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Dad passes away today at nearly 9am peacefully with Mum and I on a sunny day in Room 20 of Weald House after several foggy and damp ones. Dr Lyle came to certify Dad’s death and then until the funeral directors came to collect Dad and take him away to the chapel of rest at Hail Weston. Later the staff buttonholed me and asked that we put Mum somewhere else more suitable as Weald House is full of elderly and confused people and that Mum now needs some sheltered accommodation with more social facilities etc.
The other news today is of the assassination of the new Lebanese president by car bomb which killed 23 others in the process, a Conservative ‘stalking horse’ candidate is to stand against Thatcher for the party leadership and ambulance management and ambulanceman are blaming each other for a breakdown in the service
I was awoken early this morning by a call from Mrs Issitt of Weald House nursing home who told us that Dad’s pulse had weakened and that he was near to the end. I waited at home, showered and dressed and then finished off typing in the relatives addresses to the computer list for mum to look at. Dad was still breathing when I got there, deeply and at varying pace. He was calm, peaceful and laying still. After several foggy and damp days, the sky was clear and the sun shining across Room 20 is a much better memory of his passing. Mum sat and held his right hand; Matron Issitt his left and I sat nearby. He finally died nearly 9am. I went downstairs with Mum whilst Matron laid Dad out. Then mum and I went back and worked on our address lists and arrangements until Dr Lyle came to certify Dad’s death and then until the funeral directors came to collect Dad and take him away to the chapel of rest at Hail Weston.
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Being tired today, and the road conditions being very full we put off our trip to Cambridge went to St Neots for morning coffee instead. A brief visit to Avenue fisheries in Sandy where I was unimpressed the latest consignment of Koi from Japan and then on to Weald House where dad is inactive but peaceful and mum is quite composed. Home to spend time detailing our family contacts ready for dad’s funeral whilst watching phone being televised and roasting chestnuts on my open fire
After my very late night, I was tired today and not capable of doing very much. I persuaded Di to put off her shopping trip to Cambridge and we stayed here a while and then went to St Neots instead. This was just as well in view of the thick fog and dangerous nature of the main A45 road to Cambridge. I had morning coffee at the Harvest Bakery with Di and then, once home in Little Paxton, I drove down to Avenue Fisheries in Sandy to see the latest Koi consignment, received 6am this morning from Japan. I found the fish of moderate quality, expensive and in poor condition. By shipping them around the world, they seem bound to suffer for it and are then pray to all the infections, diseases and ailments that exist. I think that it will be much better when we can breed good quality Koi at home and so I decided not to buy any of them at the moment.
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Planning Dad’s forthcoming and inevitable funeral with the undertakers and the Rev Peter Lewis but no luck in getting a churchyard plot for the family. A Liberal Democrat campaign meeting tonight and then to rush over to console Mum and to see Dad who we thought was going to pass but he rests and breaths deeply.
This morning, I returned to my desk and undertook a range of correspondence duties – dealing with Council matters mostly, but also other things as well. After lunch, I contacted the Funeral Directors – Cobbold’s of St Neots and Hail Weston – and dropped round to see them in the afternoon. I found them helpful, efficient and friendly enough and found it useful to run through the burial and service options. Then, after tea, I had an hour with the Rev Peter Lewis. I was disappointed that he could not make an exception to the rule of the closed churchyard and allow me to create a Broad Family Grave there; give my local role and contribution to the village.
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Mum’s first visit from Weald House to The Hayling View by specially-adapted taxi and a nice time for her playing Scrabble and Monopoly with her grandchildren whilst also enjoying the fresh air and eating a good nourishing lunch. This evening working on Derek Giles latest leaflet and circulating it for comments and corrections
Today was a day that started misty and then cleared to become mild and sunny which was just as well because it was planned that Mum was to come by special taxi and to spend some time with us. She arrived quite early at 9:30am, before we were really ready, and first had a chat and a cup of ‘milky coffee’ with Di and I. We discussed Dad’s forthcoming funeral arrangements and she said it was such a pleasure being in a normal family home with fresh air and good company. There were so many elderly and confused people at Weald House that have to keep doors and windows locked to restrain the ‘wanderers’. She had a nice game of Scrabble with Debbie and Daniel (who also joined in to his credit). A nice sit-down lunch in the kitchen where Mum enjoyed a good meal which is excellent in view of her diminutive weight. Then a hasty game of Monopoly before the taxi called and took Mum back to the nursing home.
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