A trip down memory lane

I am sooooo tired today. Don't know why - could be the lack of sleep, LOL! Actually, it's my own fault as after I settle Dad down at midnight, I've been staying up till about 1am and then with getting up in the night or early(ish) I don't get in my 7 hours (my personal minimum sleep requirement!!). 8 hours would be better! This morning I was up at 7 and felt really knackered all day - usually I pick up after a coffee or two.

Dad woke with crampy legs (he'd slept with his knees bent and couldn't get them straightened out properly. I did a few gentle manoeuvres on him (no more massages!) and it seemed to help. Then he wanted to go over on his side for an hour until the Carers came, so we did that. Which necessitated some cleaning up operations - two Poop Patrols in 24 hours! Well, I did say I needed the practice.

I went to Asda to get mum's shopping this morning and then met Barb at Rivendell Garden Centre for a coffee and sandwich at 11.45am. Her mum is not good at the moment.

From there, I drove into Liverpool to pick Lorraine up from work (her car is off the road for a few days) and I was about 15 minutes early. So I parked up and took a wander down Old Hall Street - which is where I spent the first 15 years of my working life. Parts of it had changed dramatically - the building I used to work in now has a very swish huge glass atrium wrapped around it. Other parts (mainly the older buildings and down the side streets) hadn't changed at all. At the top end, a number of major building developments have gone up, and so that all looked totally different. I walked down as far as Moorfield's station (Liverpool has a 4 Station underground system!!) and was amazed to see that the Fruit and Veg man who occupied a corner spot on Old Hall Street was still there. He's been there at least as long ago as 30 years (well, maybe not the same guy, but the stall has). I took some photos, and I think people thought I was a bit odd!
I also took some pictures of new statues at the top of Old Hall Street - some wag passing bay shouted to me "I hope you've told them to stand still". The two guys are Sir John and Cecil Moores - of the family who started the Littlewoods empire (Football pools, catalogue shopping and stores). Anyway - they're the two men who you see at the top of the page.

After Lorraine met me we whizzed back down to Widnes and to the Market - I'm trying to get a picture of mum's framed but the stall had closed early. This was my second attempt (first attempt was on Tuesday when the whole Market is closed) so I'll try to make it third time lucky next week. Then we went to Cookes Chemist for a prescription (yet another Owing Note!) and then to pick Emily up from School. Finally - home to mums, where I sat like a zombie for the next three hours!

Dad is quiet again today. He told me he watched a lovely film this afternoon - the Guinea Pig - and he'd enjoyed that. Didn't really seem to want to chat much. Dr had been out, but didn't say much. He's only had a glass of milk and a half cup of soup today. He's looking thinner again. I don't know what else to say - I just am still so glad that he is more or less comfortable. I dread him getting pain, he doesn't deserve that. I do think he's fighting this cancer - maybe not consciously (i.e. he has declined the vague offer he got of life extending treatment) but certainly he must be getting by on his will power to survive.

So, midnight now, and everybody is settled down. So I must stick to my plan and go to bed. I might just read a few pages of my book........