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.
