A bit of a shock...

My Dad called last night at about 10.15pm to say that my Mum had gone to the hospital because of a fall she'd had yesterday. This was the second one since Monday and she'd bruised her face again. I'd spoken to her briefly when we arrived home, and when I called later in the evening Dad said she was in bed. The carers were obviously a bit worried about her later on, though, and she was taken to hospital just to be on the safe side.

I called the care home this morning at 7.30am before going to work to find out that she was being discharged, and I said I would visit her this afternoon when I finished work.

Work was busy, and I finished the "moan" report for Sara, which was great as it can drag on a bit. July seemed to be a very discontented month, with more complaints about our staff and the swimming lessons than ever before.

At 2pm I sped home and changed before going to see Mum and Dad. It looks very much like the planned visit to Duxford will be off this Sunday, which is a huge shame. Before going I had a quick chat with Sue who was doing some gardening at Paul's house. In the distance, we could see plumes of black smoke - was a field on fire somewhere?

Mum's face shocked me (I had been warned by the staff) and she seemed very unsteady on her feet.

We sat and chatted for over an hour and despite looking a bit battered and bruised, she seemed OK in herself. The carers had been joking she looked like she'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson!

I left them both, thanking the carers who had been doing a great job looking after them, and returned home. Sophie arrived at the same time as she'd finished work an hour earlier than normal. Keith and I went out into the garden and I was shocked to see how dry the grass was. It was like straw and was yellow and parched. There is no rain in the forecast at all, and several areas of the UK are now facing hosepipe bans. Thankfully, we aren't, but if we don't get some decent rainfall soon, I dread to think of the consequences for the gardens. I've noticed leaves are already being shed by the trees as they try and conserve water.

We played Scrabble this evening and Sophie beat me as usual. I'm going to get my revenge one day! Dinner was a delicious chicken stir fry with noodles, cooked by Sophie. Yum!