Thanks for all your good wishes for Don & our family. xx
I'd gone for a run yesterday morning and headed straight to work afterwards to put up the xmas decorations.
I'd been gone for about 3 hours and in that time Lin at Ashley Lodge had called Don to say his mum had taken a serious turn for the worse.
Don asked if he should jump on the first flight and Lin said (very very kindly) that his mum wasn't going to last that long. He then sat for about an hour (he told me all this last night) and at 11.05 (10.05 UK time) Lin rang and said that his mum had passed away very peacefully and that Lin had sat and held her hands the whole time.
He then came straight to my work and I heard him (my classroom is at the end) asking Karen if he could speak to me. I knew immediately by the tone of his voice that it was bad news. I brought him into class where he broke down.
We both had a cry, he went off home, I finished what I had to do and went home too.
I got showered and ready for work and left Don doing all the things one does at a time like this.
He rang Conor, I rang Craig but Don didn't let Jacob know because he was about to board a flight to come over here.
Don met him at the airport and broke the news.
I went to work where, I have to say, my colleagues were nothing but kindness itself. Liz wanted me to go home but I knew it was best for me to keep busy. Besides I wanted Don & Jacob to have time together. I did leave early though at 8 O'clock (Karen very kindly put my students with hers) and I met up with Don & Jacob for a drink.
Having Jacob there was such a tonic for Don (well, both of us) as J is such a breath of fresh air and really lifted Don's spirits.
Jacob started his new job this morning...all going well so far.
Don's booked the funeral for Friday 15th December. Jacob's not sure if he can go over given he's just started his new job, but in the last few minutes Don's booked flights for himself, Conor and I. We fly over the day before and come home on the Sunday.
Craig said he'll be there too.
Don and I have flights booked for next Friday but Don is going over on Thursday now as he needs to go the to registry office and do a few other things.
I'll fly over on my own the next day.
Conor is coming over tonight to meet up with us (to give his dad a hug he told me.)
Tomorrow we're all going over to Conor & Lucia's as he'd asked last week if we'd like to join them for lunch.
It will be lovely to be all together.
Sorry this is a bit of a long post but I wanted to write things down.
I'll post on the other thread about his sister!
Thanks again everyone for your kind thoughts and messages.
Al xxxxxxxx
