When EVERYTHING goes wrong

 You couldn't make it up, the week poor Tam has just had to endure.  I will start at the beginning.  Last week Jon was ill with a really high temperature and in bed asleep all day on Thursday.  Temperature better the next day, when I was over.  I stayed half the day and looked after Rosie and he came down mid-afternoon and sat with her.  Tam's car had shown brake problems first thing so she had to use Jon's car, and hers was towed away to the garage, but wouldn't be seen until the following Wednesday as they were so busy.  J still unwell Saturday, when Tam could feel herself coming down with it, and Rosie had something too, but neither had the high temp.  Sunday Jon had to go into work as they were short-staffed, but was talking all day and his throat was awful.  

Last week they had builders in where Tam works, but they seem to have been remarkably cack-handed and water started coming through the ceilings into the archive rooms.  Only Tam and a.n.other in so they had to remove boxes of documents, and this happened on Monday and Tuesday too - she was feeling really rough but spent two days moving boxes and then bundles of documents.  The boxes were not light.  With her long-standing health problem and broken nights, you will realize she was running on empty.  On Monday, Jon's car broke down when she reached the child-minders, where it still is as they didn't have the documents for it as it's still in Jon's mum's name (it was her car) and she's in Spain. Tam had to rely on friends and work colleagues to provide transport.

Tuesday night Jon was very ill, hadn't been able to swallow much and then nothing at all, could barely speak and throat very swollen.  I was concerned and told her to phone 111 and asked if she had a straw in the house.

So, poor Tam stuck there with no transport. At 10.30 p.m. OOH Doc said for J to go in, pronto, and they had to spend £34 they could ill afford on a taxi to get him to Aber hospital.  He has Laryngitis very badly, and was given antibiotics, steroids and a throat spray.  Then, the neighbour who said he would go and pick him up, fell asleep and couldn't be contacted, and Jon watched it start to pour with rain as he waited for his prescription to be filled.  Tam phoned taxi company after taxi company until she finally got one who would drop Jon off at his mum's as he was going home for the night.  It was around 2 a.m. at this point.

Tam was meant to phone the OOH GP if there was any change for the worse, but of course didn't know what the state of play was as Jon wasn't there but in Aber and she spent what remained of the night worrying if Jon was still alive every time that Rosie woke her - which was often as SHE had very bad localised infection they thought was fungal, but cream didn't work after two days. (Think localised nappy rash).  Oh and she's cutting her last molars too.

So, Jen to the rescue yesterday as no way could Tam get Rosie to the GP in town (only 3 buses a day and she had to wait until the Receptionist phoned back and told her if she had an appt. in the afternoon).  No way to get Jon home as friend working. Tam was absolutely wiped out.  I took her a patisserie fruit pie (she asked for one but I was going to take her one anyway), and I knew she hadn't been able to afford wine that week so took her a bottle, and a couple of my little cucumbers.  She was SO glad to see me.  Just to have someone to share the worry with - and the washing up!  It took me over an hour of solidly washing up, drying and stacking as she hadn't been able to tackle it for days.  I peeled and chopped the spuds for the Cottage Pie she was planning for tea.  I have my uses!  Then I took them in to the GP's, we liaised with Jon, went to pick up her car which had been fixed two days earlier but they had the wrong phone number for her!  

I finally got home just after 7 and the cats were very pleased to see me.  I too had wine last night - reckoned I had earned it!  I watched the Great Pottery Showdown and in the car, podcasts were the 100 years war again, which I really enjoyed as there is such a camaraderie between Tom and Dom and plenty of laughter - the thought of the Welsh longbowmen shedding their trousers because they had been standing around so long and needed to poo where they stood!!!  Then going into battle thus unclad!

So, a week from hell that you couldn't make up.  Everything that could go wrong, went wrong, but hopefully that is behind them now and that Jon's car can be recovered soon and the bill not too much. 

Today I have a walk planned, some gardening and packing some of the boxes for Saturday's Fair, and then some patchwork after lunch.