We had no particular plans for this Monday morning but we got ourselves up and breakfasted first. Then I popped down into town and was relieved to see that our regular newsagent now had his shop open again this morning. His wife informed me that her husband had had a bad chest infection and this necessitated a short stay in hospital. He had returned home in the middle of last week but was very much in a resting and recovery phase at the moment. I asked his wife to send on my very best wishes to him and my hopes for a speedy recovery. Then Meg and I thought we would visit the cafe/restaurant in which we used to eat quite regularly in Droitwich but it has the advantages for us that it fairly accessible from the main road once we have got the car parked and relatively wheelchair friendly with a ramp. They treated us very warmly once we got inside and in fact one of the existing clients saw me struggling slightly and so opened the door for me. Once inside, we made contact with our regular assistant within the cafe but she needed to depart quite soon. We had our normal fare of cappuchinos and toasted teacake which was fine as always. But when we came to depart, it having been left dropped that it was Meg’s birthday tomorrow, a little box of chocolates and a birthday card was pressed into our hand. We exchanged some pleasanteries (and a joke or two) with some of the regulars and no doubt we will become one of those ourselves as we intend to keep on visiting at least once per week. Where we had parked the car on the main road, we had noticed last time that there a shop with a very wide frontage devoted to Worcestershire Association of Carers of which I happen to be a fairly long standing member. I managed to get Meg over the threshhold on this occasion in her wheelchair and the shop seemed to be quite well stocked with goodies. We bought a necklace for Meg tomorrow which no doubt she can wear when we go out and I also was tempted to buy a couple of decorated vases in which I am sure we can accommodate flowers either of the transient variety or even of the permanent kind if we happen to be in a suitable store. These were carefully wrapped for us and instead of unwrapping them today, I think we can leave them until tomorrow as they function as quasi-birthday presents. We got home some time afer 12 in time in watch the 12.15 Politics Today programme which is evidently encamped within, and reporting on, the Conservative Party conference.
As I have remarked before, the lawns seem to grow at a great pace in present weather conditions and so I thought, whilst I was in the mood, I would give them a cut since it is about ten days since the last. I try to get the lawns done in three 20 minutes tranches so that I can keep an eye on Meg in the meantime. I managed to get the first cut of our communal green area done before lunch and then I made ourselves a lightning lunch of ham and easily microwaved vegetables. Then after a little pause to get my breath after lunch, I completed the cutting of the front lawned area before coming in for a well-earned cup of tea. I received a telephone call from the ‘LifeLine’ company which supplies and monitors the communication cord that Meg wears around her neck in the case of falls and I was pleased to be able to report to them that I was delighted with their service. After the the free trial period ends, I shall need to pay to continue the service but the charges are quite reasonable, all things being considered. After that, it was a case of dashing round the back lawns which always seem to be thicker and more lush than out in the front. Nonetheless, this got done and the mower duly cleaned up and put away. I think that there might only need to be two or three more cuts before the end of the season.
By this morning’s post, I received the order of service from the funeral of my old and dear friend, Jo, who died in August at the age of 96. I read the euology provided by her son with a lump in my throat and her son’s own reminiscencies and judgements of his mother resonated with my own feelings and emotions. The missive arrived just before we went out to Droitwich and I intended to read this out to Meg whilst we were sitting having our coffee. However, I thought the better of this and brought it home and will read it out to Meg at a more propitious time. In the late afternoon, there was a knock on the door and I was delighted to see an old ‘park friend’ with whom I had been in email contact during the night. We have arranged a luncheon date for this Friday in Webbs which is only just down the road and pretty accessible for us. Our friend indicated to us he was now part of a volunteer group, rewiring a 1953 corporation bus in a local transport museum, so this may just test his skills to the full.
© Mike Hart [2023]