Wednesday 15 September 2010

Hello Friends,
I have not a lot to write tonight but just wanted you all to know that my dear Brother in law John died this morning peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones just as he would have wanted. He had a very quiet weekend and was pain free. We want you to know how much we have appreciated all your prayers, thoughts and good wishes during these past 10 weeks. John was a very much loved gentleman much more then he could have ever realised as has been shown by all the visits, flowers,cards, and telephone calls from all over the country. I am glad that he was able to know fully how much we all loved him. I will miss him so very much, it is hard at this time to imagine our lives without him. whatever was needing done, ask John, John will know what to do, was always the first thing we would say. When John retired almost 10 years ago it gave him more time to enjoy his hobby of woodworking. One of his friends wrote a poem to him that I am glad to say he was able to read and it says more about him than I could ever say, I have asked my sister Sarah if I can print it here and so I end my tribute to John with the following words,

MY FRIEND JOHN.
The tree stands steady, through autumn mists
The biting cold of winter and summer droughts.
Birds, insects squirrels and dormice are his friends.
His spirit is strong
Until he becomes the chosen one,
The perfect plank. Cold, spiritless, waiting.
The man stands steady through toil and turmoil,
Stress and bereavement.
The people he meets are his friends.
They tell him their troubles
He holds their hands and comforts them.
His spirit is strong.
He takes the wood from the dead tree.
And lovingly breathes life
Into the perfect shape his hands create.
The tree's spirit wakens and remembers
The man and the tree are one
Their spirits intertwine
For ever.
I know that John would always join me in reminding you all to never forget to
LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Tuesday 7 September 2010

Quiet days.

Good Morning Friends,

I am sorry that I have not been around much these past couple of weeks. However I have not been out and about very much as I like to be as near home as possible certainly within phone range and as I have had problems with my mobile reception from Vodaphone this has made things even more difficult...I hope though to go into Chippenham at some point this week and get into the shop to complain...yet again.... So what have we been up to...in a word NOTHING !!

I had a very welcome e mail from my dear friends in New Zealand to say that they were safe after the awful earthquake that they have had..although Bob and Mary are in the north Island and the quake hit the south it is not such big country that it was nor felt "up north"

Just wanted to keep you all up to date especially with John news. We have had a real roller coaster time these past two weeks. There have been days when we have thought that the end was very near...even the nurses have not given us much encouragement on these days....Then a couple of days later he has perked up...indeed last week he was so well he was even got out of bed helped by dear Beth and into the wheelchair able to get out on the deck in the sunshine for an hour or so...they were able to have great chat together which was wonderful...at the weekend he again went down quite badly especially on Saturday. Beth arranged to stay overnight and Max came over as well...by Sunday he once again came "back to himself" so as I say it is all a bit of a roller coaster..I promise I will try to keep in touch as and when I can. Thank you all for all your prayers E.mails and thoughts that I have felt travelling over all the miles between us....
I am going to try to add a new picture..it is a bit of a nuisance that I still have not managed to get pictures in between my printed work....never mind just another thing to try my patience...or what I have of that it is in short supply at the moment LOL

Love to you all and remember always to LOVE ONE ANOTHER