Corfu. Its time to go home

OK, so it was a simple straight forwards,out of the brochure, week away with the girls. Booked a year and a bit ago, a rare return to a previous holiday destination. It was billed as a last hurrah before Jen heads off into her own big bad/good world. San Stefanos is a smallish Corfu village which is largely uninhabited in the off season (a bit like many North Norfolk coastal villages) but comes alive when the sun shines. There's nothing too pretentious here. A great beach, warm seas, plenty of (samey) tavernas to eat at and we got lucky with some great apartments at Tsaros, which is where I sit poolside right now.
Weirdly the owners allocated us the exact same apartment as our previous trip in 2010.  Apartment 5. It's quiet, plenty big enough for us 4 and has wonderful sea views. It's a sweaty step up and down  the hill to the beach and taverns each day but always manageable, even late at night after a belly full of stiffadfo, cheap local wine and beer
As we chose to be here for just a week, we've not ventured too far from our base. There's been no need and even less desire from the girls. The whole resort seems quiet though the travel reps claim that all available holiday space is occupied. Even now, in +35° of morning sun, we are the only bodies round the pool.
We've made some cracking food choices this week, with the surprising stand out being the new beach side restaurant called Chili Wills. Service is desperately slow  but charming. The food and the sunsets make it all worthwhile. For no apparent reason they did an unannounced Mexican food evening last night which was v.good - even if we were looking for something a bit more traditional on our last night
The remainder of today looks a bit gruelling. Hours and hours of travelling while the temp nudges 40° .
I know tomorrow it will be just a bunch of memories, but they will be good memories.
We made a pact to return here again in another 5 years. As a holiday (for us), there's not much more you could want.
Pictures will be up on my Flickr site in a day or so.
Thanks Corfu, but its time to go home

Corfu July 2015

Another long pause between blog entries to the point where I can't even be bothered to look back at the date of my last post.
Suffice to say the year is whizzing past at an alarming pace. There's been lots to look forwards to after a bleak start, but many of these events have come and gone already!  To reflect on the highlights so far may be appropriate as one of the best parts of a holiday, time away,  is that you have to spend time with your thoughts and mull over what you have achieved while also start to plan for the future, whatever that may bring.
For Jenny to have finished schooling (ahead of Uni) makes me feel quite old but intensely proud. For sure, there's no one more hard working/deserving of achieving high grades and a wonderful 3 years in higher ed.
My personal achievements are far more modest though I still try and challenge my old self with bike rides and runs and swims. Cycling 50 miles in pouring rain around North West Norfolk with Jim was by far the toughest, closely followed by the 2 jaunts on the beach here in San Stefanos in the searing heat.  I'm kind of in training for a 100k bike ride in 3 weeks time followed by the Norwich 10k run later in August

One of the most anticipated outings this year was our trip to Latitude. Rosie and I on the family camp site and Jenny in with the noisy boys. A brilliant event with loads of things to see and do , mostly unexpected. It was way busier in the camping area than I imagined but it worked (not enough loos or showers though). Saw some great performances from AltJ Charlatans and Don Letts DJing. My 1st full on festival experience and I loved it. I can't comprehend the scale of Glastonbury being 10 times bigger than Latitude so I have no desire to want to go there. And there were virtually no flags in front of the main stages. And the food and drink in the arena was expensive. And the weather was wonderful

And now our most "looked forwards to" event, our family trip to Corfu.. If I remember, I'll post a detailed travelogue in due course. Howrever, I can report that it is fackin hot and lovely

April 24 2015

Been enjoying a string of Fridays off work this last month. Plenty of unused holidays and time credits (well earned I must say) have given me back some of my time.

As I write, I'm sitting on a gloriously warm Sheringham beach. Unseasonably warm  but I ain't complaining. Actually most of the warm weather has by-passed this part of the world. WEve had nice bright sunny days but chilly winds off the sea too.

I had planned to "go for it" this April in terms of heavy duty fitness but I still have to get it into my little head that a couple of fused back vertebra won't really allow that - so it's been a bit stop start as usual. I've notched up a couple of quick (quick for me) parkruns and even a few miles on the bike. Part of the excitement of taking today off was to try and bag a 25 mile+ ride but my back has been screaming "NO" at me all week. So a cheeky 40 minute ride round the lanes did it - call it a warm up for tomorrow's jig around Sheringham Park. I'm looking forwards to tomorrow's run as it marks DG's 100th. She's gone run crazy these last few weeks. On a recent trip to Scaborough she realised she'd notched up 50 miles that week.

As I have no set goals to achieve just now on the fitness front and with the inspiring London Marathon this weekend, I'm starting to sense the need to set a challenge. There are some intermediate events coming up that are more suited to old gits like me - as in a series of 10k beach runs and some interesting cycle sportives locally. Hopefully my current achyness state will once again dissipate and I can crack on with running biking and even a bit more of the old sods football.

But for the next couple of hours all I need to do is soak up a bit more of this Norfolk sunshine

8th March 2015

Tomorrow would have been mum's 79th birthday.  A month on from what would have been dad's 79th too.

Not sure how to commemorate, (celebrate?) these dates now that they are no longer with us. I respectfully stood at dad's graveside on 14th Feb and she'd a tear and felt fairly useless. As for mum, well we have nowhere yet to formally go and remember and she'd that tear. I won't visit the Nursing home where she lived for her last few years. I went past there yesterday and only feel anger towards the place. It would be more appropriate to go and stand high on the cliffs and let the wind and sea air fill my heart and lungs. I can blame the wind on why my eyes start streaming.

1st Feb 2015

Strange Sunday

Deb put her finger on it.

Today sees a return to near normality at home. For a few years now, quiet Sundays at home didn't exist. Along with all the regular comings and goings of a typical (coz we are fairly typical) family, I've "had to" spend about half the day with mum. Now mum isn't with us anymore, I've suddenly got time on my side, for the 1st time in years. But with nothing planned, rubbish weather, girls all sorted, I've been at a loss at what to do. Too cold and wet to be out and about running walking or cycling, too uninspired to think DIY. I can't even set about the Sunday roast as there's a mountain of chow mein left over from last nights wok night. Southampton v Swansea is the least worst option right now, along with a refresher from Monsieur Artois. 

Maybe I'm going to have to learn how to do lazy Sundays from now on.

Cheers

Jez

January 24 2015

This time last year, I had a house full of party people celebrating my 50th birthday. A landmark worthy of celebration and I think we did it in style with food, drink, music and much merriment. An evening I thoroughly enjoyed and look back on with great fondness and happiness. Given the events of the year since, the most remarkable thing about the party that night is that it was the last time my family would be gathered together as one.  To think that dad made it over, despite feeling continually unwell and in considerable discomfort and stayed for a good while was really great. Mums as determined not to miss out either and enjoyed the attention of everyone she bumped into in her wheel chair. 

And now, on the eve of birthday #51, I have said goodbye to both mum and dad. As Billy has said a few times this week, to lose a parent is very sad, to lose 2 in such a short space of time is careless. 

14th Jan. The day after yesterday

So, as expected, as day followed night, mum died in the morning. A sad end to a very poorly lady. We were told she was comfortable, free of pain and stress (no doubt through some hefty medication) but at least there was a bit of dignity about the way the people at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital went about their duty.
We weren't at her side. She wouldn't have known. We said goodbye on Sunday - perhaps the saddest moment in my life. Went back on Monday and laughed and sang (and cried a bit more) and left.

I was driving back to my house from Cromer when the call came in. Billy took it. I knew that as I was coming up the road that that would be the time that we'd hear the news that mum had slipped away from us. Billy stood at the front door but didn't have to say anything. We gave each other man hugs, Graham too. Made some horrible phone calls and knuckled down.


Mum had been poorly since the mid/late 80's. Anything that could go wrong probably did. From wobbly knees to asthma, leg ulcers to pneumonia. From running her own house to full time nursing care. A woman who never had much in the way of wealth but managed to give so much of herself to so many. Be it a little cash loan to a struggling neighbour, free piano lessons, cookery advice, spiritual advice or simply her time. As her mobility started to affect her ability to do this for one and all she would become frustrated. Frustrated at not being able to do all the things she used to. In the end she became quite bad tempered, rude and not the wonderfully kind hearted mum we had loved all our lives.  But she was in constant pain, usually on large doses of pain relief and unable to even enjoy a simple meal. She'd want me to go and visit every day if I could. I managed 2,3,4 times a week but it was never enough. We'd also get 3 or 4 phone calls a day and looking back it was probably all in desperation at not being able to do things for her self any more.


That and knowing that every penny that could possibly have been taken from her to fund her care had been taken. Over £150,000. What a way to treat someone who paid their fair dues and helped so many people throughout her younger life.
Her treatment by the owners of the nursing home in Sheringham just before Christmas a few weeks ago was deplorable. The home getting closed on 23rd December with no notice what ever and hardly any choice on where she was having to be relocated to and all as a result of hopeless management is unforgivable. It could never be proven that this unsettling time led to mums rapid decline from then but I can't help feel it was a major contributing factor. The home she moved to was clearly more able to look after people with complex needs like my mum but she never really got to appreciate it. My thanks to them for doing what they were able to do in such a short time. My thanks will also go to some wonderful carers and nurses at St Nicholas over the years who struggled and struggled to do their very best for the residents there. I regularly questioned the management of the place but was always rebuffed. Thankfully now they will not be allowed to look after any more residents needing nursing care, though I take no pleasure in that, as so many people were "evicted" on that day


Looking back over some of my posts over time since mum moved to Norfolk, it is clear that as she declined, her demands on us (me) grew and I hold my hands up and say I found it difficult to cope. I am desperately sad today that I have lost my mum and I'm going to kind of miss the endless stream of phone calls and requests for this and that. I'm going to have more time for my girls and Debsie - they have been fantastic with mum/Granny over time - but above all, mum is now at peace and free from the endless pain.


What am I going to have to write about now eh?


Sleep well old girl