Grandad's holiday

Tomorrow we head for Corfu. All 11 of us. It has seemed like a military operation to organise this even more so at the last minute. I think I've got all bases covered but you never know.

WH has finally finished work and has started the wind-down, chill out phase. His grin is getting bigger and he can't wait to show the Grandkids all the things he loves about being abroad. So far it looks like our hunch paid off, it WILL be the best way to celebrate his milestone birthday. He doesn't like receiving presents, he doesn't do parties with their false gaiety and little awkwardnesses, he has no need of the usual trappings of Grandfather status, over-priced trinkets, mementos and and men's gifts. He's a giver not a receiver. A shared experience is what he would have chosen for himself.

To mark this special trip Middle Daughter and I spent a whole day designing and printing t-shirts for the whole party. A bit silly possibly, but we wanted the 4 smallest ones to have a tangible reminder of this week. The daughters themselves went to Florida when they were similar ages and all 3 still have all their keepsakes, aged Disney t-shirts and childish 'souvenirs'. They can still tell you what they did from day to day on that long 6 week adventure, about the crabs that ran over their feet in the dark, the beach picnics, the English restaurant with Roast beef and having Strawberries for breakfast. Although I wasn't part of their lives then, that came just a year later, I feel like I was there. I've seen the videos, the photographs and been proudly shown all the treasures, again and again and again.

Hopefully this next 7 days will make some new memories to treasure and some which the next generation will remember with such excitement. So if you're off to Corfu this next week and you see a shortish chap wearing zany outfits and a huge grin with 4 little kids hanging on his every word, you'll know, Grandad is finally on his 'special' holiday.

Two week rule, don't make me laugh, I'm already crying

The NHS apparently has a two week rule that means that if you present to your GP with some new, serious, possibly cancer-related symptom, you get tested and see an 'expert' within 2 weeks. 3 weeks ago WH did just that. Although the GP thought there was a slight chance of it being related to medications he is taking, nevertheless he was referred immediately for an endoscopy to have his gut checked out and stopped from taking any of his regular medication.

Seeing another doctor in the practice last week about another maybe-related-symtom and being in excrucuiating pain with the lack of pain relief, this guy also expressed surprise that the endoscopy had not been carried out. He promised to chase it urgently. On Monday two phone calls from different practice nurses had WH rushing to the surgery for a consult about yet another new medication. Again the GP was astonished that the endoscopy had still not been carried out and said she would chase it immediately. Now 3 days later WH still hasn't heard anything, and still can't take any arthritis medication which is leaving him is severe pain and unable to sleep at night.

I know the NHS is strapped for cash and I know that many doctors are unconvinced that this system is any good but does anyone consider the poor old patient? We go on holiday in 8 days, a holiday planned specifically for WH's enjoyment. WH has been told he has a potentially serious condition and needs an urgent test. He hasn't had the urgent test, can't take his usual meds so is feeling 10 times worse than usual and there is no apparent end in sight. The prospect of a holiday with 10 other people whilst feeling in this state is not appealing to him, never mind the worry of 'What ifs'.

Once again the NHS has caused this family no end of grief and is threatening to ruin our holiday of a lifetime.

Counting down, fingers crossed. No Problem!

Just two weeks to the big day when all 11 of us fly these shores for the sunnier climes of Corfu. So far it's been quiet of late no major panics yet. WH and I are getting ourselves sorted early as there are sure to be some major hitches to come. I say this advisedly and with a foresight coloured by past experience.

This is the family who lost passports 15 hours before travelling, 17th May 1999 is forever imprinted on my mind as we queued outside the passport office at 6am in order to make a flight at noon. I admit I lied when I called up the airline and said I would be late checking in due to 'car trouble', in reality we were hurtling at breakneck speed down the M4, shiny new passports in hand. We finally joined the back of the check-in queue to the accompaniment of an announcement of a 4 hour flight delay, panic over.

On another occasion, WH and 3 kids fetched up at a campsite in Cornwall at 11pm only to find they had left all the tent poles behind, they arrived home at 3am and had left again by 9 arguing all the while about whose fault it was.

Youngest daughter on her first trip abroad solo, ie without family but unfortunately with the current boyfriend, went to a rave in Spain. She then had her handbag with all her valuables stolen on the first day, money, passport, phone, camera. WH managed to wire money out to her and enabled her to take her pre-booked bus home, however other rowdies on said bus caused all the Brits to be ejected at Dover and we had to retrieve her from there. Our phone bill was colossal that month, in inverse proportion to our bank account.

Middle daughter emigrated to New Zealand. Her new Kiwi husband turned character the day they left and she spent 3 years trying to keep afloat and working all the hours she could whilst he spent every penny, didn't work and generally got into trouble. Finally she snapped and phoned WH to ask for money for flights home. "I'll see how much they are," he said. ""Oh I know already" said she, "I've already booked, you just have to pay".

Eldest daughter and husband also went to Spain for their first holiday as a couple. They didn't go anywhere much and were bored and didn't like the food. They must have had some good times as Number 1 grandson was the result.

So now we're off with the next generation too, one is frightened of flying, one is frightened of nothing, half of the party don't like foreign food, only two of us have ever driven on the 'wrong' side of the road, and two are so frightened of getting lost they're going to stay on the beach all week. Sounds like we're going to have fun.