Ginger DJ Rob

We drove up to Norfolk Saturday to pick up my Mum's key from the police station and met the policeman who found her. Apparently she'd left the gas fire on and the kitchen tap running but the Pc couldn't say where the cat was. Other details were a little sketchy with confusion over recently changed procedures. The Police only had the backdoor key and first thing we found was the cat looking very worried and hungry. Sasha, the cat was glad of the food and started tidying the house removing the items I didn't want to be reminded of. We collected all the essentials and worked out what to do next knowing that Monday would be the day the coroner would be back at work. The evening was a meal out with my dad and, inappropriately his new lady friend. Whether it was whole downer of the weekend or I just didn't like her but the atmosphere was horrible. Sunday was more house clearing, catching up with Mark who's offered to help with the renovation, and feeding/bonding ...

Coming up with a title for this entry was really hard for me but not quite as hard as my past week. My last blog mentioned my poor mum and her decline in health. After visiting her Sunday I managed to convince she should visit the doctor. After a call to say I'd arrived home she called back 30 minutes later to say she'd changed her mind as it was worrying her so much and felt she could deal with it on her own. Naturally I felt angry and let down. The calls to her the next two days were to persist she try to eat and even consider a home visit from the district nurse to at least get a blood test to perhaps prove to the doctor there was something more than she would let on. It was hard not to get frustrated and angry as her memory failed to grasp the importance of the matter. Tuesday evening was my last conversation with her as I decided to give her a break of a day without calling her. With Wednesday a really busy day for me at work I doubled my efforts to call her and convince h...

Unfortunately, this entry will not be a cheery, irrelevant one but to record a low point in my life so I can, hopefully, look back and say I got through this. The weekend was a trip to look after my mum in Dereham (Norfolk), the town I grew up in. When I last visited her just before Christmas I realised something wasn't right. It turns out she's an alcoholic, on strong medication for her arthritis/high blood pressure and not really eating. She now hardly answers the phone, has memory problems, refuses to go to the doctors or accept any help and has fallen over a number of times. To make matters worse, I've quickly realised that there's very little support for this situation unless she accepts she has to go to the doctors. I've also heard my uncle is now in a hospice which I also hope will improve. Its good to talk to the rest of my family but wish the subject matter were a bit more uplifting. At least I'm not distracted by the dizzying delights that Dereham has ...

I haven't read the Douglas Coupland book but am aware of its topic. This film trailer of the Jpod movie looks very unfunny.

Holy plastic bricks Batman! Looking forward to seeing this game when it's complete. Last blog entry I mentioned a couple of Chrimbo holiday outings. The Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2 Dome was quite good. We hadn't been to the Dome since 2000 and they've added the Vegas factor with shopping outlets and restaurants. One or two old exhibition items from the Millennium experience were still there including the colour sensory room. Queues for the King Tut thing were ridiculous even with the timed entry and once in the amount of people per session almost spoilt the viewing experience. We had seen quite a few similar items in New York but there were a few treasures which made up the ticket value. Now looking forward to seeing the Terracotta Army exhibition which the British Museum released evening tickets for 10:30pm. I'll report of this in February. I am Legend was ok. Will Smith is the possibly the last man on Earth trying to find a cure for vampire like zombies. There...

A belated Merry Christmas blog readers as work and seasonal preparations took over. It was my last day at work for 2007 on Thursday 20th and ended with a departmental meal out and pi$$-up. Although the meal was free and cocktails were half-priced I still managed to spend all my cash by 9pm. Mexican food was delicious but the after-party music was too chaotic with over-subscribed music contributions and a random tune generator to confuse everyone. The next day we had to visit my (Nor)folks. Although we left way before the expected traffic rush, the fog made the motorways like a misty car park. We eventually made it for a catch up with Josh and Christy receiving a wrist gyroscope powerball pressie. Saturday was hardwork dealing with my mum who's had an unfortunate turn for the worse and will no doubt rumble on for much of 2008. The evening was a little more light-hearted with my dad and his cronies at his annual Xmas meal. One of his friends, Julian always entertains us. In the last ...