Nursing Louis

Too late to bed last night, didn't sleep well and still up for eight this morning. It is a lovely day and Norman is as happy as a sandbox as he sits in the kitchen and watches me make breakfast. He only becomes animated when he sees me cutting up his sausage, black pudding and bacon. After breakfast we decamp to the garden room to drink coffee and admire the view. BT broadband is defunct again, but I am quite content to listen to the news on radio 4, until it is time to shower and change and drive into Beverley for tea with friends at the Poppy Seed Cafe. En route I call at the Post Office in the village and return the corduroy pants that weren't as described. We park on Norwood, opposite the bike shop, and I leave Normy in the car whilst I walk across the road to the cobblers to collect my Barkers Oxford shoes, only to discover that he doesn't open Saturdays. I retrace my steps and Norman and I stroll the quarter of a mile or so into town, he obligingly performs his toilet adjacent to the dog waste bin and we both arrive at the Poppy Seed energised by our walk in the crisp autumn sun. Our usual table is empty and when I phone Felicity, she tells me she is having a poor day and won't make it. I order tea, Norman sits on my knee and we watch the world walk past our window into the market. Around a quarter to eleven, Hannah arrives on her bike, she is Danish and has been up late at a function at the Danish Church in Hull, she is closely followed by Rosemary. They ask if I
Am going to see Julie Walters in "The Last of The Hausmanns", from the National Theatre, which is being telecast to our local cinema on Thursday. I am undecided and say I will let them know. At half past eleven Norman and I leave, as I have promised to look after Louis and Alice from lunch time. When we arrive Sarah is still there, bleaching her hair before Richard arrives. Louis has been running a high temperature over night but seems OK this morning, nevertheless we decide not to venture too far today. Alice has arranged to meet friends in Hull and Louis has decided he wants to go to Hornsea. Hornsea is only twelve miles away and about fifteen minutes by car, he wants to go to the Freeport where there is a kids play area and a few toy shops. We call in at Tickton where I make his favourite lunch, Parma Ham, Chorizo and smoked cheese with some olives, before setting off to Hornsea. The traffic through the tiny town centre is backed up for about half a mile, so we divert North and enter the Freeport by a roundabout route that takes us along the seafront. Usually Louis would want to go on the beach or swim, but the latter is out because of last night's fever and he seems disinclined to dig on the sands. I buy him a cheap toy from one of the shops and then read the paper whilst he plays in the children's activity area. In less than an hour he has had enough and when I feel his head it is hot, so we head back to my bungalow, he falls asleep in the car as I drive, so when we get home I put him into my bed, after giving him a sachet of calpol and he is soon fast asleep. I get up at four, make tea and listen to the second half of the football from Hillsborough, Hull break their three match losing streak and beat Sheffield Wednesday 0 : 1. Afterwards I bring in my coloured washing and then gently wake Louis about half past five. He feels better after his sleep, and once we have fed Norman, we walk him as far as the farm and then load everyone into the car and drive to Tesco to buy some "invalid supplies", for Louis. He likes the idea of being pampered whilst he is feeling a bit poorly, so we buy some grapes, chocolate ice cream and his favourite, cream soda pop. Somehow he convinces me that a pack of Marvel Super Hero cards will also make him feel better. Alice is back from town when we arrive and Louis graciously shares his grapes, pop, and ice cream with her. After the invalid snack we sit on the settee and watch TV until it is time for "The X factor", which Alice wants to watch and I haven't seen for two years. It is still the same formulaic crap, patronising contestants and viewers alike, Louis and I vote with our feet and go to bed for nine. We continue the story about Louis Polo and his Journey to China, but within minutes he is fast asleep, another sachet of cal pol to cool him down probably helped. He sleeps in my arm and once he has gone into a deep slumber, I extricate myself, turn over and go off myself.