IT'S BACON BUTTIES.....

…..so it must be boiler service day!  As usual I didn’t need to ask for our boiler to be serviced, but just text our lovely plumber, Mark Lewis, and asked what date and time he wanted bacon butties!  Today was the day and the job was done together with another little job, then I made the bacon butties - no good making them first, otherwise the job would take much longer!

I popped out this afternoon to try and get a new top for Christmas, and was delighted to buy my first Size 10 for about 50 years!  That means I definitely won’t be over-eating at Christmas, otherwise I will be sending all my new clothes to the charity shop!

I found an "Angel in Disguise"  this afternoon - Mum had been quite poorly when Karen, my sister, went round this morning, so after chatting with her, I rang our local Hospice but was told that all they could do today would be to ring the Community Nurse to come out to see her and then they would meet me at her flat on Monday.  

This afternoon, I had a couple of messages from my niece, Jolene to say that Mum was worse so although I was out shopping, I said I would get back over there as soon as possible, although the traffic was horrendous.

At the time I was in having a cup of coffee so decided I had better try and catch a bus back home as quickly as I could.  Whilst paying for the coffee, I told James, the young man who served me, that it hadn’t been that hot, so he gave me back my £5 note and said “I’m so sorry, have that one on me!”  I think the fact that he was so kind, just touched me and I started to cry - so he asked me what was wrong.  I told him my Mum was very ill and I needed to get back over to the other side of the town, so he said straightaway that he would take me!  How very kind - and I did take him up on his offer because like most towns, Friday afternoons in Swindon are often at a standstill, particularly around the Designer Outlet. 

Whilst driving, we got chatting and James told me that his father had a sheep farm over near Holt, so I told him that we had friends who farmed at Gastard.  After a few more questions, it turns out that he knows the family we know - what a small world!  When he dropped me off, I told him he was definitely an "Angel in Disguise";  he said he had been glad to be of service and off he went, back to his coffee shop - I just hope he didn’t get caught up in any traffic on the way back.

When Mr. HCB and I arrived at Mum’s, my sister, niece, brother and great niece were all there but Mum was very sleepy for most of the time.  However, it was good to be there together and to be supported by Alison, a lovely Community Nurse.  We stayed for sometime after Alison left, just quietly chatting and making sure that Mum was comfortable.  We are so grateful for all the support we are receiving during this difficult time from the Doctors, Carers, the Community Nurses, our local Hospice and various neighbours.

Under Door 20 of our Advent of Change Calendar, for the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity it says, “Today you have helped a family with a child at the hospital to stay nearby, so they can be together at Christmas.”  How lovely to have helped someone in this way at this special time of year.

“It is not how much we do – 
     it is how much love we put 
          into the doing.”
Mother Teresa