EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

Sunshine_girl2

Another diarists son took a coach up to London in the small hours to be on the first trains. My grandad would have been there today if he was still alive. 

EH the celebrant sounds lovely and am sure they will give your dad a good send off .  I hope your day has been ok thus far. 

EssexHebridean

Well Foxgloves, I definitely think I should go and see it tonight for your Dad AND mine, who would also have loved it! Milann - I thought of Your OH when I was reading about it earlier and reckoned he'd have been right at the front of the queue if you were closer!  SG2 There is always a little group of enthusiasts keen to be on the first trains on any new line, I think! I'm interested enough to do it, but not interested enough to have got up at the crack of dawn for it! 

SG2's reminded me - I now have the privilege and honour to be custodian of my Grandad's WW2 medals - they were with  my Dad of course, and now they are with me. Nothing outlandish or particularly "special" in a historical sense, but a slightly unusual set nonetheless as he had both the War Medal AND the Defence Medal - he started out in a reserved occupation as he was a policeman, and was an ARP warden at that time, then voluntarily joined up a short while into the war. His original ID tags are there too, his ARP badge and a tunic button from his police uniform. Absolutely wonderful things to have - and they will be very much treasured. I've got both Dads, and Grandad's watches, too - again, just lovely things to have. Amazing though - I'd not seen either watch in probably 30 years - Dad hadn't worn his for years as he had various others and his old one was pushed to the back of a drawer but it's the one I remember him wearing when I was a child, and he inherited my Grandads in the very early 90's - they are incredibly similar too, just a very slight difference to the straps, other than that identical, and yet I still knew instantly whose was whose when Mum said she didn't know which was which. 

foxgloves

I think it's lovely to keep special family treasures, @EH. I have a box of things I'll pass down to my nephews when I enter ancient crone-dom (am not there yet, I hasten to add!) I kept an odd possession of my Grandad's....a brass plumb-bob. He was a boat builder -also a reserved occupation in wartime when the boatyard where he was employed were tasked with building torpedo boats. All these things become such personal treasures. 
F x

beanielou

Glad that you have such a lovely picture for the back of the order of service

Suffolk_lass

I noticed there was a 50% off offer for Pizza Express in last week's email from Martin - only until 29th (and possibly only dine in) but if you like them anyway (they are my fave pizza group, going back over 40 years...)

ohdearhowdidthathappen

EH, I'm so so sorry to hear about your Dad.

I'm a rubbish contributor on other peoples diaries as I barely keep up with my own, but thought I'd pop in to say 'hi'.

I've read back several pages and I'm so sad to see how your Dad was let down.  My dad died 4 years ago now and his end of life care was sadly very similar.  They're too keen to try and fix things that can no longer be fixed (often due to negligent late diagnosis which is another frustratingly common occurence) rather than looking at the bigger picture and involving the palliative team sooner.  I worked in the trust where he died and nagged all the right people and it still took far too long to get him the palliative pain relief he required.  It still makes me angry when I think about it.... I remember my aunt saying that we treat poorly animals better than we do humans in this country and I think she's right.

Anyway, in amongst all the organising required and helping your mum, make sure you take time for you.  It's so easy to be kept busy and look after others, but it'll catch up with you and it'll hit hard at some point otherwise.  

Take care xx

milann

What an honour  to be the custodian of the war medals and watches. I hope they bring you comfort. Until very  recently I didn’t have much to remember my family other than my memories, I’ve recently been sent a copy of a tape with all my late family’s voices on…..I’ll treasure it forever. My remaining brother can’t listen to it as he finds the thought too upsetting, whereas I’ve loved it and find it a big comfort. Grief is very personal and everyone is so different….there is no right or wrong…..even after many years. I hope the plans for your dads send off are all going smoothly.

EssexHebridean

Suffolk_lass said:

I noticed there was a 50% off offer for Pizza Express in last week's email from Martin - only until 29th (and possibly only dine in) but if you like them anyway (they are my fave pizza group, going back over 40 years...)

Unfortunately you can’t combine those sorts of offers with the club card rewards vouchers SL - which is a shame! 

OhSh…I’m sorry your Dad died in similar circumstances, it’s so frustrating to know quite what a set-in problem it is. Something you said there though - about still not being able to get him the care that was required even though you were working in the same trust at the time - that’s actually helped to set my mind at rest. I’d been struggling with a niggling feeling we’d let Dad down by not being able to get the palliative care in place sooner, that I should have fought harder - but if YOU couldn’t make it happen in a timely fashion from an “inside” position, then realistically what chance did we really have, I wonder? Good grief though isn’t it DIRE that we even find ourselves having this conversation and that still things don’t seem to change. 

Milann I loved reading about that tape on your diary - such a fantastic thing! And Foxgloves, that’s a fantastic thing to have from your Grandad - it’s lovely to have things that very specifically form a “part” of a person’s life isn’t it! Beanie I ended up putting together a nice set of scanned photos for the Order of Service - I’m really pleased with how it turned out! Mum has ordered them now and should have them on Friday. 

A small grocery spend today - £5.30 in T’s. I had to drive to the next town from us to go and register Dad’s death and aside from T’s car park all the parking around the town is chargeable, which is a free when you spend £5 or more one. Seemed to me to make sense to park in their car park and gain my free parking by buying things we would use, so three cheeses and a punnet of nice British cherry tomatoes came home with me. I’m now rather fancying a Greek style salad as one of the cheeses was the “fake feta” that T’s do for 75p! 

MrEH topped his Oyster up last night - so that will be leaving the bank account in the next day or so. I used a chunk of the credit on mine too as I went into London after work to check out the new tube line as I’d planned - it’s absolutely amazing, just so impressive! I know it’s been a long time coming with all the delays, but honestly, I think it’s worth the wait! 

savingholmes

Glad the order of service and other plans are coming together. 

redofromstart

I am so sorry to read about your loss EH, much sympathy.