Now, where was I...? Oh yes....

My mother's 81st birthday. Having missed her 80th last year as we were locked down, there was a plan to go and cook her lunch (in a reprise of the Christmas Day format) and present a cake with candles. As part of the wider plan, I'd arranged to drop Her off at Her sister's and thus also may a brief visit to Her mother's too. Who she's not seen for - a year? Were we there in the summer..? And conveniently, Stirling Albion were scheduled to play local rivals Stenhousemuir at Ochilview. Handily situated between my mother and Her mother. That was the plan...

The Spanish brother was flying back  to Spain to work on the 3rd, so he went up en familie on the 1st; my older brother is isolating as his wife is Covid + and - oh yes - the youngest brother is in Aberdeen Royal following his hip replacement as he stumbled over the door step on Boxing Day and broke his hip. Cue an ambulance / night in the hospital in Kirkwall / flight to Aberdeen / positive Covid test, he wasn't up for dutiful son duty. 

With card, present, cake, car booked it was all set. 

Until.

Tom got a call from his mate Bobby. The one he'd been out with at New Year and spent the night there. The one who'd done a lateral flow test that came back positive. 

So instead of celebrating my mother's birthday, we took our car hire and laid in supplies ahead of the 10 day isolation period coming our way. And to take Tom for a PCR after we'd watch Liverpool hold off a rampant Chelsea but before we dived into a curry. 

Welcome to 2022......