Yay! Ricdude Syndrome is alive and well!
Hey HFG... The thought crossed my mind that it was possibly just an attention-seeking exercise!
He's just come home to a finally completed fabulous purpose-built extension, with wet room, hot air body drier thingy (OMG! I WANT one!), 42" telly with Sky+, well-wishers visiting by the truckload, LOADS of Xmas presents, cos he feels hard done by if he doesn't have more stuff to open than anyone else! Hehehe! But every now & then, Ma asks if I'm feeling OK, so he's not centre of the unipurse 24/7!
I can handle it usually, and just talk him back into positive thought mode, but I'm a bit self-centred right now. Wish he'd pick on someone else to talk out his deathwishes with!