Another week and no result from ESCC for dad's next level of care. The respite centre telephoned today to say they had called a doctor because they thought he was sleeping too much. I started to say "well he always does that" but then stuffed the words back! More blood tests and a urine check have been called for; perhaps we will get lucky and a new doctor will find something that all the others have missed!

I will go to C. on Monday to take his meds over and again on Wednesday to take him to this new doctor.

I have a couple of outings planned to cheer us up and get our minds off the grey, miserable, diabolical weather. St Remy has had snow as well but at least the sun shines there.

We are going to a blues club for a dinner and live show in London and next week I am going to book tickets for the Royal Academy to see the Van Gogh exhibition. I will take E. with me.

I have seen so many of the paintings and the exhibition at the Cathedrale de Image but I would like to see the letters and some of the lesser known paintings. St. Remy de Provence still uses the hospital where VG was sent after the ear episode. I often went there to walk in the cloisters or the garden and look at the work of today's patients. There are some prints of the 'treatments' dished out to the unfortunate inmates, and one has to say that if they weren't mad when they went in they would be when, or if, they came out. VG did his best work whilst at St. Remy

and the town is a mecca for would-be artists. You can stand in or identify the views that are now world famous and the colours and light capture Provence as we know it. After he left St. Remy he only lived for another year before he shot himself, badly. ie. he didn't die immediately.

The sad thing is that he never sold a picture in his lifetime. Near to St. Remy is a lovely town - Arles, where VG first lived when he moved South. He used to sit in a bar and paint the square around him. We often go there for cafe but the service is pretty bad. The garden is kept as it was and the properties surrounding the square are much the same.

I didn't really appreciate Van Gogh until we went to Provence but he captured the essence of it.

Back to dad: In the Telegraph today there was a news item about a couple who had seen over 160 different carers in a number of months. I'm sure our lot could compete with that.