Jiggity Jig

Home again home again….

… from a good week with my parents.

The first couple of days were hard as my mother was not so good, and slept most of the time. Which makes it seem as though she really is slipping away – and makes you feel as if you should somehow be preparing yourself (how?) for the worst.

But after that, she was much much better – to the extent that we even went to Eastbourne for lunch one day.

We revisited the Hydro – a very genteel hotel previously mentioned in this blog as the kind where one constantly expects Miss Marple or Poirot to appear around the corner. It was M’s first visit. He found it rather disconcerting, feeling that we were contravening some minimum age requirement, and that too long a visit would hasten the onset of arthritis.

Lovely lunch though!

We then cavorted on the beach.
Watched by lots of beady black eyes


Stones... of course, you have to. And yes, I did bring some home with me. Including one perfect tiny speckled birds-egg stone.


The creature from the Black Lagoon.

LG swam, even though it meant swimming in her T-shirt and undies, and changing furtively on the beach!!!!!


My family all arrived on Saturday (brother and sister, with respective families) – completely surprising and delighting my mum – for a wonderful birthday party. Possibly the first ever surprise birthday party in my family. (!) (Yes, really!) Certainly the most precious birthday.

My father had bought a card for her with the following words, by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke:

I am so glad that you are here.

It helps me to realise how beautiful my world is.


I can find no words to describe how that felt/feels.

Mum said she woke the following morning “brimful of happiness”.


The rest of our visit was spent visiting charity shops, taking afternoon naps, getting early nights (lots of sleep, in fact), sitting chatting/reading/making tassels. (will blog about these, I promise, need to get around to taking pictures….) Relaxing and feeling so very very tired.

So we left my parents both in pretty good form, which makes the leaving bearable. A scan in a week or so will tell us whether or not the chemo is having any beneficial results on the secondaries. In the meantime most days are far better than we might have hoped – and each one is a day we might not have expected to have at all.

And home again home again jiggity jig.

Back to reality – LG begins secondary school in a weeks time.
Must remember to buy school uniform

Must remember to buy school uniform

Must remember to buy school uniform

Must remember to buy school uniform

And a circular protractor thingy.

Our term doesn’t begin for another 3/4 weeks.

I have so far been unable to coax my mind into facing the fact that I WILL, before long, HAVE to do some work. Not that I’ve done much coaxing, to be honest.

RW and her girls are here for a couple of days, which is wonderful, and the best possible excuse not to face up to work for just a little bit longer.

We went to the cinema last night (A Scanner Darkly – v. much enjoyed it) (dozed off just a little at one point – problem with me, not with the film) and it felt just a little chilly in the evening air. PTB – end of summer also approaches.

G&T will be drunk, sheds will be complimented, TK Maxx will be visited.

I will report back later.