Departures

The house seemed quiet and empty as we cleaned and tidied up on Monday morning. Just before lunch I received an email from my cousin Lindsay to tell us that his mother, my Auntie Joyce had died in her late eighties, at the nursing home across the city, where she's lived since her husband my Uncle Gordon died eight years ago. Her daughter Christine lives in Hong Kong, and given how long it will take for her to arrive home, the funeral won't be any time soon. Sad to say, neither Clare nor I can attend this significant family gathering to say our goodbyes, as I'll be out in Spain again on locum duty by then.

In the afternoon, Rachel sent us a message from the departure lounge at Heathrow to say her flight had been delayed. It took off four hours late, we later learned from the British Airways website.Not a pleasant experience with a small child to care for. I will be restless until I know she's landed at the other end, even though transatlantic flying is safe and predictable for the most part nowadays.