test please delete

[NickFitz]

Nick, I want to hit "like", but what I mean is "man hug".

<- manly is the usual form

Thanks, and have a safe journey

[vetran]

So, when I went down to breakfast in the hotel this morning at 8am - apparently the first to do so as the dining room was empty - I was informed by the hotel chap that "the old lady", by which he meant my mother, had been taken away in an ambulance during the night

Apparently she was very unwell and my father called an ambulance for her which arrived about 4:30. They ended up taking her to hospital at around 5:45, as she had a temperature, her blood pressure was through the roof, her heart rate ditto, her blood sugar levels were screwed (she's diabetic), and they weren't happy with the readings on the cardiogram.

My sister and her husband had been up with them (their room was a couple of doors down, whereas I was in what amounted to a different wing reached by a maze of twisty little passages) so I didn't want to go hammering on their door right then in case they were making up for lost sleep. So I had my breakfast. After a while I was joined by my cousin and her husband who were also staying there.

Around 8:30 I got a text from my sister asking to borrow an iPhone charger, and then she phoned me. Word had come back from the hospital that our mum has a UTI, so they're giving her intravenous antibiotics and keeping her in until at least tomorrow, and probably Monday. Every hotel in the area is fully booked over the weekend, so my sister and her husband are staying on my brother's bed settee until she's able to be taken home. As there was nothing I could do and visiting times didn't start until mid-afternoon, and I'm also the only one who still has to go to work for a living on Monday, it was decided that I should come home; I can always head back up if need be, as it's only about an hour to the hospital from here.

So now I'm awaiting further bulletins

On the bright side, I stopped at Chatsworth Farm Shop on the way back and bought excessive quantities of very fine meat; it's what my mother would have wanted and, in fact, what she was planning to do today herself

manly!

[mudskipper]

So, when I went down to breakfast in the hotel this morning at 8am - apparently the first to do so as the dining room was empty - I was informed by the hotel chap that "the old lady", by which he meant my mother, had been taken away in an ambulance during the night

Apparently she was very unwell and my father called an ambulance for her which arrived about 4:30. They ended up taking her to hospital at around 5:45, as she had a temperature, her blood pressure was through the roof, her heart rate ditto, her blood sugar levels were screwed (she's diabetic), and they weren't happy with the readings on the cardiogram.

My sister and her husband had been up with them (their room was a couple of doors down, whereas I was in what amounted to a different wing reached by a maze of twisty little passages) so I didn't want to go hammering on their door right then in case they were making up for lost sleep. So I had my breakfast. After a while I was joined by my cousin and her husband who were also staying there.

Around 8:30 I got a text from my sister asking to borrow an iPhone charger, and then she phoned me. Word had come back from the hospital that our mum has a UTI, so they're giving her intravenous antibiotics and keeping her in until at least tomorrow, and probably Monday. Every hotel in the area is fully booked over the weekend, so my sister and her husband are staying on my brother's bed settee until she's able to be taken home. As there was nothing I could do and visiting times didn't start until mid-afternoon, and I'm also the only one who still has to go to work for a living on Monday, it was decided that I should come home; I can always head back up if need be, as it's only about an hour to the hospital from here.

So now I'm awaiting further bulletins

On the bright side, I stopped at Chatsworth Farm Shop on the way back and bought excessive quantities of very fine meat; it's what my mother would have wanted and, in fact, what she was planning to do today herself

for MrsFitz and for you too.

[NickFitz]

They've now decided it's pneumonia

No word yet on whether Donald Trump is going to mock her over it

[NickFitz]

In other news the police (two cars) are dealing with something over the road. Hard to tell because there's a tree in the way, but it looks like there's somebody lying on the ground. Whether they were lying down before the police arrived, I don't know

[NickFitz]

In other news the police (two cars) are dealing with something over the road. Hard to tell because there's a tree in the way, but it looks like there's somebody lying on the ground. Whether they were lying down before the police arrived, I don't know

Now a van's turned up, so I don't think it's a case of someone being taken ill

[NickFitz]

Dinner from the Chinese, just for a change

I'm feeling a bit below par this evening. I suspect this is just due to drinking a decent amount of wine at the party last night, and then getting up early for breakfast

So to counteract this, I'm going to drink beer instead and not get up till lunchtime

[NickFitz]

Now a van's turned up, so I don't think it's a case of someone being taken ill

All is explained on the local cops' Twitter feed: "Suspect located and arrested for possession of a knife…"

[mudskipper]

Off to Cuba!

Laters.

[WTFH]

Have fun, MS.

Afternoon/morning all