St Albans

Down south to visit my dad.

Just winding down from the drive at our accommodation with a cup of tea last night when I got a call from my brother, who is in Germany. Careline had called him, Dad had fallen and it could take an ambulance 6 -8 hours to call. One of dads carers was with him, but they’re not allowed to lift him. So I hot footed it over to dad’s house. The masked cavalry had arrived and four carers were there, They really are fab. We checked dad out and I lifted him up with their assistance. I hung around for half an hour whilst S sorted dad out and got him his tea and then headed back to the tree house where J was sorting out our meal.

We were at dad’s again this afternoon, where I cut his hair and his fingernails. I may become a beauty technician.

This morning we visited nearby St Albans abbey. The tower is the oldest of any cathedral in England, built just twenty or so years after the Norman conquest. Because of the lack of any local stone supply the adjoining derelict Roman city of Veralanum was plundered of its brickwork ( the city was the third largest in Roman Britain). Extra - inside, a photographic exhibition of internal views of every Church of England cathedral taken in natural light by Peter Marlow early in the morning, which I had read about and was keen to see. Excellent. Westminster is missing as it’s not CofE - Elizabeth I made it a “Royal Peculiar”, answerable only to the monarch, and it’s stayed that way.

I love visiting cathedrals, something not done since before March 2020. We both wore masks and J felt comfortable. It also allowed us to buy our poppies on armistice day. Poignant bearing in mind what is happening in Ukraine.