The last picture I had of Mum and Dad together, bravely facing their pain
The last picture I had of Mum and Dad together, bravely facing their pain

After loading up our speedboat and Little Lady onto their trailers, the dinghy on to the Range Rover roof rack and dozens of bags full of clothes and belongings into the Little Lady, a virtual luggage annex, we started to make ourway home to Paxton but first dropped in on my parents in Stanton where we found my mum and dad in pain and distress after a bad night.

Almost fainting with pain, Dad was determined to drive to Cambridge for his radiography appointments and my sister was due to arrive from Cornwall later to help. Eventually I persuaded Dad to let me drive him to Addenbrookes, before which I dropped Di off with the goods and trailer to Paxton. I saw the Doctor with Dad and the news was not good as the extent of the growth was extensive and had spread from the ear lobe to the lymph gland so they could only treat his condition and not cure it.

He was prescribed some more painkillers, which was of some consolation. I drove Dad back to Stanton, had tea with Mum and Dad and Freda (the first time the four of us had been together for 25 years or more, and probably the last time) and then drove back at Paxton where I fell into a long and deep sleep.

The news today was of the Commons Select Committee on Health slating the Tories for their so-called ‘reforms’. The Lebanese hostage rows go on with all sides recriminating 

I slept well enough at Brundall in my new sleeping bags; the pity was to get them so late in the holiday to be of little use. We did well last night to get the two boats onto their trailers and so we only had the dinghy to recover, wash and strap onto the roof rack on the Range Rover. That done, I went to fill up with petrol and water for a long journey. There were dozens of bags full of clothes and belongings that Di prepared, and we loaded them up onto the Little Lady and quite filled the cabin and cockpit as a result.

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Then The Lady had to be put to bed, all of the accessories stored below and systems switched off, before the curtains were drawn and the doors locked. We were ready to go by 11am, which was quite good really. I telephoned my parents and arranged to drop in on them after we had eaten an early lunch on the road. We stopped at Banham Zoo (the café not the actual zoo) and had survived the wasps to have a bite to eat. The wasps are getting quite angry and desperate now and are not easily dismissed by the wave of an arm. This morning, they had been sitting on The Lady as if waiting to get in and now they were raiding.

Daniel stayed behind to make the trip with Gary and his father and so it was just us and the girls that went to Stanton. We found Mum and Dad in some pain and distress after a bad night; Dad almost fainting with pain and tiredness, yet determined to drive all the way to Cambridge for his radiography appointments. My sister Freda was also due from Cornwall, having decided to take the train journey up and to stay for a few days. Mum was distressed about Dad driving and being in pain and being unable to help her. After some while, I persuaded Dad to let me drive him in the Range Rover. I would drop Di off with the goods and trailer at Paxton, going with Dad to Addenbrookes to see the doctor and then driving home and brief Freda on the results. Time was short, but I managed this circuit; although it meant I was in the driving seat from 11am to 9pm less breaks.

The news from the doctor was not good. Dad’s condition could not change until the radiotherapy ended and then after 4 to 6 weeks had elapsed thereafter. Then he thought it unlikely that he would operate in view of the extent of the growth and that the chances of the treatment curing dad were not good but they would try to contain it. At least he was prescribed some new tablets to help with the pain which would be some relief. He had a ‘squamous’ type of skin cancer that had spread from the ear lobe to the lymph gland.

Once home, I had tea with Mum, Dad and Freda. It must have been the first time just the four of us were together as a family for 25 years or more! Freda put a somewhat better perspective on things, he had two things – the lymph growth and an infection and the latter should cease in a couple of days. After the radiotherapy was finished, it could be lanced to remove the puss and it might break naturally. Later, they could remove the lymph gland and ‘squemous’ was one of the better cancer conditions to have as it did not spread to muscle and bone like with some of the others.

I drove back to Paxton to arrive at 9pm, and the weather broke and the rain fell on the way. Just a couple of hours doing a few urgent things and then to my old and favourite bed, where I fell into a long and deep sleep. The evening was warm and humid and the balcony doors allowed lots of air into the room. The news today was of the Commons Select Committee on Health slating the Tories for their so-called ‘reforms’. The Lebanese hostage rows go on with all sides recriminating.