The rough stuff

It's not been the easiest of years. My dad fell down the stairs and sustained a nasty head injury. Three months in hospital followed until he came home. Doing well I am so pleased to report. Having said that,  the time off his feet has taken its toll and he is having to work hard to regain mobility and fitness. Adjustments to the house have made life easier but things have subtly and inevitably changed for both him and my mum.

During this time my father in law was taken into hospital but discharged. A week or two later he was back and this time it took a turn for the worse. He was confused and weak. There was nothing the hospital could do so it was a waiting game. He lasted a couple more weeks before passing away in August.

And finally, we had to say goodbye to Sallydog. Our lovely, grumpy, little black and white dog. She was with us for 11 years at the heart of everything we did. A quirky character but the perfect pet for us for all of that time. She just got old and frail. Her legs were going and she was struggling to move about. It was time to take that dreadful decision. It's never easy to do the kind thing and just thinking about it makes me fill up.

All of the above made for a tough sort of year. Let's hope for a more pleasant 2017.