Back to Poland

Eastward
Tomorrow early we are off again. It feels very good to be going, but leaving the situation here is not so easy.
Mother never gets out of bed, she is terribly thin now. Father appeared to be straining his back with all the bending, looking after her and has been complaining bitterly about backache. He refuses any kind of help. Took him to the doc who did not look at his back but sent him for physio. Meanwhile the chief nurse came to us, saw the 2 of them and prescribed; we need daily attendance for mother, she says, straightaway, which will relieve the strain on him.
So, today I took him to physio, and it turns out this is not strain from bending, but there is a point/lump on his back which could be a number of things, which needs closer inspection.  So he will have a scan and we will see, and he will continue to pop those painkillers.   I was very glad I was able to take him. He came out of physio complaining it was all a waste of time and there was no difference. I went back stage to ask the therapist how come, what is going on, and she took me aside and explained. He had taken in none of that info when she explained to him, so if I hadn't asked we would be no further on. Well, no, I am wrong. A letter would have come and the machine would roll on, but he hadn't understood any of it!
So that is why I would rather be here, but.... I have a home to go to.

Rental woes
Has been a fair bit of organizing one tenant out, one (three really) in in our absence. Agreements to be signed, rents paid, filthy flat to be cleaned ..... and to top it, I hear today about nice Mr Osborne who plans to scrap tax relief on mortgages for landlords! All in order to encourage those who can afford to buy.  That means, folks, my nice policeman and doctor, and all the other tenants will have to pay a jacked up rent, which they cannot afford, as landlords with buy to let mortgages will have no income otherwise, or else their homes will be sold! So tell me how does that help those people who can no more afford a house when this law finally comes in than they could before?  How exactly does this help the housing crisis?

Unloading some more
Yesterday former partner, Peter, relieved me of some ripply glass I had been storing and of a pile of books. I had a good collection, going back to the earliest days when I was figuring out how to get the gold to stick. And some lovely catalogues of rare exhibitions, really classy publications.  But it feels great to have passed them on, not only to him but from him to younger assistants of his acquaintance who could use them. I hated the thought of these specialist books going to a flea market.  He is also taking over my teaching at West Dean, so gradually I am freeing myself up and it feels wonderful.