedule. Went back at 13:00 to collect. "Sorry Mr Cooper, it needs a new headlight and we've not got one in stock, but, I can get you one in for Wednesday"

OK! Now I really do need a car for Thursday for a trip to Norwich - can you get me a price for the job?

So off he goes and comes back nearly 10 minutes later....

"That'll be £852 + VAT for the headlight, including today and then fitting the total will be £1187.00". I've paid less than that for a f**k**g car!

The car is.... a Mercedes C220 CDi Sport Coupe (their equivalent to the BMW Compact / VW Golf) and the problem is that it has Xenon headlights.

The really anoying bit about it is that the headlight works on both dip and main beam, but Xenon headlights "dip" down and pop back up when switch on (I'm told its something do with pre-heating them) - and the n/s/f is stuck in the dipped down position - hence lighting the road for all of 10 feet.

Think I'll sell the car, trade it in for an Astra diesel, coz I ain't paying that sort of money on a headlight. No way Jose!

Not a good Saturday

First the problems with the cost of sorting out the headlight on the car.

Next, Dad. He had his usual visit from the carers to get him out of bed. The the nurse called round to change his catheter. About 20 minutes after she'd gone mum noticed that it was collecting blood not urine. She puts in a call to the "Out of Hours" medical service, who say that they'll get the district nurse to call. When she doesn't show mum phones 999 for paramedic assistance. The paramedics get there about the same time I do with Andy. They check all his life sings, make a call and determine that the nurse is on her way. Nurse eventually turns up only to say he has to go into hospital, by now he is starting to deteriorate. Another 999 call and an ambulance and crew from Ilkeston turns up. Not much good as their ambulance has seats only, no stretchers. They can't give morphine, so the first crew are summonded back. All through this Dad's life signs are being monitored and his temperature is rising rapidly, his breathing is rapid and short and he's starting to shake uncontrolably.

....anyway the short of it is that after 4.5 hours of messing about he ended up in the Medical Assessment ward at the City Hospital, just one room away from where he was earlier in the year. I'm taking mother up to see him between 14:00 - 16:00 Sunday. See the thread above called "But a better Sunday".

News from Adelaide, Australia 2

Things here have settled down after the problems the other weekend. We are having a hot and sunny start to the year which is good because Matt has a pool party on Saturday. The Silly Season has started and Mick and I have both had our Firms' dos, I went to the Beach House which is a seaside arcade and we all had one hour total access and then upstairs to the function room for a fantastic three course meal and all the bubbles you could want. I played it safe this year, had a great time for about four hours and got Mick to pick me up and whisk me away. The good thing was that I woke up the next morning at 6.30 am as usual and felt fine. Listening to some of the stories about what went on later at the pub I think I made the right decision, although I am a little jealous.

This Friday is Matt's graduation from junior school and his class is going to the local tavern for tea then the graduation in the school hall. It should be fun although everyone has to make a speech, 120 speeches might be a bit much but never mind. The kids are then having a disco after and that is it until 4/2/08 when he starts high school.

Ross is now all set to go to college although the $600 in fees and $300 in uniform plus steel caps is a bit rich, oh well, if he gets a good job he will be able to afford a better home for me!

I was down the emergency room again yesterday. I had a call from Matt's school to say he was messing around with his friend and ended up going backwards through a window - only Matt!. He was very, very lucky and the only real damage was a gash on his hand (an inch lower and it would have been his wrist). When I picked him up he felt there was still glass in his hand so I took him down to the hospital because it might have needed stitches. We were in and out in 30 minutes (they have a fast track for children under 16), all cleaned and stuck down with strips so no stitches which I saw as a good result. He has been told that if we have to pay for the window it comes out of his account - a good way to get the message across.

I can't wait for the Christmas break, I intend to spend most of it in the hammock reading in the garden and planning a trip to Queensland in June.

Last of that generation 2

Gran H will be cremated at Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich on Thursday 20th December at 13:30.

Last of that generation

At 10pm on Saturday I got a phone call from Mum to say that her mother had been admitted into hospital with what appeared to be complications with her diabetes. Just after 6pm tonight I got another call to say that Gran had passed away early today - the cause of death being attributed to a perforated bowel. No details on when (or what) the final ceremony will be but at this stage I am assuming that it will be a cremation and that it will take place before Christmas.

Hilda Harrison was 93 years old on the 26th of October, almost matching our other grandmother, Margaret Cooper, who died some years ago just days before her 96th birthday. God bless them both.

How to make the weekly shop fun.

Like many families we do a weekly shop, a trip to the local supermarket which in our case is ASDA Walmart. Because Mark needs some bits to get through the week at university he’s recently taken up going with his mother leaving me to do jobs about the house. Two weeks ago they come back, Mark had paid the full bill because his mother had forgotten to take her purse. The following week she remembered her purse but couldn’t get the combination of debit card and PIN number correct, so Mark ended up paying again. This week, hurrah! Card and PIN number combination correct first time so no money transfer into Mark’s bank account on their return. In the meantime everybody is having a good laugh at Suzie’s expense.

Part of the weekly shop is getting those bits and pieces that Mum needs for the coming week but are too heavy for her to get when she shops – like big bags of dog food. Of course that means a quick visit to deliver the goods and check up that they are OK. Popped in Saturday and Mum was fine and Dad as good as can be expected. Sunday afternoon I take Mark down so that he can walk the dog while I spend some time with Mum & Dad. Mum’s shattered (which is why she asked if someone could walk the dog) and the cause… repeatedly using the hoist to get dad on and off the commode. Not because he needs to use it but because he hasn’t “been” for a couple of days and feels he ought to. And the other granddad is worse – we get full chapter and verse on his trips to the loo. How sad is it that people get to a stage in their life when a trip to the loo is the highlight of their day.

As I was feeling a bit better last Tuesday night, and the group were a player short, I volunteered to play – big mistake. When we got back my (busted) ribs hurt so much that I got no sleep at all. This weekend I managed to avoid playing badminton and as a result this morning it’s feeling much less painful. I still can’t sleep on my right-hand side, but, at least I can sleep.

Andy is at BMW college this week, Mark has his last week at University for the year and for Suzie & I it’s work as usual. Christmas parties are starting to kick in with Suzie having her first on Wednesday at lunchtime and I have one Thursday evening – both are meals with work colleagues. I’ll be driving so that’ll keep my bar bill down. Merry Christmas everyone!

Helicopter Heros

BBC1 – 7:30pm Monday – Helicopter Heros
A half hour program hosted by Richard “Hamster” Hammond on the job of the flying paramedics in response to them saving his life when he crashed a jet powered car (highly publicised by the press at the time) and from which he made a full recovery.

I missed the first few minutes and my first impressions were that this was going to be all about the helicopter paramedics attending motorbike crashes and having a general go at bikers with a downer on biking. Fortunately I was to be proved wrong. Yes, there was a badly mangled motorbike and rider and the scene was the Snake Pass near Glossop, but, other accidents involved a hiker on the Derbyshire Peaks and a car that left the road, impacted a tree so hard it cut it in half and then passed between 2 more trees before finally coming to rest on it’s side minus a wheel and with every single panel smashed.

The biker was successfully recovered to hospital but later died from the internal injuries sustained. The hiker had a broken leg (just above the ankle) and a head wound to the forehead. The person found in the car claimed he’d not been driving so a fruitless search was undertaken to find a non-existent “driver” – and at that point they stopped coverage of that incident (obviously the badly busted up occupant was trying to hide something other than the fact he’d written off a brand new car!

All in all it was a fairly balanced approach to the subject, with equal coverage to the accident types as far as they were able. No “get the biker” attitude (Hamster is pro-motorbikes and owns/rides a Ducati) which was a pleasant change in this country today where H&S seems to dominate the “Nanny State” culture we live in. Hopefully the rest of the series will continue in the same balanced manner and if it does I’ll be a regular viewer.

Long Way Down & The Ride

Sunday evening was a good evening for motorcycle related viewing.

National Geographic - 6pm Sunday - The Ride
2 Half hour programs on Kevin & Julia Sanders and one of their GlobeBuster rides from Alaska to the tip of S. America.

After getting into the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by 2 people on 1 motorbike, and then following that with the fastest 2 up ride from Alaska to the tip of S. America this husband and wife team decided to set themselves up to run professional, escorted, motorbike tours – see their website GlobeBusters.com

These were the first 2 half hour programs in a series following one of their first escorted tours from Alaska to the tip of S. America. A trip that would see them taking roughly a dozen riders of differing skill levels on this trip that would last 5 months. It started with a bit of pre-event planning and a get-together, then the crating up of the bikes, their arrival in America, meeting up with a local called Dave who was to ride with them for the first part of the trip but soon fell off and badly busted his leg so couldn’t continue.

These first 2 programs showed the group coming together with some male bonding in the form of skinny dipping in near frozen waters in Alaska. Then one of the group (Dom) busting the gearbox on his BMW R1200GS with constant wheelie popping and having to ride 1000kms to get it fixed, only to then get the first speeding ticket only narrowly avoiding an automatic few days in jail.

So at the end of the first hour they are crossing from the USA into Mexico after riding down through some fabulous mountain scenery by way of British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona -- 1 month’s riding gone and 4 to go!


BBC2 - 9pm Sunday - Long Way down
The final 1 hour program on the exploits of Charlie Boreman & Ewan McGregor covering the final part of the journey from John O'Groats to the tip of S. Africa.

I found the Long Way Round series intriguing from the start as they set out to get sponsorship, undertook training, called in experts and met with other overlanders to get their views and learn from their experiences. The trip across Europe is one that many people will hope to, and should be capable of, undertaking at some time in their lives. Going through into and across Russia, Mongolia, China posed problems and risks that many will not be prepared to expose themselves to. Then riding across the USA – relatively speaking is childs play, but, it was all interesting and each aspect was covered in what I’d term appropriate depth.

But Long Way Down has been different. Very little on the preparations and planning, with only the difficulties in getting visas for the Americans getting any real coverage. Riding across Europe and crossing onto the African continent was condensed right down to a few minutes, presumably because the editorial team felt that they’d been there, done that. Watching the crossing of North Africa to Egypt and them getting down to the ferry left me feeling as if they were only showing it in order to prove that the guys actually did ride that bit. Only once they got off the ferry at the southern end did the series get anywhere near to the quality of Long Way Round.

And then tonight, the final leg to the tip of S. Africa with Evie’s pathetic attempts to ride a bike, to be with the guys (Ewan) and to get in on the act. How many times did she fall off? Probably 100 times more than they showed us on the programme. She had supposedly had extra training since we’d last seen her fall off in the UK in the first episode – being kind, the best I can say is that it didn’t show. Then there’s Charlie, and in a way I feel sorry for him what with Evie elbowing her way into a ride-out for the boys, but wouldn’t it have been so much more apt if Charlie had fallen off pulling those stupid wheelies rather than put Claudio in the position where he was the one that had the crash.

Then the finale – the scene at the end where they are met and then followed by the crowd of bikers that had gathered to greet and ride with them. Is there any biker who wouldn’t want to be there? I know I would have!

A pleasant Saturday

Alarm clock was set for 8:30 but I didn't finally raise myself out of bed until 9:10 just as Andy set off to take Ema home on his way to work. I went down and made the usual 2 mugs of tea and took one up to Sue - which I later found untouched where I'd left it as she'd just rolled over and gone back to sleep.

When she did finally get up she and Mark went off to do the usual weekly shop in ASDA. Last week Mark had paid because Sue had left her purse and all her cards at home on the coffee table. This week she took them but got her cards confused and couldn't get the right card for the right PIN number - so Mark had to step in again. By the time they had got back home I'd done all the ironing (made easier by the fact that I'd had Friday off work and done most of the washing and ironing then, as well as some odd-jobs around the house).

After a snack lunchtime meal with the boys, Sue & I head off to East Midlands Discount Designer Outlet (it used to be called McArther Glen - so much nicer I think) to see if we could get Sue a leather jacket she wants for Christmas. No joy on that front as there was no leather wear to be seen, but, it was a nice enough trip to and from the mall which will have earnt me some Brownie Points with Sue as I didn't moan once.

On the way back we called in on Mum & Dad expecting to see John there, but, he was out walking the dog. We spent 20 minutes or so with them and were just about to leave when John returned with Sheba, so we just had to stay and make a fuss of the dog. John was invited up to ours for the evening - give him a break from Mum & Dad, and them one from him! We went home, Sue cooked dinner and the four of us enjoyed a home made lasagne. John turned up as invited and for a start we sat and watched a bit of X-Factor, but when I suggested to John that he and I retire to the den upstairs he was quick to comment that 15 days in 40 degree heat was a light sentence for slandering Mohamad compared to watching just part of an episdoe of X-Factor. He has a keen sense of humour, my brother.

One reason for heading to the den was that I wanted to bid on a Karcher pressure washer to replace our old one that died last weekend. I'd bid on one earlier in the day and had lost out. Not this time, but although I left it late to bid (<50 seconds left to run) there was an even later bid made with only 12 seconds to go. This was by the bidder who had beaten me earlier in the day, only this time he hadn't correctly figured my maximum bid so I now await delivery sometime in the week. Can't come too soon, my car is filthy and needs a good wash. John says he'd not watched an eBay auction so he learnt a few tips and left ours around 21:00 to go back to Mum & Dad's for the night. Hopefully we'll see him again tomorrow before he heads back down to Colchester.

Parents, who'd have them? part 2.

Went down to see them again last night. Mother had had a respite day and carer Jane had sat in with Dad. Apparently he slept most of the morning and then dozed off again a couple of times in the afternoon. Mum said it was just as well he'd slept that much because (in her words) he'd "looked at death's door".

When I asked why they hadn't rang me to let me know of the recent problems mother just said "well you could ring us!" Yes, I could, but my point is that they are ringing Andy to get him to walk the dog, so why not ring me. And I don't know when it is a "good" time to ring, or not, as the case may be.

Later when at home I asked Andy his view and he wasn't aware that Mum & Dad hadn't rung me, he assumed I knew what was going on so will now let me know whenever he gets a call from Mum & Dad. Personally I don't think it's fair that the grandparents are putting pressure on their grandsons to tend to them, so I'm glad Mark is away at University through the week otherwise I can see the grandparents interfering with his required study time.

Anyway, they both looked fine last night although Dad was quiet and Mum looked tired (but not spent out, as she's sometimes looked). I waited until the carers arrived to see how Dad was when they lifted him out of the chair in the hoist. He looked so frail, no strength in his legs so when he "stands" he's far from upright. To be frank - it doesn't look good.

Parents, who'd have them?

Yesterday I learnt that Friday night mother was up most of the night because Dad had problems with his catheter and they’d had the medics out twice in the night to sort it out. They didn’t mention it to me when I was down there Sunday morning, but, in the afternoon they rang Andy and asked if he could walk the dog because mum was too tired.

Tuesday night Andy went to tea with his grandparents as usual, only to be told that Dad had fallen out of the hoist that Mum uses to move him. This happened sometime Monday. Apparently his legs gave way but he ended up on the floor and had to remain there until the Paramedics called and got him back up into his chair which took over an hour. Later that night he again had problems with his catheter and the medics were again called.

I really don’t know why they won’t tell me about these occurrences and leave it for me to find out via the in-laws or the boys – that’s what’s really starting to piss me off! I'll have to talk it through with John when he's up at the weekend.

A day at The Bike Show - Monday 26th

The morning started with me dropping Mark back at University. The weather wasn't anything special and I was in two minds whether to go home and get the bike out or whether to go straight to the show. Finally I decided that the traffic would be too bad to endure in the car so went home and got the Deauville out, made sure it started on the button then packed and dressed for the trip. This all meant that I was running about 20 minutes behind my (mental) schedule.

Had a good run down, got parked up and changed. Indoor parking for free (cars are outside and it costs £8 for the day) and new security measures plus places to leave your gear should you not have the storage capacity that the Deauville has. Paid my £15 entry fee and went straight to the Honda stand just inside the main door - where I was pounced on by Bob & Mick within minutes. Then Steve turned up with a small group in tow. While on the Honda stand we noticed that they have introduced a new adjustable height screen for the 2008 Deauville - which annoyed Steve as he's just placed an order for a new 2007 one. Enquiries revel that Honda GB have only had the bike for a week so nobody really knows any more than we do but the do know that a motorised version will be available for an extra £300 which we all agree isn't worth the extra, but, we do like the way the screen adjusts so top marks to Honda for listening and responding to the customer feedback.

Steve takes off with hi mates leaving Bob, Mick & I to do our thing. We decide to just wander, and have a great time doing just that. Jumping on and off various machines, taking photos of the promo girls and the motorbikes, checking out the gear on sale. We eventually split up at about 4pm when Bob decides he's going to head back to Middleborough (a good 3 hour trip in the car), Mick says he's a couple of stands he wants to revisit and I've just got to find a new pair of motorcycling boots because Sue is getting them for me for Christmas. I eventually find a stand selling the boots I want and I save £40 on the normal selling price - job done!

So who was (and wasn't) there? Triumph, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Buell & Harley Davidson and Victory all had big stands in the main hall. Benelli and Royal Enfield had smaller, but still impressive, stands at the entrance to the second hall where Carloe Nash (Bike Insurers) had a big stand. Benelli was the only Italian bike manufacturer there so no Apriliias, Ducatis or Guzzies to ogle at. There were two or three Korean manufacturers there displaying bikes and scooters - some of which is getting pretty good and almost up to European standards so if the Italians stay away many more years I can see the Koreans casking in.

David Silver Spares (Honda bits), Infinity & Gear4Bikers (both mainly clothing) PowerBronze & Skidmarkz (bodywork bits) all had biggish stands while JTS was definitely one of the loudest with some guy on a speaker system announcing special sales items and stuff. As well as the boots I bought a rucksack after the zips gave up on the one I was using on the day (very timely).

Worthy of comment - Suzuki had a Burgman 400 scooter on their stand which had a MRA Vario Touring screen fitted (similat to the one on my Deauville) and it looked good too. The Victory Tour is massive, and impressive but has less carrying capacity than a Deauville or maxi-scooter due to the design being one for style over function. Yes it is excessive but personally I loved it. Not sure I'd buy one though assuming I had £15k to spare.

I eventually left for the bike park around 4:30pm and set off for home at 4:50. It was dark but although the traffic on the motorway was intimidating at first I soon settled down and the 50 odd mile trip home took just over an hour and a quarter as I decided to go cross country from Ashby to Derby and have some fun. I had a great day out and it's good to see that the show organisers have stopped the rot and put some effort into the show - I might go again next year!

Still getting about

Friday night I go for my monthly massage with Rona - explaining that I'm a little sore in the right side ribs. She has a prod and a poke... and I hit the ceiling as she finds a very tender point. I tell her that I think she is taking a perverse enjoyment out of my situation, to which she responds by poking me on exactly the same point again and announcing that "it's bust!". Subsequent coughts & sneezes bear this diagnosis out as they hurt like ****.

Sunday morning I manage to get down to check on Mum & Dad. They both appear to be in good cheer and as well as can be expected.

Sunday afternoon I drop Sue off at her parents while I go off to the local auto parts centre. I call in to pick her up on my way back, to find that he's been issued with a 3 wheeled "zimmer" frame, which he wants Andy to make a few adjustments to. Ten minutes later I've made the adjustments and saved Andy a job. Both Phil & Joyce seem in fine fettle so we take our leave.

Sunday, 7:50pm - Fred comes round to say he can't play badminton and asks I stand in for him. Of cousre I've a busted rib and he's had an operation to remove a large lump on his right shoulder blade. We agree to take turns and play 2 games each which we both manage to survive. Mark shows us all up with his abilities with the racket but then he is not yet 19 while Sue is younger than me, Dave & I are both 51 and Fred is 61 (but without an ounce of fat and fitting fit).

Something I don't understand is how come with having played badminton several times over the last few weeks I'm actually putting weight on and not loosing it. I had got down to 15 stone (210 pounds) but I've put 6 lb on over the last 4 weeks.

Had a phone call from John, he's coming up to see Mum & Dad at the weekend. He had an x-ray for a suspected broken wrist on Thursday. The good news is that it isn't bust, but, the bad news is that it is an RSI from crane operating so he'll have to re-think what he does at work.

The NEC Bike Show

There's me all looking forward to going to the Bike Show at the Birmingham NEC and then I get pointed to this link:- Bike Show News
By all accounts it's been revamped and is better than in recent years, but, in all honesty it was going down hill so I'm still going on Monday and still looking forward to it.

That'll teach me

Tuesday I'm at work and I ask one of my colleagues if he wants to go down for lunch? Mike replies that he's off to play badminton so won't have time to do anything other than grab a sarnie on the hoof. Off he goes, but fails to return as he badly pulls his Achillies tendon and gets taken off to hospital. Later that afternoon I ring him on his mobile to find he has been put in a cast and he's told the cast will probably be on for 6 weeks or more. Needless to say I pull his leg about the fact that he could have had a relaxing lunch break.

That evening I play badminton with Sue, Dave and Fred. During one of the games I'm partnering Dave and I end up getting bashed in the ribs. It's sore but I play on. Overnight I get little sleep so first thing I get an appointment with the family doctor. He informs me that badminton is a non-contact sport, that they don't x-ray ribs these days unless they suspect damage to internal organs, and that if the pain goes away before Christmas then the ribs are just bruised but if it lasts into the new year then they are broken.

Like I said.... that'll teach me, what goes around, comes around!

News from Adelaide, Australia

I reveived the following news from Krissie in Adelaide....

We have had a litany of disaster this weekend, but in the end it could have been so much worse that it is almost a blessing and makes us appreciate what we have.

Friday night Mick and I were due at a neighbours for drinks, but when I got home he was in bed with hot and cold shivers and vomiting so, ever the thoughtful wife, I slide off and had a brilliant time (this couple are into old records and I came away with a copy of ELOs greatest hits). Mick was ill the whole weekend and on Sunday night his "good" leg started to swell and become very hot, red and blotchy. To cut a long story short at 2.00pm Monday I took him to emergency where they thought he either had a blood clot or cellulitis (germs getting into the skin). Fortunately it is cellulitis and he is being visited twice a day until Sunday by the district nurse with intravenous antibiotics. So hopefully that is him sorted.

The next disaster was Ross. I took him to the train station to catch the train to meet his girlfriend but he was late (due to an argument with his dad) and the train was pulling away from the platform as he arrived, however, the doors weren't shut (as they are supposed to be) so he made a jump, his back foot got caught between the train and the platform and he went down with the leg outside and his body inside the train. He was very lucky that a man pulled him upright and the train stopped. Ross could have so easily lost his leg instead of having very bad abrasions and having to have it dressed at the medical centre until Thursday.

Then we move onto my second born. Matt was riding around on his bike with his friend, shot between two bushes into the Deli car park just as a car was pulling in. He managed to nearly stop and just caught the passenger side door making two 1" parallel scratches which the owner thinks will cost about $600 to fix. The good news is it will be covered by our house contents insurance, and perhaps he has finally had some road sense knocked into him.

So I am now taking a deep breath, sorting everything out and looking forward to Christmas. This weekend we put up the tree, in Adelaide the decorations go up after the Christmas Pageant when Santa comes to town. Next weekend I will have to get on the roof with Matt for the outside decorations and also the 7' snowman which goes in the garden. Yes, Matt still loves Christmas!

Ross was accepted into the Australian Technical College, huge sigh of relieve all around. For the first 6 months he will be trying all sorts of trades and will then specialise. He seems to think he would like to be a boiler maker and with the new defence contracts in Adelaide there would be a need for them, but I think it could be hard, dangerous work so Mummy is gently pushing towards being an electrician. At the end of two years, if he actually does what he is supposed to do (and I think he will) he will be 1/3 of the way through his chosen apprenticeship and have achieved his Year 12 Certificate which will keep lots of doors open to him if he decides to try something else. It isn't aimed at Uni students but most professions would need it if he applied.

Anyway, that is my news, love to all and I hope you are all looking forward to Crimble too!!!

Shopping

What is it with the female of the species that they actually enjoy shopping? Sue took her Mum to town because she wanted to get herself a jacket. Now normally this would mean treking all the way round all the shops and ending up back where they started, buying the first one they'd seen.

But not this time....

Up onto the rooftop parking of the new Westfield centre. From there down to M & S. She loved the first jacket she saw, tried it on and was done! For good measure they went round the store where Mum-in-Law saw a pair of slacks she liked and also bought. Done and dusted in double quick time and back home before I'd had a chance to realise they were gone.

The first snows of winter

Around 3pm today it started to snow and that continued until about 10pm (by which time we had 2 inches of slushy snow laying around) when it turned to light rain. Hopefully that means the snow will all be gone for the morning.

This weekend has been fairly relaxing. I went and saw Mum & Dad Saturday morning. John rang while I was there. Mum & Dad look OK, sound OK, but they try and hide the truth so I'm never really sure that they are OK.

Both Andy & Mark have been home at different times over the weekend and it was nice to sit down to Sunday lunch together, just the 4 of us. Mark took my place at badminton as I'd played last Tuesday & Sunday (actually winning some games).

News in brief

Sue had a girlie weekend in Dublin with Anne, Carol, Sue P & Wendy. I drove Sue & Anne to EMA and they met Carol there and flew out early hours Friday 9th. Sue P & Wendy flew out later in the day. They all stayed at the same hotel just off O'Connell Street and had a good time, but, Sue says it's very expensive (more so than London, Paris, Barcelona, New York & Prague - all of which we have done recently. They got back late Sunday.

Mark went up to Manchester on his scooter and stayed the weekend with his girlfriend.

Andy had both Friday & Monday (today) off for a long weekend as he had some annual leave to use up.

I spent the weekend fighting off a cold & sore throat (again) but as I managed a weekend of doing virtually nothing I can't complain too much! I'm looking forward to going to the NEC Bike show on Monday 26th November.

I spoke to Christine on Sunday (morning her time, afternoon GMT) and she sounds better after having survived an inspection at work and coming out shining - that's good news sis! I was at Mum & Dad's when she rang - they are both as well as can be expected. I didn't stay long coz I don't want them getting whatever bug it is that I can't shake off.

John sent me an SMS text from his laptop so he's obviously getting the hang of it.

Krissie (in Oz) has sent me some more email humour so hopefully that means that she's OK - will have to ring and find out sometime soon.

On her way to work today....

Sue was on her way to work today when a car (an MPV / Minivan) pulled out of a side street right in front of her. It really shock her up because the driver hadn't seen the motorcyclist Sue was following. Only a young lad, riding properly and safely, but, he didn't stand a chance. The motorbike (a 125cc machine) was completey wrecked, fuel tank split and fuel everywhere. The rider had both legs broken and loads of other injuries. The STUPID woman driver of the MPV got out, ran round and fell over on the spilt fuel.

The local Fire tender on site in 2 minutes, but the ambulance took 22 minutes and that's CRAP when a badly beaten up rider is lying broken up in the road. Sue and another woman driver gave statements to the police saying the rider didn't stand a chance and that the MPV driver should not have pulled out of the side road and that it had pulled out so fast the driver obviously hadn't seen the motorcycle.

And all the time traffic was trying to drive round the accident - buses included! Eventually there were enough police to stop that, but it's a poor reflection on our society that there were no offers of help, just a "carry on regardless" attitude.

Card from the USA

Got home to find something had come in the post from America - it was a card, a musical card, from Christine. I opened it, read it, played it (three times) before handing it to Suzie. Then we had a big hug and imagined Chris was there with us joining in the hug. Physically we were thousands of miles apart, but, in reality she was there with us - thanks Sis! Hope you enjoyed that big hug!

News in brief

Angie now has a job in a sandwich bar. Pay isn’t much good but it’s better than nothing. Her partner also has some more lecturing work so at the moment things are looking a bit better for them.

Sue has been signed-off as fit to return to work full time starting Monday 5th November. She only has to do a 4 day week this week and next as she’s on a girlie weekend trip to Dublin in the early hours of Friday 9th.

Mark’s girlfriend was on “half term” from Manchester Uni last week, so went and stayed with Mark in his Uni digs in Nottingham. They then spent most of the weekend with us.

Andy’s learnt that he’s in line for a loyalty bonus if he stays with his current employer for another 3 years. If the money they have indicated is actually payable then it will be worth his while to stay long enough to collect. His girlfriend went out to an 18th birthday party Saturday night and got blotto. Andy got a phone call from a mutual friend suggesting he collect her, which he did, only to deposit her back home to her mother. Sunday morning she had no recollection of how she came to be home with mum or how she got there.

At the weekend I rang Don & Liz for a chat – it’s good to hear their voices again. Don’s not having much luck with his health at the moment, too many bugs doing the rounds and hanging on in there when he’d rather they found another victim. I’ve just gone back into work this morning after taking Monday & Tuesday off with a cold and sore throat. Still not 100% but fortunately I’m “between assignments” at the moment with not a lot to do.

Things seem to have settled down as far as Mum & Dad are concerned. We help out with bits of shopping and dog walking and John did some jobs for Mum while he was up last week (Thursday & Friday). First I knew he’d been up was when I rang Dad and he said I’d just missed John as he’d set off for home. As I went down with the cold the next day it was probably as well he didn’t pay us a visit.

The trip to Bristol

I left this out of the previous update -- so here goes....

Sue, Andy and I drove ran down to Bristol to pick up the BMW he'd "bought" on eBay. However, it wasn't as described and eventually the vendor agreed to Andy backing out of the deal when we volunteered to pay his eBay costs (estimated at £30). However, when he contacted eBay they nulled off the charges because of the circumstances, so that saved Andy some dosh. He's still looking round for a likely machine but selecting ones nearer to home so that he can view them before bidding. A lesson well learnt.

Westfield Shopping Centre

Yes, Suzie finally got her way and dragged me screaming and kicking (well, more like a sullen sulk actually) round the new Westfield Shopping Centre (Mall to those reading in America). Well, at least we now don't have to drive 40 miles to find some decent shops - there's plenty of opportunity to empty one's wallet now right here in town. Suzie was so excited about going there again (she went on opening day, and this was her 4th trip in all) but I can't get excited about going and seeing if there's anything I neither want or need that I'm prepared to spend money on buying -- I just don't get the whole consumerism thing! The good news is that she treated me to dinner out at a Chinesse resturant, which we both enjoyed. Good grub reasonably priced, we'll definitely be going back there again.

The 26th was Gran Harrison's birthday - which now makes her 91 (or more) years old. She still lives with Do & Alan near Norwich, but is very forgetful. I'm going to try and get over there on the weekend of the 10th/11th while Suzie is in Dublin on her girlie weekend.

Mum & Dad had a good, quiet weekend. Dad spends much of his time asleep but at least that gives Mum a chance to rest up too. I managed to get down there Sunday morning for an hour and Andy went down and walked the dog in the afternoon.

Mark seems to be settling down into University life, coming home at weekends to get his washing down and empty the contents of the fridge with constant snacking. His girlfriend is on 1/2 term this week and will be spending so time with him at his digs on campus. He might be intelligent,but, I agree with Andy that he has no common sense. Still not renewed his scooter insurance. Still not got a job (part or full time) and not bothered chasing up any of the applications he sent off. Still not bothered to sort out the money in one of his bank accounts that he can't get his hands on because the bank have cancelled his ATM card. When will he realise that he has to join in with the world and that it won't go to him? Still, at least he took the max strenght Lem Sips we gave him last week and he's shaken off the cold he had - but now his girlfriend has caught it....

Today I finished the piece of work I was doing for a regular client. Bang on schedule (again - that's two out of two for this client) and I get to present my findings tomorrow. That means another early start (5:30 am) and a 180 mile round trip tomorrow (Derby to Milton Keynes and back). Oh what joy! Had a bit of an upset tummy over the weekend, which is persisting still.

Andy had to work Saturday morning but other than that he's managing just fine though both he and his girlfriend were a bit tired and snappy (with each other) over the weekend, but, things are back to normal tonight. He and some mates had a run in with the local police Saturday night -- the lads all chipped in and bought some fireworks and then went off down a local park and let them off. PC Plod turns up shortly after everything had finished going pop, bang, whizz and asked if they'd got a license to set them off on public ground, but as everything was over they'd no evidence against any of the group. Plod is a bit peeved so promptly decides to give all 8 cars present the once over -- only to give them a clean bill of health. All the lads were mighty chuffed but Plod wasn't (such a shame!).

Having started this one with Suzie, I'll finish with her too. Her phased return to work continues and she's getting the old fire back -- which is a good sign. She'll be doing 4 day weeks for this and the 2 following weeks and then hopefully, all being well, back to full time. Fingers crossed (as they say).

A good weekend

After all the stress of the last few weeks it was such a relief to have a good weekend. Angie and John drove up from Essex, and while they both stayed with Mum & Dad for most of the weekend.

The women all went into town to the new shopping centre for Saturday afternoon while John and I sat with Dad, and John came over and watched the rugby Saturday night. They both came over for Sunday lunch, where Sue excelled with a "double roast" meal and a "double strudel" for desert. It was good quality family time together, which was added to by Christine phoning from America just at the end of the meal (though she did sound a bit down). Angie stole the show putting on a "riser" chef's hat in a way that only Angie can.

Mark seems to have gone down with a bit of a cold, full of sniffles this morning so he'll be taking Lemsip this week to shake it off as his girlfriend will be about next weekend. Suzie's phased return to work appears to be going well, fingers crossed it continues to do so. Andy is still looking for a car to replace his Corsa. I missed out on a couple of ride-outs with the Deauville crowd this weekend but the family had to come first and it was quality, so that's enough compensation for me.

John and a work mate may be doing the Bike Show in Birmingham (24th Nov - 2nd Dec) so we may get to do that together - which would be nice. Have to wait and see on that one.

Settling down

Following his short stay in hospital, father appears to have settled down and back into routine. The District Nurse has been out to check up on him (Tuesday) because the capheter he has fitted keeps giving trouble, getting blocked, but yesterday the doctor dropped by to check him over and said he was OK apart from a little constipation – which he treated.

Mother is better for having had those few days without dad to care for and is looking as well as we’ve seen her for a while now – since she had that break in the summer when she went and stayed with Sue & Godfrey for Simon’s wedding.

Angie & John will be coming up to visit for the weekend so hopefully between us we can give mother a bit of a hand and possibly a short break – Sue has suggested that the women go into the new Westfield centre which opened recently, just so she gets to find her way around without having to worry about dad.

Had a "from the heart" email from Christine in America this week - it's really cutting her up at this time being so far away from the rest of the family. All I can say Chris is that you're better off with your memories of dad as he was rather than seeing him now as he is. It cuts me up so much that I can't bring myself to go down and see them on a daily basis and "cheat" by ringing them to check how they are. It's not the same, I know, but it'll have to do for now.

Highlights from the weekend

Dad's Back home - After saying on Frdiay that he'd be in for the weekend, on Saturday morning the senior doctor changed his mind and sent him home. Both he and mum seem happy and mum is rested from not having to man-handle him about for the best part of a week.

Saturday - Sue and I drove Andy down to Bristol to collect a BMW he'd bought on eBay. On arrival it wasn't as described so money did not change hands. Andy's quite disappointed but lesson learnt.

Saturday night - went to Paul Faulk's 50th birthday bash in Loughborough. Sue drove which meant I drank! An excellent night with his brother's band playing "Irish" music, a loverly buffet with curry or chilli con-carne and rice. Some familiar faces, so not. We both enjoyed ourselves staying right to the end.

Mark rode up to Manchester on the A6 through Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton and spent the weekend with his girlfriend Eleanor. Says the road is a brilliant bikers road (I already knew that, but it shows that he's a biker at heart that he can identify it as such) and that he's looking forward to the next time in a couple of weeks time.

Sarcoids update

In all the rushing around after Dad last weekend I forgot to post an update on my sarcoids. I had an appointment Thursday last week with the consultant who confirmed that all the test results over the last year now point to me having sarcoids grade 2.

Basically this means that I am now in remission and if it doesn't recur during the next 2 years then I have got it out of my system. If it comes back then I have grade 3 - which means it will go dormant for periods and then have active spells when I will have to have steroid treatment.

Fingers cross - here's hoping it's grade 2!

Update on father - he's responded to the antibiotics and is much better today. Back to being coherent as well and the doctors say that as soon as his temperature goes back down to normal then he can go home - possibly for the weekend.

Sue has started her phased return to work - did Monday morning and this morning. She's enjoying being back but still has a way to go, which is why it's a phased return.

A stressful time right now

Starting with some good news - Mark has started at University. He has been home both of the last 2 weekends to have his linen done after we helped him move in the weekend previous. He has a nice room in the on-campus accomodation and has settled in well. Still trying (not very hard I must add) to find somewhere to store his scooter on campus. His girlfriend Eleanor was home from her University last weekend so we had them both here Saturday night - they went out at 22:30 and got in at 03:19 - Doh! Kids! Who'd have them?

Father took a bad turn last Sunday 7th October and mother called out the paramedics to him. The distric nurse had already been out to him so we all waited while the paras called her back. She decided he had to go to the city hospital but he's too large for the 2 paras to move so we had to wait for another crew to turn up and help. 3 hours from the time the first crew turned up he's of in the ambulance. That night he was so bad that it took the constant attention of 3 doctors to keep him alive and he was so bad they couldn't move him to intensive care. Somehow he survived the night and he is medically much better, however, he just isn't with us in this world - talking gibberish, can't remember what he ate for dinner or tea..... It's very upsetting. Tonight as I drove mother home after visiting she admitted that she no longer has a husband, she just has a man she cares for. It's her I feel for most - she deserves better. It tore her apart when he asked why they'd not let him die, he thought it was time he went.

But life goes on. Suzie has returned to work after several weeks off work with stress brought on by work. She is on a phased return so won't be full time for a few weeks yet, but, she is back to herself and her old cheeky ways. She has been spending a lot of time walking mother's dog for her and that has really done her good. She's lost a lot of weight which I find disconcerting but she seems happy to have lost it - she's now just under 8 stone (circa 110 pounds).

Andy has bought a BMW 325 to replace his first car (a Vauxhall Corsa). We have to go down to Bristol to pick it up on Saturday and he should notice the difference as this has around 170 bhp compared to the 80 of the Corsa. For a few weeks he'll be running around in the Corsa while he does a few "modifications" to the BMW but then the little car is to be sold.

And I'm here for everybody. I ring round the family to keep them updated with dad's situation. I fetch and carry folks as they need it, and finance kids that can't remember their PIN numbers to get cash out of the ATM hole in the wall. Currently I'm getting up at 5:30 daily to drive to Milton Keynes for work - an hour and a half each way each day, mainly motorways, it's a real drag and so tiring. I used the motorbike for the trip last Friday - that was fun. Then I got a few hours to spare on Saturday afternoon so when for a ride-out to Leicester, calling in at MCA and bought some new motorcycle gloves ready for the winter. I'd have liked to have bought some boots but couldn't find a really comfortable pair - my old ones are really comfy - they just squeak as I walk which is embarassing and anoying in equal measure.

Too busy to Blog

How's that for an oxymoron? Create a Blog to record daily activities and then too busy to make the entries…. Absolutely barmy.

So what’s been happening. Father had his 74th birthday and having had FreeView in the lounge he decided he wanted a subscription service with Sky so he could watch the Discovery and National Geographic channels – so that’s what he got, so even though he can’t get out of the house he came view things around the world. Brother John came up from Colchester to visit Dad on his birthday weekend but unfortunately Angie couldn’t make it this time around. John came round to see us on the Saturday evening and caught me part way through washing my car – so when I’d done we then did his. That’s about the 4th time it’s been washed in nearly 3 years – but I’m afraid I wasn’t brave enough to tackle the interior!

News from Chrissie in Adelaide, Australia that she’s perked up a bit and together with my Suzie starting to recover from the stress at work that has seen her off for nearly a month started to raise my spirits (it does drag one down a bit when your so closely involved) only to hear that Allan is now having to mind Jane as she’s just been signed off work for a month – also with stress. Chrissie says that we all lead such interesting lives compared to her rather boring one – and then says she’s going snorkelling and scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I don’t get to do that! Is that boring? Perceptions, huh!

Last weekend (8th – 10th) I had a long weekend doing biker stuff. Met up with Steve & Jenny near Bingham, then met up with Allan & Jane on the A1 south of Grantham. We rode to Rochester in Kent, dumped gear in hotel and rode down into Rochester for a walk round the Castle grounds and the town, and had a drink in the Cooper’s Arms (historic, real ale, pub). Back to hotel, changed and met up with Dave & Ken for a meal in the Tiger Moth (with just a few drinks). Next morning we all met up again, along with Dave’s mate Ken on his Blackbird (yes, that made it 2 Kens) and went for breakfast at Wessons Café in Horam, then down through Battle, to Hastings, on through Rye and on to Eastbourne. Steve & Jenny and I wound our way back to Rye where we were booked in for the night while the others went back to Rochester. Monday we had a walk round Rye before leaving for home about noon on Monday and getting home just in time for tea – 565 miles done in 3 days steady riding. Lovely!

Then yesterday we had a trip to Manchester to deposit Mark’s girlfriend Eleanor in her digs ready for her starting University there, and we are preparing to do the same with Mark this coming weekend. A shame that they are going to Universities that are in Manchester and Nottingham, miles apart, but each is best for the subjects they have selected.

Also yesterday we had a Red Letter Day when Sue came on the back of my motorbike for the first time since I got it nearly 2 years ago. Mark accompanied us on his scooter and we went to Madison’s Bar in Matlock – this used to be a first rate biker bar but they have re-done the place with kiddies ball pits and play areas and cut right back on all the things that made it biker friendly, so we won’t be going back there again. At least we got a chance to meet with Allan & Jane and Suzie & Jane got to share experiences.

We’ve been having a few problems with Mother’s dog which has got a bit snap happy, biting several people including mother, me, the postman (be rude not to) and a lady that stood on her paw (good enough reason I say). Anyway, this clumsy woman reported the incident so Sheba now has a criminal record – daft dog!

Things are hectic at work. Andrew and Ema are off next weekend to holiday in Magaluff. Mark goes off to Uni. Suzie & I become Darby & Joan.

Keeping In Touch - It Is Important!

Building my own family website has brought home to me just how important it is to keep in touch with friends and family. Now that we are spread across the UK and around the world - the pace of life means that we rarely have the time to write a letter. This was brough home to me this weekend when I rang Chrissie in Adelaide, Australia. She sounded so down that I just wanted to be there for her. The same happened a while back when my youngest sister Chris fell ill - she lives in Georgia, USA.

So my message for today is just this - we are still here for each other! We just have to find the time, and sometimes the courage, to pick up the phone and say "Hello!"

Chris - if you're reading this, don't worry right now, Mum is over the fall she took and is much better. Sue has been walking the dog while me and the boys do the shopping and the little jobs as and when we can.

Chrissie - likewise, if you're reading this then remember what I said. Be positive, find something that rocks your boat, or, at least lights a fire of some size. But don't be afraid of biking on the highway - when all is said and done it is NO MORE dangerous than just crossing the road!

Are we the proud parents or what?

Totally beyond all expectation Mark got three straight "A" level grades for Maths, Futher Maths & Physics. As a result he's been accepted into Nottingham University to do a 3yr Maths degree course.