Well, there's been the birth of Mary, Linda's marriage and now I have to report on a death.
Let me say quickly that it's no-one who is integral to this Journal although he has appeared in its postings. Chris's partner, Steven died suddenly about a fortnight ago. I met Steven when I was in San Francisco two years ago.
Apparently he was in a meeting at work and felt peculiar. He went out to get some water and collapsed in the corridor. An ambulance was called. By the time he reached hospital, there was nothing to be done. A major artery in his leg had ruptured and his body filled with blood. His heart simply stopped. It's unlikely that he knew pain or had any sense of the gravity of what was happening.
In terms of a death as it happens to you, it was a reasonably comfortable way to go. For everyone around, it was a nightmare. Chris was away on business and didn't hear for four days by which time Steven's family had crisped him. And there's all sorts of other folly as well too saddening to talk about here.
I was just knocked sideways by the news. Steven was 42. I was 42 in the year that I started this Journal. That's over five years ago. It fell to Eva to give me the news. She was visiting with her partner, Sarah. It sort of put a dampener on our first evening together.
The rest of the weekend went well. The two beds that I collected from my parents' have now been christened by house guests. The three of us ate out on the Saturday night at local restaurant, Charlie Parker's. I shall return there. It is not cheap but it is excellent value for money. The food was fabulous. And we all agreed.
There was shopping on Sunday and then the to of them departed after they'd done a day's tourism in Chester. It was exhausting having guests. Particularly guests who I didn't really know. Anyhow, the kids go back to school this week so the transport will be all to hell.
