My Day in Words and the Odd Picture – 27 October 2010

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of a day today. This morning, my uncle, aunt, and cousin came down from Birmingham – primarily to see my Granddad who’s just come out of hospital and is temporarily in a nearby nursing home. We were going to meet up with them in Windsor after they’d visited him, so after hearing they’d set off, we followed suit.

As we pulled up at the Leisure Centre car park, I got a call from my dad saying my granddad had pulled out the tube that feeds his food directly to his stomach. Before the nursing home could send him back to hospital, they needed a next-of-kin’s approval. My mum’s day, then, was in jeopardy.

However, I’d gone to Windsor specifically to go and buy some A5 plastic wallets. Happily, I found some in WHSmith. Bloody expensive they were too – 20 for £1.99. And I needed two packets. Don’t Smith’s realise that money doesn’t grow on trees. It’s not like the economy is getting better very quickly…

Instead of my mum racing off to the hospital, my uncle went instead, giving my mum a bit of a break (for the only the second time in weeks). That left me and Mum free to find my aunt and cousin in Pizza Express and have a quick chat and drink together.

Photographing us, photographing him...Next, we drove back to the Maidenhead, where I was dropped off at the Heritage Centre. This was because Mum had spotted a photography session being advertised. I was one of only 6 attendees, but one of whom was my good friend Alex Parsons. Mid-way through the session, the man from Maidenhead’s local paper (the Maidenhead Advertiser) came to snap a photo of us photographing him.

Packed with new tips and tricks on how to get the best out of my camera, when the workshop was over I went on a pleasant stroll around my town and took photos of Autumn turning to Winter.

Maidenhead moor red Maidenhead Bridge_winter

I gently walked home, passing my church’s vicarage on the way. He moved this morning, so I couldn’t resist a peer in through the window at the empty house. It was all a little bit upsetting!

This evening, my dad came in from work and cooked beans on toast, but then went to the hospital to be with my mum. He drove her back, and comforted her. They say the earliest Granddad will be out is Monday – but this is the NHS…

Thanks for reading. Andrew. x

Andrew Burdett

Andrew Burdett is a twenty-something from Maidenhead in Berkshire, working for ITV News.