This morning finds me at my grandmothers house in Harlesden, having just spent my first night outside Charlton away from Lyn in quite a while. I’m here with my parents; we drive up to Cheshire this afternoon. I’m going up for a few days, mostly because I want to visit Esther. After the sad news of the loss of her brother a few weeks ago, I really want to give my old friend a hug.

Seeing my grandmother en route made a lot of sense. She is rather infirm now, and needs a lot of support. I think she was happy to see me. Sitting in the same house I remember crawling around as an infant brings back a lot of memories.

We just Skyped my brother Luke. Most of those memories, of course, include him. He’s doing very well, currently living near Oxford. I don’t see much of either of my brothers these days except over Skype, something the news from Esther has made me determined to rectify. The loss of any sibling is tragic. Esther has long felt like a sister to me, and I want to support her as she has supported me.