Nine Feet Underground

Today began early. Too early.  Not only that, it began in a very unpleasant way.  How so? At around 3 am (yes, that is an actual time! Who knew?) I was awoken by my sons 1 and 2 informing me that water was dripping down the light fitting in the hall.  This has happened before (Christmas Day evening a couple of years ago, when some really good friends came to our rescue) and so I and the boys knew what to do.  Stop the cock.  I was half asleep but nevertheless managed it, then turned on all the hot taps (the water is pouring out the top of the hot water tank) and started a call to BG, which son #1 kindly completed. Apparently they are going to send someone out between 8 and 1 tomorrow. Back to bed. I didn't sleep much longer, but did my best. Got to get up early as son #2 is flying to Costa Rica and being picked up at 6:30 am. Said my farewells to an exhausted son #2, the cleaner arrived and then the first carer, K. No water. No heating. The day proceeded as norm...

Lazy start to the day, as much sleep was required after yesterday's festival of moving. Continuing on that theme we're heading to the neighbourhood café for a well-earned breakfast by way of a local shop so I can grab a copy of The Observer. After a very filling full-English breakfast, topped off with pancakes and maple syrup and washed down with coffee we headed to the shops, to grab a few bits and pieces.   We did a bit of exploring around Speke, whilst still managing to not quite get to the airport or even see the river. Our explorations extended into Beatles territory as we travelled via Menlove Avenue (where John Lennon grew up) and past Strawberry Fields. The penny almost dropped and we decided we'd do a Beatles tour of the city sometime over the next few months, probably when it isn't colder than an unmentionable part of a witch, allegedly. Whilst driving a warning light came up on Q's car indicating that tyre pressure was low. We parked at the university whi...

As predicted last night, we're up early - Q for work (who queues for work?) and me to head north and home. Greased lightning. Rod. I arrive home at about 9:30 a.m., just before the morning carer call and, almost immediately, I'm back in the thick of it. Although it's my non-working day, I have a lot of things to do, including initial planning for a presentation I'll be doing at work on my experience of work life balance as a carer. Despite all the things I've had to organise / do, I did find time to catch up with MAFSA, so that Q and I can watch episodes neither of us have seen together. I also started reading the papers, but ran out of time before finishing them. In the afternoon I took advantage of it being my non-working day to drive son #2 to a hospital appointment, a good way to spend some quality time with him where we can talk, if only briefly. Managed to chat with Q several times, fitting around work and so forth. Made dinner with son #2 and then ate it whil...

I haven't woken in my own bed on a Sunday morning for quite some time and it feels oddly strange. Nevertheless, I revert to 'old-style' Sunday behaviour fairly easily.  In fact it's not exactly as before, because I should be heading to the south coast after lunch at a time yet to be finally agreed, and so have to pack for a couple of nights away. Mid-morning I have a call during which we agree final timings for the day, meaning I'll have lunch here and then head south around 1:30 p.m. Everything's packed (unless I've forgotten something!) and I'm about to leave shortly, but not before saying goodbye. Great afternoon and dinner before settling down to watch the final episode of 'Trigger Point'.  Didn't manage to watch to the end as we're too tired (it's been quite a weekend already!!) and so bed is beckoning. Low / 'Don't Walk Away' / 'Hey What' [[]]

The longest coverage yet! All of this is being written after the event as, despite not being at work, life is very busy one or the other... ...consequently this will be very much a summary of events. I got up on Friday morning and now it's Wednesday. The end. No! I can do better that.  Probably, but maybe not a lot. Friday lunch time I headed for the start of a long weekend on the south coast.  I arrived a little before 2 pm and so began a wonderful weekend of happiness and joy: Christmas shopping, coffee shop visits, films ('The Last Thing He Wanted'), music, dancing and a trip to the pub. I returned back to my other world on Monday evening and so began the return to the Christmas countdown.  Son's 1 and 2 are out for the evening and so son #3 and I ate together and watched a HIGNFY he'd not seen (though I have now seen 3 times!) Tuesday turned out not be the droid I was looking for, though on a positive note all three sons got their Covid boosters at a nearby hosp...

Christmas Eve! Have I been visited by the spirit of Christmas overnight? Nope! I got up early to find out how complete our Christmas shopping delivery is going to be, in case I need to go out shopping.  Let's have a check in the emails to see what news from yonder city? There's an email from the supermarket... PTL! Despite there being about ten substitutions (all of the Christmas dinner accompaniments were substituted!), I am happy that we have all we have ordered and I'm not going to have to go back out.  We will make the most of what we have! Think I'm going to return to bed until the carer calls around 7 a.m. She's here and I'm up! 'Tis the season to be melancholy and I'm reminded just how much the carers mean to us and how much my own well-being is supported by them too.  The core set of carers have become a part of our family and if it weren't for the banter and laughs we have, I'd have probably gone mad(der)! Meds given and feed pump set up...

Less than two weeks until Christmas!  I really need to get myself organised!  I am off work now until January, so I ought to the find time. Usual Monday morning, with yoga as the highlight.   Lunch with the boys and another episode of 'The Mandalorian'. After lunch I plan to knuckle down and make a start on the Christmas cards. Here we go! Christmas cards - I have a plan:  I'll do the ones I need to post first, then hand-delivered. Don't know when the last posting dates are, but it can't be long!!  If I get half the ones that need posting done today then it will be a result, do the rest that need posting tomorrow.  I guess I could go all digital, but it wouldn't work for some people who are digitally challenged and it's also a tradition that my wife would want to uphold, so whilst she is around there'll be no change and maybe not even after. My handwriting is increasingly becoming medical, legibility-wise, and it's a constant battle to write slow eno...

" A sort of release "

" You'll be doing alright with your Christmas of white "

[Saturday 6th October 2018]  This song has been haunting me ever since I first heard it a few weeks ago. It feels right that yesterday is encapsulated in this song. Acceptance and recognition that it is time for change.  [The title of this post is from part IV of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge]