Today did not turn out as expected and I did not get to see Isobel.

Apart from a day trip to Uxbridge and my visit to Aberystwyth I have not been out of the Bexleyheath area apart from visiting Isobel and Iona for many months. I felt I need a change of scenery and, as Iona was not working today, arranged to take her and her dog Biily to the seaside in the old Mondeo which was scheduled to be withdrawn from service at the end of the month - it has done only a couple of hundred miles less than 150,000 miles. Our destination was the exotic Isle of Sheppey and our trip was uneventful until we were descending the bridge onto the island. The car pulled suddenly to the right and I took it off the road as soon as was safe. It felt like a flat tyre but there was no visible damage and when I resumed driving the car handled normally. We went to an area between Sheerness and Minster and had a walk along the beach. On the way home Iona requested a stop for food at Medway services. About a mile before the services the car began pulling to the left, then more strongly to the right, before recovering and handling normally. Before we left, I said that I would drive very slowly and carefully in case of any re-occurence of the problem. The car moved forward six feet, made a soft clunk, and all transmission of power ceased although the engine, gearbox and clutch operated normally. Pushing the car back into a parking space revealed fragments of shattered steel and six large ball bearings on the ground. The car was recovered back to Bexleyheath by Brittannia Rescue. Luckily the Micra is scheduled for its service and MOT tomorrow and hopefully will be back on the road by Friday.

Jon picked Iona and the dog up, but I decided to settle for a 'phone call to the Centre. Isobel was slightly sick again this morning. She ate a pot of balanced supplement after but could not be woken for lunch. She did however eat both parts of her tea and was said to be bright and comfortable. The nurses will explain to her why I could not get in today.