We
are still here, everyone, although sometimes it is a wonder!!
We continue to make the most of our
days with the great help of our family, and I’m afraid, carers for Frank 3
times a day, plus the local Medical Practice, District Nurses… I could go on!
We have a vehicle fitted with a ramp
to take a wheelchair so that we can take Frank on occasional visits. It is much
higher than my car so he can see well what is going on. We don’t go far as it
is not as smooth as a car – and we still need two people to get him out of the
house and down the ramp from the front door and so on!
I too have resorted to a wheelchair when we go
any distance – for example, on my customary Wednesday trip with Sue, to the
hair salon, to the cathedral to light a few candles, and to Sainsbury’s. I enjoy the shop windows, and now the Christmas lights
and trees, as we go. Andrew generally stays with Frank and watches Gilbert and
Sullivan and other old films on the television.
We spent the lovely Summer days in the
garden, from late afternoon into the early evening, usually with Sue and Kevin
(and a G’n’T of course!) Now it is far too cold for Frank, and he gets quite
frustrated, but we do hope to take him to Derby Cathedral for the midday carol
service.
We will spend Christmas Day at Sue and
Kevin’s home with Andrew and Kathryn and families. That is, all being well, but
we expect our granddaughter Caroline (Andrew and Kathryn’s daughter) to give
birth to her first child on December 20th, so anything is possible! We
have 7 great grandchildren so far! We are looking forward to seeing John,
Julia, Chloe and Emma just after Christmas – they are coming over from
Australia next month for a few weeks. Hard to believe, but John was 40
yesterday!
I started the year badly – after weeks
of agony, I was finally diagnosed with a broken leg (a horizontal pressure
fracture just above the ankle). So I spent 6 weeks with a pot on – then 6 weeks
with an enormous boot on. I finally began to hobble about with a walker…
Everyone was very helpful but after a
while I began to start doing some jobs for myself. One day, when I thought I
had a couple of hours to myself, I decided I needed to mop the bathroom floor…This
meant taking the mop and bucket upstairs on the stairlift. I managed to get
these from the carport and onto my knee with me sitting on the chair and up I
went. It was rather precarious! And at the first bend everything slipped and
wedged me and my ‘just getting better leg’ against the wall. I was truly stuck
with no way of letting anyone know for help. I tried moving the chair up and down
but it wouldn’t budge and I was rubbing the skin off my knee too!
It took almost an hour to wriggle
myself free and then I was halfway up the
stairs anyway. By then there was a wide and deep wound on my knee and blood everywhere.
I finally got down into the hall and then pondered what to do. I couldn’t tell
the family because they would be so cross with me! I finally got upstairs
again and changed my trousers and started to clean up the mess - but the wound
was throbbing and the dressing fell off.
It was not until the next day that Sue
and Liz came round. They and Kevin had had a tortuous trip back from Devon
after the Glas Denbury Musical Festival – the car had broken down! Within half
an hour Sue and I were off to the small injuries hospital in Ilkeston (a small
town a few miles away). Once there the medical staff could trace the history of
my broken leg and I had a series of X rays. Fortunately nothing untoward was
found – but I did have to spend 14 weeks visiting the Nurse 3 times per week
until my knee started to heal…
By the way, I do manage to wash the bathroom
floor – I scoot about with a floor cloth under each foot…
Once a month we have
the Golden Oldies for a buffet lunch and we do enjoy it! We often play a very
simple card game 2 or 3 times - with very valuable prizes (!) - it is amazing
the glee with which these are won! Really
we have so much to say to each other the time flies, very noisily with lots of
laughter and memories. Unfortunately Brian has had a poor year healthwise but
Ann has managed to drive them down from Sheffield – my sister Kath has also not
been well for some time having difficulty in breathing and more. The day she had a stair lift fitted, her
central heating broke so she has been staying with her daughters since then! She has missed the last two Golden Oldies get
– togethers. However today we heard that she is a little better and hopefully
will make our Christmas luncheon party on the 13th. It would be
lovely as nothing is quite right if anyone is missing!
At the last GOs, I had
the harvest baskets ready for the family.
However this will be
the last time I will do these – it gets more and more difficult to do all the
preserves. In fact Kevin, with some help from Sue, made much of the jam,
marmalade, pickles and chutneys this year. I do still like to bake though – my
flapjack is still a favourite with everyone! I always have a cake in the tin
and I made toffee and toffee apples for Bonfire Night.
In June, Frank’s
brother Bill was 90 and he had a lovely ‘do’. Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend
but Eddie and David were there, all his family and most of his nephews and
nieces.
We have lots of help
from our family – from making breakfast to cooking dinner – and doing any jobs
that need doing…We are really very fortunate and cheerful most of time. Sue
wouldn't agree - she says I'm not happy if I have nothing to worry about.
Anyway, I usually have!!
We will miss Sophie
from January – she has a new teaching job in Melbourne (Australia). She has
been emptying her house in anticipation of the move – Michael was delighted to
receive her Christmas tree!
Anyway I better get
this finished as tomorrow is the 1st day of Advent and things will
be getting exciting! I hope everyone has had a good 2018 – would love to hear
your news…
With
lots of love and wishing you the very best for Christmas and the New Year – 2019
Marg
and Frank
xx
P.S. Here we are, with Michael, at the cathedral!
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