Now, I know I have not posted anything in a while, but it has been a difficult few weeks as I am sure you will probably understand.
My mother’s funeral was on 20th July. Not surprisingly it was an emotional day, but actually we did make it a celebration of her life with so many of her family and friends attending. We had a lovely service in her local church followed by a short dedication at the crematorium. There were some very touching eulogies read by my brothers Bill and Jamie and Ma’s eldest granddaughter, Paula. We had a chance to relax and chat with everyone afterwards in Cafe du Soleil. Thank you again to Bill for arranging all the delicious food (and wine).
One of the high points of the day, and one that Ma would have been seriously impressed with, was the ringing of the Canterbury Cathedral bells in her honour. A huge thank you to Janet, my cousin, Adrian’s wife for making this happen. Adrian caught some of it on video. I have put a link to it here
Thank you both so much for this.
After the funeral, Bim and I were both back at work the next week. While Bim’s work life has improved beyond measure since she started her new job in Bury St Edmunds back in March, in contrast, mine has become increasingly difficult. I had hoped after finishing chemotherapy in May to be able to fit back in to my role as catering manager as normally as possible. However, this has proved more difficult than I had imagined.
After one of the most stressful days at work that I can remember, I found the perfect way to unwind when I arrived home. This consisted of, firstly, sitting in the sun with a cup of tea having a chat with Bim going over the trials of the day. This was followed by a couple of glasses of a rather good red wine while cooking supper. While we were eating our meal, (which, by the way, was salmon and chilli fishcakes) we could hear the distinctive mechanical whirring of the combine harvester in the field next to us. Every now and again we would have a thick cloud of dust fall across our home and garden as the farmer harvested the closest strip of the field.
I went for a short walk after supper and watched the combine moving slowly along. It was a stunning view with the sun going down behind the dust cloud. I managed to catch a few photos before the sun set completely.
For me, I don’t think I could come up with a better way to relax than that.
