There Is Always a First.

 THERE'S ALWAYS A FIRST.

In 66 years so much seems to have happened.  Some really really good memories of fun, learning, adventure and excitement.  Some memories are at the opposite end of the scale.  What ever happens, good or bad, fun or sad, there is always the first.  It's all normal for all of us.

My therapists, Lamborghini and Lambrusco continue to provide me with good advice, good chat and help in learning to understand a new perspective.  Never before have I got so much pleasure from animals, let alone sheeps and chickens and ducks and spitting alpacas.

  

 

 

Don't you steal my egg, you've already taken 45.

My not so old Mum died about 26 years ago, not long after my Dad had retired.  They moved from Reading to the big family house, decent garden and a 30 tree productive orchard in Cumbria.  My Dad had to live the rest of his retirement by himself.  I'm sure he got used to it, but he did say to me once "I feel as if I have had half of my retirement taken away from me".  I thought that was so sad.  I didn't want the same to happen to me.

Ali went to the UK to visit her dear old Mum, who is generally in pretty good form.  I spoke with Ali everyday and then one day she said "there is something else but I didn't want to worry you" which is an instant cue to worry,  "I'm not too good".  Patient confidentiality requirements and Information Governance prevent me from divulging any further information, and nothing will be released under the Freedom of Information Act.  What I can say is that I was shit scared.  She spent 1.5 days in A&E, with the possibility of being admitted.  Test was followed by test and then more tests.  I visited Dr Google and of course Dr Google's prognosis was not good.  I really didn't think I would ever get used to it.  Let's just say she is back, in pretty good form and still knocks a tennis ball with the vigour of Serena, cycles to work like Victoria Pendleton, digs the garden like Charlie Dimmock and walks up the hill to get a phone signal.  It is a struggle to even think of the possibility of getting used to it.  I nearly panicked.  Then I had a blood test, and again The Privacy Act 2023 prevents me from divulging any patient information, but effing ell I got worried and quite scared.  'QUITE scared' is a blinkin' understatement!! More tests, and now I await results but still enjoying tennis and my 10kms walk cutting the grass.  But, it'll all be ok and I'll keep having a larf and not being too worried because I'm still super active and unhindered.  But as you know, that's me.  I get flustered due to my underlying anxiety disorder!!!  As someone said, "Every little thing is going to be alright".

Ali is managing it in the most diligent way possible, homeopathy, yoga, reading, a very good Facebook help page, a drug and a non carbohydrate diet.  It's a good job we grow vegetables and that we like them.  Tonight's supper was peas, celery, beans, broccoli and leek with ricotta - all fresh, homegrown and homemade..  Sometimes I sneak in a slice of bread and hope no one notices!! 

                                                                    A leek on steroids

For a short while I thought I was going to have the same experience as my Dad, except that we have 8 hectares, a much bigger garden and a developing orchard with 20 trees at present and a lot of resident therapists to feed.  I'm not bad at cutting the grass, planting carrots and cooking broccoli with honey, soy sauce and almond glaze, but I don't know if I'd do it for just myself.  Once, only once I made a souffle.  It was in the formative days of my love for Ali.  About 35 years ago. I was out to impress. She'd been away for 2 days at a conference and came back so hungover that only I really enjoyed it.  But I'm over it.  History.  The past.  Over it. I plumbed in our 22500 litre water tank to the solar panel and I drilled a hole straight through a hidden gas pipe when I was putting up shelves.  I bumble along, occasionally get some things right but get things wrong a bit more often.  I laugh and chat with people, inadvertently I make some people upset.

Fig, plum, cherry, peach, apple, apricot, pomegranate and pear trees in the new orchard.  Some of the trees were bought with the wonderful gift from my good colleagues at Warwick.  Thanks folks.

I seem to be pretty good at stacking the woodshed with next winters warmth and hot water; actually I'm not too bad at wielding the axe to split them and the chainsaw to chop the tree up.

Tightening the chain with a little help from my friends.

On the other hand Ali is the chief administrator, the originator of being organised, the manager of our treasury, the finance advisor and the clever one.  I can occasionally remember the PIN on our cash card, but beyond that, it's all a struggle for me.  ISA. What's that?  Not only that she is the Doctor and can diagnose something just by looking into someone's eye.  I was so impressed.  I think she is amazing.  I always think I'm used to it, but I'm not.  I'm constantly in awe.  (the eye diagnosis did happen to be a problem with his eye, but detail spoils a good story and all the same I was impressed)!

The saying 'as good as a chocolate teapot' is redundant '  Here we have 'As good as a teapot without a handle'  Today the handles of 2 teapots spontaneously fell off.  The last tea pot has a fairly sturdy handle.  In about 1989 we bought a tandem.  Ahhh the love and togetherness was inseparable.  Never before had I experienced such enjoyment in spending time with a certain and specific other person.  We tandemmed, climbed rocks, went to the theatre and walked around hills together.  One of our first long rides was from some where north of Newcastle, heading west towards Carlisle and even home to Preston.  It was another of my inspirational stupid ideas to make a testing inaugural ride so long.  Off we went.  It was all going so well until we stopped for a snack, at which point the back tyre spontaneously deflated.  Nothing a quick repair couldn't solve.  On we went happily winding our way through the Northumberland country lanes.  Fortuitously, not far from a farm the back tyre went down again and it wasn't my rubbish repair.  The wall of the tyre had split and the inner tube herniated out and popped.  We were stumped.  A tandem, no transport, no spare tyre and not really knowing where we were.  The friendly farmer ummed and then said "there's a bike in the barn that hasn't been ridden for  while, take a tyre off that"!  So we did and we were on our way.  Every year there is an organised ride around Lake Taupo, 160 kms of beautiful undulations and steep hills.  We did it twice on the tandem, with a puncture, and twice on solos. 

Then we bought a double sea kayak and paddled from Fort William to Inverness and back as well as heading out into the Cook Straight to paddle around Mana Island, where the escape routes were hampered by a vertical rock face which felt unfortunate as the waves against wind were bigger than the Titanic itself.  Sometimes my ideas feel like tea pots without handles!

It's all about problem solving.  You may recall that a while back we bought a pump and fire hose in case we had a fire and we couldn't be bothered waiting 40 minutes for the volunteer fire brigade, or we wanted to water the garden.  You may also recall that about a year ago we bought a solar pump to pump water up from the spring to our new 25000 litre water tank.  Up until about 2 months ago it worked perfectly; then it stopped.  During one of those 'old man wakeful moments' at 4.15am I was suddenly inspired.  Inspired to have a wee and it must have been the thought of a forcing a steady flow against resistance that I asked myself 'why can't we use the pump, after all it puts an inferno out, so a prostatic trickle should be easy.  Well, you know what?  It bloomin well worked.  The tank is full.  I'm going back to sleep.  For the clever people reading this, I know I know, it is obvious.  But for me it needs thought.  As my 3rd form maths teacher said of me "quite nice but terribly thick".  I'm chuffed to bits and it makes an early morning pee worth while.  I can't wait for tonight's inspiration.

    It's going from down here                           .............. up to there, defying gravity.

On a good few occasions I have been a bad lad.  Apparently being dishonest and spreading misinformation, so I'm told, a nice allegation that was never substantiated.  In view of my history I don't really know what I have done to deserve landing in this patch of paradise to live.  Maybe the 'being' that designs our destiny decided the best place for me was away from it all and everyone!  Clearly being a bad lad has paid dividends. I recommend it. I can deffo get used to this place.  Or so I thought.  For a social cripple and near recluse I'm happily isolated with just enough social interaction at the tennis club and with neighbours.  I'm used to it.  But now we hear in the rumour mill that the guy who owns the land through which we have the best views from a breakfast table, possibly in the world, is dividing it up and selling the land.  Most likely for someone to buy and build on.  I'm really struggling to imagine how I will get used to visual and audio pollution in what has been a pristine setting.  Let's hope that the new owners don't intend to develop a Moto Cross track or a chicken factory farm.  Let's hope it takes years.  Let's hope he can't sell it.  Does anyone want to buy it?

So we are starting to plant a line of indigenous trees to shelter our view.  14 holes dug this morning, about 30 more to do.

We went to our friend Darlene's place for our christmas meal.  The peace, tranquillity and stunning views at christmas were lovely and as you can see it was so hot that Darlene had to wear a large hat.

There was the first time that Wigan won the FA Cup, and that is probably enough said about Wigan.

I walked down the hill to sort the pump and who should I chance across but about 100 visitors.  I'm guessing they are our wonderful neighbours who sent them down to gate crash our party and cut our grass for us.  Talking about parties, folks, whatever 2022 brought to you I wish that 2023 is going to be way better and be a crackin' good year for you, with good health, fun and happiness.  There will be some not so good times, it's inevitable, but I hope they are few and far between and short-lived. 

If you come to visit us, which would be lovely, you could have the room with the semi en-suite composting toilet.  A loo with a stunning view, only a door slide away.  If that isn't a temptation, I don't know what is!

Off suite loo with view.

I'm sure I will have told you that we used to get coffee sent to us by a lad in Ethiopia, and then suddenly it stopped and we had no idea why.  We recently discovered that he had sadly been killed in a car crash, leaving behind a wife and 2 children.  So sad, and quite difficult to be totally unable to do anything to help.  He was always so so appreciative for the money we sent for the coffee, e mailing as soon as he'd received the money or gifts we sent.  The coffee is a minor issue, but we have tracked down another lad, this time in Uganda who now sends us the hooch and the first parcel arrived the other day; I'm claiming it to be the only Ugandan coffee in NZ.

Now as I wind up I'll close by showing off the early season in the garden.  We are quite pleased.  Skite-o'clock-time.

 

Plenty of Peas                                                    Fantastic fennel

Cumbersome cucumber                                     Magnificent Maize and beautiful beans.

       Celery                                                                      Parsnip

                         Lovely Leek of perfection.                                Sweet potato aka Kumara.

 
Aged cheddar and brie in the making.  Blue Rock Road Award winning cheeses.

All this brings to mind a great song from Bob Dylan:

To Be Alone With You.

To be alone with you
Just you and me
Now won't you tell me the true
Ain't that the way it oughta be?
To hold each other tight
The whole night through
Ev'rything is always right
When I'm alone with you.

To be alone with you
At the close of the day
With only you in view
While evenings slips away
It only goes to show
That while life's pleasures be few
The only one I know
Is when I'm alone with you.

They say that nighttime is the right time
To be with the one you love
Too many thoughts get in the way in the day
But you're always what I'm thinkin' of
I wish the night were here
Bringin' me all of your charms
When only you are near
To hold me in your arms.

I'll always thank the Lord
When my working day's through
I get my sweet reward
To be alone with you.

Nice lyrics ,eh?

For a different perspective on the same thing, have a look at Ali's view:

richetal.wordpress.com

And if you want to look at my 2 favourite FaceBook pages look at:

Steve the Sheep NZ.  He's a lovely pet sheep that has his own page.

The corrugated Iron Appreciation Society.  Some really lovely corrugated iron.