Gosh, we have so many fathers in the family now that we don’t quite know where to turn! And how delightful it was that there were WhatsApp chats this morning, sharing the Father’s Day greetings among the family.
There was a little bit of competition about breakfast in bed – Michael, however, didn’t want any because he was feeling nauseous with a tummy bug that the children had shared with him this week; and Harriet had said Paul was to get his own breakfast because she was cooking him a special lunch at 1 o’clock. She was clearly joking though, because not very much later a photo appeared with Paul in bed and a nice breakfast next to him. I think John thought he’d won the competition, though, with a full English and the Sunday newspapers to read in bed.
John stayed in bed as a treat (!!) while I pottered about downstairs, having another go at tidying up. Honestly, it’s like the Forth Bridge at our house….. and then, of course, John had all his medication to take and nebuliser to have, so it was gone lunchtime by the time he surfaced.
We were both magnanimous and offered each other the viewing rights to the TV this afternoon. “You can watch the tennis. It’s the Men’s Final,” John said to me. “No, no, it’s fine, honestly. It’s Father’s Day – you can watch the Grand Prix.” I protested.
In the end, John persuaded me that he’d rather record the Grand Prix so that he could fast forward if he got bored. That way, I had a lovely afternoon wrapped up in the tennis. John also had a lovely afternoon – wrapped up in a blanket, having fallen asleep for the two hours that the tennis was on.
Once awake, John watched the Grand Prix; we chatted to the Sutton Sleaths; we spoke to Andrew in Cambridge and then, we were just prepping the evening meal when the Kenilworth Sleaths got in touch. Would John like to go out to the pub with Paul for a Father’s Day drink?
Naturally, John said ‘yes’. But he then admitted to me that he was slightly nervous about going out, out. It’s the first time in a long time that he’s been out in the evening to a pub. “Right,” said Paul, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” Ah…. OK. “What time will the meal be ready?” John wanted to know. “Not before you go out,” I replied. “Here, have some ‘un-Paleo’ cheese and biscuits….”
Apparently, they had a lovely time. I took them to the White Horse, and a couple of hours later, collected them again to ferry them home. They were a little bit tiddly. John had particularly enjoyed himself and was delighted in his eldest son’s company. Paul, too, had delighted in John’s company but was feeling rather maudlin as he came out of the pub, having heard the news that one of the ‘lads’ he’d employed in the Job Squad had passed away. I’m not making light of it, but that’s always a risk you run when you employ the elderly in your organisation……
9,284 people tested positive for the virus today and 6 people died in the community. The number of admissions to hospitals is still going up, with 226 in the last 24 hours.
Look after yourselves, everyone. If you are going ‘out, out’ – take care. God bless.