One Puppy... Two Puppies!
Oct. 30th, 2017 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeLast weekend, I went back home to see my parents. I have started to go from Saturday to Monday rather than Friday to Sunday, commuting to work from my father's place, which is just over an hour away. I prefer this because it gives me a Friday night at home to do my own thing, while it means the Sunday is a more relaxed affair as I don't need to worry about catching a train. I have also found that if I come up on a Friday, it's very much limited by work and I don't get an awful lot of the evening, so this situation is better all told.
Saturday was quite a quiet day, largely because my father had a minor operation on his right hand last Tuesday. This has meant that three of his fingers have been bound and he has been unable to drive over the last week, so we largely stayed in the local area. I had to walk the half an hour between the railway station and my dad's place as he could not pick me up, but the weather was pretty good so I didn't mind too much, plus the autumn foliage was quite wonderous to view. As I went, I tweeted a load of not so interesting sights such as my crappy secondary school, the roundabout that a former friend drove over and crashed into a tree, and the local dogging spot. What I didn't realise was that later in the day, my father and I would walk back down this road to go to The Golden Jubilee, a Sam Smith's pub on the housing estate where I used to live, with a load of memorabilia from 2002 on the wall. This was when the pub was built and it did seem something of a happier time.
My father had booked a meal at The Crown Hotel, the local in the village where I grew up, for 6:30pm and we walked there after our pint of Sam Smith's fizzy. This pub is very much stuck in 1967, with Cameron's Strongarm and Magnet on the pumps, along with the usual muck. The views haven't probably progressed too far either, with The Mail, The Express and the local paper the only reading material available. The pub has dated a fair bit, but it was exceptionally busy, which was a surprise. However, I could see why as the food was exceptional, with a healthy portion of fish and chips for £9.99. After this, we just went home and shared some BrewDog beers that I had brought up, chatting and reminiscing.
Sunday was the day I went to see my mother and stepfather, calling in at my grandparents on the way. There have been a few issues with my grandparents over the last few months as both are eighty-eight years old and are struggling to live independently. For their age, they are looking quite healthy but I fear my grandmother is displaying the first signs of dementia as she kept asking the same questions over and over. Their house was also quite dirty, and after the car accident they were involved in over the summer, they have no real means for getting out of the house. Moving into a home has been suggested, with my grandmother enjoying a two-week staycation there back in August, but understandably my grandparents still want to live in their own home, even if it is putting a huge strain on my mother and uncle, who are having to travel considerable distances to look after them. We ended up staying there for around forty-five minutes before my mother called time on proceedings and we headed back to hers.
My step-father has also been in hospital recently, having endured a detached retina back in April which has failed to reattach itself. He's set for another operation this Tuesday, which hopefully will finally fix it. He was in good spirits though and it was great to meet Henry, the new cocker spaniel puppy that my mother acquired back in July. He is very boisterous and always wants to be centre of attention, jumping up and climbing all over me at every available opportunity. I didn't want to leave my friend Wilma out though, so I spent a lot of time speaking to her. She is incredibly good with Henry, often letting him have his own way, even if he keeps bounding over her in his excitement. I brought some socks for the pair of them yet Henry always wanted Wilma's. She wrestled with it for a while before giving it to him after about ten seconds, showing her placid nature. I did see another side to Wilma which only made me love her even more, and although she was very naughty on the walk (pulling on the lead, eating horse shit and berries), she was a good girl overall.
Catching up with my mother was good, although the current family tensions meant a few home truths about our respective upbringings were mentioned. We had a nice meal of country roast beef and vegetables followed by rice pudding, with copious amounts of wine too. I think it's the uncertainty that's getting to everyone, both inside the family unit and circumstantially too, so I can only hope for a better year next year. In the meantime, we have to keep plodding on and hope, by Christmas, things will pick up.
Saturday was quite a quiet day, largely because my father had a minor operation on his right hand last Tuesday. This has meant that three of his fingers have been bound and he has been unable to drive over the last week, so we largely stayed in the local area. I had to walk the half an hour between the railway station and my dad's place as he could not pick me up, but the weather was pretty good so I didn't mind too much, plus the autumn foliage was quite wonderous to view. As I went, I tweeted a load of not so interesting sights such as my crappy secondary school, the roundabout that a former friend drove over and crashed into a tree, and the local dogging spot. What I didn't realise was that later in the day, my father and I would walk back down this road to go to The Golden Jubilee, a Sam Smith's pub on the housing estate where I used to live, with a load of memorabilia from 2002 on the wall. This was when the pub was built and it did seem something of a happier time.
My father had booked a meal at The Crown Hotel, the local in the village where I grew up, for 6:30pm and we walked there after our pint of Sam Smith's fizzy. This pub is very much stuck in 1967, with Cameron's Strongarm and Magnet on the pumps, along with the usual muck. The views haven't probably progressed too far either, with The Mail, The Express and the local paper the only reading material available. The pub has dated a fair bit, but it was exceptionally busy, which was a surprise. However, I could see why as the food was exceptional, with a healthy portion of fish and chips for £9.99. After this, we just went home and shared some BrewDog beers that I had brought up, chatting and reminiscing.
Sunday was the day I went to see my mother and stepfather, calling in at my grandparents on the way. There have been a few issues with my grandparents over the last few months as both are eighty-eight years old and are struggling to live independently. For their age, they are looking quite healthy but I fear my grandmother is displaying the first signs of dementia as she kept asking the same questions over and over. Their house was also quite dirty, and after the car accident they were involved in over the summer, they have no real means for getting out of the house. Moving into a home has been suggested, with my grandmother enjoying a two-week staycation there back in August, but understandably my grandparents still want to live in their own home, even if it is putting a huge strain on my mother and uncle, who are having to travel considerable distances to look after them. We ended up staying there for around forty-five minutes before my mother called time on proceedings and we headed back to hers.
My step-father has also been in hospital recently, having endured a detached retina back in April which has failed to reattach itself. He's set for another operation this Tuesday, which hopefully will finally fix it. He was in good spirits though and it was great to meet Henry, the new cocker spaniel puppy that my mother acquired back in July. He is very boisterous and always wants to be centre of attention, jumping up and climbing all over me at every available opportunity. I didn't want to leave my friend Wilma out though, so I spent a lot of time speaking to her. She is incredibly good with Henry, often letting him have his own way, even if he keeps bounding over her in his excitement. I brought some socks for the pair of them yet Henry always wanted Wilma's. She wrestled with it for a while before giving it to him after about ten seconds, showing her placid nature. I did see another side to Wilma which only made me love her even more, and although she was very naughty on the walk (pulling on the lead, eating horse shit and berries), she was a good girl overall.
Catching up with my mother was good, although the current family tensions meant a few home truths about our respective upbringings were mentioned. We had a nice meal of country roast beef and vegetables followed by rice pudding, with copious amounts of wine too. I think it's the uncertainty that's getting to everyone, both inside the family unit and circumstantially too, so I can only hope for a better year next year. In the meantime, we have to keep plodding on and hope, by Christmas, things will pick up.
