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.
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.
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