One way cycle to see dad...

Despite the miserable start to the day weatherwise, I cycled over to see dad around 4pm; it's around six miles through a mainly urban landscape. Make that suburban. Dad was still roughly the same as he has been for the past fortnight, with no real improvement in sight. The big problem was his lack of sleep and, more importantly, his inability to take in liquids. In other words, he was getting seriously dehydrated.

When I got there around 4pm, both mum and dad were of the opinion that they simply couldn't wait until mid-May to get things moving. They suggested to me that we go to the A&E. I called NHS Direct for some advice and in the end Jon drove over and we took him up to the hospital. They checked him out, confirmed he was dehydrated and, frankly, in a bit of mess, and decided he ought to stay in.

What amazes all of us is that his GP was quite happy to leave him stewing at home, getting steadily worse with no real end in sight. Still, he's in a good place and he's being looked after and that's the main thing.

I reached home around 1045 and watched TV for 15 minutes or so and then went to bed.

I'll probably go back over there for the bike later today.

Another nice day!

Sunday 8 May: It's 0844hrs and the rain has gone, the sun is out and the sky is blue, but we've lost momentum on a ride today, although I'll probably cycle over to dad's later on to check on his state of health. It's really good out there and I bet Andy's thinking the same thing – a quick ride to Botley Hill or the Tatsfield Bus Stop; but things have moved on and I have many other commitments.

The car can't be used because it lacks an MOT and needs work done, but that'll be sorted by tomorrow. As for now, well, we can only think of what might have been, but the weather out there is perfect.