Those of you who have read the good doctor’s account of our recent visit to Thailand will realise what a demanding role is a carer’s job. I have been constantly amazed at how much care I need, for example, just for my Tuesday visit to the golf club, from the moment I am picked up in the morning to be taken to the club, either by Sir George or Peter Murphy, strapping me into their car, with my bag full of accoutrements etc and on arrival at the club being dressed up to brave the elements on the course by any poor soul who happens to be standing about. Out on the course, whenever my legs got tired, I was offered and accepted frequent lifts in Tony Griggs’ golf buggy. Later, after divesting me of my outdoor clothes and changing my shoes, usually then fetching me a drink in my two handled mug with its special straw; lighting a cigar and making sure that it’s placed properly in my smoking stick before we go into lunch. Somewhere between all of this having a pee and accosting any passing member to adjust my trousers. – today John Tilbrook was the lucky one.

Then there is the whole business of the apron, the wrist support on one hand and wipeable sleeve on the other, and so on to attend to, even before I consider what food I’m going to eat, which is usually fetched by others. I make no distinction, any passing member or member who finds himself sitting next to me gets lumbered with the task, as did David Robson and John Gray yesterday. Poor David got in a terrible muddle with the wrist support but he will learn. All of this is so typical of the members of this wonderful golf club any of whom would be interchangeable with those who kindly assisted me today. That’s why this has always been, and continues to be, a very special place for me. We are truly a family of members.
The sort of kindness which is really touching is when the boys see you’re having a bit of a struggle toward the end of the meal, as happened yesterday, David Robson on one side and John Gray on the other, without any prompting, started scooping up the food and fed me. Finally there’s the day removal of all the gear to attend to before I am kindly chauffeured home. It just goes to show that without all these little touches of kindness there is no way that I could possibly attend the geriatrics golf day on Tuesdays. I am deeply grateful and take nothing for granted.

Patrick and Gillian William-Powlett brought her three children to tea and to visit Mouse, the donkey.

Thank goodness my legs are holding up better than my hands and arms. I am finding it increasingly difficult to do my morning exercises; to manipulate my electric toothbrush and to shave with my electric shaver — even with the  purpose made pouch which I have had made to clamp it to my right hand. In fact, I am beginning to dread all of these early morning activities as they have become stressful but I’m determined to continue to do them on my own as long as I possibly can.

The thatchers arrived today with all their paraphernalia. This is the full Monty this year, a completely re-thatch of the house and the office – horrendous expense, but we have no choice. This has to be done every 25 years or so with a re-ridging in between. In no time at all they had stripped off half the roof and remove tons of old straw, exposing a fairly fresh layer, before they started to apply the new long straw, something in the region of 16 to 18 inches thick. This job is meant to take three weeks.

The great excitement today was Anthea coming to do my use nails, both feet and hands. Although I had a perfectly good arrangement at the Saffron Walden Community Hospital with a charming poderist for my feet, hands were not part of the deal thus my taking the matter up with the Deputy Speaker, Sir Alan Hazelhurst. (Our local MP). He is still battling away in the background for the Essex County Council to provide a fingernail service for Essex residents. I believe he is winning but in the meantime ‘my lovely’ decided that the whole business of driving to Saffron Walden etc. was just too much of a fag and has made arrangements for me to be topped and tailed at home, of course, at our expense. I suppose we are one of the lucky ones and can afford it but I will still battle away to get this service providing free for others who are not as fortunate as we are and can afford it.

Again I managed to walk the complete course with very little resting on the way, so obviously my legs are still holding up. However, sadly for the first time, I was unable to feed myself and the club secretary, Scott Ballantine, kindly stepped into the breach and wielded the spoon for me. This was particularly disappointing as I had designed a simple strap system which attached to my left foot, went through a loop in a neck collar, and onto attached to my right hand. The idea being that as I stretched my left leg my right hand would rise to my month. It almost worked but was not quite right and as one member said it’s ‘back to the drawing board.’ I shall persevere with this because I really believe it will work.

We had a good blow which set us up for the long flight ahead followed by a hearty lunch of liver and bacon. I think this is the third time that Michael has been to the club and so many of the old members remembered him. which was very nice – he felt at home.

We left at 6.00 pm for a 22.15 flight to Beijing via Dubai. Emirates very kindly sent a limousine to pick us up and dump us at Heathrow. All part of the service.

This blog will now go into hibernation for three weeks or so as without voice activation it may not be possible for me to keep up the entries. However, in order to keep my loyal readership happy in my absence I have added another extract from my Autobiographical Notes, a new anecdote Treading the Boards at Sadler’s Wells; and a second anecdote Global Warming — Fact or Myth — an Aussie View. I have included this anecdote and I know it is controversial but is very topical. I express no view of my own but I think the reader will find the subject matter of this denial of the problem, at least thought-provoking. This was the e-mail comment which introduced it:

A technically-oriented presentation by Australian scientists that refutes the global warming zealots’ disingenuous efforts to impose drastic measures that would ruin Australia’s economy. This is what the passage of the cap and trade legislation could do to permanently cripple our U.S. economy.

In addition I will have added a video clip The Singing Dog which is a must for anyone feeling low and two new jokes: My Family – which again I think is very funny and I pray it does not give offence to my Muslim friends – and Two Old Gentlemen which I suppose could be considered a little risqué but then we mustn’t take life too seriously.