leukaemia-limbo-dance

In January, in the aftermath of activity following John’s funeral, all the preparations for Christmas and the busyness of Christmas itself, I wondered whether the New Year might be very challenging. Would I be lonely? Would my brain get into gear? Would I be wallowing in self-pity?

I didn’t want any negative stuff, so I told myself that I would plan at least one thing to look forward to every month. Good plan, eh?

Ha! One thing per month? Honestly, I’ve been everywhere and done lots of things each month since I made that promise to myself. So much so, that my feet have hardly hit the ground – and the admin is piling up behind me!! Eeek!

January whizzed by in a flash with friends coming to stay – Fran called in and stayed over on her way to do some work in Birmingham; and George and Sue came a few days later for a couple of days. I had coffee with Chris Hunnisett and then met up with Dave and Chris; then there was a curry night with the old OCR crew and, before the month ended, I went out for another cup of coffee with a former colleague, John Plunkett – and an evening meal at Margaret and Chris’s. I mean, one thing to look forward to would’ve been good, but there was loads. And all marvellous, too.

When George and Sue came, George, of course, made it his mission to sort out the poorly electrics. He made a grand job of it. Whoopee-doop!! The torches could be put away; the lamps unplugged and the candles snuffed out. It was a fabulous job of tracing the power round the wires until he found the breakage: wires that had been nibbled by mice in my bedroom…….ooo-er! George was ably aided and abetted by Michael who came over to be George’s ‘right-hand man’. Equally aided and abetted by Pete, who tidied up some loose ends. Gosh, I am so grateful to have such marvellous friends and family.

Then, no sooner had January whizzed by than February arrived all in a rush. It started with Ragdale and the college crew, of course!! Such fun and so comforting.

The week at Ragdale – sans Anita for the last day or two as she went home early with a cold – was followed by a week in the sun in Tenerife near Costa Adeje with the Kenilworth Originals – more fun and comfort. And, of course, a bit of craziness!!

Lots of playing in the pool; digging to Australia on the beach while the grown-ups enjoyed a bit of jet-skiing; much eating and drinking and a visit to the zoo. Fortunately, the family wasn’t able to leave me there as a prize exhibit, much to my relief.

We came home from our holiday with spoils from the local markets, lots of lovely memories and a bit of a tan. The spoils included a handbag for me; for Freddie, a Liverpool T-shirt and a watch; Harriet and Lily bought necklaces and bracelets, and Paul bought some belts. All amazing value, and we were all thrilled with our purchases.

After flying home, I pushed washing into the washing machine and tumble dryer in readiness for my next adventure, a few days later. A visit down to Nige and Ann in London – who were fabulous company – for a trip to Kew Gardens. It chucked it down with rain on both the days I was there but it didn’t spoil the enjoyment for me at all. I was in my element gazing at all the lovely plants and flowers, and visiting three or four art galleries. Bliss. Lucky me.

The month of February concluded with a lovely walk with Linda Connor and a cuppa at Oakes’ (just what I like to do – smashing!) and birthdays. Graham had his birthday on the 25th and Paul’s was on the 28th. (Not quite a birthday photo of Paul but still, I rather like this one…..)

Talking of plants and flowers……. what an amazing surprise when this cracking camellia arrived on the door step!! ‘A late Christmas present’ said Gail when I asked. Well, thank you very much!!

So…. January and February? Lots and lots of lovely things in my life for which I am very grateful. And then, of course, there’s March and April….. phew! I’ve been gallivanting!

Take care everyone. God bless.

‘I-am-not-deaf-I-can-hear-the-telly-at-the-low-volume-of-15’. Admittedly, having the subtitles on helps, but still….. I am not deaf. Am I?

Erm….. it turns out that I am!!! I toddled off to the audiologist, confident that a bit of a syringing would sort out the sudden onset of, “Eh? What? Pardon?” and ‘I’m sorry, can you repeat that?’ patterns that I’d fallen into in recent months.

The audiologist was lovely. Very helpful. But disappointingly, she wasn’t at all helpful on the idea of syringing to sort the problem out. “You are slightly deaf in your left ear,” she said, politely. Oh. “Your right ear is not so bad but we would recommend having hearing aids in both ears.”

‘Eh? What? Pardon?’ I could hardly believe my ears!

I knew, in the last few weeks, that my hearing was definitely done for. I went on holiday to Tenerife with the Kenilworth Originals at half-term. Had a lovely time, great fun and games, fabulous company and so on, but found myself straining to hear quite a bit of the conversation…..

I then went on holiday with the Kenilworth Newbies and Andrew to Spain at Easter. On repeat: I had a lovely time, great fun and games, fabulous company and so on, but when Oliver knocked his glass onto the floor from the dinner table, I had no clue as to exactly where the sound was coming from. Equally, when any of the children played hide and seek and I could hear giggling, I wasn’t quite able to locate the sound with any accuracy. They definitely won most of those games!

Oh, the march of time!! Who’d a-thought it? Certainly not me!!

Anyway, I have accepted my fate and I’m going to have a go at sporting the new fashion that is consummate with my age and current decrepitude. However, rather than cough up another three grand for a new pair when John had a perfectly functioning three grand pair, the audiologist is going to recycle his.

I’m rather looking forward to it. Firstly, I might soon be able to hear what you are all saying, and secondly, I feel comforted that I’m going to be wearing something meaningful of the ol’ man’s. The idea might not be everyone’s cup of tea and feel weird to you, but gosh, to me the thought of it brings such a sense of closeness to him.

Hearing aids? Here I come!! Wish me luck folks!

Take care everyone. God bless.

I thought I’d have an admin day today – you know, see if I can clear up one or two of the items still hanging around for both my Mum’s and John’s Estates. But crikey! It’s enough to send you round the bend!

The website refers you to make a phone call; the phone call refers you to the website which, in turn, refers you back to the phone call. Or, alternatively, you do get through to someone but they have a multi-million point security system that refuses to let you talk to them because you haven’t got one piece of the jigsaw. And round and round you go on the Loop-the-Loop. As if, at this particular stage of the proceedings you’ve got lots of patience, haven’t you? And your nerves aren’t shredded enough?

My particular gripe today though, was more my own affairs. Andrew phoned me on Friday to tell me he’d skidded on a patch of ice and driven over, and come to rest upon, a very large boulder. The wheels were, it appeared, akimbo. Oh dear. There’ll be no driving that then.

The result was that the car is a write-off. But that wasn’t my gripe. I mean, these things happen, don’t they? And Andrew wasn’t hurt or anything, which was a relief.

No, my gripe is with the insurance company, eSure. Let me tell you, people – don’t do it!! Their telephone message tells me that they are here ‘to make things easy’ for me. Ha! Ha! Ha! Not a bit of it.

I am unable to contact them by phone. I am unable to contact them via the website. I did get in touch with them when the incident happened and they sent me a text message telling me that the car wasn’t valuable enough to repair – which I understood. They then sent me another text message telling me how much they’d offer. I paused before I did anything, thinking I’d chat to the boys about it. Ha! Said text message then disappeared. Eek! What the heck? I’m still battling my way through this one…. wish me luck folks. Anyone got the number for the Ombudsman?

Despite the rough ground I am trying to get over, there are plenty of good things happening which are definitely keeping me sane though. When I spoke to Graham and Gail on Saturday morning, Graham suggested that all these good things are the handrail to helping me out of the doldrums. I rather think he is right.

Saturday finished with a bang, as the Kenilworth Newbies came for tea and we watched Gladiators on the TV. William was particularly excited by the whole thing and I couldn’t resist shouting at the telly trying to help the contestants get up the travelator. I don’t think it did a lot of good….

“Fancy coming with us to the panto on Sunday? Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hippodrome?” asked Paul and Harriet. Ooh, yes please!! And what fun it was – giggled far too much; booed a lot; cheered a lot; and sang along with the songs. Oh, yes I did!! Same again next year? Oh, absolutely!! It was fabulous!

Meanwhile, earlier in the week, we said a sad goodbye to Mark Johnson who passed away while he was on holiday. Some of you may remember that he collapsed at John’s funeral, and it was all systems go among the medics who were attending. Moira, his wife and former GP, took him home and made sure he had the medical attention he needed, and his own GP gave him a clean bill of health to travel. Regrettably, and to everyone’s shock, he collapsed again at his daughter’s in Canada.

The church was even more rammed than it had been for John’s funeral, with half the congregation watching the service in the church hall. A beautiful eulogy was read by his two daughters and several members of the congregation paid homage to his memory by wearing socks and sandals – Mark’s particular trademark. He’ll be much missed by everyone in the village.

Let’s enjoy it all while we can, shall we?

Take care everyone. God bless.

Oliver currently has two favourite words: ‘Grandma’ and ‘Stop’. I am flattered by the first and a bit daunted by the second. Anyone of us can be in full flow – chatting, telling a story, singing – and he’ll decide he wants to draw your attention to something and the words pop out, “Stop! Stop!” And, of course, we do.

At the moment, I feel like I’d like to make my favourite word ‘stop’, too. Years ago, we’d laugh at each other and cry, ‘Stop the world, I want to get off!’. But we didn’t mean it then. At least, I don’t think I did. But I do now.

Life is spinning at such a rate of knots that I can’t keep up. Hibernate? Yes, please!!

I mean, there are plenty of lovely things in the offing; the sun has been shining; I have plenty of friends and family to keep me company; a warm house and warm clothes; good food; and lots of activities to keep me occupied but….. but….. there are some days when you just want to wallow in your own company and feel sorry for yourself.

Today was such a day. Could hardly get out of my PJs!! Couldn’t really see the point of getting dressed.

I gave myself a bit of a talking to: ‘Now then,’ I thought, ‘this won’t do. One step at a time; one minute; one hour; and you’ll manage.’

So I took Snoopy’s advice and dusted myself off a bit this afternoon – enough to go for a walk to the shops and to drop a donation into Deeley’s, the funeral directors – and I managed.

I was delighted to have made the visit to Deeley’s because they were pleased to report that the donations to the charities John chose, now total £3,707.50. Wow! That’s something to be happy about isn’t it? It should make a difference to those charities, shouldn’t it?

Perked up, I toddled up the road this evening to my ‘Exploring Faith’ group, which did me good, I think. I actually felt up to talking about some of the points raised, so that was a bonus. So the day has ended better than it started. Fingers crossed it continues into tomorrow.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Oh, and if you have any healing vibes please send them our way – we are all still struggling with our loss – and half the family have gone down with some dreaded lurgy or other and need prayers or thoughts to help them on the path to recovery. Ta!

Last year, when I was wondering what the heck I was going to do with my life now that the ol’ man is gone, I made a decision to have something to look forward to each month. The month of January, therefore, brought a choral concert at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

Before Covid, I used to belong to The Contemporary Choir. The onset of the pandemic put paid to the idea of breathing in others’ germs or breathing my germs over everyone – just in case it happened to be Covid. However, I have been following their progress and the choir has gone from about 30 people when we first started to approximately 300 now. Crikey!! They filled the stage!!

But how wonderful it was. A decent contingent of the College Crew – Linda, Anita, Liz and Sue D – all came with me, and we felt like grown-ups as we joined the ‘It’ people in Piccolino’s for a bite to eat beforehand. Even more grown-up, we had cocktails before the meal – lush, eh?

What was even more lush was the fact that Linda and Liz had booked into the Sleath AirBnB. They arrived mid-afternoon and we had a cuppa before setting off up the M6 for our evening out. Traffic was good there and back, so all well. And, apparently, the bed and breakfast on offer at their hostelry was very acceptable too! Hehe.

We all enjoyed the concert and thought the choir did very well. The Jam Hot Show Band accompanied them which added to the excitement, although my ears don’t like things too loud, so I could have done with a dial-down on the band.

Everyone got home safe and well, but we three travelling by car were anxious for Sue and Anita who were travelling by train. I mean, the last train home? Always scary. But they made it one piece.

I’m looking forward to my February treat(s) now. Lucky me! There seem to be quite a few! Hoping the plan will hold back the melancholy. Fingers crossed!

Take care everyone. God bless.

Even though I know
you are gone,
I fear I still 
have yet to accept
that you will never return.

Edward Lee

What with one thing and another, nearly a week has elapsed since I tapped the keyboard on the computer. Crikey! Have I been hibernating this week?

Maybe a bit, but I have been doing things. First off, I’m still digging the house out since the Christmas clobber came down on 6 January. Boxes and boxes of decorations – inherited from my Mum and Dad, John’s Mum and Dad, my Aunty Flo, Quasar and Andrew when he had a flat – all of which I had intended to sort out before Christmas and donate lots of it to the charity shops. Too late! Ah, well, maybe I’ll manage it for next year?

A mini-visit from Pete and Dawn on Tuesday brought a little bit of sunshine to my life before they popped up the road for Dawn’s hairdressing appointment. Pete, bless him, came back and tinkered with the electrics again for ten minutes. But we’re still none the wiser! Eeh…. it’s a bit of a saga now, innit?

There have been some admin bits to sort out, too – who knew? – and a visit to both the Kenilworth contingents to get signatures on documents on Tuesday afternoon, before toddling off to the solicitors on Wednesday. I don’t know why I need an excuse to visit the family, but the document-signing was a good reason to take a cuppa in each of their households and thoroughly enjoy their company.

I had planned to join in on Quiz Night, having enjoyed it last week despite my trepidation but, in the end, I was feeling a lot under par so ducked out. Not quite sure what was the matter with me but it carried over into Thursday with a bit of a headache and I ducked out of Yoga, too. The Blues, maybe? Wouldn’t be surprised.

However, my spirits were significantly raised on Thursday afternoon when George and Sue came to visit. What a salve for the soul their company is!! And we had fun teasing out the electrics – if you can call it that!! Pete came round as well and between them, George and Pete put their heads together to see if they could come up with a solution to the problem. Result? Erm….. not yet. Sue and I offered lots of cups of tea to the menfolk as a balm while we drank Prosecco!! My headache miraculously disappeared. Hehe.

And what a treat yesterday! A visit from Paul who called in after he’d been in the village for a massage. That was nice. Always good to chew the cud, isn’t it? Then I, too, went for a massage, which definitely relaxed me a bit, before a really lovely visit from Catherine – our grown-up Granddaughter.

“Now that I’m living down here,” she had said, having moved from Manchester, “I’ll call in once a week and cook your tea.” Wow! How lovely to have a grown-up granddaughter who can cook and offer her company. What an amazing blessing.

We had a really enjoyable time together and she cooked a very tasty meal. Same time next week? Don’t mind if I do!!

Take care everyone. God bless.

It’s been very busy. Lovely friends and family time before it all kicks off again ‘back to school’ on Tuesday.

Le Long Weekend started when I went round to Pete and Dawn’s for coffee on Thursday morning and had a lovely long chat. As Pete opened the door, he laughed. “Could you park any closer?” he said, raising a humorous eyebrow. Well, actually, no, I couldn’t – and the reason I parked so close to their front door? A sports injury.

Ha! You might laugh, but I wasn’t particularly laughing. After my wonderful mini-retreat on Wednesday, I found I had managed to pick up a groin strain. Silly thing! My leg kept giving way as I walked on it and I ended up having to walk with a bloomin’ stick!! Much to Andrew’s amusement, of course. He promptly videoed me looking decrepit and shared it among the family, who all laughed uproariously……. hummph!

Ah, well – it’ll heal soon enough I expect.

On Friday morning, I spent a good hour and a half recharging my batteries in Jaime’s ‘Peace Pod’ with some Access Bars therapy. That was smashing. Andrew went to recharge his batteries with a massage with the local masseuse. That was also smashing, apparently. We both felt better for our experiences.

And then it was back into family mode with the Kenilworth Newbies calling in for tea. The theory was that we would eat a Jersey ‘Crock Pot’ – a Jersey version of a cassoulet – which Andrew had been entrusted to cook. Unfortunately, he hadn’t fully grasped the length of time it would take and it wasn’t ready by the time we were ready.

Confident of the crock pot being available for tea-time, Michael had also invited the Kenilworth Originals to come and join in, too. As the time neared, it was obvious that a few more hours of cooking were needed, so it was a Friday night ‘Ruby Murray’ for the adults, while the children had the standard Friday night fare of fish fingers, chips and beans.

We were unable to get around the dining table as I had a jigsaw on the go there, so while the grown-ups ate at the kitchen table, Andrew and I entertained the older children in the library area of the lounge, aka the children’s ‘den’. Worked well. Andrew and I always like to channel our inner child.

As it had been Bernie, Danielle’s Dad, who had provided the ingredients for the crock pot, Danielle was determined to sample it the moment it was fully cooked, so the Kenilworth Newbies came round for lunch on Saturday……

Mind you, they didn’t half earn their keep after we’d eaten. While I entertained the children, Michael and Danielle beavered away in the kitchen to clear it up after the Christmas/New Year/every day mess we’d made. I was happy. Oh….. and the crock pot? It was absolutely delicious!!

We whiled away the afternoon with Michael and William having a go at the jigsaw, for which I was very grateful, as Thomas and Oliver sat on my lap, playing puzzles on my phone, and half an eye on ‘Madagascar’ on the TV.

I had come to a bit of an impasse on the jigsaw puzzle. There were only brown/grey/gold furry pieces left and I could hardly make head nor tail of them. Michael did a cracking job and left me with a small central section to complete – which I did, once they’d gone home. Whoopee!! The Christmas Jigsaw is done!

Church this morning with Paul and Freddie – and then a sorry farewell to Andrew, who finally thought he ought to get back to Wales. He’s been such good company – even though he had the dreaded lurgy at one point – and I’m going to miss the endless stream of cups of tea that have been on offer.

We were invited round to Paul’s for a Sunday Roast this afternoon and had another delicious meal. Lovely to be en famille again. All good and lovely and soul-filling.

Now that the festive season and holiday time is over, it’s back to regular life, eh? Whatever that is – it’s going to be interesting to see.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Yesterday brought absolutely foul weather, didn’t it? I toddled into Solihull in the morning to return unwanted Christmas gifts and found myself ploughing through tons of water that had flooded en route from Balsall Common. I was very lucky because it was only about a foot high at that point. Later, I found out that cars had been abandoned in nearly a metre of water on the road. Phew!

Commentary and photos abounded on Facebook of all the water surrounding us in the village one way and another – including this one of the underpass at Berkswell station – no-one, pedestrian or vehicle, was going to get through that!!

Fortunately, the rain abated today to which I breathed a sigh of relief. I had booked onto Jaime’s Yoga Day Retreat and a walk was planned before lunch. She told us that ‘We will be walking, come rain, hail or shine……’ so we all had our fingers crossed for shine.

As it turned out, it didn’t actually shine, but the rain held off with just a few drops sprinkling on us about 100 yards from the church hall where we’d been meeting. We had a fabulous time following a 4.5 mile circuit, chatting all the way and listening to sound advice from Jaime.

I came home, refreshed from the day in which we’d had two super sessions of yoga, the walk and a luscious lunch, expecting to fall asleep on the sofa – but no, I didn’t! Go me!

This evening I joined in with the Wednesday Night Quiz. The first time for a long time. I was a bit anxious about it because it was always John who knew the answers, but everyone was lovely and welcoming – and I found I knew a few of the answers after all! Another ‘Go me!’ moment. Hehe.

Take care everyone. God bless.

It’s the New Year and 2024 has rolled in. Friendly greetings also rolled in as last evening unfolded – and I am grateful for everyone’s good wishes. In return, I hope that the year ahead will bring you all love, peace and happiness.

So, how are we doing? OK, I think. Despite the hole in our souls, the children and grandchildren did their very best to fill it with excitement, love and laughter. A visit or two to the pub on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, church for carols on Christmas Day, loads of food, plenty of drink, charades and a Boxing Day walk, all made the festivities very enjoyable.

Pub. Christmas Eve Fish Platter. Christmas Dinner. Post-Boxing-Day-Walk Pub. Hehe!!

Naturally, we sampled all the treats on offer – with the exception of one: The Christmas Cake. I had made the cake at the beginning of November and everyone – including John – had taken their turn in mixing it, as is tradition. As Christmas neared, I wondered who might ice the cake? Because that was always a ‘John-job’, wasn’t it?

Everyone looked a bit shifty, not wanting to take on the mantle, but then Michael thought he might decorate it on Christmas Eve with the children – start a new tradition. Ha! Of course, time ran away with us and, not unnaturally, there was some resistance by us all in getting the job done. I started the ball rolling and put the marzipan on. And that’s how it has stayed. I’ve heard Christmas cake matures with time…… it might ready for next year, maybe?

Take care everyone. God bless.

Sending Christmas cards has gone by the wayside this year with time having run away from me and the local Post Office having run out of second class stamps!

Instead, I offer the very best of the Seasons Greetings to you all by way of a me ‘n ‘im photo from a couple of years ago when we had a bit of fun during the Covid Christmas Lockdown 2020…….

I hope the season holds love and peace for everyone and, no matter what, celebrations can be had.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of all our friends and relatives. Paul, Michael and Andrew went to collect John’s ashes from the funeral directors last week and discovered that donations in John’s memory have exceeded all expectations. The total now stands at over £2,000!!!

What a wonderful tribute to the ol’ man. Thank you all so very, very much. Those donations, which we plan to match-fund, will certainly make a difference to the work of the charities he chose.

We have all been incredibly moved by the lovely comments on the donations page too, and I invite you to perhaps take a look. There’s a common theme running…..

Here’s the link if you need it: http://www.jdeeleyandson.co.uk/funeralsanddonations/

Take care everyone. God bless.