We’ve had some rain here, and with the snow slowly but surely melting, things are back to what passes for normal around here. I was surprised to note that our road had been visited by a snowplough and gritter, though not that surprised to see that the snow had been piled up at both ends of the road. So, travelling along our road was a breeze, however getting out of the street was a non-starter unless you had a 4x4. How stupid! We were all snowed in for 3 days; Sunday wasn’t too bad if you were careful, though I waited until Monday before venturing out. The forced break at home allowed me to catch up on sleep and some rest and I had 2 good nights.

Monday, I went to visit my Mum, bought some groceries on the way, then stopped off at my kid sister’s house so we could car share. She had her treatment first and I caught up with her partner whilst waiting. He’s a nice guy, though I do have trouble sometimes with his accent. They then went to collect the death certificate for our dad whilst I sat with Mum. She’d had a little walk with the physiotherapist but was clearly in pain and exhausted. The only coherent thing she said was to ask where my sister was, and to then remark she smelled of smoke when she arrived. She knew we were her daughters, though didn’t seem to know our names. It’s so hard to see her like this, and very upsetting.

We stayed an hour in which time she was barely awake, then we left, only to be stopped by the ward sister. She’d been told about our Dad, and she wanted a chat to see how we were coping and to ask if we need anything. It was lovely of her; all the staff have been so kind and caring. It’s all very draining, and after driving the 15 miles home, I feel exhausted, emotionally and physically. Our other sister will visit Mum on Tuesday, no idea if our brother will bother or not. I don’t want to deal with either of them.

We’ve had power cuts in the area and burst water mains too with many without water. The water pressure here has been low, though luckily, we still have water and power. Hopefully everything will be back to normal very soon for people. Roll on spring, I’m so over winter now.