Tuesday 2nd July 2013

Sunday.

As you may recall, my Mother has been ill. Very ill in fact, and it has become clear that when she is released from hospital, her life cannot go back the way it was. Or if it does then the rest of her life will not last that long. We got her to agree that she cannot look after her cat, Bowie, any longer, and that we would take him on. And to do this we had to drive to Lowestoft to collect the cat, drive him to Dover, leave him with Jools' Dad for a few days whilst we go out on a steam tour again. That was the plan.

And I have to tell you due to time constraints there are no pictures to prove this day actually happened, you only have my word for it.

Morning.

We rose at half six and was out of the hotel and walked to Waterloo to catch the tube. Only the tube was locked. And there was no signs saying when it would be open and working. I checked on the phone and saw the first train was due at half seven, so we had a little wait.

Around us the morning had revealed the flotsam and jetsam that the night had washed up, and people were either asleep on the floor or wandering around waiting for the first train home so they could get some sleep. And there were the wide-eyed who were still swigging from cans of Red Stripe and laughing. Laughing at what we did not check.

The station opened and we went down to the platform. he first train rolled in at half seven, and was rammed to the gunnels. We squeezed on and rode to the O2 where Jools had parked the car. We loaded up and set off looking for the Blackwall Tunnel and then up the M11.

We quickly zoomed out of London, drove round a junction on the M25 to the A12, and then, go north! Traffic was light, and so we made good time, and there were few looneys driving so we arrived not shaken nor stirred. Mum's house looks the same, but once Pat arrived with the key, inside it looked worse than ever, and as we tried to find various important pieces of paperwork for Bowie, we found bills for mail order stuff. In cupboards we discovered parcels from Tesco online that we delivered in 2010 that are still unopened. In the fridge we found so much out of date food, even cans of food were long since edible. No wonder Mum is always ill.

I left Jools to tidy up and pack some stuff, and I went to the hospital to see Mum and lay down the law.

Again.

Oh hello. she says. So, in measured tones, stating facts of the lies and deceit she had spin these past 17 years, and it was all now revealed; the supply of fags, the Pringles tube she uses as an ashtray, the chocolate, the biscuits: we know it all, Mum.

The choice is now hers, you change or not, up to you. Don't bother telling me how you're going to change, we've heard the BS all before. I had to leave as it was lunchtime, and no visitors was allowed, and we had to be making tracks to head back to Kent.

So, I went to collect Jools and Bowie, and with the car loaded we headed south. We had not got to the other side of Beccles before Bowie's bowels failed. We tried to clean him up as best we could and we carried on.

Let me describe Bowie; a pure white long haired cat, with fur so long he moults all the time, and he can't keep himself clean himself at the best of times. Once we got to Dad's, we tried to clean him, but the poo was all matted, so we took scissors to it and he looked very sorry indeed.

We left Dad with the cat and headed home.

What a day, it was 6 days since I was last home.