2022 and all that

Today was to have been dad’s 90th birthday party. Things could not have turned out more differently to how we imagined.

Just back from the hospital and mum has taken a turn for the worst. She has a cough and temperature. As I left they were taking her away for an X-ray and coronavirus swab.

Actually this wouldn’t have happened at all if I hadn’t insisted that she had a new cough and asked them to take her temperature. Talk about lack of joined up thinking…

Such a shame considering her improvement yesterday. Hopefully it will *just* be a chest infection and antibiotics will help.

Now back with dad having dinner. Contact with him is unavoidable at the moment but am washing my hands and keeping well away.

In other news, Leon and Lily have taken up residence in my house in Cardiff. Leon’s taken over my desk too!

They say it seems much more relaxed than London. People are actually wandering around and smiling whereas in London there are lots of grim faces and masks. Think they’re enjoying my back garden too…

And it seems Pipes is still serving beer even though the tables and chairs have disappeared. What I’d give to be having a carefree pint there now instead of waiting to hear back from the hospital!

Just killing time in the hospital car park before I’m allowed in to see mum.

Had a very productive day tapping into the local community support group. I now have three or four covid-related WhatsApp groups spooling down my phone home page. Not to mention anxious chatter, questions and the odd joke from family and friends.

Whatever did we do before Covid 19 took over the ether? Oh that’s right, I remember, Brexit.

Mum much better, sitting out of bed and ordering me down to the shop to buy a paper, yay!

Great news! But in this messy new reality, how am I supposed to go home safely to my 90 year old dad and eat dinner with him?

The half-assed answer is to wash my hands and try to maintain 2 metres of distance, which was great until he fell over the dog’s bed keeping a wide berth. Oh joy.

It’s been quite a day after a stressful evening yesterday, not without a good dose of black comedy

Dad left a cryptic message on my phone yesterday about everything “being a mess”. Turned out Mum wasn’t well and ended up being admitted to Chesterfield Royal HDU late afternoon

Late evening, I started getting calls from Dad. The hospital (Dad: “it was an Indian doctor but I could understand him”) was asking him if they should resuscitate Mum if necessary. He replied no, she’d prefer to “slip away”. We were all prepared for the worst.

Then Dad called again to say the doc had called him back to say Mum’s spirited response to the same question was that they should most certainly resuscitate her.

Awkward! Luckily it didn’t come to that, but I realised I needed to get up to Derbyshire right away.

I saw off my AirBnB guest this morning. Luckily he didn’t kick up too much fuss about being chucked out early.

Got the house ready for Leon and Lily before a quick trot round the park with a newly shorn Lottie. That haircut should last her a while. God knows what I’ll look like after a few months away from a hairdresser’s.

Then finally left dear Preswylfa St and off to Derbyshire via the pharmacy to pick up a couple of months’ worth of prescription meds. The pharmacist was dressed for battle in plastic apron and mask. We both eyed a coughing punter warily and gave her a wide berth. Others were panic-buying paracetamol.

I’ve just seen been to visit Mum at Chesterfield Royal. It’s an hour’s round trip, but the care she’s getting is amazing. The hospital is really empty, everyone’s staying away. There’s a sense of girding themselves for what’s to come…

I’m staying up there for a while. Got a deal on a holiday cottage, so have my own space and things could be a lot worse.

O