DB first day back to work today post holiday, unlike me, I had to return last week. So today DB is feeling the nerves your get when you've been gone for a few weeks.

He has been really good. Lots of drama going on with his family, he's been speaking with SIL G every other night, trying to encourage her to do what's right by herself. SIL K causing no end of grief just because we celebrated our 25th. One niece particularly distraught, tried to take her life & since been prescribed Valium. I have my reservations over the prescriptions, I think she needs more than that, but being over here I can do nothing other than be supportive and maintain contact. Learned yesterday she's chucked her job in due to a warning she says over something happened outside of work. I've had to explain to her a business has the right to caution you if you are bringing their name into disrepute, even when you are not in work. It's the worst thing to have happened for her, to quit her job only days after an attempt on her life. DB wants to know nothing of it, I think it brings memories of his attempt to the fore of his mind. Drink wise, he has not mentioned alcohol at all and even with everything going on, seems to be more positive than he's been in some time.

We've taken in a lodger, she calls us Uncle & Aunty... she looked after the pets and the house while we were away, her circumstances changed last Monday & with me due to go into hospital, having someone here to do the pets takes some of the pressure off of DB. She is doing an apprenticeship (painter & decorator). Lovely girl, very good manners, our animals adore her, including the neurotic one. It may be temporary, it may be long term, don't know with young kids. But she is a good one & although she has the back wing of the house to herself, she prefers to come & sit out with us. She owes her mum $900 so the deal DB put to her is she pays us $100, we put $50 of that into an account each week so she can pay her mum back & she vacuums, dusts the house & cleans her bathroom. I do ours, but she will do ours once I have the op. She was paying $225 a week where she was previously. She knows I don't expect a full spring clean every week, just vacuum and dust as I used to do. So in all despite the stress, change etc DB is doing well.