......the last visit of Christmas.....

Woke up this morning , surprisingly without a headache (see yesterday's blip).
The plan was to get going early, over to my dad's in case one of us needed to collect my sis from hospital. Jean insisted we all have a "proper" breakfast, so she cooked porridge and toast ("But dahling, you must have marmalade with it"). We eventually set off about 10.

Arrived at Dad's to silence, he was fast asleep in the chair, we woke him and it turns out he'd been up since 6a.m. just in case my sis called. The Boss got up into the attic and salvaged all my Mum's old knitting patterns....I hope the grandchild likes wool! I checked with the hospital, my sis was probably coming out today but no indication what time....so the Boss took charge...........plan of attack, check out Dad's fridge, cupboards etc for out of date food etc, take him shopping, go and visit Mum's grave, come home, eat and then hopefully my sis would be ready to be collected.

We set to, out went eggs (no idea how old they were), vegetables, fruit, cheese, a chinese ready meal, the list went on and on. Then off to the supermarket, it was bad enough with Dad bumbling around but then the Boss decided she needed to buy next year's Christmas cards and wrapping paper and a tub of Philadelphia cheese, so the trip lasted quite a long time.

Then we went to see Mum, the new head stone was there, erected in between the snow storms a couple of weeks ago, I guess it's Mum's last Christmas present. The flower's on it are Fresias, Mum's favourite. There's stiil a fair bit of snow in the North east but it's turned really slushy and the ground is sodden so we ended up covered in mud. You want to see the state of the inside of my car!

Back to Dad's and the Boss cooked Soup, steaks, chips and mushrooms and Dad had bought a trifle for dessert. Still no word fron sis so I phoned the hospital....Yes she was due to be discharged....No they didn't know when......Visiting finished at 4. The Boss and I dived into the car and breaking several speed limits I got us to the hospital with 15 minutes to spare. She didn't look too bad and had eaten today, and kept it down, but her hair is coming out in lumps and she's puffed up from the steroids. We stayed until they threw us out, then back to Dad's, a quick coffee and then 110 miles back home. Got back at 7.10 and the Son and Heir and Young Helen turned up at 7.30!

Cooked the last of the Christmas party food, prawns in filo pastry, onion bhaji, sausage rolls, chicken goujons garlic mushrooms etc etc. They ate, had a beer (not YH) and a coffee, then left. The Boss, the Daughter and me all went to fill up the cars before tomorrows petrol tax rise. Sis phoned...the hospital only has 4 doctors on duty, none of them cancer specialists, so they're keeping her in until tomorrow morning, so Dad will probably be up at the crack of dawn again.

I have to go back next Monday evening to take him for his carpal tunnel op on Tuesday............then I might just get a rest the following weekend....oh no....wait....i have to go on a Coaching Course....oh well.......no rest for the wicked....I must have been a bad 'un in a previous life!

Das vidanya.