June came quickly

 

“The nights will soon be drawing in “. We used to be infuriated when spouse’s father used to declare this every 21st June . I have to keep consulting my Eric Ravilous calendar nearly every day to check the date .I need the date more than  I have for years. The calendar is more or less empty of appointments, our next memorable date is in August and that is for the MOT on the car . After that comes the Dentist in November . 

We have some dates in our mind that don’t need a calendar, 

• Sisters 70th birthday in August is the most important 
• Daughters birthday in July precedes that but just an ordinary birthday 
• Wimbledon ,last week of June and Ist week in July CANCELLED
• Harvest Festival Flower arranging CANCELLED FOR ME ,I’M NOT GOING IN CHURCH THIS YEAR
• Spouse’s birthday 13th September coinciding with the day we pay for our Car Parking space in the local Pub Car Park 

I need a calendar because I’m now writing cheques again  .I need a calendar because I’m now writing letters again using my fountain pen .

My concept of time has taken a knocking . I explain in detail .

Eldest daughter and family have taken the small allotment next to mine. It is a quarter plot and was left in great condition by the last holder . My daughter has never grown anything before. She planted packets of seeds in the cold greenhouse in January and was delighted with the results.

Her melon seeds astounded me,I never thought they would germinate in the cold , but now she is expecting Watermelons . What were the size of golf balls are now the size of grapefruit. Her onions from seed are as good as mine from sets, and she has got a row of parsnips which none of us manage usually. 

She  works from the ancient booklet Be your own Vegetable Expert ,  Bible of the 70s.

She told me yesterday that she was going to grow Leeks now. I helpfully thought it would be better to drive up to Reighton Nurseries together and buy a pot of seedlings , “too late to plant says I “ my timing is quite out . Mr Hessayon has told her to plant for overwintering , in July. 

She is right  and I am wrong . July is soon ,I’m astounded , I’ve not put my Chrysanth plants in ( from cuttings). My Anxiety Level  is high at present , I’m getting strung up about completely unnecessary things. I don’t need Chrysanths, I’m not doing Harvest Festival . It doesn’t matter if my plot is covered in Scarlet Pimpernel . It is delightful , easily removed and deserves its nick name of Poor Mans Weatherglass.

I go to Morning Prayer on Zoom Or Facebook Live every day at present  . It is so good to leave our small town too.

RARE RANT 

 I find this town an insular and parochial place to live . It can be small town minded , always congratulating itself . If I hear another person say Yorkshire is Gods Own County I shall scream . Have people never lived anywhere else or smelled the spliffs at the end of their streets . The smell of Fish and Chips is back and there are socially distanced queues , but underlying anxiety  is simmering . We need to be  REAL.  Golden sands and the Country Park are not the key to successful coping, they are just tools in the life drawer. 

Back to Zoom Morning Prayer. It has been the biggest tool in my life drawer. Especially going to Wydale for it. By hearing 27 other people in places like York, Beverley,Winteringham, Bridlington , Scarborough and Kirby Misperton, Share and pray each day has raised my game. Wonderful though it is, my allotment  can’t completely satisfy. It’s ok not to be ok , and sharing in a trusted  and confidential environment and giving  everything to our Creator  has kept me on track as I stumble through the calendar months. 

Right now Rotherham gets my praise as a good place to live , as it has wilded its road verges and brought the bees to town .

Memorable date Longest Day 21st June 2020 R.I P Win 

You might well wonder

You might not guess of what this is a picture.

I've been to York today to a wedding. It took weeks of monumental planning for C and I just to go as guests. We live an hours train journey away from York . The Church , St Michael le Belfry is only a ten minute walk from the station.

Yet we know we  have a condition called Don't go anywhere muchitus.

Since we received the invitation we have been busy .

 We spent no time at all booking the Premier Inn in Blossomgate for two nights.We thought it would be good to go the night before so C would not have to rush, and stay the night after the Service , as it was New Years Eve and the fireworks on the river should be good. 

This plan lasted for a month, and we realised that there would be no trains on New Years Day* , so we planned a trip to Scarborough Station  to see if it was feasable to get to York and back in a day around the wedding times without having to drive in the dark if the car was left at Seamer in the morning . 

This plan also lasted a day , as we realised we didn't want to take the car to Seamer at all but would use the bus to Scarborough and have a taxi back .

This seemed a good plan . 

We had abandoned the overnight stay before the wedding as we didn't want to carry any luggage to the church . Here I explain . If we go away for a week we take as much luggage as we do for 1 night , the constant being pills, pills, pills, slippers, warm sleepwear, bottles of Tonic water for prevention of gout, Fibregell sachets, Horlicks sachets, spare pillowcase so as not to soil the ones at Premier Inn, torch, spare glasses, library books and spare shoes in case feet hurt .We also have a condition called Geriatric Obsessive Compulsive Disease , and have forgotten that we once used to go Youth Hostelling with a back pack , so also have a condition called Sporadic Memory Loss.

We did get to Scarborough eventually as C likes to go to the Barber there, our bank has moved there and we do not have a manned station in Filey , and although I am very good at getting train tickets online usually , just sometimes we prefer to use the services of a real person behind a desk at no extra charge.We did really well at the station , the booking clerk was excellent and we got first class tickets From Filey to York single, and York back to Seamer single (thus avoiding a long wait , and knowing that no 1 daughter or son in law would pick us  up )  for less than the cost of petrol .We don't have Watch every penny syndrome as we don't want to save up for a care home.

So we are all set for the wedding . I would have forgotten to cancel the Premier inn but a week ago I had an email saying that the lifts would not be working , and as we had booked an accessible room we might like to cancel . Thank You God .

Today Spouse was up dressed and in his Wedding Suit at 6am for our 9am planned  departure . He had worked out the best way to walk to the station, a 5 min walk for me , and a 20 min walk for him . We could have had  a row about the route to the Scarborough platform avoiding the footbridge, but for once I said nothing . Usually I let him go off first and meet him on the platform , but today I knew he would appreciate an arm. He was already anxious about getting to the church for 12.00 noon  to allow 30 mins for the Bride to be prompt.

 I checked the trains were all running using the Live departure apps.

WE enjoyed the scenic ride from Seamer to York , the sun out and shining on the Derwent, and the ruins of Kirkham Abbey , the ridge and furrow looking suitably medieval on the west of the track , the river high and the train on time into York .

The rest of the day was just PERFECT .

Have you guessed the picture at the top of this post ?

I have a condition called Smart Phone going to run out of charge Anxiety Syndrome. So I was delighted to find a 3pin plug under my wooden kneeler in my Church Pew. Thank You God . You do supply all our needs.

* WE WERE WRONG