Look at the picture books - people and places
We've now lived at Fosters for 43 years. Not quite right really, as we were away for 14 years in Wales, Oxford and Gloucester; but our Fosters' outlook is much the same as it always was except that the oak tree has doubled in size. Every morning we have prayers together in the sitting room and this is our view. The sun is nearly always shining - or so it seems.
For best part of those 43 years we've been wondering whether to resurface our drive. Every year we've had cowboys calling with so called leftovers from the local motorway or such and 'a good price, Sir'. So when Pyrford Heath was being resurfaced last September we decided to go ahead with the same contractor and instructed him to widen and relay. They didn't come back until now. Widen the drive? For what? The van and the car sit in the garage, their road tax and insurance cancelled, their owner still grieving at the post heart failure enforced surrender of his licence and not even able to supervise the work - simply having to look at it through the window. However it has been happily used by various drivers who may think it's a public roundabout.
The medics, who let Paul leave the hospital after four days at the back end of last year, have designs on his body. Not just a pacemaker but a pacemaker, a defibrillator, a loop recorder and a resynchronisation system. The NHS get these magic boxes at a large discount - only about £25k I think. They put it in on 21st - that's pretty quick work. It's the resync bit that needs to work - get my heart pumping properly again and all of me back to the gym. Unfortunately there's a problem - the chap who was doing it couldn't get his wires in the right place - blamed his patient for moving! So it's all to be done again and this time there would be a long delay so I've opted for private (thanks to Barclays' retirement benefits). Fixed for March 7th.
It's a sad day. Our wonderful sunshine van which has given us such pleasure is off to the place from which no van returns. We bought it in 2003, kitted it out with wardrobe, drawers, table, cooking equipment etc - all we needed to travel comfortably without having to unpack and repack suitcases every night. Our first trip around the south coast was 11 weeks. Since then we've covered the whole of the UK and Ireland, 8 explorations averaging 3 weeks each. And when it's not been travelling it has been a very useful workhorse to many other folk as well as us.
Pat still takes her face to hospital from time to time but nothing improves and even though she has the new teeth; eating, smiling, kissing - even lying on her 'right' side in bed is irksome, uncomfortable if not fully painful. Medicine has finished it course - now it's time for miracles.
Pat to the rescue! She's not driven for about 8 years - the car and the van being too big. Five professional lessons (that's tuition that is paid for) and many equally competant lessons from the banned driver give us hope. One more thing - a brand new car of an acceptable size. No MOT for 3 years and, hopefully, no repairs. Everything to make it easy for the young lady.
Off to St Georges' Hospital for removal and reimplantation of heart machinery. There has been variable counsel regarding the consultant. It turned out the original Implanter wasn't on work experience and is generally considered good at his job (although none of those with such an opinion have ever had a device fitted). It also turned out that the same chap will be having a second go. Some say, 'no way', others say, 'he won't want to fail again'. Within a few weeks things should start coming good.
80
As Paul had never signed on for being old, relied on no medicine and had intended to do an 80km day's walk to celebrate his birthday, it was a bit tough when the day dawned not even to be able to play in the garden with the grandchildren. Glad that we had decided not to have a big celebration - after all we had one at 70. The big eight o bash is for the distaff side.
We had a normal family gathering but balloons and banners also arrived and a cake. I was so slow on the uptake. I thought, 'that's nice, an iced cake which says 80 and has a little old man sitting on top'. I was prompted to have a better look and now you can as well. Just look - a potted history. No banking reference but the specs, lovely curly hair (don't remember that but the colour was right for the last decade) army fatigues, rambling gear and a dog collar. And our dear old sunshine van.
Congratulations to Melanie who has joined the ranks of the Entrepreneur. She has her own web site and her material on other sites and has been exhibiting at craft fairs across the County. Still trying to find the best niche but all power to her paint brush - and other equipment she uses to create her pictures, all under the banner of MelT Gazing.
We took advantage of driver training to visit some National Trust properties within 50 miles or so. This is Basildon House near Reading. Can't remember the story but, yes, Basildon Bond is connected.
Driving Test.Pat had kept her licence so the driver training was voluntary but the test came in the shape of driving us to Devon for our holiday with Timothy and family and Simon and Anita. East Devon is a funny place to go for those who puff when climbing the stairs but it was booked 2 years ago. In respect of puff let's record that the machinery that was installed in Paul in March is working well - the hospital test it twice a year. There is, however, one small problem - it doesn't do anything for Paul! The medics never thought to mention it but a little Google research shows a 2008 NICE paper reporting that the resynchronisation doesn't work for 36% of patients. Nevertheless we had a very good time. No problems and some walking. There is a gallery for this holiday - access by clicking the pic.
Zuzana has been working with the Open University these last three years and faced her final exam during our holiday week. She had arranged to sit it in Exeter and duly took off on Tuesday morning armed with her quiet confidence and our good wishes. As her brother-in-law (twice over) and her father-in-law both know, this distance learning is no easy matter.
Our river trip from Bordeaux started in June and finished in July. 142 passengers with 53 crew. The captain was only 21! Far grander than anything we've done before - but we survived. Still can't understand why we went as the whole trip was built around wine tasting. We did a measure of that and found that a high proportion of fellow travellers - who were there because it was winey - couldn't tell the difference between one glass and another! Just a question of whether they liked it or not - and even we can get that far. There is a picture gallery which you can view by clicking on the ship.
David was prompted (by Joan, of course) to see his brother before it was too late - visit the poor heart sick fellow at home. As already proved, he's quite capable of walking around and so we met him with Joan - whose first move is always to check out the tea room - at Standen House. Now a National Trust property it was built by James Beale who founded the department store in Bournemouth of that name. The interior was designed by William Morris' firm in the Arts and Crafts style
As mentioned in last year's diary our neighbours in Wynstan are now Bilal and Zahra with Ibrahim, Michial and Elijah. They also have three cats, Wassim, Noodles and Peanuts. The first two have long silky fur. Poor Peanuts has no fur at all. They honour us with their presence every day, sometimes for hours on end. They never get any food here and don't ask for it but we're a little concerned in case we are accused of catnapping and could be embarrased if next door visited us and found all the cats here. All three are happy to curl up together although there are only two in this pic. The other pic shows how the countryside has come to the town - just a yard outside our window.
We spent a couple of weeks at Blockley. The weather was pretty good so we not only went to Chastleton, a couple of miles and Hidcote - even closer in the other direction. Until recently visits to Chasleton House had to be booked. Now it can be visited on most days. We also returned to Farnborough Hall and went to Croome and Buscott ; both superb.
Croome
Buscott
Hidcote is much smaller and is simply a series of connected gardens. Being a National Trust venue it is kept well and there is an ever changing display of flowers. They actually think of each part as a room - no doors but a variety of approaches.
Every other year recently there has been a Parish weekend away. Not very far away - four or five miles, perhaps, to East Horsley. A good venue, a hotel and used by many outfits as a management training centre. The new Bishop of Guildford was the speaker. He worked from his book about confidence. Not by design I had heard all his talks just a week earlier at a day conference for retired clergy. He was word perfect! Very good too. All based on David and Goliath which coincidentally was Paul's sermon topic for Tot's Praise the next Tuesday. We had more pictures than shown to illustrate our talk! There were around 100 in attendance at the weekend - which covered Julian Walker's 80th birthday for which cake and candles were produced.
Stella Looks good. First day off to big school.
Another few years and Stella might be able to emulate Zuzana. We think it's brilliant the way in which Zuzana juggled her priorities to achieve this degree. No doubt Timothy's paternal contribution was greatly valued as part of the team. Is the off the shoulder hood a new fashion statement? See the lovely photo in the 2016 Family gallery.
One of the difficulties in our marriage is that Pat never nags and Paul often takes a long time to do what needs to be done. For instance the back of our fridge freezer had been cracked for a very long time (measured in year's rather than months). Twice Paul attempted a repair - unsuccessfully. Even if the pressure of possibly leaving Pat on her own might have produced the car, it didn't provide a fridge. At long last things came good and here Simon helps with the installation. Hurrah.
Another achievement was to change dentists. For 8 years we have travelled to Ross on Wye every three months. Now we are fixed in West Byfleet - and Pat has had her first tooth removed and is now finding it a little easier to eat.
November is the month of the Shepherd's Market - a fund raiser for charities that the church supports. Once again we looked after the sweets / desserts / puddings. The market is so different to what it was when we first came here. It was then what was generically termed 'a sale of work'. Today there seem to be many imported semi professional stalls. And there are so many raffles that the Shepherds Casino might be a more appropriate title. Even so bearing inflation in mind I suspect the £12k odd it raises these days is less than that which was raised 40 years ago. Certainly the dear ladies who used to master mind it would not be very happy with the present set up.
Emotions. Funny things. Paul has 'lost it' (official medical diagnosis?) many times this year. And sometimes accompanied by uncontrolable and hours long tears. Awkward and embarrassing but easier for Pat to take than the occasional volcanic rage. Plenty of tears when Royal Mail conveyed his driving licence to DVLA. And yet when it was reissued (how wonderful) on December 6th there was a pleased but very muted response. No punching the air or leaping up and down - although neither of those activities would be a responsible reaction in view of the continuing breathless condition. We've decided that when we are together Pat will do the driving to ensure she continues to feel comfortable at the wheel.
Melanie and Stella shared a birthday party - but there was only one cake! We went to see Stella at her school Nativity play rehearsal. Stella was a star supporter or a supporter of the star - both of course.
It was good to have Tony, Ingrid and Peter here for Christmas Day - along with Simon and Anita. Having been pushed to do so, Peter gave us a brief resume of his time as an RAF navigator in the war. Brief is the word for the flying time of many crew whereas Peter flew a staggering 50 operations, perhaps nearly 400 hours, including Peenemunde which involved 596 heavy bombers from the RAF. Amazing. Boxing Day was again a great party with the family - all 15. We didn't have a group photo this year - of course we didn't last year either as that was the day that Paul was carried off to St Peter's hospital while, in good theatrical tradition, the party carried on!
As another year draws to a close the weather remains mild but this year no daffodils altough, as usual, the golden mahonia crowns the garden. This diary has drifted through our year which has seen some ups and downs and various mood swings but it's all been so normal compared to what has been happening throughout the world where lives have been lost or devastated by the violence of mankind and nature, with millions displaced or seeking a better future elsewhere. Every Wednesday - the weekly liturgical equivalent of Christmas - and each day of Christmastide we pray,
'Heavenly Father, grant peace in our time and an end to all strife, that your people may be one, in the reign of Christ and his peace.'
And we could well bracket that with Psalm 13,
'How long, O Lord'
or Psalm 10,
'Why do you stand so far off, O Lord, and hide yourself in time of trouble?'
We will continue to pray because we believe that Jesus is Lord and that God is sovereign but, as Desmond Tutu is reported as saying, 'how we wish He would make it more obvious!' And so, God bless us, and you, dear Reader, God bless you.
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