Wednesday 3rd January 2018

Day two of the working year, and it is just me and the ctas again.

Not much of any note to impart, just that I was on the phone to Social Services, Sheila and Mum for about three hours on and off through the day. Getting some news from Sheila, then being confirmed, for once, by MUm and then finding out what Mum's options are for her.

Saying that, it is hard to know what to say when Mum seems to switch off when you are telling her stuff she doesn't want to hear. And then she changes conversation subjects, like yesterday, making me slam the phone down in anger. Or would have it we had an old fashioned phone, instead just pressing the red stop button. But it had the effect, made Mum think, and inbetween me telling Mum off there had been some positive stuff too, telling her that I know she could do this, if she wanted it enough. But then, she herself must want it, not do it for us.

She said she will try to walk about more, do more stuff. But with Mum its hard to know for sure, just double-checking with Sheila is the only way. And that feels wrong, adding pressure on someone in Mum's empoyment, even if we have Mum's best interest at heart. Anyway, she either will do something, or won't. Simple fact it either way it won't affect us that much, but has major implications for her. Going into a nursing home will cost upwards of £500, possibly nearer a grand, depending on how much care she needs. I think, I hope, this shocked her.

Otherwise there was work, drinking coffee, drinking tea, having breakfast, having lunch, listening to the radio. The cycle is never ending.

I go on the cross trainer about four, and see a Green Woodpecker from the bathroom window, so watch it for 5 minutes, thinking if I go down to get my camera, by the time I get back up here it will have flown away. But I go down, get the camera out, put the big lens on, go back upstairs, and its still there. Looking for worms in next doors garden. So I get my shot.

The I do half an hour on the cross trainer, whilst listening to the i pod. 11 years I've had that, not updated it in nine, and it still works. Amazing really, and yet is the only item of Apple tech I have ever owned.

I have a shower and get dressed, ready for when Jools comes back home with fish and chips. Or sausage and chips as it was, after a string of disappointing fish at the end of last year, you really can't beat a battered sausage.

And again there is football on the radio, Arsenal v Cheslski, and for the second half Scully and I go to bed to listen to the game. And so another day draws to an end.