We Get Back Home From Oz

We Get Back Home From Oz

If you're going on holiday, you enjoy taking time to plan, book flights, choose hotels, organise car hire, visas, travel insurance.... but when needs must, all of this can be accomplished in 48 hours.

On Thursday, 21 March, Wendy was up for most of the night sorting everything out, and we were in the air on Saturday, 23 March.

I will write more about the whole trip, but I am still jet-lagged - the older you get, the longer it seems to take to get one's body clock back into synch - so for now, I just want to log three wonderful memories of last week with Uncle John, that I have brought back home with me, and which will stay with me forever.

The first was on Monday, 25 March: Wendy and I walked into his room in Princess Alexandra Hospital, and he looked up and saw us. The expression on his face was so wonderful - a mixture of surprise and delight and a smile so broad, he was exactly as I remembered him from the last time I saw him, when he stayed with us in England, back in 2012. He said he had never expected to see Wendy back in Brisbane again, and he had never thought he would see me, ever again. That made all our efforts to get to Brisbane so worthwhile.

The second was on Tuesday, 26 March.  Uncle John had been a bit sleepy, so after a lovely time with him, Wendy and I said we'd leave him to have a kip, and see him in the morning.

I gave Uncle John a big hug, and said, "I love you, Uncle John!"

"And I love you, too1" came the immediate, enthusiastic response.

And the third moment was on Friday, 29 March.  We were at St Vincent's Hospital, where Uncle John had been transferred to the palliative care ward, and we knew it would most likely be our last visit; Wendy and I had to wend our way back to London the following morning.

I gave Uncle John a big hug and told him how much we all loved him and that I would ring him as soon as I landed back home.

Then it was Wendy's turn and as he enfolded her, I saw his face over Wendy's shoulder. He was almost tearful, but determined to keep cheerful as well, to make the moment joyful; but we know how much he will miss us, and how much we shall miss him.

All these pictures and memories are imprinted in my and Wendy's head, and will stay in our hearts. He has always been, and remains, a marvellous, gentle, man, and we're blessed to have him in our lives.