Yesterday and Today

Well, yesterday was a great day but by the end of it I crashed out on the sofa. When I roused myself I thought I’d give the blog a miss and just go straight to bed as I was tired.

I’d been up early to sort the cats and dogs out before setting off to collect Michael and Danielle from the airport – due in about 9 o’clock. So I was ready and raring to go before 9 only to find that their flight had been delayed due to fog/mist at Birmingham airport. In the end, I finally met them off the Monorail at Birmingham International at about 11 o’clock. Bless them, they all looked absolutely exhausted.

Back to our house for a bit of brunch and then naps for both Danielle and Thomas. William and Michael fought their tiredness like troopers all day, although William had a few melt-downs at various intervals, having succumbed to his very frayed senses.

We ate an evening meal together, then bathed the boys, popped them in their jim-jams so that they could just be plopped straight into their beds when they got home. I imagine the senior members of the family might just have done the same – so tired were they.

So it was a lovely day looking after the Sutton Sleath family, but everyone, including John and me, were tired by the end of it. John had kept on most of the day too, entertaining the troops, and he went to bed more or less after we’d waved our goodbyes to the Sutton Sleaths, too.

Today was another good day, in that I managed to get a few admin jobs done, as did John, on the computer.

I also attended a funeral online this morning. One of our congregation, Pam, had passed away and I was keen to pay my respects. I nipped up the road to do so as the cortege left their house, and then went online to follow the service. It was a very poignant service too, with one of our senior members of the congregation, Claire, offering a marvellous tribute to Pam’s work in the church over the last thirty years.

This afternoon, I did a bit more tiddling about on the computer, ordering Christmas gifts. Oh, goodness me, I had a ball. There is such a lot to choose from, isn’t there? I know it sounds like I am starting early, but this is what I often do. Get started; feel very pleased with myself; do nothing for weeks on end; then panic buy for everyone else in the week before Christmas….. I am hoping that I actually will spread out the purchasing so that I don’t freak myself out at the last minute this year!!

Today was also a momentous day for our granddaughter, Lily. Sixteen. 16!! Wow! I messaged Paul to suggest we pop over at tea-time to offer our gifts. The answer was ‘yes’ and how would you like to join us for a birthday meal out? Well, we thought we would. It’s only once in a lifetime that you are witness to a beautiful young lady turning sixteen, isn’t it?

We went round to Paul and Harriet’s after the meal for Lily to open her presents and she was pleased with them, so I was relieved. Mind you, she chose things online and sent me a list so I just picked from the list so I don’t think anything was a surprise!

We had a wonderful time there, too. Ellie had made a fabulous birthday cake; there was a great display of balloons and we were in fine voice singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Not only that, but we had a ‘press ups’ competition in the lounge, which Lily won. Gosh that girl is strong! Although, to be fair, Paul probably was on the way to winning and would have won if he hadn’t a) had Freddie on his back for the whole attempt and b) graciously bowed out at the last minute. But great fun and giggles all round.

We gave Ellie a lift back home to Lillington before we set off home. I was pleased to do that because it’s always nice for someone else to take up the burden, isn’t it? Paul and Harriet do the lifts all the time, so it made a change for them to be able to just stay home.

Home again, and John promptly said he was off to bed. His eyes are bothering him, so a good night’s sleep – hahahahaha – with a good lashing of eye ointment might help.

All in all, we’ve enjoyed the last couple of days. The common denominator, of course, has been seeing all the boys and their families. Marvellous.

37,243 people tested positive for the virus today. 214 people died with it in the community; 53 in hospitals in the last 48 hours and 869 people were admitted to hospital.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Love is patient and kind. 
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
It does not demand its own way. 
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Paul's letter to the Corinthians 13

Love. Yes. That is the answer.