It’s been a quiet year in South Bridlington.
Our lives have become almost mundane with few responsibilities. They are, of course organized in Methodistical fashion. We have 06:30 breakfast, go round the harbour each morning, have 12:00 dinner, go to sleep, and go up and down the promenade each afternoon. Periodically we have dental tests, and Judy sees a chiropodist every 6 weeks.
In May, Judy had become fed up with well-meaning people saying take care. Good for her. She decided to go wild and fall over. Her hands are not very serviceable, so she protected herself by falling on her elbows, and fractured one of them. She drove home. After a mid-day meal and a sleep, the elbow was very uncomfortable. We went up to what is left of Bridlington Hospital where an X-ray discovered the fracture.
3 days later they operated at Scarborough Hospital.
She has at last abandoned all hope of bowling for Yorkshire.
The elbow has never healed. There’s a bit of wire sticking out through the skin, and they are going to operate again on Tuesday. We are looking at this in a positive light, but she cannot help thinking “Will they keep me in for another 2 years?” No, dear, they want to get rid of you as soon as possible.
Meanwhile it became increasing obvious that Judy had become completely dependent on me. This isn’t bad in itself, but “what happens when I’m dead and gone?” She does not want to go into any sort of care as long as there is an alternative. We have a lovely house, which may well be 3 times as big as we need, but is ideally situated. However, it requires periodic maintenance, which has to be organized. We decided to look for alternative accommodation in Bridlington overlooking the sea, where the responsibility of maintenance is handled by someone else. We have found a suitable block of apartments for over 55’s to the North of the harbour. We will probably buy one if a suitably sized one comes up for sale.
One significant change in our life-style has been twice-weekly visits to a nurse to change the dressing on the non-healing elbow. Until this year, we had kept visits to our medical centre to a minimum, in case they discover something and want to lock her up. Our memory has continued to deteriorate. I booked us both in for a memory test. Judy did splendidly well, getting off to a flying start “What day of the week is it?” “I don’t know”. It carried on with similar trick questions. This has led to a follow-up visit. She has been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. Bloody Germans.
When I first realized that Judy was completely dependent on me, in about June, I remembered that about 30 years ago we took out a Long Term care insurance policy. This provides for care in your own home to keep you out of the geriatric version of Wharfedale Children’s Hospital. I filled in the details about our present situation. 3 months later a very nice young lady came round, assessed Judy for competence, and we have just heard that she has won the prize of handsome monthly payments for a carer. We will approach this with caution, since I can manage perfectly well at present, and we’re not good at change. Now that’s a surprise. However, it will probably be a good idea to get someone to do something in order to ease her in to the idea of someone else who could take over without too much strain.
Now that all sounds rather more miserable that it is, since we live very amiable, if confused lives.
In May we visited Totnes for the 1st time in years. Judy had her arm in a sling, but she travelled in the wheelchair over hill, over dale, thorough bush, thorough briar over park over pale thorough flood thorough fire – sort of. Among other excursions, we revisited Dartington Hall where in June 1955 I was Peasblossom (a fairy) in A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
We can recommend baked potatoes at the Royal Seven Stars Hotel, Totnes.
I preached at Scoriton Methodist Chapel in a little hamlet at the edge of Dartmoor. It was founded by William Butland in 1830, and I have booked myself to preach at the 200th anniversary. I have no idea who William Butland was. All my father’s family were respectable Anglicans. The congregation at Scoriton included a lovely couple who have a small dairy and sheep farm. They have had a terrible time with bovine TB, and we have adopted 3 cows, 4 sheep, and half a dozen hens. Which reminds me, we will have to send our next contribution.
The annual BUSS gathering in August was a huge success – for us, if for no-one else. It was wonderful to see Sadran, Afzal, and their 7 or so boys again for the first time in years. They must be proud of them. Karyn, Andy and family made it from Brixham after everyone else had gone, having had a nightmare early morning experience with a difficult tenant. The annual competition was organized by Alice, if it wasn’t Emily, and Avril’s girl whose name is somewhere in my frontal cortex. Or somewhere. It probably begins with a “L” Robin starred, of course. Karol and Avril organized Phillip and Andy – so nothing has changed there. You all do us an unspeakable amount of good. Next year we will have a Chapel Concert, so get out your conjuring tricks, practice your recitations, and prepare your sketches. There is still time to learn to play the bagpipes.
Geoff rang some time in October and left a message that he would ring back later. In that day’s post we received a brilliant letter from Alison saying how she was managing pretty well with Nick’s support, and what a wonderful experience working at BUSS had been. She has never written before. When Geoff rang again later in the afternoon, he said that he had rung to ask whether we had heard how Alison was managing. This was the first time we had been in touch with each other for over a year. I could give him a full report, and he was delighted.
David & Judy
13th December 2015
It was Laura
jbrip 