In between times

it's been a weird time; last time I wrote, I'd stopped being ill, but in fact had come down with a sinus infection, which made my teeth throb, and a chest infection.
So much better now. Had a great time back in Brentford twice in the last week or so, realise how much I've been missing all my friends. The first occasion Sunday lunch at the Brewery Tap. I had never been there before, but it was a really relaxed place. About 16 of us went. The occasion was that Mary, Graham and Bekkah were there. These are our good friends who emigrated to New Zealand about two years ago. It was good to catch up, also to see Ali, Darren, Barney and Kate and for Jake to be with some of his friends.
Well, lunch was a fiver and a bargain. A huge plate of delicious roast meat with veg and gravy. A far cry from the Sunday lunches we've sampled in the Putney eateries. The atmosphere in the pub very relaxed and uncliquey, a very nice way to spend the afternoon. We went back to Ali's to collapse and digest, and to force down a little cheese and wine later on.

The second visit was to Phil and Tracey's on Friday. A true gathering of the yummy mummies, and very nice too, fuelled by tequila sunrises. Very nice to have Ali there, and without Darren, so lots of socialising all round. Of course, the evening would not have been complete without a little sidle round to Ali's for cheese and wine a bit later.

Putney is a very different place.

Sunday in Putney

woke up with my mouth throbbing, as if I had abcesses in all my teeth at once...hopefully just a complication of the lurgy I've had. Forged ahead with the day - a busy morning while Jake spent time, and my money choosing a present in the music shop for his upcoming birthday...Then we went round to Rachel and Janine's for lunch. Such a relaxing time, reminded me of being a teenager in Putney wandering about the leafy streets from one friend's house to another. A delicious lunch featuring several of my favourite things. Tuna, cheese and wine. We then sat around on cushions smoking a shisha, which was fun, although I feel I may have shared my lurgy with everyone, too. Several games followed- ancient to modern. Rachel and I played backgammon, the others played games on the stupidly named Wii. It was a lovely day, and we are going to go round there again on Boxing Day. Hope it's a lovely wintry day for walking round there and back, we can nose into the windows all the lovely festively decorated Putney houses.

whirlwind

An exciting couple of weeks, not all good, not all bad...

Saw Katy, Donna and Penny on the 23rd, a sort of mini school reunion. Quite special, because they all came to say hello to Dad at one point or other during the afternoon. Katy in particular, had a lovely long chat to him, possibly one of his last long lucid chats before the recent madness started.
Anyway we had a great afternoon, Katy had to go back in the evening, so Donna and I met up with Penny at Dad's, and went to the Spotted Horse for dinner which was great. Phil and Robin, who was over from America for a few days joined us there. Later Penny, Donna and I went for a walk down by the river - it was very cold. Walked Penny back to near to Dad's, and then Donna and I stayed in a local hotel for the night. A blissful uninterrupted night of sleep, well approximately 5 hours by the time we'd stopped chatting and giggling and gone to sleep. Dad got iller recently and I got ill too. The third time since the end of August. I was so ill, I couldn't even go out to a folk thing at the Festival Hall on Tuesday. The biggest stress in the new Putney situation has been trying to get help from Wandsworth social services for my dad. It has been extremely difficult to get anywhere with them. Impossible to know what is available, and how to get it. When I have phoned to ask how the delivery of one or other promised service is progressing, I have been told it's up to me to chase it....It took one dedicated district nurse to pull out all the stops on Friday, and organise something in one day that social services have taken 3 months to sort out. Dianne, you are an angel. Anyway...Dad's in hospital now, and won't come home until everything's in place for him, so a result all round.
Very strange (and relaxing) being at Dad's flat without him in it.