It feels like a Monday

I may have to have a small rant. It is Monday morning after all. My father in law has been re-admitted to hospital for more tests and scans. There is no immediate cause for concern, but he has not been making the progress that his specialist hoped for. This may be partly to him not taking the exercise that he has been told to. He is supposed to go for a short walk each day, and extend it slightly each time. Instead he has been staying in the house with the heating turned up full. Going to visit him is like taking sauna. What is prompting my ire is the way that my brothers in law are treating myself and my wife. One lives in Birmingham, and so is unable to do much during the week. I would have thought that visits at the weekend would be on the agenda though. The other brother in law lives locally at least. What has annoyed both me and my wife is that they seem to think that because she doesn’t work, she should be there to help out all the time. What they seem to conveniently overlook are the facts. My wife doesn’t drive, she is totally reliant on public transport to get about. She has to get Heir no.1 to school by 8.50am and take Heir no.2 with her on the bus, whilst being 7 months pregnant. She has to fit in a nap for Heir no.2 before returning to the school at 3.15pm to pick up Heir no.1. This schedule doesn’t give much leeway for running errands. I have no problem helping out when I can. I know my wife is upset by the condition her father is in, and I can remember all too well how I felt when my father was ill. I had no brothers or sisters to share the burden with, but given the way things are that might have been a small blessing. On Saturday we went to the hospital to visit. The children aren’t allowed on the ward, so I have to try to keep them entertained and out of trouble in the visitors’ room. My wife hadn’t been inside long when she returned. The brother from Birmingham had visited on Friday night and was tasked with the job of asking us to fetch some denture adhesive before our visit. We hadn’t been informed of this need, and arrived empty handed. With father in law unable to eat until some adhesive was available it became a priority. We knew that the other brother (local one) was due to be visiting later on. So I made a swift phone call to ask him to locate some on his way in. At this point he informed that he wouldn’t be visiting that day so he couldn’t help. He was taking a lady friend to lunch instead. I realise his fifth fiancée has just dumped him, but thought he might be able to keep his dating needs outside hospital visiting hours! So I was tasked with the job of locating some denture adhesive – on a Saturday afternoon, with the Heirs in tow. The third shop I tried actually had the required brand, so it wasn’t too painful an effort! Yesterday I spent the day power cleaning my father in law’s drive, to make it safer for traversing with the wintry weather almost upon us. I was supposed to joined by my locally living brother in law, but a late phone call informed me that he had a second date lunch to attend instead. I really hope that both brothers wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. You don’t get second or third chances to do the right thing by your parents when they’re gone. Rant over and I really should get on with the forecast budget for next year. Monday mornings – who needs them?