Ambushed

You can wander about feeling that things are getting back "to normal" and then you move some furniture around because the decorators are in and find your Mum's old slippers. It's the mundane, every day things that sometimes reinforce loss the greatest.

Mum used to leave a pair of slippers here so she would be able to pad around the house comfortably whenever she visited. It meant she didn't have to try and remember to bring a pair with her when she traveled up to see us.

For the past ten years or so Mum and Dad have been coming up between Christmas and Hogmanay and staying for a couple of weeks. Obviously things will be very different this year but hopefully Dad will still come up here - he knows he's welcome to stay as long as he wants.