Ups and Downs

As if the printer coming the end of its short life yesterday was not annoying enough, as Steve carried the dead thing out of the house to the car, he tripped over in the garden with it in his arms. We had both wasted time trying to bring it back to life and enough is enough after all. A new replacement is on order but not expected for a couple of days.

One of our friends who we have known since we founded Tuff Fitty Triathlon Club thirty years ago responded to our birthday greeting by saying that he would call in to say hello and to bring back some DVD’s that I had lent him at the same time. We have missed seeing him during the plague season since not only did we used to see him three of four times a week at the pool where we all swim but he more often than not, joins us every time we go to the theatre, sometimes the cinema, out to dinner, and he even comes on holiday with us sometimes, usually to a triathlon event. Photos today of our time in Haugesund, Norway at this time last year when Anthony celebrated his a birthday there a year ago in happier times. the shot below is Anthony and another friend Birgit who also came along on the trip. they are walking back after Anthony's birthday lunch.

 

Like us, he is multi faceted. One regular thing he does, that we do not do, is that he is a member of Worthing Musical Theatre, that put on a show twice a year. Not this year though, since the show in March ‘Our House’ was postponed until September and that must now be in question also. I used to belong to an am-dram group in Worthing when I was in my teens so we always go to see Anthony’s shows.

Because of the present situation he had said that he would let us know when he was coming and so we opened the garage door, so that he could come in that way straight into the back garden and we could sit and talk there whilst still keeping the distance.  It was so lovely to see him in person even though we have been in email and FB contact. It was good to have the freedom to have a good talk even though it is not the happiest of times from him having lost his dad right in the middle of all that has been going on around us, making more problems to shoulder, on top of the bereavement.

It is strange how much harder the death of a parent is than anybody even thinks about before it happens. When it comes right down to it, it is something you have to very slowly get used to rather than get over. Emotions are all over the place you don’t ever really get over losing somebody you love no matter what, even if they were a worry in their later life, you can’t stop missing them, there is no magic ‘off’ switch to take the pain away.

So we sat in our windswept garden all talking at once, as you do with friends that you have missed. Our little cat didn’t like us all being outside and made a pest of herself scratching at the kitchen window to get out with us. Steve went to get her at one point and plopped her on my lap so that she didn’t feel left out but actually she is not a lap loving cat and won’t sit still like that although she does like being carried. In the end I put her back in before I got scratched in the struggle.

It would have been better to have left her inside because after another period of scratching the window she eventually got out and seeing the open garden door followed by the open garage door she shot out, across the garage compound and under the distant fence. I went after her but she saw her moment and was gone. I tried not to make a fuss saying the obvious; that she would come back when she was hungry, but I was worried due to her having been in lockdown with us for four months.

When Anthony got up to go and walked through the garage with Steve for a final few words, I hurried in the house to find a bag of cat treats to try to lure her back with. I was not as calm as I was pretending and trying to move quickly in sparkly flip flops I tripped up on of the ornamental steps in the garden and fell down with a skid and a crash. My skin is so thin that I knew there would be some damage and for the time I just gripped my bleeding elbow keeping it covered until Anthony was gone.

When Steve came back he took his well know nursing role for the cleansing and making good treatment of my wounds. Its nothing terrible just a couple of plasters on three corner tears and a bandage on the elbow to hold it in place for a bit. Everybody worries about me because falls at my age can be problematic but thankfully this time just a couple of cuts and no aches or pains. All things must pass.