Mum's death certificate arrived today and, you would not believe it, there are errors in it! Someone has very helpfully expanded the initials of the nursing home - incorrectly, twice. I think this is minor, but it leaves me shaking my head. Doesn't anybody every check their work?

The other silly thing is that the letter was delivered to my P O Box, just as I had requested. But at about Christmas the undertaker called me to say that the Registry had told her that they needed another address, as they would not deliver to a P O Box. I gave her the street address the Registry already had for me - as informant. I often think of Monty Python at these times.

The summer holiday doldrums are coming to an end in Australia. People are getting back to work and many of the usual summer entertainments are now over. It seemed a particularly long and enpty time for me this year. I never like it, but this year I felt particularly listless. I doubt that this has much to do with my parents, though I am ready to accept that it might. It is just that I do not miss them at all. Dad has been dead four months now and, as for mum, there was not much to miss, to be bluntly candid about it.

Anyway, being in possession of the second death certificate means I am now able to make forward progress on sorting out the estates. I took all paperwork files relating to my parents in to my office today, as it is much easier to do this kind of work there. One of the things I did in 2008 was throw out my computer printer at home. I'd had it for about 14 years and found that I no longer used it - the ones in the office do a much better job.

If things continue like this there will be little to add to this blog. I haven't stopped thinking about my parents but there is not much to add. They are gone. We are left to tidy up their affairs. We shall do so.