i'm a lucky guy to have a son like jake, i tell you he's a unique and brilliant man. i look at him and i see his intelligence,  his humanity, his genius at understanding people, his creativity and business acumen but most of all i see a  human being that gives me hope. 
it's always hard spending time with him, being a hard working guy his time is precious but he always makes it for me, and the effort he made was magnificent, as my family is not without it's weird dynamics and difficult individuals,  jake has to negotiate all off us, like handling nitro glycerine is parts. this time everything was complicated when mum, dad and myself ended up with covid. i recovered very quick, i slept for 4 days and nights and basically my regime of vitamin d, c and zink meant my immune system was fully prepared to defend me. it turned out my father had been infected for 10 days previous, plus he had caught another strain previously that no one knew about, it was fortunate in someways he was rushed to hospital after a nasty fall, the medics discovered his heart was failing and he required a pacemaker but while in the ward they also discovered his covid infections through blood work. the hospital experience was difficult, dad tried several times to leave, he woke up from deep sleeps confused mixing up dreams with reality, at times he thought he was in a really bad hotel. he asked me several times for money so he could get a cab home, he was quite funny and somewhat sad. after two weeks of hospitalisation i reached my final day and had to leave, thinking he would be discharged i went to pick him up only to find that the hospital required him for another 24 hours so i would have to say goodbye while he was in his hospital bed. he asked if i could stay, offered to pay but i couldn't. i made it to the airport only to be stopped from boarding, as usual my new entry visa was an issue. i had applied for it a week earlier as i needed to renew it. it was approved and fortunately i printed out a hard copy. as at the check-in there was a problem. an hour later and some international phone calls to australia, i was permitted to board. the flight was the long haul but i slept most of the way and landed in sydney at 5am, only to arrive back home at midday.
it was a gorgeous morning,  the wonderful city was enriched by vivid colour and golden light, and when i got home after a shower i went shopping for groceries. it was good to be home, a new appreciation for australia after the dismal grey atmosphere of london, the strange complex dynamics within my family, but man, i miss jake and my dad, more than ever.