Back in Norwich with much less snow than forecast – almost none, in fact. Nevertheless, we have put the MX5 in the garage to protect its battery, and Dot will travel to Sutton for an Ofsted feedback this afternoon in the better equipped car. The temperature is quite low, and there is an ice warning.

What do I mean by back in Norwich? Well, at 4am on Monday I was woken by a call from Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry. Andrew had been admitted with some kind of infection, and they were worried about him – largely, I think, because he was very agitated. I rang the hospital back in the morning and got very little further, having been passed backwards and forwards between A&E, switchboard and Ward 12.

The journey was pretty straightforward, apart from the usual crawl on the A14 near Cambridge, and I was at the hospital, managing to park, by just after 2pm. At last I found out where he actually was – Ward 12 – and found him in a four-bedded room, very agitated and with diarrhoea as well as pneumonia and probably UTI, not to mention borderline sepsis. They were having quite a bit off difficulty with him, but I managed to help a little bit, mainly by calling a nurse when necessary.

I stayed for about 90 minutes or more and then left to book a room at a nearby Premier Inn, because he didn’t seem at all well, and I thought there was a real risk he could die overnight. One of the doctors asked me about resuscitation. Got a hotel room OK and then managed to lose the door key. I still don’t know where it is, but fortunately the woman at reception was having a cigarette round the back while I was looking for it, and she said it happened all the time and gave me another one. Key card, not cigarette.

Dot had packed me a picnic lunch, which proved enough for that day. I returned to the hospital, found it much easier to park but just as hard to pay for (which is another story) and returned to Andrew, who seemed even worse. He had pulled out his cannula, and his diarrhoea was worse; so he kept trying to get out of bed.

This was not my idea of a good time. The nurses did what they could but were short-staffed. Eventually I returned to the hotel and to Lorna (the receptionist), who had to help me get through the entrance door; so you can tell I was not myself. I also had a bad knee and sore back. I don’t know why, but I was hobbling about. I tried to get a good night’s sleep, but of course didn’t, really.

Very cold the next morning, and I had a surprisingly warm bath and then went over to the Brewer’s Fayre for breakfast, which was quite acceptable. Just before 9am, and only a couple of us were partaking. The tea was good too, once I could get the hot water to work.

I had been told that hospital visiting hours started at 11am; so I thought arriving at 10.30 would mean parking was easy. How wrong I was. I did a complete tour of the car park and campus before striking lucky at the second attempt, managing to edge in rather untidily. I went up to Ward 12, where Andrew had been moved into a side room and was very quiet, presumably because he had been sedated. He was able to speak, though, and seemed pleased to see me.

I spoke to a nurse, who promised to tell a doctor I was there, but then Helen from Minster Lodge arrived, with Claire (a new carer), who were both all over Andrew. As I was worried about the snow forecast for later in the day, I left him in their hands. They promised to keep an eye on him while he was in there, and they are lovely. So they will.

The drive back went very well. I stopped at Cambridge Services, which requires quite a large diversion at the moment, and still got home in not much more than 2 hours and 30 minutes – including getting petrol from Morrisons when I arrived. I got home just before Dot, who had been to see her aunt and visit the cemetery (it was her mum’s birthday).

Felt pretty exhausted and with a very sore back. Watched some TV, spoke to Phil on the phone, ate a lovely meal cooked by Dot and watched some TV before going to bed. This morning got up late. The forecast snow had not appeared.

Compared to all that, the weekend was almost sedentary. I fasted till 6pm in solidarity with the “prayer and fasting for Britain” event at Wembley arena. Watched a bit of this (it was streamed on YouTube), but can’t say I was terribly impressed. That’s probably my fault.

In the evening we had a lovely time at Des and Chris’s with Sean, Ciara, Freddie and Phoebe; John, Daniel and Sophia from no 15; and Luke and Michelle. Good wine, food and conversation. Nice service at church on Sunday: put up a picture and fixed the caption for Ann Travis’s photo. Sarah asked me if I wanted to be an authorised worship assistant; and I said yes if she thought so. She did.