Catching up

Well my FIL has gone home. It is hard to see him go, I wish we lived nearer and could do more for him. Last night we went out for dinner, my husband, son, FIL and me and it was lovely to see the three generations together. My FIL was younger than my husband is now when I first met him. Sometimes it is almost like seeing the one man at three different stages in life.

My back is killing me, to the extent I got up last night and took a pain killer. I think I overdid the gardening, and I just hope it settles down soon as it in quite limiting. Just sciatica I think, but there's always that niggling fear when pain persists.

I've written a couple of poems from my trip, but they are still pretty rough. One is about dead-heading roses in the walled garden. It is the sort of job that lets your mind ramble all over the place.


Pat kindly named me as one of her " five dear bloggers whom, when you reflect upon them, you are filled with a sense of pride and joy...of knowing them and being blessed by them.”

I was really touched by this, and I've thought about whether I want to do it too, but to do it properly I'd have to do a lot more than five.

But I'll briefly say thank you to the following folks:

Colin Will for encouraging me in my writing. He is a rare person who does a lot of unsung work to make life interesting and enjoyable for others.

Pat herself, I like people who keep on trying new things, and Pat is one of them. She embraces change and new technology and uses it to enhance her life and to share her great past experiences with us.

F:lux, because she is striving for excellence in what she does, and she's also continually questioning what her medium, photography, is all about.

Barbara, because she is a warm open person, who manages to look after six children, work and write all with great art and skill.

Savannah, because the other day she admitted to being lonely in the wee small hours, and that takes a special kind of courage - especially when you make an effort to make the following day feel like a better one.

And lastly and not least my friend Joanne, who is teaching me how to leave this life and those you love with quiet dignity, thoughtfulness and courage.

This is a photograph I took of my friend up north's lovely collie.