This last month has been like no other. Away for 17 days in the isle of Eigg, back on May 27th. A few days before the joint birthday of my dad (Billy Bishop) and husband Julian on 1st June. I had planned to have two weeks in which to finish pieces for my first group exhibition 'Slash07' opening on the 12th June in Norwich.
The phone rang at 9am on 1st June the morning of dad's 96th birthday, it was dad's care home 'we should go over quickly he was unresponsive and not at all well, an ambulance was on the way'. We got to the Maltings in Fakenham, paramedics and doctors came and went, dad rallied after some intravenous glucose. Relief he was nearly back to normal, he stuck his tongue out at Karly one of his lovely young carers, she returned the complement saying 'don't worry we always do this, Billy is fascinated by my pierced tongue'. Two of his other daughters came we sung happy birthday and he was able to blow out the four candles on his cake, and enjoy piece with a mug of tea, we left so he could get some rest. Later his son and one of his grand daughters popped in and he was still doing well. However at 8pm another phone call from the care home, a turn for the worse, a fast drive to Fakenham arriving just as the ambulance was leaving with a blue light to King's Lynn Hospital. I had 5 quiet minuets with him before he died. Dad's Funeral was yesterday.
Dad was my root to feeling a sense of place, of belonging, the essence of Norfolk and continuety with the generations of my ancestors who have lived from the land and sea of north Norfolk. I am a part of him and them and I am proud of it.
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