Kindnesses

I am feeling very lucky today having been sent two presents. The beautifully executed embroidery scissors case which I blipped came from Poppy in Orkney, one of my three friends of many talents. The blip hasn’t done the colours justice, but it is obvious that the neatness of the needlework is amazing. My little embroidery scissors fit it beautifully. Thank you Poppy!

The other parcel was a book entitled ‘Spot On’ giving suggestions for good names for dogs. I vaguely remember someone saying there was such a book and it would help in choosing a name for my inanimate crocheted monkey which has came to live in the Dower House. Please help me before I go mad by telling me if you are the person responsible. It’s actually a lovely book and very amusing too, although I think the name that my monkey, who is obviously not a dog, is going to answer to is ‘Bertie’, but I’m not having a naming celebration yet until I get some response from him.

In other more philosophical matters, I had coffee with someone this morning I met in August when His Lordship was in the hospice for a few days for pain relief and her husband was also in. It turned out we had been at school together and we have kept in touch since then.

Despite all the grief of losing HL so quickly, I do think we really got off lightly, in that pancreatic cancer is brutal but quick whereas other cancers can be slow and very debilitating, robbing the patient of years of meaningful life, as is the case with my friend’s husband. It must be horrible to live for a long time with a terminal disease, no quality of life, on drugs that mess with your head and waiting to die. I think HL would have been in agreement. If your time is up, maybe best to go quickly ............. still..........I do miss him so much..........