Looking back at 2012

It’s Christmas again and time to bring you up to date with the news from Williamsland!  David has made an excellent recovery from his two major operations in February and November 2011 and is more mobile now than he has been for a number of years.  As we went into 2012, we thought that our health problems had been solved and we planned to return to Wales in January, but this was not to be … 

In February, after a routine op to remove a polyp, Lesley was diagnosed with early stage endometrial cancer, and two weeks later was admitted to hospital for a total hysterectomy. She was very lucky.  The cancer had not spread and she needed neither radiotherapy nor chemotherapy. She has made a very good recovery.  Since then she has also been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but Metformin has brought her blood sugar levels down, and by modifying our diet we have both lost weight and are looking to shed more.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Nadolig Llawen Blwyddyn Newydd hapus

We based ourselves at Linton through all our medical treatments and finally returned to Wales in early May 2012.  We can’t do much work on the house because we haven’t got the necessary funds until we sell the house in Linton, but we have made some progress.  David has completed the insulation and boarding of the loft and installed a proper loft hatch and ladder so we now have more dry but accessible storage. 

Outside, a large area of the garden is still overgrown with brambles which we are gradually clearing (but we have enjoyed eating the blackberries first!)  David has been working on levelling an area to create a base for a large shed which will eventually be his workshop but before that will be used to store all our furniture when we finally clear our Linton house and start our big project here. 

At the top of the garden, there is another big shed which came with the house.  Here we have created a studio - a space where we can both work on our hobbies. When it rains, we play!  David builds model ships and railways. His current projects are an aircraft carrier and a tiny model railway layout constructed inside a briefcase!  Lesley makes cards and crafts with beads. 

We have both made new friends here in Wales through our hobbies.  David has joined a model boat club and a railway modellers' society.  Lesley meets craft friends every week to share ideas, materials and techniques – and a good gossip!

David works three mornings a week as a volunteer at a charity woodwork shop, creating saleable items from recycled wood and working alongside unemployed to help them develop new skills and gain self confidence.  So far this year he has made travel boxes for gun dogs and birds of prey, and a dais for a choir (all bespoke items).  He also designed and made some 3D Christmas trees as table decorations and these have proved very popular at fetes.

Lesley has become involved with the Godre’rgraig Community Association, which works to restore an overgrown park and bring it back into use.  As she’s on the Committee she gets involved in other things too.  She has designed a publicity leaflet for the group, and made nine litres of soup to serve at the Halloween event!  Her main brief is to lead a group researching the history of the park and the people who created it.  She has been given access to the school’s Admission Registers from 1908 – 1918. Transcribing them will be a fascinating project!

Lesley has also started learning the Welsh language, two lessons a week.  It’s a real challenge but she is starting to get her tongue and teeth around the vowels and diphthongs.  However, the mutations are another story!  She has two good tutors and her classmates are very supportive.  We’re a good mix of English incomers and Welsh-born who have never spoken the language.

Other highlights of the year include:

·         The christening of Erin Manford, our godson’s daughter

·         The birth of our great nephew Eli, son of Phil and Becky

·         Visiting Laugharne with Judi and Dave Manford

·         Williams family gathering to welcome Eli

·         “Discovering” Caswell Bay - paddling and beach combing!

We still enjoy our four-legged family. Tiffany, at 16 is still a kitten at heart. She loves the freedom of the outdoors and has created little “nests” around the garden but she enjoys coming indoors to snuggle with us too. We also have our two Belgian Shepherd dogs. Quinn is now 9 and is as energetic as ever.  He loves the big garden and races up and down patrolling his estate! Zoe is 16 and the matriarch of the family.  Like us, she suffers from stiff joints, and her hearing is selective unless we’re filling Tiffany’s food bowl, or sharpening the carving knife. 

We are based in Wales now, but we return to Linton every 5 or 6 weeks to spend time with David’s father, check on the house, and fulfill any medical appointments, as well as catching up with friends.  It has been very difficult, both physically and emotionally, to maintain two homes that are so far apart, and it is a major drain on our finances too. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  We accepted an offer on the Linton house in October and hope to complete the sale in January. We are really looking forward to getting started on our renovation and extension project for this house in the Spring – it’s been a long wait!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year

Nadolig Llawen

Blwyddyn Newydd hapus

Resume of 2011

What a rollercoaster of a year this has been - dominated by David’s two major operations, but there have been other, more joyful, milestones along the way!

We went into the New Year preparing for David’s triple A bypass (abdominal aorta aneurysm repair). He went in for his operation 7 February on as scheduled and all went well – 2 days on the high dependency ward, then 4 days on the “Step down” ward before being moved onto the main ward. On the tenth day he came home. He continued to make excellent progress and the wound healed well. He went back to hospital for his follow-up visit on 13 April and was discharged.

As soon as he was discharged, our GP referred David back to Derby hospital, this time to see the orthopaedic surgeon about his hip. The x-rays confirmed that the whole joint, ball and socket, needed to be replaced. He had his operation on 21 November and was home, on crutches, four days later since when he has made amazing progress, reaching each marker laid down by the medical team at the earliest opportunity. He is walking with his normal stride now, albeit still with support from the crutches. He can shower, dress - apart from tying his shoe laces - and make tea independently!

To add to the drama, just five days before David’s aneurysm operation, Lesley woke to find that one side of her face was paralysed. Panic! An emergency appointment with the GP reassured us that it wasn’t a stroke, but Bell’s palsy, a viral infection of the facial nerves. No smile, no feeling, no winking or blinking, eyes taped shut to sleep, treated with eye drops and steroids. Thankfully, we caught it early and the treatment worked. Within a month Lesley was back to normal. Phew!

So what of our Welsh project? Between hospital visits we were able to return to Wales for the summer. We decided to use the time to research and plan. To that end, we brought in an architect to discuss our ideas and see what could and could not be achieved within the constraints of the property and our budget. Tony, our architect, has a specialist interest in restoring historic buildings, so was very sympathetic to our desire to preserve what was good and to bring the building up to 21st century standards of comfort and efficiency, including all those green credentials we want to incorporate. He drew up very exciting plans to refurbish and extend the cottage, and handled our planning application. There was an initial hitch when the planning officers rejected our plans because they thought we intended to have a green painted iron roof (!!!) but when Tony spoke to them and pointed out that it was actually a green SEDUM roof, they were happy to give us the go-ahead! Tony has created a 3D computer model of the existing cottage and the extension, so that we can see it from all angles and even walk through the rooms.

We did manage to achieve one or two targets at the cottage over the summer. We had an electrician in to put power up the garden and into the garage and workshop, and we ourselves managed to finish putting up the ceiling panels upstairs so that we could get the loft insulated before the winter.

Other highlights of the year include:

Lesley making the invitations for Phil and Becky’s wedding
Walking in bluebell woods with Mum at Easter
Paddling and beach combing at Oxwich Bay
Royal Welsh Show with Judi and Dave Manford
Inland Waterways Festival at Burton including tea with friends on board their narrow boat
Meeting up with Robert and Karen (cousins)
A visit to Richard and Kristine Maton (cousins)
A visit from John and Anne Angood (more cousins)
A caravan holiday in Sussex in September – first time we’ve been away in term time
The wedding of Phil and Becky(nephew)
Visiting Emily, Ben, Leo and Angharad in Brighton (niece and family)
A day with Helen (niece)

It was good to back on the road in the caravan after a gap of two years.

Sadly, we said goodbye to Freya this year – our beautiful long haired white cat. Her health had been failing for some time but she was in no pain, so we let her slip away quietly at home. Our remaining cat, Tiffany, has stepped up to the mark to fill the gap in our lives. She now appears as soon as either of us sits down, not to be cuddled but to snuggle beside us. We still have our two Belgian Shepherd dogs. At 7, excitable Quinn is becoming calmer as he matures. Zoe, at 14, is beginning to show her age but is still game for a walk. David’s slower pace this year has suited her just fine!

At the moment we are at Linton and will be until after David’s follow-up with the surgeon on 24 January. Then we intend to remarket the Linton house and get our Welsh project underway again.

We have really appreciated all the messages of support and encouragement we’ve received over the past year. They have boosted our morale in darker moments, so thank you to you all. In return, we wish you a peaceful, joyful Christmas and good health and happiness in the New Year.

Happy New Year!

May the road rise with you
May the wind be always at your back
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Wishing you good health and happiness in 2011

Christmas 2010

If you have been coming here to read regular updates, we apologise for the lack of entries this year. After the last enthusiastic update in May, work has virtually ground to a halt at Brythonfa, and as I write, we are “putting the cottage to bed” for the winter, in preparation for returning to our main residence for Christmas and the following 2 to 3 months. So what has caused the setback?

The summer started off well enough – June and July were blazing summer and our garden really started to produce the goods. This year we have enjoyed our own lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, French beans and runner beans, and there are still Savoy and red cabbages, sprouts and leeks to harvest. We’ve also enjoyed blackberries from our brambles and have gathered and frozen more for the winter. We also froze some of our runner beans and pickled some red cabbage.

In June Lesley went to Ipswich for a long weekend to take part in the 150th anniversary celebrations at Museum Street Methodist Church where 4 generations of her maternal ancestors have worshipped and been married. She had previously been contacted by a church member who was researching the lives of the 12 men named on the Great War Memorial in the church, one of whom was her Great Uncle Leslie. She was able to provide lots of anecdotes and photos to aid the research. Then Mum joined in by writing her own memories (Mum and Dad were married there in 1944) and we sent more photos, all of which featured prominently in the historic displays. Lesley had a wonderful time reawakening childhood memories as she explored Ipswich again, and also furthered her family history research by spending two days at the Record Office.

However, through the summer David was suffering more and more pain and discomfort from his hip, which slowed down his DIY in the cottage. He had several sessions with a local chiropractor, which eased his hip for a while. At the end of July, we were both due for check-ups with our GP and the doctor sent D for an x-ray on his pelvis with a view to referring him for a hip replacement. The x-ray confirmed that the hip joint is badly crumbled and ripe for replacement. Unfortunately the x-ray also showed deposits of calcium in David’s aorta, which flagged up a more serious problem - a suspected abdominal aortic aneurysm. A subsequent ultrasound scan confirmed the diagnosis and D was referred to the vascular surgeon. His operation is scheduled for late January.

We have just had three weeks at Linton. We had planned to stay for two weeks, in the first of which David had his appointment with the surgeon, but then he was referred for a CT scan to help the surgeon prepare for the op, so we stayed on three days beyond our intended return. By then the snow had arrived together with the ice and freezing fog, so we decided to stay put until there was a thaw. We returned to Brythonfa yesterday.

Needless to say, we have put our plans for Brythonfa on hold until David has recovered fully from his op. And after that he’ll be hoping that he can go ahead and get his hip replacement done quickly. His aneurysm, though potentially more serious, has no symptoms and causes no discomfort, (though some of his pre-op medication does have unpleasant side effects) but his hip really does affect his quality of life!

So we will be returning to Linton for Christmas, taking Lesley’s Mum with us for the holidays, and then staying on at Linton until after David has had his operation. There are some benefits in not achieving a quick house sale – at least we have somewhere comfortable and familiar to retreat to!

We shall look forward to returning to Brythonfa in the Spring. We have good neighbours who will keep an eye on the place while we’re away, and it will still be there to welcome us when we are able to pick up our tools again! So the dream is still alive.

David reached his 60th birthday in September and was able to start drawing his teacher’s pension, so we are both now officially retired! But so far we have spent an awful lot of our time driving up and down between Linton and Godre'rgraig. We have become very familiar with the Heads of the Valleys route (A465) and beautiful it is, too. Our cars could almost drive themselves to and fro!

When we go backwards and forwards our menagerie travels with us - we still have our two Belgian Shepherd dogs, Quinn and Zoe, and our two felines, Freya and Tiffany. We expected the dogs to adjust easily, as they are used to travelling with us in the caravan, but the cats have amazed us. They, too, have adapted to a twin-based existence, and we have no fears of letting them out into the garden at either house. They come and go freely and always know where to find their beds, their litter tray and their food bowls!

So where is "home" in all this? Well, at the moment, if we're there it's here, and if we're here it's there. Whichever way we're travelling, we're going home! And if we're looking for something, it's almost certainly at the other place! Confused.com? You bet we are!

We wish you a peaceful, happy Christmas and good health and joy in the New Year.

More gardening!

The long hot spell continues. I wonder if this is summer? We’re making the most of it just in case! This week I’ve planted up the greenhouse and sown another batch of salad leaves to stagger the harvest. One afternoon D moved the caravan so that he could mow the long grass and (oh dear!) Japanese knot weed beginning to encroach on our back lane parking space. He’s also cut down three more self seeded saplings (logs for the winter!) which were growing in the wrong place (ie too close to walls and foundations). I’ve been clearing the brambles from more of the neglected beds and tonight we’ve had another big bonfire to clear the debris. We’re taking back the garden slowly and have to look back at last year’s photos to remind ourselves how far we’ve come. Plants which didn't flower at all last year are bursting with blossom and perfume this year so we must be doing something right!

Growing things

After that unexpected cold wet snap, Spring has returned to the valley. We’ve been working out in the garden enjoying the warmth and sunshine. David has put up my permanent washing line – it looks like telegraph cables running up the garden. Dilwyn (our neighbour) asked when the cable car was arriving! Now there’s an idea …

We’ve also been busy clearing two beds ready for planting. These are the beds I freed from brambles last year. Now we’ve gone over them again digging deep to remove the stubborn roots. It’s left us a very good tilth for planting. The larger of the two is the first of our vegetable plots and I’ve now got red cabbage, Savoy cabbage and sprouts planted out. Broccoli, French and runner beans are waiting to go in. I’ve allowed myself one small bed for flowers so far, to nurture the self sets and divided perennials I brought from Linton last year. They have survived in pots through this harsh winter, so I think they deserve it!


In the smaller greenhouse we have logs drying under the bench and on the bench I have a tray containing tomatoes and peppers waiting to go into grow bags, plus a courgette and an aubergine (we love our ratatouille!) and a cucumber. There are more self sets weeded from the gravel garden at Linton, receiving some TLC before being planted out. My mixed salad leaves are growing well and there’s even a pot of melon seeds (from one we ate) which I was very excited to see have germinated! I’m really enjoying getting back to growing things!

Well, hush my mouth!

Should have known better than to talk about the summery weather! Woke up later this morning to misty dampness which has now turned to rain in earnest and the forecast for the next few days is more of the same! Doh!!