Bless us, every one

 Nothing gets less complicated.

We were taking friends to the local theatre to see a one-man performance of A Christmas Carol.  I love this story.  You might think it's mawkish (God bless us, every one) but it really isn't.  It's lovely.  It's kind and true and heartfelt and, though I recognise that I'm getting more sentimental as I get older, I'm holding to that.  It says that people matter most and I know that's true.

Having said that, one has to know that oneself is a person.  Sometimes, everyone comes before oneself and that isn't good.

After the CC, our friend came home for the night - she was in an even worse state than the last time we saw her wearing her surgical boot.  She'd managed to mash the other knee too.  I won't go further, except to say that, when she said it had been her own fault, we didn't argue.

I have car problems.  Not saying more about that as yet - if ever - because I don't want to raise my blood pressure with a rant.

Other stuff too, including a message from the person who was going to cut the roadside hedge last week, to say his tractor was out of action and he couldn't do it.  I'm a bit dismayed and trying to find someone else.  And the guy clearing the beck pointed out that he couldn't clear round 'that' tree, covered in ivy, because it's plainly dead and, if it falls one way it'd go onto electricity cables and, on the opposite, onto phone cables.  There are two other directions, so I've asked friend Rob for advice.  I have Tom up my sleeve.

Today, more Stuff and then I went to the weekly antiques talk.  I had several calls - luckily, I hadn't forgotten to silence my phone.  But I didn't get back to S. until 3 pm - she's the daughter of Pam and Peter, whom I've mentioned.  Peter had a serious stroke back in February and they moved to a care home a few weeks ago.  Unexpectedly, Peter has died - that is, I had sadly recognised that he would not live all that long, but not that he was so ill.  But he hated the thickener that he had to have with drinks and avoided it whenever he wasn't watched and, getting liquid into his lungs as a consequence had caused pneumonia.  I have no comment on whether that should have been picked up, because I genuinely don't know.  But he was too frail for breathing problems.  

As soon as I spoke to their daughter, I went over to visit Pam.  I stayed until Susie arrived.  I've emailed her with good advice (re funeral etc) but said she's welcome to ignore it, which I mean.  Russell died just over three weeks before Ronan's wedding and three days before a holiday weekend, so I had to crack on with arrangements.  It's no disrespect.

Another friend texted me yesterday to say that she broke her hip a fortnight ago and is still in hospital.  I plan to visit in the morning.

Another friend, with several health problems, has now told me that she may have cancer and is having tests shortly.  I'll email her next.

If you have been, thanks for listening.  And if you are relatively well, as I am, let us all be grateful and help those who aren't.