On December 23rd, I arrived in Cromer to spend a few days with my parents.
Almost as soon as I'd arrived, my father had to visit his doctor to get the results of some tests.
A couple of hours later, we were taking him to hospital for immediate treatment.
Following the treatment, they only kept him in a couple of nights for observation, so we were able to bring him home on Christmas Day in the afternoon. His condition (the details of which I will omit from a public journal) had fortunately been caught before it became
too serious, and he'll need to go back for an operation in a few weeks.
It isn't cancer, though. We're all very relieved about that. And I'm glad I was there when we found out he had to go into hospital; my mother appreciated my support.
I went to the 9am service at
Cromer parish church on Christmas Day; the first time I've been to a service there, and also the first time I've been to a Christmas service without either of my parents. It was a traditional-style, dignified service that nevertheless did not have the feel of merely going through the motions. I enjoyed it a lot and will go back there next time I visit my parents. (They attend a Baptist church with an exuberant style of worship that I find rather... uncomfortable).