Dear Philip, June 20, 2010

June 20th, 2010

Hi Philip,

Happy Father's Day. The girls couldn't come this weekend, so I visited you on their behalf. I must say your grave is looking pretty awful. I thought the millions of dandelions looked a bit scruffy - but there was hardly anything with any colour there today. Just a bunch of weeds - a bit like our field. I will tell you more about our field in a minute, but I must finish with the story of your grave. As you know, we (I, I should say, I guess) have two very prolific cherry trees, and now as the fruit is going red, the birds are having a field day. I don't think we ever got a meal off them, did we? But I decided that since we are not allowed to plant anything on your grave, we might let nature do it for us. So I took as many ripe cherries as I could find, and threw them over your plot. The weeds are so thick the birds won't find them there, so it may be that next year by this time, there will be a couple of saplings coming up. If that doesn't work, I can try with elderberries, and crab apples later in the year. You'll end up being buried in an orchard. I thought you might like to know there are some lovely pink wild roses growing on the fence on the outside your bit of your graveyard.

So back to the field. Well, I suppose I must start with telling you that I haven't yet sold the house. I had a couple to look at it last week (she looked all of 15) and when I took them down to see the back garden (field) it was a real embarrassment. They could hardly get through the grass and weeds and nettles and sticky flowers and I am not at all surprised that when the tour finished, they disappeared in record time.

I had a consultation with my estate agent on Tuesday (at his behest) and when he said he would like to come to take new pictures of the back garden for the website - I sort of had to admit it wasn't looking at its best. So he told me he thought I should get it mowed and looking better, and then to let him know and he would come to record the fact quickly before it regresses to its present state.

I got a name off the post office notice board, and Steve came to view it all on Thursday. Clair (my Irish friend that I go walking with) came just before he did, to make sure we found and isolated your precious wild orchids - so we can protect them from the onslaught of machinery. Clair tried her hardest (on your behalf, I know) to convince me just to have a path though the field - a mower's width wide - but I succumbed to peer pressure, and have now hired Steve to strim it, and then mow it twice. And then he will maintain it once a fortnight after that. I shall now feel obliged to go into the field more often to get my money's worth. I know the neighbours on each side will be pleased, but I'm not doing it for their benefit.

I was nearly late for church today. I spend hours each day playing brain training exercises. I am getting better at them. I use the Cambridge University ones, which are free, and when I started I didn't get much above 35% in any of the categories (memory, reasoning, concentration and planning) but now I am up to 69% in memory and nearly in the 50's in the others.  

Anyway, back to my trek to church. I had to run down the hill, which is something I haven't done for awhile. And then I played the wrong song at the offertory - or at least started playing the wrong one, until the choir director (and one of the two in the choir today) set me straight. I had been reading the numbers off last week's hymn sheet. The last time I played the wrong song (and I did it twice that time) was the Sunday after you died, but at least I had an excuse that time. The tears were running down my face and making the keyboard slippery. Today I was just not concentrating (worrying about my low score on concentration.)

I meant to mention that your plaque is up at the memorial garden at the graveyard. I was so worried that they would spell something wrong - but it looks okay. You are next to an Eric Pearson. He died the same day you did, so if you see him up there, you can tell him I said a prayer for him. He was 12 years older than you. I don't think he's buried in the woodland bit like you are - as yours was the only disturbed area I've seen. Maybe he was cremated. There is a notice on the gate that due to demand they are increasing the size of the cemetery, so if you hear building work going on, you'll know what's happening. It's such a lovely place, and today was perfect, weather wise.

As far as the family goes, poor Jeff had an accident when he was leading a group of student geologists in Ireland last week. A rock rolled off a cliff and hit him on the head, and when he fell over, he hurt his leg very badly. They couldn't call a rescue helicopter to get him out because then it would come to notice that he didn't have health and safety clearance for him to have been taking his students on that bit of beach, but he got back in the end, and will be recovering while he marks exam papers at home.

Baby Arran has his 2nd birthday next weekend - and we are celebrating with a trip to see the Wiggles in Manchester. I'm sure you are glad that you will be spared that. It is odd how much Arran looks like you did as a baby - but I cannot for the life of me see you jigging and clapping like he does when he see the Wiggles on the DVD (over and over and over again). He is cheeky and full of delicious wickedness - doing what he knows he has been forbidden to do repeatedly - daring one of us to stop him. I suppose I do encourage him a bit - but Grandmothers are allowed a bit of leeway in discipline issues, I think.

Susannah has her first ballet exam in a few weeks time. At the age of 5, it seems a bit much, but apparently everyone in the class is doing it. I only hope they all pass. Natasha, now feeling very grown up at 7, has started horse riding lessons. I'm sure you remember trekking up with her mother each weekend all those years ago.

So I guess that is enough for this instalment. I could tell you how I painted the small bathroom (but you would only be worried about all the paint I spilled and all the bits that should have been covered up or removed that got painted over.) But it does look a lot fresher and brighter - even though the colour didn't come out to match the avocado sink much better than the last paint we used.

Love

Jean