Thursday 12 March 2020

Out And About

We didn't have a summer holiday last year for one reason or another and consequently Mick hardly took any holiday from work. It now means that he's got a lot of annual leave left to take before the end of this month. He's carrying some days over into the new year's entitlement but he took last week off, he's off again tomorrow and he's got another full week off coming up next week, though he may cancel a couple of those days yet as he's got a lot on at work at the moment.

After all the storms and bad weather we've had just lately, it was a stroke of luck that the week off he chose coincided with some better weather. We hadn't planned to do much, it's nice just to have some down time, but we did manage to do something every day.


On Monday we headed up the A1 to Thirsk, a small market town in North Yorkshire which is known as the home of James Herriot, the vet and author. It was a bright, sunny day but still very cold with a bitter wind blowing. We had a mooch around the small market and shops.

It was rather dull on Tuesday and very cold. We took some flowers to the crematorium for my mum and sister. It started spitting with rain just as we got there but the rain managed to hold off.


Wednesday dawned bright and sunny and it was quite mild too so we made the most of the good weather, put Archie in the car, and headed off to Lotherton for A Stroll Through The Woods. I think Lotherton is Archie's favourite place, he loves it there and we live just a five or ten minute drive away so it's very convenient.


We didn't know what to do on Thursday but it was another sunny day so we got in the car and decided on the spur of the moment to visit The Seaside. We ended up in Scarborough where Archie had a lot of fun running about on the beach and making new doggy friends.

Unfortunately, when we returned home from Scarborough late Thursday afternoon, Mick called in to check on my dad and found that he wasn't very well. To cut a long story short, we ended up in A&E with him again where it was discovered he had yet another kidney infection and he was kept in. We arrived home in the early hours of Friday morning.

Friday was the best day of the week, beautiful sunshine and very mild, but most of it was spent visiting my dad in hospital. Over the course of the week, as well as our outings, we managed to get a few jobs done at home too, so barring my dad ending up in hospital, it was a good week overall.

That takes us to the weekend where, after further tests, it was discovered that my dad's one remaining working kidney is deteriorating and it was decided that he'd need a nephrostopy, a procedure to insert a tube into the kidney through an opening in the skin to drain urine. This will now be in place permanently and we're hoping that this works as we don't know what else they can do if it doesn't.

My dad's still in hospital at the moment so it looks as though we'll be continuing with our hospital visiting, or looking after him at home if he's discharged, over the weekend and into next week.

19 comments:

  1. Up until your dad's illness it sounds like you had a nice week just relaxing and doing things together. I hope your dad is on the mend and that the device is working for him.

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  2. Hope your dad improves, it's horrible when family member is ill. Lovely week for you both on trip and days out.

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  3. Wonderful that you got out and about in the good weather.

    Best wishes to his father, and to you!

    Gentle hugs...
    🌱 🌷 🌱

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  4. I'm glad that you had a few good days for Mick's time off. So sorry about what your dad is going through - thinking of you & hoping that the procedure is successful.

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  5. So sorry to read your Dad has more health problems to endure. Will be thinking of you all, I cannot begin to imagine how worried you are having him in hospital at present. XX

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  6. I'm pleased you were able to get out and about and make the best of the better weather, I did enjoy your photographs.

    I am so sorry to read about your Dad, hope the nephrostopy works.
    I'm saying a prayer for him.

    All the best Jan

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  7. Jo, I'll be thinking of you and your dad. Hugs!

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  8. You had some beautiful days out last week. What a shames the week ended as it did.
    It's hard when our parents become old and for you I imagine right now it is so emotional as you travel this pathway again with dad. My thoughts are with you and I hope dad is comfortable and pain free.
    Take care Jo x

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  9. God Bless your Father. I will keep him in my prayers. It is hard to see them suffer.
    That is the most beautiful crematorium I've ever seen!

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  10. I'm sorry to hear about your Dad, he must be fed up with all the to-ing and fro-ing, in and out of hospital and now there's the virus to contend with too. You managed to make the most of your week, that would have been about 20 blog posts for me, ha ha!

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  11. Those day trips combined with home activities were a good way of being together and having some hours of relaxation and a change of scene. I hope all goes well with your Dad. Being able to support him either in the hospital or at home will help him. Take care of yourselves too.

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  12. Looks like you made the most of what good weather you had.
    Sorry to read about your dad, I hope he is doing better now. It's more of a worry now with everything that's going on too, I'm going to avoid going to mums as much as possible because you just don't know who you've been in contact with. Take care xx

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  13. I am glad that you managed to have a few days out and about. Hugs and prayers for you and your dad. x

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  14. Glad to see that the weather was such that you were able to get out and about.
    I'm sorry to read about your dad, and hope that the procedure works. xx

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  15. Good week, bad week......thinking of you Jo & well wishes for your Dad. Take care & big hugs from down under.

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  16. So sorry to hear about your dad Jo, I hope the nephrostopy works and he greatly improves.

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  17. How exciting that you went to Thirsk! I love everything James Harriot! So sorry about your Dad! Hope he improves.💖

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  18. I am so sorry to hear about your Dad, Jo. I realised that this was from last week, I do hope he is ok. A sad ending to your lovely week. Thinking of you x

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  19. So glad you got out and about and enjoyed good weather, and so sad to hear about your poor dad. Hospitals are not a place you want to visit at the moment. Please stay safe, hope your dad is released soon.xxx

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