HAVING AN ...

... Indian takeaway tonight... ... from ALNWICK! Good Lord #whateverhappendedtoloyalty?

MORNIN' ALL!!

Well.probably should have said "Mornin' Dannymatt" except I don't think that even HE's reading this blog these days. Hey ho. Not to worry. So, it's Saturday. We're not going to Yorkshire as we've decided to give Mum a bit of time to get sorted out at home, plus Helen has a busy weekend, so we'll probably go down later in the week. Hmmm just thought: that won't work either as Christina and I are at Wimbledon. Oh well, we'll sort something out. Not sure of the plans for today. Christina needs taxiing round this morning and then I think we're meeting up with James this afternoon. Other than that it's more baking for me. Better get to the kitchen then...

THE MORNING AFTER THE STORM OF ALL STORMS!

Major cleaning up operation going on all over the North East. I don't think it would be possible for anyone who didn't experience the events yesterday to fully appreciate the ferocity of that deluge. Just minutes before it hit here, I had got my camera ready to take photos of the sudden blackness. As it happened I didn't take the pictures because of the wall of rain that descended and then I was totally fixated by the speed with which our house became surrounded by a moat of water. All the talk on the radio and in the coffee shop this morning is, understandably, about the storm and people's experiences during and after the event. Absolutely incredible that there are no reports of people being hurt, although there are going to be many whose homes and businesses are ruined.

DID I PREDICT...

... that there would be a storm today? Did I? Did I? Well, it arrived and was pretty much the most spectacular storm I've experienced. (Apart from the mega-storm in France last summer) Travel chaos was inevitable. Hope everyone gets home safely eventually.

GOT A HEADACHE!!

Probably thanks to the weather. Very warm, humid, damp and generally a bit pre-thunderstorm I suspect. The very hot kitchen isn't helping either! Tarte au chocolat is done, so are the little tarte tatins and there's currently a lemon and apple tart in the oven. This last one is a bit of an experiment and is just using up left over bramleys and some surplus apple slices from the little tarts. Charles is home today and is clearly less than enthusiastic about starting on reports!!

MUM IS...

... going home tomorrow morning. Great news. Just hope she's able to cope during the time when there's nobody around. Helen will go to see her after school and she should have had a visit from the team before then. Wonder if she'll be back in time for the Murray match??!!

2.30pm...

... and her I am posting for the first time today! Have obviously had a full on morning: deliveries to Radcliffes, Morpeth for coffee with Christina, dropped her at a business meeting, back to Morpeth for shopping, collected Christina, home to start baking... Kevin want to try something new this week, so it's tarte au chocolat and French apple tarts. Just going to prep the cases for these then I'll do the fillings tomorrow. Might put Wimbledon on while I'm baking. Wasn't Murray 'awesome' yesterday?!

MUM UPDATE!

Hmmm, not so good today. Helen's evening report was not nearly as encouraging as the last couple of days. She appears to have exhausted herself and is not nearly so confident about returning home imminently, but of course, the opportunity to access an interim bed has now gone thanks to her shenanigans since the weekend. Apparently the nurse Helen spoke to this evening didn't think she would be going anywhere tomorrow. So, we are standing down from our position of 'alert' and can only wait for further news.

ONCE YOU FOCUS ON...

... Rafa's obsessive, compulsive rituals (touch one shoulder, then the other, nose, one ear, nose, then the other ear - sometimes preceded by quick tweak to the bottom)... ... it becomes obsessive, compulsive viewing!!

OKAY, SO IT MAY NOT BE TODAY...

... but Mum will almost certainly be discharged HOME tomorrow or Thursday. According to the Occupational Health person who spoke to Helen yesterday, she has made a "remarkable recovery" (this was said no less than 4 times - Helen was writing it down!) since the weekend. She no longer qualifies for the interim bed in a nursing home, which would have eased her gradually back to independence, so is going straight home, admittedly with four visits a day from the nursing team in the first instance, but nevertheless, she'll be going back to an empty house with all the potential difficulties that involves. Wimbledon has a lot to answer for!

AND THE OTHER THING...

... about Wimbledon, is that Christina and I will actually be there next Friday!!

WIMBLEDON STARTS TODAY!!

And for the first time in my memory, my Mum won't be watching it as she refuses to have the telly on over her hospital bed. Cue rapid escape from LGI. I'd put good money on her being discharged tomorrow, especially as Helen said she was positively showing off her walking skills yesterday when she went to visit. Of course we want her to be discharged, but still have major concerns about how she is going to cope on her own. Mum has none of these concerns, however, and insists she will be fine. We'll see...

WOW, THAT WAS HARD WORK...

... last night. What is it about England and penalties? I really thought, when they missed their second, that we might have had a chance - albeit totally undeserved on the performance. Hey ho. Oh, and who exactly is Wayne Rooney?

FORGOT TO MENTION...

... that breakfast at Browns was absolutely lovely this morning. Eggs Benedict to die for!! Now trying to work out how soon we can visit again!

DROVE THROUGH...

... monsoon conditions on the way home from town earlier. The road through Gosforth was basically a river! And we're not having it as bad as the rest of the country apparently. Enjoying a fairly relaxed afternoon prior to the Big Game Build Up. Christina thinks it will be decided on penalties. Heaven help us!!

UP EARLY...

... baking done, chores finished and just getting ready for a morning in Newcastle. Apparently there are sales on!! Meeting James and Claire I think. This means coffee and possibly breakfast is certainly on the cards!

BACK HOME!

Lovely day with the family. Fab food provided by Helen washed down with a very drinkable Gevrey Chambertin 2008! Visit to Mum - hmmm! I would say she's certainly getting better as she was being somewhat stubborn and awkward this afternoon. (I'm playing it down!) She was delighted to see everyone, especially James and Claire, but clearly has her own agenda for leaving hospital and is not going to be persuaded by us. Perhaps if she had managed to walk without the support of two physios I might be a little more confident about her intention to return home. Anyway watch this space...

SETTING OFF...

... to Yorkshire shortly. Hoping to find Mum a bit better today. Looking forward to seeing James and Claire. I'm sure Mum will enjoy their visit. Poor Helen and Bill are having their roof replaced next week. Scaffolding goes up today. At least that was the plan before the weather decided to do its worst!

ANOTHER LOVELY SUMMER MORNING...

... NOT! Strong winds and rain, chilly and grey - brilliant. Charles has just taken the girls out and was wrapped up as if it was winter. It'll be July in a few days - Where's our Summer?

OKAY...

... so no real Mum news. Test results are still not back, but apparently that should mean that there's nothing untoward in the liver region, according to the doctor that Helen saw today. Her recovery from the heart attack will take at least 6 - 8 weeks and Helen has been briefed re the meds and warning signs to look out for. Her lack of stamina is a concern, especially when it comes to consideration for discharge from hospital and there needs to be a plan in place for that, but Occupational health are going to do further assessments next week so I can't see that being imminent. I'll be glad to see her tomorrow. Hope she's up to a visit from Charles, James and Claire as well!

WAITING...

... for a phone call from Helen to let me know how her meeting with Mum's doctor went this afternoon. I assume she's still with either the doctor or Mum now, as it's still visiting time. Can't really settle to anything though until I've heard from her.

RADCLIFFES AGAIN...

... this morning. Maybe the bad weather is good for the coffee shop business! I think we're going to Yorkshire tomorrow. James and Claire are also coming so they can see nan. She's been having further tests this week, this time on her liver and Helen has an appointment with the cardiologist this afternoon, so we should start to get some idea of what's going on with her and why it's taking such a long time for her to recover. As for today, just more of the same really!

ABSOLUTELY KNACKERED!!

On my knees. Exhausted. That's been a pretty full on day, especially considering I thought it was going to be fairly quiet once the deliveries were out of the way. Today's list goes like this: 2 lemon cakes 2 banana loaves 1 carrot cake 12 brownies 12 quiche 12 fruit scones 12 cheese scones Ten I got a call from Radcliffes saying they need more stuff tomorrow!! So, when I thought I was nicely stocked up and would be able to have a day off tomorrow... ... I was wrong! Oh, forgot to mention, the 16th birthday cake was met with rapturous appreciation from the birthday girl and her Mum and Dad! Just hope they're going to be handing some of my business cards out around the Jesmond Set this evening!

A FORTNIGHT TODAY...

... Christina and I will be enjoying the play on Number One Court at Wimbledon. Or maybe NOT if the weather forecast is to be believed!

DELIVERIES TODAY!

Three really. Coffee shop, 16th birthday cake and cakes for Duco Ltd over at Wallsend. Christina has a business appointment at Longbenton as well, so we've got a pretty full on morning between us. Charles has already been out and cut the grass. Perfect timing as, as soon as he'd finished, it started raining!! Still haven't got used to having Charles around on Thursdays and Fridays. Thursday always feels like Saturday to me!

CALL ME PICKY, BUT...

... does anyone think that it's just a bit off to be asked TODAY to make a birthday cake for THIS Sunday, for a boy who lives in Shanghai (he's visiting his parents in Northumberland now though) and which 'could portray the Shanghai skyline' ?? Or is it just me? I said, NO by the way.

OKAY, OKAY...

... so it may seem like a bit of an over-reaction to you Dannymatt, but at the time I was a trifle frantic!! Much calmer now though and, yes, you're right, the gate will be checked much more rigorously. Plus I can't help grinning when I think of how they took themselves off to the dog park Clearly they were fed up with waiting for me to take them out and just decided it was time for a bit of doggy fun with their mates. We've woken up to a glorious morning. Warm and sunny - not sure how long it'll last but it's nice right now, so it'll be a trip to Morpeth with the top down for me in a while. One cake has gone out this morning and there's another ready for delivery tomorrow. Just made small cakes for Pentagon to be delivered tomorrow or Friday to a company over in Wallsend. Looking forward to today. There's no real pressure as most of the baking is done. I've changed all the beds already so the house has that lovely 'just laundered' scent about it. Windows are open, fresh air streaming in. Love it!

STILL CAN'T BELIEVE...

... how lucky we are that the girls didn't come to any harm during their little adventure this afternoon. Charles said they were obviously on their way to the park!! But I keep thinking about what could have happened to them... ...anyone coming to our house PLEASE make sure the gate is firmly closed behind you!

SO, THERE I AM...

... having a long, philosophical debate with Sean, who's come round for tea and Charles walks in yelling that the girls are out and trotting up the main Rothbury Road! Panic ensues of course, by which time he explains that he saw them as he was driving through the village and has in fact stopped and thrown them into the car, so they ARE safe, except that as soon as he opens the door they hare off in different directions, Lily making her way sheepishly up the drive and Rose disappearing round the next door neighbours where she comes face to face with their labrador who scares her enough to drive her home. I KNOW how it happened. Sean and Christina arrived home to a welcoming committee comprising two very excited little dogs who met them at the gate and, in the ensuing chaos of the meet and greet, somehow the gate has been left off the latch. Thank God they're safe!

TOO BUSY...

... for blogging today!! Might have time before the England game this evening...

HERE GOES!!

The reason for not blogging today is... 12 quiche 12 Bakewells 2 lemon loaves 1 Leaning Tower of carrot cake 1 three tier chocolate cake 12 fruit scones 12 cheese scones All made and frozen. Then... Carrot cake and chocolate cakes frosted ready for emergency delivery to radcliffes in the morning. And after that... ... two cakeboards covered and edges trimmed One 8" madeira covered with sugarpaste One 10" chocolate cake covered and sides decorated with prehistoric type foliage. Not bad for a day's work!!

MONDAY!

Delivery to Jesmond... ... shopping... ... baking... ... decorating cakes... Is there a pattern emerging here?

DORIAN GRAY...

... hasn't visited my attic dannymatt - or even Helen's unfortunately. Not that it would work the same if it was HIS photo, if you see what I mean. That aside, I have been somewhat tardy in the blogging department today, mainly because I got up at 7.00 and was baking by half past. This took most of the morning, giving me time for a quick cuppa before starting the Father's Day lunch. James and Claire joined us for lunch and we spent a happy afternoon looking at holiday photos and a fab slideshow of the wedding that Charles has assembled. They both look relaxed, tanned and happy. James looks like an Italian! They've obviously had a wonderful time and are keen to get booked up for next year, although it sounds as though they might struggle with that as most of the rooms have gone already! Just spent an hour or so tidying up the lunch debris and WAS going to start on one of the cakes for this week, but have just realised that I'm out of eggs. If I didn't have this ridiculous bird-phobia I would actually consider keeping chickens. But I have, so I won't!!

IT'S BEEN A...

... long day! Got back from Yorkshire about an hour ago. Good journey home. Helen and I went to see Mum this afternoon, while Charles and Bill started to move furniture around in her bungalow in an attempt to make it a little easier for her to get around when she is eventually discharged. Having seen her today I would think that it will be some time before she is fit to return home, although she has certainly made progress since I saw her last week. She looks very frail and seems to have lost a lot of confidence which is probably unsurprising after everything she's been through. However, we were able to have a good talk about all sorts of issues that are concerning her (and us) and Helen and I had a useful discussion with a member of staff about the assessments that will need to be carried out before discharge. In between the hospital visit, we've had a lovely time catching up with Helen and Bill. They'd been clearing the attic and had found some old photos from the time when they had first started going out together and came to stay with us in Faringdon. I think the original plan was for them to stay for a weekend, but they ended up staying for the summer! It was 1981, Christina was a year old and the Royal Wedding took place while they were with us. We have happy memories of White Horse Hill and the beacon the night before the wedding, taking Christina for her first swim, picnics and pub lunches. And we look so young in those photos - little more than kids really! Oh HAPPY DAYS!!

OFF WE GO!!

Yorkshire via Radcliffes! It's pouring with rain (what's new?) and we have the slight problem of getting five very large cakes into the car without getting then wet. (They're too big to have lids on!) Helen sent a message last night to say that Mum had had a better day yesterday and is beginning to get out of bed with help and a zimmer frame! Looking forward to seeing her. We should be back by early evening - will let you know how things have gone.

SO...

... we've got an early start tomorrow. A complicated delivery to Jesmond, then straight on to Yorkshire to see Helen and Bill and then into Leeds to see Mum during the afternoon. haven't heard anything today, but I think the arrangement with Helen was that she would only ring if there was any change. James and Claire got back home today. Maybe we'll see them on Sunday for Father's Day - that'll be nice. Feel absolutely shattered this evening. I think I'd paced myself to get through a certain amount of stuff during the day, only to have a call from the coffee shop late on this afternoon that meant, instead of packing up and relaxing, I had to set to on a bigger order than I'd originally been asked for. I can just about guarantee that I'll be asleep by the time we get to washington services tomorrow!!

I AM HERE!!!

Just had a lot of cakes to do this morning, so got started early on and worked through until now. Four cakes finished, now I'm baking carrot and chocolate cakes for the freezer. As we're spending tomorrow in Yorkshire, I need to get ahead ready for Monday's coffee shop delivery. Mum had more tests yesterday and Helen will probably find out what's going on when she goes in this evening. I'll be glad to see Mum myself though. Helen has been great at keeping me up to date with what's going on, but it's never quite he same as seeing for yourself. Missed the torch relay this morning as I was up to my eyes in cake - tried watching it on-line but, wouldn't you know it - it cut out as the procession was going through Morpeth!! Sending Charles out in a minute to go and do the shopping. I've still got my rollers in and couldn't possibly go anywhere looking like this!

ACTUALLY...

... things have calmed down, Christina is going out for the evening and will probably go to see the Olympic torch as it makes it's way through Alnwick. We had a good chat about the impact of words on others and how this can cause friction and anxiety and everything seems to b okay. I truly understand how frustrating it must be for Christina to be at home with her parent again, after living independently for so long. If course she needs our support, but we also need to learn to let go from time to time. It's tough, but I'm sure we'll get there - wherever 'there' might be!

BIT OF TENSION...

... in the house today, mostly from Christina's direction I'm afraid. Not sure what's going on, but something is clearly bothering her and it's causing some friction. To be fair, we've had a pretty settled time recently, and all families have times when things get a bit fraught, but I tend to worry that things will escalate and get out of hand again. May be nothing to it, just a little anxious that's all.

CAKE CONSULTATION...

... in Jesmond this morning. Hopefully giving me a way into the Yummy Mummy set who seem to have adopted Radcliffes as their second home!! Then onto the cake decorating shop for some bits and pieces for the four orders I've got this week. Back home to make a start on one of the five cakes that need to be done by Saturday. Busy times!!

NOT SUCH GOOD NEWS TONIGHT

(and No, I'm not referring to the 'Arry saga which is all fine so long as Pardew doesn't get drawn into it.) No, it's Mum I'm afraid. Helen saw her this evening and she's back on oxygen and a heart monitor after being breathless and dizzy during the day. Was hoping all that was behind her...

END OF...

... Charles' working week today! By my reckoning he's only got another 15 days before the Summer hols. Where has the year gone? The Happy Honeymooners will be home on Friday afternoon. We've had a few texts from them, mostly wanting to know how nan is, but they seem to be having a fab time in Sorrento. I'm going to be busy in the kitchen gain today, juggling coffee shop and celebration cake orders. It'll be that way for the next couple of weeks I think. We've got to fit a visit in to Yorkshire over the next few days. I had thought we might go tomorrow or Friday, but with my cake commitments it may need to be the weekend before we go. Actually this would probably work out better as Helen and Bill would have been at school and we wouldn't have had anyone to leave the girls with while we went to see Mum. I'll give Helen a ring tonight and we'll sort something out with her. Didn't have any news about Mum yesterday, mainly because Helen didn't visit and my brother did, and there's no way he's going to let me know how it went!

DISAPPOINTED WITH MYSELF!

I have to say I feel really disappointed that I had to turn down Barter Books, but there was no way I would have felt confident to produce the kind of mammoth cake structure they were wanting. I thought that once I'd sent the email turning them down I could have put it to bed and forgotten about it, but this morning I'm still thinking about it... STOP IT. LET IT GO.

NO DANNYMATT...

... none of this happened. In fact, had she not been in hospital, she would have waited up to three months for an angiogram. We were told immediately after the operation that a cardiac event was suspected, but there was no immediate follow up to that at all. I keep thinking about how shaky she was in the build up to the wedding and how she had to take herself to bed early because she was so breathless. Clearly she's been living with narrowed arteries for some time and this could account for a number of related ailments. It's quite chilling to think how poorly she has been, but, typically, she would never have wanted to make a fuss and would 'sort herself out' thank you very much. Fortunately, there's no escape for her at the moment so, hopefully, any other issues will be addressed as well.

AND THE ANGIOGRAM SHOWED...

... that Mum had indeed suffered a massive heart attack last week during her hip operation. No wonder she's been so breathless since then. In fact it could explain her fragile health prior to last weekend and in a way this whole episode could have been something of a blessing. Anyway, she's been fitted with a stent today and, when Helen went to visit this evening, knowing nothing about all of this, she found Mum looking radiant, with colour in her cheeks and no sign of breathlessness. Hopefully she will be able to make a better recovery now.

CAKE ORDERS!!

Hmm, going a little crazy today. Two orders for next week, which along with the dinosaur cake mean I'll be pretty full on and one for the following week which I'm going to decline because I think it might just prove too much. The one I'm NOT going to do is a 24" x 12" replica of Barter Books for their 21st birthday. I'd love to be able to do it, but I just don't feel confident enough to be working on that sort of scale. Pity - it would have been a nice little earner, but I think I know my limitations. The others are a 16th birthday cake, the order coming via Radcliffes and a box of cakes for one of Pentagon's customers - not THE Pentagon obviously. So - a busy week next week then!

MONDAY MORNING...

... and it's grey and overcast, a hint of drizzle in the air and chilly enough for me to be wearing three layers. Flaming June! Ha ha ha!! Charles is off to work, I'm getting ready to go to Gosforth, Christina's still in bed... ... so nothing new there then. The girls are already showing signs that they're missing their dad. Lily hates it when he's not around. He's a bit like her security blanket!!! Rose is less bothered as long as she has a human being (Any human being) to make a fuss of her. I need to call in at the cake decorating shop in Gosforth this morning to pick up cake boxes, then a quick stop off in Morpeth, before heading home to replace the order that's gone out today and to make a start on the figures for the dinosaur cake that goes out next week!! Oh, that'll be Rose scratching at the door to be let out. Better go...

TODAY...

... I'm mostly making decorations for the babyshower cake that's coming up later this week. The baby is made and drying out on top of the cookerhood!! Going to do a bit of food shopping later on, but will probably avoid Morpeth as it's Fair Day. Looks like a trip to Alnwick might be the preferred option.

THANK YOU LUCY!

Just want to say thank you so much to Lucy (Claire's sister), for spending two hours with Mum last night at LGI. It was so kind of her and pretty reassuring for us as she was able to cast a professional eye over 'Nan' as well as being good company for her. From the chat we had after her visit, I think we can be reassured that Mum is making steady progress. In fact Lucy said she was doing better than she had expected and this is great news.

MUM UPDATE!!

Well the good news is that she's been moved from HDU to a ward, so that must mean there's some improvement. The less good news is that Helen visited yesterday and found the level of care greatly diminished compared to what she had been receiving. The fact that Mum was breathless despite no exertion whatsoever was a worry and the cardiologist has still not been to see her. My brother went to see her last night and accompanied her to x-ray. Hopefully this should show what's going on internally that;s causing her difficulty in breathing. Lucy, Claire's sister, is going to visit this evening. As Lucy is a doctor who specialises in geriatric care, we are hopeful that she might be able to cast a professional eye over Mum and give us a bit of feedback. In the meantime, I'm not going to visit again this week and will wait a bit longer to find out how things are doing. We'll probably go down to Yorkshire again on Thursday when we should have a clearer idea of Mum's prognosis and can have a meaningful discussion about her long term care. As for today, it's grey, damp and chilly - great! I keep thinking, "A week ago today we were..." But this week it's back to baking, shopping for supplies at the wholesalers and generally doing all the mundane domestic stuff that never seems to end.

CAN'T BELIEVE...

... that a week ago today we were gearing up for a weekend of partying and the wedding. It seems ages ago in many ways, probably due to the concern we have for Mum and her recovery. This time last week the girls were with Uncle Chris and Auntie Wendy, we were transforming the house into a party place and our wedding outfits were still on their hangers. In many ways it has been a lovely week since the Big Day. It's been great to have Richard, Sarah and Grandma so close by and we certainly topped off the week in style last night as we shared an amazing meal in the toka. But there are hints that normality is making its sad return as Charles is over at Croftway this morning and Christina is attending appointments with her nurse once again. Still, she and I have our Wimbledon mini-break to look forward to in a few weeks...

HAVE JUST SPENT...

... a fab evening in a kota, in a gorgeous garden in Warkworth, with Charles's family. Excellent food in a truly beautiful setting. Now,where can we buy one of those kotas??

MUM'S IMPROVING!!

Much more lucid today apparently. She can now laugh about her conviction that the hospital staff were all dressed in space suits and were putting on a bit of a show in the middle of Leeds (it was rubbish apparently!) and sees it for what it was - hallucination! Still on HDU, still no visit from the cardiologist who needs to sign her off bed rest before she can begin her physio, but at least she is more stable now, so good news. I had an AMAZING visit to the RVI today. In and out of the opticians in less than 20 minutes AND with the correct lens this time. Just hopped into a cab and made my way to Radcliffes where Charles and his Mum were having coffee. Kevin was dead excited about the wedding photos and said he'd thought about giving me a sneak peek, but I'd rather wait until the Happy Couple have seen them. Nice to be on the receiving end of some complimentary comments about the baking from some of the customers. Love the atmosphere in Radcliffes and Clayton Road in general. It has a lovely villagey feel to it. Still hope we can get to be a part of it. Off to Richard and Sarah's holiday cottage in Warkworth in a few minutes. I'm really excited - they're cooking!!! Can't remember the last time someone else cooked for me (apart from when we're eaten 'out' of course!) Be back later...

RIGHT!!!

Off to the RVI now, to see if, this time, they've managed to get the right lens for me. (Well, actually it's the left lens, but you know what I mean!) Spent the morning making quiche for the coffee shop, getting scones and bakewells ready and putting the finishing touches to a special chocolate cake order. Haven't heard how Mum is today, but Helen will be visiting this afternoon, so will ring me when she's been.

OKAY, THIS WILL BE BRIEF...

.. mainly because I'm shattered and have a pounding headache and really just want to go to bed. We've been back from Yorkshire for about three hours, but I've had to set to work on a coffee shop order which was rung through to me this afternoon. Bit of a surprise as I thought we'd delivered enough to keep them going until Friday or Saturday, but apparently not. So I've been making 20 quiche since we got home and will finish the rest in the morning. Helen and I visited Mum this afternoon. She's still on the Orthopaedic High Dependency Unit, tubed up to various monitors and was fairly coherent when we were there, although since then, my brother has visited and found her very confused. Apparently she has developed a urinary infection now and this is probably causing her confusion. The staff are certainly talking about her suffering a cardiac episode during the lengthy period of recovery and she will be seeing the cardiologist shortly to discuss a treatment plan. She's to have bed rest until further assessment takes place. No physiotherapy can commence until her blood pressure stabilises. She was having two blood transfusions this evening. In normal circumstances a patient would have started to become mobile by now, but Mum is clearly going to take longer. She is clearly uncomfortable and reluctant to try to move her left leg at all, despite the physio suggesting she try to attempt small movements. I have to say that in the two hours we were there she was attended by at least ten staff members. She is positioned right next to the nurses station so could not be in a better place really. The staff have been lovely and are treating her with consideration, patience and respect. I feel much happier now that we've seen her, but a little anxious about the cardiac prognosis and a bit sad that, on top of everything else, she now has this additional problem of the infection. Helen will visit again tomorrow and let me know what's happening and then I can make a decision about when to visit again.

SETTING OFF...

... to Yorkshire now. Will let you know how Mum is when we get back...

MUM'S STILL...

... in intensive care. They're finding it difficult to regulate her blood pressure. Apparently an attempt was made to get her up, which should have been possible today, but the attempt failed earlier today. My brother is going in later, so I'm sure we'll hear if there is any change. Charles has taken the coffee shop delivery to Radcliffes this afternoon, leaving us with a day to go down to Yorkshire so we can go to see her ourselves. The girls will come with us and spend the day with their cousin Tex!!

MUM HAS HAD...

... a reasonable night. She's still in the ITU and isn't yet stable without blood-pressure meds, but hopefully is on the way to recovery. What an ordeal it's been for her - and for Helen who spent all those hours waiting for her to be brought back from recovery. We're going to see what the doctor tells Helen when she goes in today and then we can make a decision about when we are going and for how long. Obviously we still need to consider Christina's needs, so we'll need to find out if she is coming with us or staying here by herself. Fortunately Charles' brother and family are holidaying in Warkworth this week so will be on hand if needed. Talk about going from one extreme to the other!

FINALLY...

... Mum has come round, but has been taken into Intensive Care because of concerns about the length of time it has taken. Her blood pressure dropped dramatically and she may have suffered a heart attack, but we'll know more in the morning.

MUM STILL HASN'T COME ROUND...

... after the operation. She's been in recovery for at least two hours and Helen has been told they will take her straight to the High Dependency Unit. Although we talked about me going down and Helen said not to go today, I really wish I had so I could have been with her.

STILL WAITING...

... for Mum to get back to the ward. It's worse for Helen though as she's at the hospital on her own. Five hours is quite a long time for her to be in surgery I would have thought.

WAITING TO HEAR...

... how Mum is. She was going into surgery about an hour ago, so I'm on tenterhooks waiting for my sister to ring me with news. I'm just so glad that, if it had to happen, Helen and Bill were with her and able to get the ambulance to her quickly. Can't concentrate on much at all today.

JUST HAD A CALL...

.. from my sister to let me know that Mum fell as she was walking up the drive to her house last night and has broken her hip. She's in LGI, Helen stayed with her all night and we're just waiting to hear more once the consultant has seen her this morning before we decide what we need to do. I can't believe it. She's so frail and this isn't going to be easy to recover from. Life can be so shit at times.

IT WOULD BE...

... almost impossible to describe the loveliness and perfection of the wedding of James and Claire yesterday. Claire simply took everyone's breath away as she walked down the aisle in the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. Every moment of their day was perfect. I held myself together all day yesterday, but am finding it really difficult to keep my emotions in check today. Will write more tomorrow!

TODAY'S THE DAY!!

The day my boy gets married and the day I gain a gorgeous daughter-in-law. To say I'm excited would be the understatement of the century. Been up and wide awake for hours, just waiting for the rest of the household to join me in the anticipation. Hairdressers at 9.00, then home for a quick breakfast before the make up girl arrives at 11.00. Hopefully setting off to Jesmond Dene House at 12.45. The party last night was a roaring success. Charles cooks an amazing BBQ!! The company was just wonderful. It was such a good idea to give everyone an opportunity to get together before the day itself. Hopefully James will be feeling relaxed when he wakes this morning, knowing that he has so many family and friends wishing him well. Claire will be waking up at the hotel this morning. I hope she's managed to sleep - apparently she's been jumping around with excitement for the past week. I can't tell you how delighted I am for them both. Just hope I can keep it together and don't end up crying all day!! (Wouldn't want to spoil my make up, so that might just help me keep it in check!!)

NO EARLY WARNING SYSTEM...

... in place today. It's weird. We've barely needed to listen for the doorbell since the girls arrived. Today we've been taken unawares every time someone has come to the door. No frantic yapping and scratching at the french doors. It's spookily quiet! We've even got all the doors open - AND the gate. Just goes to show how much we've adapted our lifestyle to having our girls. Talking of whom - I hope they're behaving Uncle Chris!

WHITE AND MCCARTHY...

... save the day!! New dishwasher fitted and operational by 2.30 this afternoon. Brilliant service!!

WHY, WHY, WHY...

... did I think it was a good idea to have a big pre-wedding party??? Too much to do, everything going wrong, everybody stressed to the eyeballs, new dishwasher on it's way, but don't know when, need to go to Jesmond with the cake and don't know when we can do that BECAUSE of the dishwasher, haven't got enough fridges...