Thank you all for your kind messages - Cyril's situation is not quite as bad as you may think. Martin Simpson made his announcement in good faith, not knowing that his informant had been contacted by a dear friend of ours who unintentionally slightly misled her.

This is not to say that Cyril's condition is anything other than very serious, but all treatment has not been withdrawn. He's still receiving routine medical treatment for diabetes and HBP and is on a normal diet, but all the antibiotics have been stopped - over such a long period the side effects could be very unpleasant. They are now concentrating on pain control, and it is a relief to see that he's more comfortable, even though he is often sleepy and confused.

Cyril has confounded the medics before - only a few weeks ago I was told that they thought they had lost him back in September - he's fighting hard and seems not to be ready to "take the tideway" yet.

Rosemary