Friday, a slow start, I’m feeling sluggish but I get up and make a bacon bagel and coffee and get under way. My day is stop start as I take calls from social services and the GP. I also talk to my sisters neighbour who is an absolute hero. Finally I get the message that someone is going to see my sister at 4 o’clock and my sisters neighbour has agreed to meet them with the key. I take a lunchtime walk to the chemist to get my meds but they are not in and I am told to return tomorrow. I shop for bread and a paper before returning home. I have a call with a friend and hear how she is coping with the demands of birthday parties. I get another call from the GP and we discuss if it is a good idea for her to be there when the carers call on my sister. I field one or two more messages about my sister and then I get ready to go and row in the garage. I do not make it. My sister is admitted to hospital as the GP finds her in a difficult state and decides admission to hospital is the wisest decision. I plan a visit whilst biding my time before ring the hospital and finding out where she has been admitted to. We will eat tea, I will make the calls and then hopefully this evening we can all rest and get an early night. These days feel arduous but I remind myself whose crisis is this and of course it is my sisters.

Against this background the world continues and the garden grows, as a constant reminder of what is essential.