Botham also had a holiday home nearby in Alderney and during the last seven years of Arlott's life they often had two meals a day together when he was staying on the island. "At six minutes past nine every morning the phone would ring. John would say, 'C'mon over — and bring your thirst with you.' At the end when the emphysema took over and he was struggling with speech he had an oxygen mask and I often had to empty his bag for him. But he liked me being there because I knew to wait and let him finish his sentences between gasps. I didn't try to say the words for him because I knew how much they mattered. That was strange for me – to be patient and quiet. But I always wanted to listen to John."