Second Helpings

What Holiday?

Corfu is now a distant and surreal memory and apart from a few photographs and a rapidly fading tan I have little to show for the break. Being back in England is certainly a reminder life can and will continue to be problematic however.

Dad is still in hospital with a chest infection. The only place I believe he could have picked it up is during a hospital check up prior to our holiday. The moral of the story seems to be to avoid hospitals if you wish to stay well. It looks likely he'll be in for a while yet, so that means his care package will be cancelled at the end of this week and the hunt will be on to establish a new one before he can be released. The hamster wheel of my life continues to grind.

So, it’s back to hospital visits, fetching and carrying laundry, sorting out his house and all the other business I’ve become so familiar with. There are only two months of this year so far that have been hospital free and I can confirm it does little to raise dampened spirits. Particularly in light of the cold snap already reminding me of another long, hard winter ahead. But, one day at a time...

To add to our joys, it seems the landlord of the property my son is renting is splitting up with his wife and the landlady has requested the house back. They have two months to find a new abode, which is going to cause all sorts of concerns. Finances are tight, housing is ridiculously expensive and Paul needs to be close enough to his workplace to ensure he can be available for any problems which may arise with Mey Ling or the children.

The options are limited and time is short, but if we were put in a position where they had to move in with us, I think it would just about finish me off. In two months the manic season will be at its full height and I may very well end up screaming hysterically along with the rest of the nation, but for very different reasons.

I didn’t take too many photographs in Corfu, but think the one below most appropriate to match my present frame of mind.

I've been round the bend and back for years, but think I’m staying there this time.