15 April 2009

Uncategorized, , , , ,

Photograph of Stella and Dot at Cringleford by the River Yare, during a tour of the city (by car). Stella stayed with us overnight and has just rung to say she got home safely. Very pleasant interlude: we had lunch at Prezzo’s. The previous two days were also fun, with David and the grandchildren joining us on Easter Sunday for a family meal at the Red Lion in Eaton. Also present: Phil, Joy, Joe, Birgit and Birgit’s brother Joe, his wife Ilona and Birgit’s mother. It was a long meal, so I took first Amy and then both children for a walk down to the river. Really enjoyed that. They’re lovely to be with.

Dot and I had just been to church, where I led the Easter Communion, with John Easton presiding. The next day David and I took Oliver to watch Norwich play Watford, and Norwich won well, 2-0. Meanwhile Amy went with Dot to Wroxham Barns and had a great time on various rides, showing lots of confidence.

I went to the doctor’s on Tuesday morning, because I’ve been feeling very tired, and all is not well in the usual area. All sorts of odd pains, queasy stomach, headaches. Just don’t feel I’m getting any better. Doctor not particularly confidence-inspiring. Water sent off for testing again, and a blood test fixed for ten days in the future. Some sort of urgency lacking, I feel. I wonder if falling over would get someone’s attention.

Anyway, the taps are now beautifully fixed and the chairs beautifully covered. The oven’s bust, though. Always something… Last Wednesday the Paston evening at the Grapevine went really well. Stephanie showed up unexpectedly, and we gave her a lift home. I read a couple of poems, Lucy and Annette spoke, and there was some medieval singing. Only two problems: no media interest, and very, very few sales. Still pretty confused about what Lucy wants me to do with the Paston Guidebook. She also asked me to do a poetry walk on May bank holiday weekend. It would give me £200, but I really don’t feel like it at the moment. Not sure how far I could walk, for one thing. Lisa may well do one.

On Maundy Thursday we had tea at Morston Hall by way of research for the Murrays’ visit in May. Very pleasant, but we were the only ones there, apart from a couple of flies. We also tracked down a yacht charter company at Morston and have booked three hours’ sailing. Lovely warm weather in North Norfolk. David texted to say it was pouring with rain at Twyford.

On Good Friday an excellent and very moving Ambient Wonder event at St Luke’s attracted about 50, including about ten children. I did the opening and closing liturgy, if it can be called that. Some short responses might be more accurate.

Have struck up a relationship with Ellie, who lives nearly opposite. She’s two. Very sweet.

7 April 2009

Uncategorized, ,

A photograph of my mother’s sister Vi, who has just turned 93. She is in Cape Town, in what they call Frail Care, with her husband Richard, also pictured. Her daughter Sandy and Sandy’s husband Alex, who live not far away in Table View, are also in the picture.

Have been feeling pretty frail myself the last few days. Practically anything I do leaves me tired out. I’m hoping it’s just an after-effect of the antibiotics and am trying to ignore it. The weather has turned quite springlike, though there’s a chilly wind today. The garden is looking terrific following the attentions of Garden Man Colin and Dot – a formidable team. Two chairs have been delivered to the upholsterers, the carpet has been cleaned and the bathroom taps are halfway fixed. They’ve stopped dripping, but on the minus side, they don’t turn on and off with any great conviction. My Twitter list is developing too.

Sunday was pretty busy, with church lunch and a an Ambient Wonder planning event in the evening. It could have been followed by an exciting DCC meeting on the Monday, but I took the precaution of booking myself a chess game, which I managed to draw. Dot had no such excuse, and claimed the DCC meeting was actually quite interesting. She is busy booking events for the visit of the Murrays in May. We seem to be booked in for tea at The Ritz, and possibly a sailing experience at Blakeney. Meanwhile I’ve got tickets for the Maddermarket for a Terence Rattigan play. For four of us, that cost £40, with the added benefit of it being a picturesque, historic and truly lovely theatre. I also booked Dot and I to see HMS Pinafore at the Theatre Royal later this month, which cost just under £40 for the two of us, after a £20 discount that I had been given for another reason. Something doesn’t add up: perhaps it’s why the Theatre Royal is often half empty, except for guaranteed audience-pullers.

4 April 2009

Uncategorized, , , ,

Another picture from the Grapevine exhibition, this time showing members of the Care family in the vicinity of the refreshments. Drummer Simeon and student Naomi are standing on Lucy’s right: Jonathan is at back right, talking to medieval role-player Jo Berry, from the Paston Heritage Society. Lucy is talking to Joan Murray, one of the InPrint artists, whose husband John is partially obscured by a pillar. We’ve known Jonathan and Lucy since before they were married, 30 years ago. Preparations are now being made for the Wednesday night Grapevine session next week, which seems promising.

I finished my second lot of antibiotics yesterday, and I guess I feel better, though certainly not 100 per cent. Just walked up to Carrow Road to buy tickets for the Easter Monday match against Watford, when David and I will be taking Oliver. Tickets went on sale today at 9am; I turned up at 11am to find only the back row and about four other individual seats unsold. We are in the back row: the nice lady has sat us as far away from the visiting supporters as possible “as we have a child with us”. Felt pretty tired when I got back, but it’s a very pleasant day, and Colin is here doing some stuff in the garden involving shingle. He’s created a very nice space under the kitchen window.

On Thursday night it became obvious that water was seeping out of one of our drain covers. After a bit of hesitation, I rang the insurers’ emergency helpline, and within half an hour a guy was at the door. We had a lot of trouble getting the drain cover off (not the leaking one – the next one down: it takes a professional to know these things), and before we did we tried next door (out) and Phyllis, whose drain we decided was not connected to ours. When we eventually got the cover off, there was an obvious blockage, which the guy cleared, and a rather unholy mess, mainly liquid, tumbled through at high speed. Something very satisfying about removing a blockage. I can think of somewhere else an improved flow would be welcome.

Julia and Allan came round last night. Dot did a very time-consuming but delicious mousaka, which was appreciated by all. I have reorganised my website so that the beginnning of new articles will appear on the front page, and the updating should be obvious. Also added another article and changed the bottom of the front page to include a selection of quotes, which I will also change regularly. Quite pleased with it.

1 April 2009

Uncategorized

The Paston Grapevine exhibition on Sunday went really well, with the room close to full most of the time. Some friends I hadn’t seen for some time responded – eg Ruth C and Prof Clive Scott from the UEA, who seemed extremely impressed. Jonathan’s parents and sister were also there. Haven’t seen them for many, many years. The photo is by Dot: I am reading my poem, Blue Days, Black Knights – one of eight poets reading on the day. Menita and Regis bought one of Annette’s pictures, which was reward for her hard work in putting the exhibition up. Another one of the big books was also sold. Can’t say I felt brilliant all the way through: was really hot at one point, and by the time I got home (Dot driving) I was exhausted.

Still, I thought I must be getting there – until the surgery rang on Monday morning to say I had been given antibiotics to which my urine infection strain was resistant. So I had to go and pick up a new lot and start again. Since then I have been a bit shaky, and today I have a stomach upset, almost certainly due to the antibiotics. Helpfully, that started first thing this morning, when I was going to the hospital for a flow test. I was supposed to be getting a full bladder, which is tricky when you have to deal with a stomach problem. But in the end I managed it, and was told my flow was very slow and – guess what – I should be putting my catheter further in. I have lost count of the number of different things I’ve been told about the catheter. Two-thirds, all the way, not too far, all the way, hollow, solid … you name it.

I managed to play chess on Monday night, though unsurprisingly not very well, and only managed a draw against someone I should have beaten. Felt as if I had a high temperature all the time. We also went ahead with the Tuesday Group, which I managed to get through without much trouble.
Barbara and Dot worked on a database yesterday while I caught up with stuff and watched the F1 Australian Grand Prix on iPlayer. Today – a beautiful spring day – I have written a new piece for my website.

29 March 2009

Uncategorized,

Yes, as I said, more to be done. Unfortunately I’ve been ill again and am taking ages to recover. This time it’s a urine infection “and possibly something else”, to quote the very charming doctor I saw on Wednesday morning. I am on antibiotics, which have done enough to allow me to tick over but certainly haven’t got rid of it. Still, another two days of them to go. Saw David last weekend (Mothering Sunday), and we had steak and chips at home before visiting the Rosary and the cemetery at North Walsham. Happily I was still well then.

Spent most of Monday and Tuesday in bed, having cancelled chess and the Tuesday Group, but managed to stay up after seeing the doctor and have been wandering vaguely around ever since. Managed to get a bit of an appetite back: at one point my weight was down to what it was when I came out of hospital. Managed to get up to Cow Hill to record my four poems for the Twenty Group exhibition: went well. Am now about to leave for the launch of the Paston Exhibition. More on that story later, as Kirsty Wark would say.

20 March 2009

Uncategorized, , , ,

As promised, another Winterton dunes picture: this time it’s Amy investigating one of the ruined structures at the village end of the valley. She heard us calling them sand dunes, so she decided to call them flower dunes. Very independent-minded girl.

I was wrong about the gas man: he arrived very early and said our boiler was not totally efficient but was working fine. This means the company has to tell us we should buy a new “green” boiler, but there’s nothing wrong with the old one, so throwing it away doesn’t sound very green to me. I am being environmentally friendly by continuing to use the one we have.

I won my fourth chess game in a row on Monday evening, and on Tuesday Dot, Barbara and I worked on a new leaflet for Philosophy4Children, which worked out quite successfully, I think, using Pages.

On Wednesday I visited my artist collaborater Ruthli and saw her second picture. I got quite a bit of inspiration as I looked at it, and several phrases sprang to mind. When I got home (after her husband Douglas showed me his amazingly organised garden) I managed to write a poem quite quickly, which was fortunate, because I had to get all four poems for the Norwich 20 Group exhibition in by the next day. This I managed to do, which was a relief. I quite like the poems, too. Ruthli’s house is amazing – absolutely full of art works of various kinds. The garden has sculptures too, so there’s no getting away from it. It’s totally wonderful.

In the afternoon, after Dot’s DSSO meeting, we had another visit from our financial adviser, who seems to be sorting out the best thing to do with Andrew’s money and Dot’s life insurance. I sense some coherence returning to our financial affairs – until, that is, we try to do Dot’s next tax return. This was followed in the evening by a district church council meeting and a distinct loss of coherence. For some reason these meetings always leave me depressed, even though 90 per cent of this one seemed quite uplifting. Then we started talking about decision-making and dialogue, which is all to do with whether we should attach ourselves to organisations like Transition Norwich, which in my view is quite wrong, since it is nothing to do with Christianity, is purely political and represents a point of view that would certainly not be shared by everyone in the church. Me, for instance.

Yesterday was quite cold and grey after some sunny days earlier in the week, and I was reluctant to go for a walk, though this is what I had planned to do while Dot was away on P4C business in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. In the end I got in the car and set off half-heartedly. I parked by a public footpath (part of Boudicca’s Way) at Arminghall, and the path over the field looked so inviting I decided to go a little way. But I was lured on and eventually did nearly four miles, round the lip of a quarry and across hilly fields to Caistor Lane, and then back by a slightly different route. Really enjoyed it in the end. Although the quarry is only yards from a road I have known well since my childhood, I had never actually seen it before. Since it is an amazingly large hole, this is quite surprising, but it is well shielded. I have become very fond of the countryside in that area around Caistor St Edmund. I suppose that area was part of my childhood, and I’ve always liked it.

I have more or less finished all the work I can do on the Paston Guidebook at the moment and need to try a couple of the walks and get back to Lucy for discussion. At the moment she is more concerned with the Grapevine exhibition which is coming up at the end of the month. I have sent out a large number of e-invitations and printed out some other stuff for it. More to be done, though.

16 March 2009

Uncategorized, , , ,

After a quiet week, a full weekend. David and the children came up, and David and I took Oliver to see Norwich City play Plymouth at Carrow Road – his first professional football match. Happily City won 1-0, and Oliver joined in all the excitement. He also showed good staying power. I think he enjoyed the whole experience. He seemed to like being part of the crowd walking home as well. The weather was quite good, though there was a chilly wind. While we were at the match Dot took Amy into the city with Anne, and they bought her a new dress. She seemed to have a great time.

Yesterday was another nice day, and we went to Winterton, where we had a picnic in the car park before venturing into the dunes. The children had a wonderful time (so did we) tracking each other and ambushing. It’s a real favourite place with them. Got some nice pictures, one or two of which will appear here in due course. Today’s picture is of Oliver in his Canary kit, back from the match. After the dunes, Dot got the children in the garden, playing farms, while I watched a bit of rugby and David had a rest while listening to Spurs beat Aston Villa 2-0 (away). Oliver and Amy both got into the garden experience and in fact really exhausted themselves by supper time. Oliver could barely make it into the car for the trip home after their bath and story.

Today – another sunny day – we were up early and Dot is now on her way to Garboldisham for a church school inspection. I am waiting for the gas man to come and service our system. He’s scheduled to turn up between 8am and 1pm, so will probably arrive at about 12.55, if we’re lucky. In preparation , I had to take a surprising amount of stuff out of the drying room. Had no idea there was so much in there.

14 March 2009

Uncategorized, , , ,

A picture I took quite a few years ago now, when the River Bure froze. Lost a bit of its colour, but I like the composition.

Quite a quiet week for me, though Dot has been pretty busy, returning to Terrington and visiting a couple of other schools. I won another game of chess, in the club tournament, and I need to maintain this winning streak to finish in a reasonable position, though I won’t win it. I’ve sorted out the Paston Guidebook material – though I haven’t started editing it – and printed off my own booklet of Paston poems, as well as laminating a few poems for the Grapevine exhibition. Bit of a panic with poems for the 20 Group exhibition: the poems with Sandra’s pictures are now sorted out, but I’m not seeing Ruthli till Wednesday, and I have to have all four poems in by Friday!

Took my brother Phil’s birthday presents round on Wednesday, but our conversation was cut short when his neighbour came round, so he came round yesterday to complete it. Now we’re awaiting the arrival of David and the children: David and I are taking Oliver to Carrow Road this afternoon in the hope that the team can maintain their form of Tuesday, when they won 2-0 against Cardiff. But they are still in dire straits. Dot is taking Amy into the city to meet Anne. The weather has warmed up markedly in the last few days, and it’s beginning to feel like spring. I need to get walking again.

7 March 2009

Uncategorized, ,

This is a picture received from Howard Morgan in New Zealand, or possibly Australia. It has my grandmother (centre) with her son Ken (lounging behind) and Ken’s wife Eve (next to mother-in-law). The others are a bit of a mystery, because they don’t look much like my uncles, though there is a theory that the man at the right in the foreground could be my father. If so, where is my mother? And what beach is it? Note the beach gear, de rigeur for the 1940s. Howard’s father Frank stayed with my grandparents in Caistor Lane shortly after the war. He had been a PoW, and they looked after him for a while. Today I saw my aunt Kathleen, who apparently took him under her wing, going with him to the beach and cycling with him to Whitlingham. She remembers him and kept Howard’s e-mails, though she didn’t want the pictures. She seems in rude health, apart from arthritis in the legs and back. I arrived back before Dot, who had been enjoying a late lunch with her friend Anne.

I have finished compiling and illustrating a new story for Oliver, entitled Little and the Dark Machine. I wrote it quite a long time ago, but it is not one of the ones that was published in the EDP. I think it’s quite good, he said modestly. Better than the last one, anyway. Speaking of the EDP, yesterday it was announced that about a third of editorial jobs in Archant Norfolk were going – that’s over 50. Life may continue, but not as we know it. It will be interesting to see how bad the EDP becomes, and how quickly.

Since my last post we’ve had a surprisingly excellent meal at the Castle Carvery in Bowthorpe, paid for by one of our friends at church who felt we needed it and saw a promotional deal offered in the paper. She also supplies us with cooking apples, so we shouldn’t starve, whatever happens. We’ve also got a new financial adviser, who I brought in to explain an incoherent document from the people with whom I have life insurance on Dot. I’m not really sure why I have it. The new guy offered to take leaflets about Dot’s business to his clients who were in schools, so it might be a good idea if we organised the leaflets.

I saw my consultant yesterday, who told me my blood was “perfect”, which means the operation successfully removed my cancer. At least I assume that’s what he meant, rather than that I had produced blood that was the best ever seen. However, I am due to have tests to see if my bladder is working properly, because I still have this extremely odd sensation… which it’s probably best we don’t go into.

And I’ve won another game of chess – another quite good game as a guest on Board Two for the C team at Wymondham. Unfortunately we lost 2.5-1.5 and the team will probably be relegated, as will Norwich City if they carry on the way they’re going. Another loss today, and no room for manouevre.

3 March 2009

Uncategorized, , ,

Strange kind of existence at the moment, as if living slightly out of kilter with reality. But the same old things keep on happening, if not in the right order. Today I have been busy sorting out our finances and (I think) avoiding any embarrassment or extra charges over late payments. For the first time ever, I forgot to pay my road tax before it expired, but I believe you have days of grace. Two lots of car insurance haven’t helped the cash flow, especially as my car was also serviced and MOT tested last Thursday. Dot hasn’t been paid for work she’s been doing for months, but no doubt it will sort itself out eventually. Today she has been with Barbara working on her Philosophy, after going to a meeting this morning which actually took place yesterday… At least the days are getting longer, and we’re not providing food for the Tuesday Group tonight, which means we can relax a bit when Dot gets home. Maybe.

My chess doesn’t seem to have been affected. After travelling to West Runton on Friday night to play for the B team (and drawing a game I felt I should have won), I played for the A team last night against the prospective league champions, and managed to win quite a good game. The team also won, 2.5-1.5, so there was general rejoicing. Earlier in the day I had been to Paston to discuss the Paston Guide Book, which I now feel I am closer to understanding. Lucy is not at all well, though. Towards the end Annette turned up: haven’t seen her for a while. For lunch I went to Wroxham Barns to meet Dot and her aunt Jessie, who had been visiting Frank at Wroxham. We had a good lunch. I returned home, and Dot took Jessie back to North Walsham, also visiting the cemetery and Sainsburys.

Sunday was also quite busy. After Holy Communion we stayed for lunch, and then Dot went for coffee with Anna at Greens (the health club) while I came home. In the evening I went to Ambient Wonder, which seemed to go very well, though in silence!

Saturday had been very pleasant. We went to visit Mick and Gill Stedman (pictured) in Framlingham. Mick was our vicar when we lived in Yelverton. We had a lovely lunch and were able to engage in in-depth discussion about our mutual difficulties. We then went for a walk round the town, which was appealing – plenty of old buildings and a wonderfully picturesque castle – as well as being just the right size. Weather was sunny and not too chilly.

In the past few days I had two pleasant surprises from the past. One was a phone call from a woman who I knew when we were in our teens and who I had a bit of a crush on (unrequited). I couldn’t believe it when she said her name, because for some reason I thought she was dead. She was trying to help a woman she knew who went to Paul’s church, so I gave her his phone number – and my cousin Barbara’s, whose friend she was in those far-off days. Hope she got a good response. She now lives in Hethersett. It would be initeresting to meet her.

The other surprise was a contact from Genes Reunited: a guy from New Zealand whose father used to know my aunt Kathleen during the war and who apparently stayed with the family afterwards. He had been a prisoner of war, and apparently the Lenton family fattened him up while he stayed at what must have been their place in Caistor Lane. The son, who is about my age, was overjoyed to hear that he had got the right person and is sending photographs, which should be interesting.

Oh, and last Friday I went with Joe to hear a talk by a Franciscan. The named Franciscan couldn’t make it, but the substitute turned out to be Roger Rayner, David’s old piano teacher. He gave a pretty good talk, hitting most of the right notes.