Day 140: ding! ding! ding ding ding ding ding ding ding

That's the sound of some bizarre percussion instrument in Chinese opera beating out the rhythms faster and faster. For the first time since dad's stroke, I heard him humming away to some Chinese opera tune in his head. He's a huge fan and used to sing some segment under his breath very often. It was so good to hear him tra-lah-lah-ing along again.

One of the my mum's many frustrations is Dad's deafness. His hearing aid is some duff one made years ago and for some reason, the GP has always fobbed off any notion that Dad should get another one on the NHS. Well, to be frank, I didn't even know you could get them on the NHS! Anyhow, by the end of this UK trip, I was determined Dad would be able to hear me without me screeching at the top of my voice.

So we went to Specsavers as they had a 2 for 1 offer and it looked like Dad would definitely need hearing aids for both ears. He took a hearing test in a sealed up booth ("looks like a fridge," Dad grunted). He had to press a button each time he heard something through his headphones.

Diagnosis? Very bad hearing, especially at high ranges. "Still got his reactions though," the audiologist remarked dryly. And his negotiating skills as Dad drove a bargain involving monthly interest-free payments.

He tried out a top-of-the-range model and could actually hear us talking at a normal level! OK, not crystal clear, but so much better than shouting. So we're going to give it a go. Of course, it still costs a bomb. And Dad will still go and get an NHS one now (even if I have to twist the bloody GP's arm myself for the referral). But fingers crossed, the world of hearing should be open to him very soon...