Wednesday 8th May

Well summers over, despite the fact its still spring. Two days of lovely weather and now we’re back to wind and rain, which is not to be honest, the best weather for delivering papers in. Still, having fed and watered the family and seen them out of the door this morning, I was off on the paper round. I got cloud, I got wind, I got rain and eventually I very briefly got sunshine. Bumped into an older chap I know while I was on the round and had virtually the same conversation I had with him last week. It must be my version of Groundhog Day.

I then ran a series of errands, bank, butchers, collecting clothes that had been ordered and returning carpet samples (and in case you’re wondering we still can’t find one that works).

Now due to the condition of the ailing one, certain things that have been pre-booked need to be cancelled, and it falls to me to do this, which is not a problem as they need sorting. So it is I find myself on the phone to Best Western to cancel a hotel room booking. It’s a non-refundable rate but under the circumstance, that is the ailing one being in hospital awaiting a major operation, they will let us change the date. That’s the good news; the bad news is we’ve got 48 hours to pick a new date! How we are meant to know when he’ll be fit for a night away I really don’t know. So I do the only logical thing to me, that is I book for the same day next year. I can’t say I was very impressed with Best Western’s empathy on this one. Why they needed the revised date virtually immediately, and couldn’t wait until he was on the mend I don’t understand, but there you have it, another example of British customer service at its best.

I do the ironing, I get the tea ready, I take the eldest out driving, it really is all go for the modern house husband.

Yours in danger of becoming a grumpy old man.

Jay