Robert Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning All, I am a bit later on parade this morning - I have been trying to compose some words of wisdom for an old friend who has just lost his wife to cancer. One of the things about being an ex-pat is that you end up with friends in all corners of the world. Some of them stay in one place for years, some of them move around more frequently. Our Church has been likened to a revolving door because there are always people coming in, and always people leaving. Some of the more frequently moved, are the American servicemen and women - many of them only stay in one place for three years before being moved on, and during the three years that they were here, I got to know them very well. As is so often the case, I lost contact with them to a certain extent when they went back to the states - staying in touch with the occasional e-mail. I've done my best, but words seem so inadequate when someone looses his wife, on his 20th Wedding anniversary at 45 years old to this wretched, wretched disease. I am counting my blessings on this sunny, bright, Spring morning. Have a good day everyone... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Always tough, Robert. Pleased that Ian had a gentle nurse. Is that extra? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all Sitting on Durham station drinking coffee. It's a beautiful morning with an amazing backdrop - the impressive view over to the castle and cathedral. Bill Bryson thought it one of the best views in Britain. Whenever I see it I know I'm back home. We're off to Edinburgh for a couple of days. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 We're off to Edinburgh for a couple of days. Y'll need plenty a waarm claethes then. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Decorating Day 3. Time to hire a "Heineken" ladder....to reach the parts other ladders.... Thinking the new "Buy and Sell" feature looks interesting - like others I have a mixed bag of rolling stock, some of which doesn't feature in any future plans; not sure it fitted any past plans, either! Ahh, the dreaded impulse purchase. Nice sunny day here - hope the weather is fine wherever you are, too. Andy 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy2 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all - positive news from both Ians! And BoD you are dead right about the view across Durham, but the view as the train comes in from the south is the best... Weather here is very pleasant, so some modelling and sitting around this morning and then shopping in the afternoon. Fun. If anyone has a first-hand account of the border crossing arrangements I'd be grateful to hear it. We're back on Tuesday and the last thing you want after a five hour drive is unnecessary hassle. Enjoy the warm weather whilst it lasts. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Y'll need plenty a waarm claethes then. Not today - another beautiful sunny warm spring day expected; shaping up well so far. Next week will probably be a different matter, though...Hope everyone's day is as sunny. Into town to get some supplies for mum for her return. One of the first things she did when she found out that she was being discharged tomorrow is give me a list. A long one. Mal 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 9, 2015 I've done my best, but words seem so inadequate when someone looses his wife, on his 20th Wedding anniversary at 45 years old to this wretched, wretched disease. I'm sure that the words you found will be received in the spirit you intended, Robert. I certainly understand that the thought is turning circles inside your mind regardless, however... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon G Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 The green area in the back yard had its first cut of the year today. We have a very fine crop of moss. My green area also had its first cut yesterday. Considering I thought I had killed and scarified the moss 2 years ago, it is back with a vengeance. I dont know whether to first apply moss killer, weed killer or fertiliser. Nice sunny morning here, so I will find an excuse to go outside for a while at work! The Pension firm finally contacted me late yesterday and I am now more reassured, as they seem to agree with what I want them to do! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all Sitting on Durham station drinking coffee. It's a beautiful morning with an amazing backdrop - the impressive view over to the castle and cathedral. Bill Bryson thought it one of the best views in Britain. Whenever I see it I know I'm back home. We're off to Edinburgh for a couple of days. Its a nice view from there (taken a few years ago) Glad to hear the news Ian (OD) re the catheter and the nurse!! We were lucky getting into LBG on time. The next LBG train was running late so they missed quite a number of stops on the way into Redhill. It arrived there early early and departed on time but still missed Merstham and Cousldon South going non stop on time past all the passengers waiting for it. No doubt control had already made the decision to run it fast to East Croydon so thats what it did and those passengers now having ot wait for the next LBG service in half an hour or wait 15 minutes and change at East Croydon onto already packed trains which probably will make them at least 20 minutes late!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Shedman5 Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning, garden phase 2 beckons today then my presence apart from lawn mowing is not required. A coffee and the paper outside first I think before I start. Safe trips to those on their travels today and fingers crossed Ian that all goes well. Enjoy your day 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Good morning all, Dry and a bit misty earlier but now just rather dull. There should be some sunshine later. My back and hip aching rather a lot. Probably definitely sitting around too much. X-ray result says there is some degeneration to my hip but the doctor does not require to see me. .......so that's OK....I'll just have to put up with it! Once again my problems are insignificant compared to some of you. Today's excitement includes putting out bins and shopping.............(this may or may not include ordering a certain newly announced railway item) Have a good one,Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyID Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Its a nice view from there (taken a few years ago) Durham2010 (2).JPG Glad to hear the news Ian (OD) re the catheter and the nurse!! We were lucky getting into LBG on time. The next LBG train was running late so they missed quite a number of stops on the way into Redhill. It arrived there early early and departed on time but still missed Merstham and Cousldon South going non stop on time past all the passengers waiting for it. No doubt control had already made the decision to run it fast to East Croydon so thats what it did and those passengers now having ot wait for the next LBG service in half an hour or wait 15 minutes and change at East Croydon onto already packed trains which probably will make them at least 20 minutes late!! Just leave out the Roger Whittaker soundtrack, please! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all from a sunny village. The main decision in the next few minutes is to choose the music to iron to. At the moment soem Dire Straits is coming to mind then possiby The Highwayment if I can find the CD. After that various domestic tasks and ferrying Beth to and fromwhist before an evening of modelling. Ian (OD) hope that the plumbing is starting to work OK. Ian (Abel) glad that your wife's cataratc op went well. When my retired surgeon friend, who is also a gifted artist, had his done he found that it completely altered his colour perception and that the paintings he'd done before the op had totally wrong colour balance in blue's purples etc. All the best to everyone else, Jamie 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 ......If anyone has a first-hand account of the border crossing arrangements I'd be grateful to hear it. We're back on Tuesday and the last thing you want after a five hour drive is unnecessary hassle.... Not sure if my recent experience (Portsmouth/Ouistreham) of Customs is relevant but many of us were stopped to be searched which wasn't great at 0730 on 1st April (yes, I know!) in a freezing cold wind! The ferry was 25 minutes late in leaving but not sure if that was due to the number of searches or the large number of people on board, it being the Easter break. It was equally lengthy at the French end but I think this could have been due to the volume of traffic. Once I reached the peage, I was very glad to have bought into the "doofer" system, alleviating the need to stop, collect a ticket, etc. Good luck to all the travellers on here for when the time comes! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Hi. On the train. Dd. Exit check took a few seconds. Aditi being frisked and patted took longer. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all from Estuary-Land, Tony's mist was fog in this part of EL but is now lifting. I heard a noise outside this morning when I went to investigate it turned out to be a convoy of road mending/surfacing machines. Rather unusual on a residential side street, roadworks are taking place on a main road a couple of streets away and not directly connected. Bon voyage to those setting off on their various journeys, the cross channel services will be busy this week due to the French air traffic controllers strike. I expect Ian will be out of hospital soon now. 1216 025, my washing machine can digest a sock without any problems, despite being over thirty years old. Commiserations and congratulations wherever necessary, have a good day all. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all, first day back from Easter and no time to go back over many many pages since I last checked in. Hope Jock continues to recover and glad to see that Ian (OD) is making good progress, and it seems that Richard's eye is being sorted; I have every sympathy with eye problems at present. Easter wasn't quite as planned as the car battery warning indicator came on at the end of a 10 -15 mile journey and would not go off despite a 20 mile journey back. But the garage can only say we do too many short journeys in our mix. The car is only 2 years old. Apparently too much electronic fancy stuff. The guttering came down in last Wednesday's wind. The roof repair guys have today found that the ridge tiles nearly did too. So they're now booked in to do that too! Had a frustrating day last Thursday when my routine visit to the GP resulted in me not getting referred to a physician which the eye doctor had recommended but me being sent to A&E as she suspected I'd had a mini-stroke. Which a CT scan showed I hadn't. (and as there had been no other symptoms, no great surprise). So I'll need to visit the doc all over again! Anyway enough woe, the mist is clearing over Borough Market Junction, and the sky is blue. Look s beautiful out there so those who are out there, enjoy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all, Regret I am not up to posting much today as we received a text at 1.30am from the husband of the young friend we have been visiting in hospital to say that she had finally succumbed to the various cancers she was riddled with, after a brave and lengthy battle! Although we knew that this was inevitable since she was moved to the hospice last week, it still hurts when it happens. We rang her husband back when we received his message and emotions obviously ran high such that sleep was difficult thereafter. We have known Sue through friendship with her parents, for almost thirty years and it doesn't seem right that she didn't make her fifty-first birthday. I prefer to remember the vivacious and beautiful lass in her twenties rather than the image of the pain racked shell of a woman we saw on our last visit a few days ago! I intend to visit her husband later, but I'm not yet sure how her mum is, being eighty years old with health issues of her own - I suspect Joanna and I will be administering hugs at some time soon. This is particularly poignant for me because, as a veteran Cancer sufferer, (first breast, then bone, and finally vital organs) Sue was incredibly supportive of us when I was first diagnosed. She gave me lots of good advice based on her own experience. As Omar Khayyam said, 'Come fill the cup my love, tomorrow? Why tomorrow I may be myself with yesterday's seven thousand years!' The best advice has to be 'carpe diem'! Robert, I can sympathise with you in terms of searching for the right words, but like Joanna and I, you'll have to take comfort in the fact that the lady is no longer suffering. I apologise for floating a dark cloud over the thread this morning, but I am heartened by Ian's progress - hope the waterworks remember to perform their normal function soon as I can clearly remember the frustrating time it took me to manage on my own, after my op last year. Then there was the drama of measurement of the flow and the check for retention before letting you home. Fingers crossed. Very best of luck to all of you using the channel crossing in either direction in the next few days, hope it doesn't spoil your holidays! Thanks Tex once again, my continued interest has certainly taken my mind off other things! Kind regards, Jock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all, Glad to hear about all those with various ailments and ops are getting back to normal and it seems like Mal's mum is truly on the mend if she is indulging in the well known female habit of issuing lists - great stuff. Sunny day here and no doubt a further entertainment of the concrete (once I've got some ballast from that friendly Mr Jewson) and edging mix variety. Having used up all of my longstanding supply of sharp sand plus what amounted to 20mil ballast stones recovered in the past from elsewhere in the garden I am now fully reduced to buying more in but at present a bulk bag (it's a lot cheaper!) would not be convenient and will have to wait for next week. Have a good day one all and bon voyage where appropriate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixoh8sixoh Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Morning all, Firstly - sorry to hear sad news from Jock and Robert - but as Jock says, a release from suffering... Ian and Mal - good news! Fingers crossed for a swift release from the medical services. Ian, hope you're back in full flow soon, and Mal, great to hear that the care package is in place at last. And everyone with holidays - Tony, BoD and everyone else, have fun! Morning allSitting on Durham station drinking coffee. It's a beautiful morning with an amazing backdrop - the impressive view over to the castle and cathedral. Bill Bryson thought it one of the best views in Britain. Whenever I see it I know I'm back home.We're off to Edinburgh for a couple of days. Conversely I'm setting off for Durham in the morning! I'll be looking at the Cathedral from about 90 degrees to the right of there on Sunday, from Durham School Chapel. Y'll need plenty a waarm claethes then. Nope, walked to work in t-shirt and jumper this morning! Its a nice view from there (taken a few years ago) Durham2010 (2).JPG Ah, home!! Last day in the office this week (3 day week this week and next can't be sniffed at... after a 2 day week last week...). Need to get packed up for the journey tonight so I can grab my bags and head out the door early in the morning to collect Jamie from her Mum's near Glasgow then head down to my folks. Edited April 9, 2015 by sixoh8sixoh 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Safe journey Mike, enjoy! Kind regards, Jock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium southern42 Posted April 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning from another sunny day in this corner of Wales. The green area in the back yard had its first cut of the year today. We have a very fine crop of moss. Ours (long lumpy stuff) has been nicely trodden down while the shed is being put up but I expect it'll need the mower as soon as the next shower comes along. Shed floor went down this morning. Fascia going up currently while I've been told to make sure the stove doesn't flare up. That means time on here, lots of time, it seems, as it's taking a long time to burn through. But I do need to put the hoover round... Hope your day's a good one. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Jock, Robert, sorry to hear your respective sad news. Jock, in dispensing hugs to all, don't forget to get one yourself, as ever you give everyone support and I hope that you grab some yourself. So, here's one to you from me and the family. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Morning all Catheter withdrawn @ 0615 - by the same gentle nurse as last time. Let's hope my system remembers what to do next! Was watching a pretty funny US series "Nurse Jackie" on Netflix. On the ward she had to remove a catheter or similar from a sex offender/rapist. She gently took a good hold on the said tubing and then gave it a damn good yank! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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