12 June 2010

I was looking at last year’s diary for March, around the date of our 46th wedding anniversary, and was amazed to find that there is a complete bank between the 8^th.and 25^th. of that month. I thought at first it was an entry I may have sent to Richard that got lost somehow and that I would find it in my own copy but no, absolutely nothing. Yet when I look at my diary there was much going on.

9 March was my grandson young Sebastion’s 8^th. Birthday

10 March I went to the Law Court Branch of the Arbitration Club in London.

11 March Gavin from Able2 came to the house and installed a very sophisticated articulated armrest on my study table. The idea of this armrest is to take the weight from the arm making it much easier to raise the hand to the mouth when feeding. I used it for a while but for the last few months I have found it easier to place my left arm under my right hand, in which there will be a spoonful of food,  lifting them both together to my mouth, protecting the clothing on my left arm with a wipeable plastic sleeve  which runs from wrist to elbow (which my sewing lady Janet made for me)..

13 March. I went to Addenbrookes Hospital to see my friend Colin Gautry, in the Mechanical Engineering Division, no doubt to further one of the prototypes of my inventions. In the afternoon I see that I went to the Newport surgery to have the stitches removed, no doubt from the wisdom tooth I had  extracted the previous week

16 March. Our 46th wedding anniversary There’s no way I would not have recorded this event. Although for the life of me, a year later, I cannot remember how we  celebrated it.

17 March. I see there was a meeting of the Oil and Gas Branch of the Arbitration Club in London which I forsook for a walk round with the geriatrics at the golf club.

18 March. One of my special days. Lunch with my good friend Geoffrey Hanscomb at Sheekeys,

20 March. Bill Godwin, barrister, came down from London to give me lunch and to discuss this years lectures in China with which he had kindly agreed to assist. I seem to remember we went to The Cricketers, Jamie Oliver’s dad’s pub next door.

23 March. Went to London to see Monti who, very kindly is assisting me to make my  own DVD’s from my old films.

24 March. My weekly walk around with the geriatrics at golf club.

14 June 2010

The big day arrived at last. Off to Addenbrookes Hospital to have the cast removed. I saw a very nice specialist registrar who assured me that the break had mended and that I could now start putting full weight on the leg. Although I found I could stand I felt very shaky in terms of walking and they provided me with some gulley crutches, similar to my pulpit frame, on which I could lean, as I shuffled forward.

The trip therefore was very satisfactory apart from the transport  element. I was kindly picked up by ambulance -  I am told it was service 492 – but the male attendant, who travelled with me and another stretcher patient, was very unsympathetic about my inability to raise myself from the seat. When I told him that I had MND and was unable to stand without assistance, his retort was ‘then we will have to take you home again.’ and this was not said in a joking fashion. I told him that my wife and I use a lifting belt, but he said they were rubbish.

I persuaded him, and his lady driver colleague, to  take an arm each and once I was standing he rudely said I told you,  you could stand implying that I have not tried hard enough. After this gentleman had wheeled me into the fracture clinic waiting room he was very offhand in his manner towards me, which was observed by the senior nurse in reception, Vicky, and the  osteoporosis nurse Lesley, both of whom expressed their disquiet over this man’s  conduct. I was told later, on the journey home by the same lady who had been on a stretcher on the outward journey, that the Lesley had gone out and reproached this gentleman concerning the way I had been transferred from the wheelchair to the chair and she had received a far from polite or satisfactory response . Having given Addenbrookes Hospital a glowing account for the nine days that I was an inpatient, I feel that it is not unreasonable to report this totally unacceptable behaviour. I attempted to obtain the man’s name from his manager, Jill Briggs, but she refused  to disclose it, invitingly me instead to make a written complaint to the ambulance service.

15 June 2010

A very pleasant and helpful physiotherapist, Joanna,  came to see me at home  this morning and after some test walks, mainly with the gutter frame, she said I was doing very well. Frankly, she was not at all keen on the gutter crutches and recommended I did not use them. Instead I should exercise three or four times a day using the gutter frame and in the meantime she made an appointment for me to see her, this Thursday, in the physio gymnasium, Saffron Walden. Community hospital.

This afternoon, my lovely’, help me spend five minutes or so walking up and down with the gutter frame and attempting a few unsupported tentative steps. To be honest I was a little frightened of falling, having had so many bad experiences recently, however, I’m sure my confidence will increase day by day. Sadly  my leg is as painful, if not more than, it was when I broke it and spent the weekend walking on it. It is also badly swollen and I am told by my good doctor Long that the swelling may well last for months but hopefully the pain will subside.

When I was looking through Anecdotes etc I couldn’t understand why things that I had entered, just before I went to Thailand in March of this year, had not appeared on the blog, I checked back and realised that it must have been a time when Richard was extremely busy and had failed to enter them. I shall enter them now. This is what I wrote at the time.

As this is the last day you will hear from me for three weeks or so, I will give you a feast of goodies to enjoy while I’m away. However, during this interregnum, why not use this opportunity to delve deeper into the diary archive, if you have not done so already,  as well as working  your way through the those Anecdotes, Videos and Photos, as well, of course, through the Jokes, some of which I am told  are not to everyone’s taste..

Anecdotes

Did you know? — worthless trivia

Who is your real friend?

How to identify a stoke

My introduction to golf

Reflections -this is well worth watching.

Jokes

Wise old man

Overheard at a Welfare Office

Annual Golf Trip

Times Letter of the Year

Hell Explained

Paddy Has a Broken Leg

Senior Years

Teddy Bears

Transport for Canada — New Security Check

Urologists Visit

When a Japanese Baby Is Born

A 85 Year Old Lady Married 4 Time

Photos

Can you believe that you can click on a map of the world and put up a copy of the front page of the local or national newspaper

Worldwide Newspaper Headlines today and every day

17 June 2010

The big excitement today was seeing Joanna, the physiotherapist, at the Saffron Waldon Community Hospital. I managed a short walk up and down the corridor without the frame but with the girls hands firmly  in my support belt had I stumbled. Although they both said that I was doing amazingly well considering the cast had just come off, I must say I did not feel safe without some artificial aid. Whether I will ever get my confidence back again to walk without a frame remains to be seen as my legs certainly feel pretty weak.

After consultation with Joanna, we have decided to purchase an external version of the gutter frame with bigger wheels that can cope with rough surfaces. It’s a bit like a supermarket trolley only higher with something to lean on. The only problem is that I am advised that I should not use it on any form of ramp as it will tilt and could cause me to topple over. This means even when the ramps are in place for the office — which incidentally I heard today the cost of which has now been approved, very generously, by the MND Association — I will still have to access the office by wheelchair and then transferred to the frame. Anyway it’s all looking pretty positive and the least I am able to be upright from time to time.

The mention of the generosity of the MND Association prompts me to nudge those of my readers who intend to make a donation for the Great London Swim Event – Three Miles for Mark -full details of how to donate at the beginning of the blog. I know only too well how many appeals I receive myself and set them aside, meaning to do something about it and then discover them maybe weeks later when frankly it is too late. Those of you who have already taken the plunge and made a donation my heartfelt thanks.

18 June 2010

A great day. The first time back at Royal Worlington Club to since the beginning of May. Tim Stranack, the match manager for our side against The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC is the oldest regiment in Great Britain) very kindly invited me to join them for the day having been, in the past, lucky enough to be invited to play against this team. It is always either be popular fixture at the club, starting as it does with a full English breakfast washed down with a decent champagne. I’m not sure that there was a great deal to the golf but it certainly is a splendid start to the day. I met many old friends many of whom generously spent a little time with me which made the day extremely special. I wore my kilt, for lavatorial reasons! and enlisted the assistance of a member of the opposition team, on two separate occasions, to pull down my drawers from under the kilt and once I had completed my business, pull them up again. All without involving themselves in any delicate or unseemly situations. Of course, from my end all dignity and shame disappeared ages ago but I am always immensely impressed at how helpful and unembarrassed even strangers are to assist in such circumstances.

Kit very kindly drove me there and back with my gutter frame and other necessary bits and pieces. Then, Griggsy, assumed responsibility and we spent most of the morning and part afternoon together driving round the course in his buggy keeping an eye on the golf.

I hope we didn’t put our boys off that they got a bit of a thrashing from the HAC who won 10 and 6. You know how it is always possible to see someone worse off than yourself. Well, there was one HAC member, whose name I shall not disclose having failed to ask his  permission, who is permanently plugged into oxygen, due to a severe weakness in his lungs. He unplugs the oxygen bottle, which he carries around with him, Each time it is his turn to hit the ball. He never complains and is extremely brave continuing to play golf with this encumbrance. It is this sort of spirit that I immensely admire.

Having woken at 6 a.m and left home at 715, arriving back almost around 12 hours later, I was a little weary but it Was quite a day and well worthwhile.

19 June 2010

My kindly neighbour, Graham Smith, came round this afternoon to help me sort out the next stage of the Mugs Guide for entering such thing as Anecdotes, Jokes, Videos and Photos. These need a little more thought than straightforward posting  text entries as there has to be a hyperlink. Anyway, I’m confident that once I get the next part of my Mugs Guide I will be able to cope with this additional task. The only thing that worries me is whether anybody ever bothers to look at any of these add-ons. Although I get e-mails about the diary entries I don’t think I ever had one commenting on the fantastic pictures, photographs or videos or the funny jokes, other than one person who said that she adored the blog but frankly didn’t like the jokes. (I think I thanked her for her kind comments about the blog and suggested that reading the jokes was not mandatory!) So I suppose this is a cri de couer to all of my  readers. If you see something beautiful and inspirational, on this blog, that I have entered as an add-on. Please let me know. As you can appreciate these parts of the blog take much more work than the text and if nobody is looking at them. Well, I suppose I might as well stop adding more material.

20 June 2010 – Father Day

Not that I’m a great fan of these commercialised celebrations but having said that I very much appreciate the loving card that came from my dear daughter and the effort made by dear Son Miles and the lovely Kimberly, in driving down from London to  join us for lunch today to celebrate the event. Smiler also celebrated Father’s Day by giving me a bespoke card on which were his own kind words, which I am not sure were  really warranted but nevertheless they were heartfelt. After one of ‘my lovely’s’ delicious cold buffet lunches I was wheelchaired down the road to visit one of the ‘old faithfuls’ open house prior to their downsizing in a smaller house but  in the same village. Then, tea in the garden with some delicious apricots cake, made by Kimberly, before enjoying a cigar and a little whisky in the heat of the dying afternoon sun. A memorable Father’s Day

21 June 2010

The longest day of the year — the summer solstice and the weather matched the occasion with a beautiful summer’s day.For other reasons it is a day I shall remember. It was my quarterly assessment at the Respiratory and Sleep Centre at Papworth Hospital, so this meant that last night I had to sleep with the Oximeter clamped to my forefinger in order to measure the level of saturated oxygen in my lungs. I was picked up at 8.15 for my 9.30 appointment by a very nice old boy, a truly Norfolk, man Philip. He was the first of these’ volunteer’ drivers  who has been decent enough to telephone me in advance and let me know what I should be ready, as opposed to be Hospital who says I should be prepared to be picked up any time from seven o’clock onwards which would have meant getting up from just after 5.00am.

I went through the range of respiratory and exspiratory, sucking and sniffing tests, sitting and supine, and then saw the duty doctor who gave me the bad news. Basically, it seems my Forced Vital Capacity  has deteriorated (significantly?) since my last visit but I will not know the severity of the deterioration until I receive the doctor’s letter. I suppose the most alarming aspect of the was the need for me to oxygen available on the ’plane to Sweden and I am not sure whether Ryanair are prepared to make such provision. I shall have to check.

22 June 2010

Off to Cornwall, to see ‘my lovely’s’ sister Victoria (Tor), brother-in-law, Lawrence (Lol) and (almost) 99 year old mother, ‘ granny’,  driven by Barry and his partner Denise, riding shotgun. ’My lovely’ wanted the whole excursion  to be as comfortable as possible, and characteristically generous,  splashed out and hired Barry for the occasion

We stopped for lunch with our friends the WP’s. (William- Powlett’s) who normally reside at the other end of our village, and who will be familiar to the regular reader as friends, with whom one will always be ensured an excellent meal — Judith being a splendid cook. Where we stopped was Cadhay, Ottery St. Mary, in Devon, just off the A30 between Honiton and Exeter. This was the WP’s ancestral home, which I must say was quite handsome. It seems the first reference to it was in the reign of Edward I but the main part of the mansion was built around 1550. An Elizabethan Long Gallery was added in the early 17th century and formed a unique and lovely courtyard with a statues in little niches, high on each of the four walls, of Henry VIII and his three monarch offspring – Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. This, suntrap courtyard was described by Sir Simon Jenkins, chairman of National Trust, as “….one of the treasures of Devon” I wasn’t personally able to do the tour but ‘ my lovely’ said that she was very impressed with the elegance of the rooms. I was, however, able to see the dining room, on the ground floor, which I must say was extremely handsome and I can well imagine giving a dinner party there.

Having said that it was rather grand, with portraits of the  Lord Powlett and contemporaries, benignly beaming down from the walls,  but at the same time, with a relatively low moulded ceiling it felt quite homely, although  homely is not quite the word I should perhaps use for such a grand house.

As I say we had lunch in the courtyard and were joined by the owner, one of Barton W-P’s cousins of some sort -  I never did determine the precise relationship — and his partner, Caroline, a very pleasant and personable couple. Judith idea of a sandwich was laying on what was almost a full cold lunch. An excellent pit stop  and certainly several notches up from a Little Chef.

The house, surrounded by magnificent gardens with herbaceous borders and  yew hedges, looks over the original mediaeval river ponds. It is open each Friday from May to September and, being what has been described as ‘ a rare glimpse into the past…’ is well worth the short diversion from the A30.

‘My lovely’ had booked us into the Olde House resort  in Chapel Amble. close to where my in- laws, the Grands, live, at Lower Amble Farm (LAF). We were accommodated in Rose cottage – a two-bedroom, self-catering, spacious dwelling, which has been adapted for the ‘less able’ and was extremely comfortable and convenient. This is not the first time we had stayed in this charming complex of stone cottages and apartments, modelled out old farm buildings to which a number of new dwellings have been sympathetically added. Last time we were here, some years ago, it was for the wedding of one of the Grand’s nephews, when  our children were much younger. It is a favourite holiday destination for families as it has a number of facilities and attractions for young people including an indoor swimming pool. Children can safely roam around the grounds without fear of danger and I have no hesitation in recommending this resort for any young family wanting a holiday in  North Cornwall.

We threw our bits and pieces into the cottage and went straight to my in-laws where we sat outside in the brilliant sunshine enjoying a Cornish tea of scones, liberally coated in clotted cream and honey, before my brother-in-law Lol, produced a magnum of delicious cool sparkling burgundy – Cremant de Bourgogne - which was quite as palatable as a good champagne . My dear sister-in-law Tor, who always makes nothing of knocking up a meal, fed us some delicious  lamb chops, slightly later than we would normally be we sitting down for dinner at home.

Granny, seemed extremely pleased to see us and was having one of her ‘better days’. We  arrived back at our little cottage at around 11.30, around an hour and a half past our normal bedtime but having had a lovely day.

23 June 2010

Despite the late night, we found it hard to break our normal habit of waking up and having tea at around 6.00 a.m. After breakfast I worked on my laptop until we were picked up at 10.45 by Victoria. This was the prelude to an exciting lunch at the world-famous Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, at Padstow, very generously hosted by Granny.

We all piled into to a large people carrier with some difficulty, eased, levered, shooved and lifted in by an extremely helpful and sympathetic driver,  Mike, with me  causing more trouble than the other two inambulents, put together, due the height of the step into the vehicle.

With our three walking frames we must have been quite a sight when we arrived at the restaurant. Thank goodness the great man himself was not in evidence, however Chalky, his famous terrier – now sadly three years hence having gone to a better place  – standing guard outside, despite being carved in stone, looked menacingly at the steel frames as they went by, one by one,

The restaurant was not quite what I expected although I certainly was not disappointed. I thought it might be more rustic, more fisherman-like instead of the typical smart starched, white tableclothd, London style restaurant. Neither was I disappointed by the food or the ambience, although, I confess, I was glad I was not picking up the bill! For those gastronomes who are interested I will briefly describe what we had to eat. Mother-in-law and ‘my lovely’ she had a large bowl of Seafood soup and what seem to me to be superior fish and chips, beautifully prepared, but fish and chips never the less, lovingly described on the menu as Local Hake, Chips and Tartare Sauce, Deep-Fried in dripping,  served with thick chips and mushy pea . (Did you know that the first mention of fish and chips was by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist?) Tor, started with  Ragout of Turbot and Scallops with Vouvray and Basil. This she followed with Grilled Fillets of John Dory with Girelle Mushrooms Sauteed in Olive Oil. Served with rocket and sun-dried tomatoes. Lol, being exceedingly fond of oysters, had half a dozen, mixed local and foreign ones followed, I believe by a double portion,  of what I consider to be raw fish. or more correctly is Japanese  Shasimi comprising Scallops, Sea Bass and Kingfish with wasabi – Japanese horseradish, pickled ginger and soy dipping sauce. Being totally non-adventurous and adoring scallops, that’s what I started with, Seared Scallops with  Serrano Ham, ( similar to Parma ham and I believe from Spain, rather than Italy, no doubt. ‘discovered’ by Rick Stein on one of his Spanish gastronomic tours.) served with salad leaves and sherry vinegar dressing. I followed this with lobster Thermidor, which the chef kindly de-shelled and mixed  with rice,  into a sort of risotto. It was delicious but I was a little surprised at how creamy it was rather then cheesy. Maybe it is because as the menu says’, we used to sell lobster Thermidor 20 years ago but fashion changed. Now there has been a renaissance of classical French seafood dishes, I’ve made it lighter and more fragrant and it’s rather good .We washed down this scrummy food with a rather good white burgundy, chosen by my knowledgeable brother-in-law. None of us had pudding as I think we were under a certain amount of pressure to leave by 3.30. Whether Mick, the driver, had an urgent desire to see the closing stages of England versus Slovenia in the World Cup, or whether he had another driving engagement. we never quite found out, although we did seem to return to LAF at break neck speed.

There we are. I have done it.  I have broken my resolve to keep this blog a football free zone during the World Cup. However, I suppose I would be churlish not to mention England’s rather unconvincing win over Slovenia which enables them to participate in the final 16. I suppose it is just as well, otherwise we could have witnessed mass suicides amongst the tens of thousands of fanatical fans, who have spent their all and trooped out to South Africa to support, what to me, who knows nothing of the game, appears to be a rather unimpressive collection of very highly overpaid prima donna footballers, incapable of functioning as an effective team.

The afternoon was spent happily dozing in a high backed chair facing the afternoon sun with the other two walking framers in deep sleep in their respective burrows. A very welcome additional member to the group appeared in the late afternoon. Augusta (Gussi) the only daughter of the family, a highflyer at the Eden Project, who is currently using her great expertise in plants by changing a small part of the Maldives into a garden paradise for some celebration or other.

It was lovely seeing Gussi looking so bonny, happy and the picture of health,  obviously enjoying the very interesting work undertaken by this world-famous Eden Project in which, I understand she now plays an important role.  I gather that this project  now numbers fifth in  tourist destinations, in this country, attracting, over a million visitors every year. I am ashamed to say ‘my lovely’ and  I have yet to make a visit.

Dear Tor, with her characteristic ability to multitask, between ministering to her to charges, made us the most delicious cheese soufflé for supper, which was about all we could really cope with after our splendid lunch,