Today has been strange day.  Chris is at school this morning and taking his Mandarin test and I am at home packing.  But packing to go to hospital is very different to packing for a holiday and I don’t know what to take with me, or what Chris would like to have with him.  I know what he will “need” – the hospital has given me a list – but what else would be good to take?

I want to take some things from home to put in his room at hospital to make it feel more ‘homely’ and less ‘clinical’.  I have printed out some photos of Chris with his football team and with our mad but lovely dog and put them into photo frames.  I have also packed DVD’s, a couple of games (Domino’s, Uno) and some presents from his brother and me and Steve.

I’ve also packed some healthy fruit and less healthy cookies for when he feels like eating again after the surgery.

We have booked a hotel near the hospital and Steve will sleep there while I stay at the hospital with Chris.  So, we have a variety of bags packed and I have taken a variety of vest tops and cardigans as it’s always hot in hospitals.  I’ve also taken a pile of books and magazines to read.

Chris is going to go to Costa with some friends after school to have a ‘farewell and good luck’ hot choc and cookies.  I will pick him up after that and we plan to eat here with Anthony and then hit the road about 7pm to hopefully arrive at the hotel around 9-9.30pm.

Chris is doing Mandarin GCSE and will be absent from school when his class take their speaking test.  The school have kindly arranged for him to sit this test before he has his surgery so this week he is working hard on his revision.  He has to prepare answers to 14 questions and then learn his responses so that he can ‘have a conversation’ with his Chinese teacher.

He also has to prepare and learn a statement about himself and his school.  This will also be spoken to his teacher.  So, my job for the next couple of nights is to test him…not easy as I don’t speak a word of Chinese!  But I am learning how to say some of the key words and can understand what he is saying as long as I have it written down in front of me.

The test is on Thursday morning – the day we travel to Cambridge!  Fingers crossed for him.