Happy Birthday 2

Four of our oldest, most long standing friends came to celebrate. Once upon a time we were young people together. Once upon a time we took regular holidays together as families. Now it's been several years since we were all together. So the Big Birthday seemed a good time to have a reunion. We played games, shared meals, talked a lot and laughed too. The nice thing about such old friends is that you can just pick up where you left off.

Some of you may understand what's going on in the photo below. The men are trying to reproduce a black and white 'snap' (if you remember that word it dates you) that used to sit on our piano, of several, was it four or five we argued, young men looking wise and inscrutable. These were three of the original group. HoF is carefully balanced on one-and-a-bit legs as he has been told he can bear 25kg.

On Monday we accompanied N to a boat builder's yard. He has a scheme to have a barge made so that when he retires they can
go and live on the canals. He's looking for someone who can build it to the plan he's drawn. Is it a pipe dream? We'll see. And if it comes off, we're promised a trip.

Happy Birthday

It was HoF's birthday last Saturday. A Big One. But there was a problem. Because his usual birthday treat is a stroller ticket to the Bridgnorth Jazz Festival which involves strolling from venue to venue, ie pub to pub, to listen to the various musicians. Tricky when you are on crutches. Some people suggested a supermarket trolley would come in handy! After deliberation and studying the programme, we decided that we would have lunch in the pub where his favourite musician was playing, and that I would stroll to see mine.
Here is his pin-up. Not the blonde singer, by the way, but the curly haired pianist.

Bridgnorth is a beautiful town, and the place where I went to school. In some ways I appreciate it more now without the Terror of the Teachers, although it has lost something with becoming a tourist destination.

Girls

Girls just love playing hairdressing games. This willing victim is going to get lots of practise.

The Downs

Well, one is that we have had a fretful time with The Foot. There seems to be an infection which we were warned was a Very Bad Thing, but there seems no way to get any very sound advice on what to do. We've got the antibiotics, but should it still hurt this much, how do we know when it's quite cleared up, should the leg be up all the time, when should we make a fuss? The NHS was great for the in-hospital treatment, but after that, from the carer's perspective, it's like arriving home with a miserable new baby who is never comfortable for long. There were no instructions with the package.
Also of concern but not without hope, is that a dear friend here has been diagnosed with lymphoma and we feel, that like Dorcas, we need her with us. Folks have dropped in to pray with us twice a day during the week which has blessed us and we hope will bless her. As I've researched on the internet, it is rather scary to discover that we are all producing cancer cells all the time, and it is down to our immune systems how well we can fight back. I think I see a spiritual parallel here. Do you?

Snakes and ladders

Life has its ups and downs, rather like snakes and ladders. One of the ups was a day with nearly all the family, a rare treat now that we are globally scattered. I had two good kitchen helpers for the dinner: one to make crumble and acrve the joint, one to make roast spuds that matched up to Delia's.

The grandsons found uses for Pop's crutches which he doesn't use much himself, since they give him shoulder pain. He moves around on all fours which can be an unexpected surprise for some visitors looking for a face at the usual height.

Sharing crosswords.

Enjoying a chat.

The downs.

Malvern Show

On Sunday I was treated to a day off. A friend came to 'babysit' the invalid and I drove his wife to the Malvern Autumn Show where we had been again treated to free tickets. The vegetable display above is amazing; the exhibitor grows and displays all his own vegetables at shows across the country. The show itself was slightly disappointing. The craft and plants were excellent but other stalls were selling what I think is described as kitsch. Maybe just as well as it enabled us to be selective with what we looked at, and happily, we liked looking at the same things. Including this garden for the disabled design below.

We are going back to the hospital tomorrow to see the surgeon in outpatients. We hope we will get a clearer picture of 'what next' in the way of physios and timescales for weight-bearing. Meanwhile we are praying daily for a dear friend, pivotal in the scene here, who has received a serious diagnosis.

Operation done

Operation took place this morning. With eight screws! Thank you to all who prayed and thought of him. He's not too happy a bunny at present, so please continue.