I was able to pop in and see Mother on Thursday, who thankfully was looking rather chipper. After a difficult week previously, she seemed to be in a far better place, which was good news; not only for Mum but all of the family as well.

I gave Mum everyone's good wishes, which have been coming through from friends and family alike. She was of course grateful for all of your kind words and sends all her love back. I was able to spend a few hours chatting before work. Mum has been to hell and back over these last three weeks and I am just hoping she has finally turned a corner. However nothing is certain and Mum's continual recovery will very much depend on the level of care she receives from the Hospital and the support she receives from family.

My concerns are specifically centred around the Hospital. Mum has the will power to overcome anything thrown her way, but Queen Alexandra Hospital are at present falling well below the standards expected of an NHS institution. Mum remains in a respiratory ward, rather than a vascular one, consequently she rarely sees an appropriate Doctor, who in my view have neglected her needs as a patient. Yesterday I received a call to tell me Mother had fallen, whilst being transferred by an OT to her bed on the ward. This particular incident seems to have psychologically set Mum back a long way. On the same day, her blood sugar was allowed to fall so low that she had what is called a 'Hypo.' Mother is a type 1 Diabetic and her blood glucose levels can not be allowed to drop too low. Somebody, somewhere took their eye of the ball and my Mother suffered as a result!

It is important for all of us to keep monitoring Mothers progress; if we are not happy with anything, it is up to us to say so. Family have a duty to rally around during traumatic times. I will do all I can, as I know we all will, but if my mum isn't getting the appropriate care then we need to speak up. In time we will all be able to put this sorry affair behind us, until that day we will do everything to facilitate a positive outcome!

On Wednesday I started a new job at the Newcombe Arms in Fratton, near Portsmouth. The Newcombe is a traditional back street pub, located in the heart of the City. My family have used this bar for many years and regard it as their local. I was a little bit anxious about what to expect when I started working, but I need not have worried; I had a fantastic evening, meeting many of the locals on my first day!

This place is unlike anything I am used to; bars in Spain are very different. The Manager of the Newcombe is a professional through and through, rather different to some of the establishment owners in Spain, who are mainly Brits, wanting to venture into the hospitality game, for no other reason than they like having a drink themselves. They may well be professional drinkers, they are certainly not professional publicans.

Equally when you look at the successful bars, clubs and restaurants on the Costa Blanca, you can immediately see the disparity. The Newcombe is a success because it caters for the local community, who live near it, in contrast to an owner with their own personal agenda. I think I will be very happy there. The patrons are a fantastic bunch of characters, who have welcomed me with open arms.

My first couple of shifts have been an eye opener into the British way of doing things; very different to that of Spain. 'Weights and Measures' play the biggest role, with drinks accurately measured and all wastage recorded, a very different process to that practiced back home. With prices in the UK three times higher and measures a sixth of their Spanish counterparts, you immediately notice the difference. Once again us Brits get the raw end of the deal. Having said that, I have missed the old fashioned British Alehouse and it's good to be back working in one.  Backstreet pubs like the Newcombe are a dying breed, however this venue remains the lifeblood of the local community and that makes it special; without establishments like this, the community that exists would all but disappear.

It was my first day volunteering with Cancer Research UK today. I have been wanting to do something meaningful since I returned to Portsmouth; today I finally did! All of us know someone who has suffered from Cancer, so for me it was a no brainer, this had to be the charity I gave my support too. Currently my Aunty Carol and Darrell's Mother are dealing with the spectre of Cancer; this is an organisation all of us should support!

At the moment I do have a lot of time on my hands, so need to keep myself occupied. Of course my pressing priority is being with my Mother, but I do have the luxury of being able to dedicate time to other things also.

In truth, I never thought I would be volunteering again, especially after my time working for another well known charity, but I have recovered from that ordeal and put my time working with them firmly behind me. Just because one charity acts in a terrible way, it doesn't mean they all should be tarred with the same brush.

I am working at their Portsmouth branch, a shop that is only a couple of years old; modern, clean and beautifully looked after. The team are welcoming and a joy to work with. All volunteers, whichever charity they champion are wonderful, dedicated people, they have a very different outlook on life; their priority, helping others, the same vision I adhere too! I have always believed firmly in the work charities do, despite my past experiences.

I have enjoyed my first day working for Cancer Research and will be back in on Monday to offer my services once again. I do have a busy few days ahead of me now; starting a new job tomorrow and an interview on Friday and of course I also need to visit my Mother this week as well. Positivity reigns in my life at the moment, in complete contrast to my life in Spain, for that reason I need to continue on the path I am. I can at least do the things that make me happy; being with family, volunteering and of course writing. This is beginning to feel like a whole new chapter, as yet I have no idea where it will take me; another rollercoaster ride at an unpredictable time!

Today has been a difficult day. I went to QA Hospital early this morning to see how my Mother was. She has been a patient for a good few weeks now, after being admitted for ongoing health problems. This was the first time I had seen her in a week and she wasn't looking well at all. At the moment she is dozing in and out of sleep and although she is lucid at times, having conversations, looking at photographs and videos on my phone, she is for the most part resting as best she can. She has been holding my hand, so at least she knows someone is there.

Despite her condition, I am very hopeful she will recover fully and be back to her old self soon. When you have suffered as much as my Mum, you are well entitled to have a rest and let others take the strain for a while. I am glad she is in QA, this state of the art, new Portsmouth Hospital; I know she is in capable hands.

The Doctors and nurses are of course exceptional; we are very lucky to have our NHS and these dedicated individuals are an amazing bunch of people, who have spent a lifetime looking after those in greatest need.

Coming back to the UK, during this stressful time, has been an eye opener, especially in the health sense. I have realised just how special our health service is. We complain about it, but it really is streets ahead of any other I have experienced. Don't get me wrong, the Spanish system is one of the best in the World, but for personal care, Britain wins hands down.

The next few weeks will be crucial for Mum; she is a fighter and with the love and support of her family, she will pull through this difficult time. I'm not going anywhere, I am staying put until she is fully recovered and can once again be home where she belongs!

Today has been another great day. Yesterday I popped to the LakeRoad Health Centre, just up the road from my Aunty Trisha's house where I am staying, to make an appointment with a GP. To my surprise I was offered a slot today, unheard of in Britain. In order to re-establish myself into British life, at least in the short term, while my Mother is in Hospital, there are certain conditions I have to meet, showing the Government, my temporary resettlement. One of the ways I can show this, is by registering with a Doctor, which I did last week. Of course I am on medication as well, so I had to get a prescription for the pills I am on. In all honesty I wasn't hopeful this morning, expecting a difficult ride from the surgery.

I arrived ten minutes early for my 9.35am appointment; it was far quieter than I expected. Within five minutes I was called in to see the Doctor, Dr Payne. It was fantastic to actually talk to an English GP again. All my patient details from Southampton were already on the system and she was well aware of my medical history. I explained to her that I was issued with blood pressure tablets and Statins at a private clinic in Spain and that I needed a repeat script soon. She was more than happy to write a prescription there and then; the only difficulty was the Statins. The UK doesn't use the same medication I was prescribed in Spain, rather not completely. I was on a high dosage and part of the ingredients are not available here, so they are having to adjust it slightly. I was also booked in for a series of blood tests, so they can monitor my levels over the next few months, just to make sure the new medication isn't having a negative impact on my wellbeing.

I was extremely impressed by the standards of care employed at this surgery. The service was fast, efficient and peoplecentric, rather rare i am told these days. I didn't have to wait around for weeks on end and I was able to talk with a Doctor who understood my medical needs; sadly this is not the same in Spain. Whilst I believe the Health Service in Iberia is far superior, I can't say the same for the the language barrier. The difficulties I experienced had more to do with understanding, than the service offered; this is a problem for me, since I do not have a brilliant grasp of the Spanish language. The service at Salvum Clinic, that I opted to pay for, separate from the state system, was second to none, but of course I was paying for this privilege. Sadly I was unable to use the state run services in Spain, because I was no longer paying into the social security system. This was rather a shock to me, since I was advised I could continue to use the services while actively seeking work, for a few months at least. It does however seem, I hadn't been paying into the Spanish system for far longer, a fact I wasn't aware of.

Thankfully that period of my life is in the past. The next time I return to Spain, I will be fully aware of my rights and understand the limits of my status at any given point in time. I think my life in Spain was so disjointed and difficult towards the end, that I really just didn't want to jump through anymore Spanish hoops, something I had been doing for far too long.

Today I am far happier than I have been, but do not have my partner here with me, which is hard, but I understand our circumstances dictate where we are today. That wont always be the case, but until we are able to be together, we both need to do our best to build a better future. At the moment my destiny is firmly rooted in Britain and that is where I have to concentrate my efforts. The process of reintegration has been easier than I thought and I understand I am in the right place for me now, at my time of life!