Back to normal – more or less

I’m more or less back to normal now, in that my back has settled down beautifully and I’m mobile again.

Last week Ed and I went to see his consultant, and learned that Ed has to have the major (rather than the minor) operation to repair his aortic aneurysm. They’re going to admit him sometime during November (no, we still don’t have a date), open up his chest and insert a ‘trouser graft’, which is a kind of tube shaped like an inverted ‘Y’. Now waiting to hear whether the anaesthetist and the kidney guy think Ed is OK for the surgery. Apparently he’ll spend 10-14 days in intensive care afterwards. Hopefully all will be over by Christmas, although inevitably that will be a quiet time for us this year.

We’ve had a couple of lovely meals with friends since then. At times like this it’s good to spend some time with friends. They are a great support for us.

I’m delighted to say that my latest novel, Vengeance Lies In Wait, is now available from Amazon.co.uk as well as from Amazon.com. Not sure how this has happened, since it was only on Amazon.com and upon emailing to ask when it would appear on Amazon.co.uk, they replied, ‘Never.’ So I’m puzzled but delighted, and not willing to rock the boat by asking too many questions.

It’s already selling quite well, so I’m very happy!

I’ve taken one or two services recently – I surprise myself by how much I love doing this – and am taking a funeral tomorrow at the Crematorium. That will be a sad occasion as the deceased was deeply loved by all and was only 62 years old. Sounds young to me, these days. At least he managed to pack a good deal into his life, and if you leave it with everyone saying how much they love you, it’s perhaps the best possible legacy.

I think the Crematorium will be packed tomorrow, so hope the service goes well. It’s always an ordeal for the family, but I hope will give them some comfort. Certainly with lots of people there, the family will be well supported and that always helps.

I’m off to choir in the evening, so that will provide some good relaxation and I shall enjoy it. As I’m not the best singer in the world, those around me may not, but we’ll definitely have fun. A good way to start the weekend.

A week away

I was away all last week, acting as a facilitator on the Clergy Leadership Programme.

This is a programme for vicars and rectors who have been in post for some years, to help them assess themselves and their work. We share it with our neighbouring diocese, so there were around twenty participants and seven staff.

It’s held at our diocesan retreat house (which has metamorphosed into a conference centre) and is in a lovely, rural part of south Norfolk/north Suffolk. The weather was unseasonably hot and sunny when we arrived and the swimming pool was open, so naturally I had to swim.

Unfortunately the water was unheated, and although I was assured it was 20 degrees, I think this was a Norfolk idea of 20 degrees. My feet nearly dropped off, but that may have been because I had to break the ice when I first got in…

Anyway, once was enough. The rest of the week, I went walking in our free time.

It was a good week and I enjoyed it (especially watching ‘Keeping Mum’ on Thursday evening) but the bed was pretty dreadful (I could only sleep by wedging myself between the emerging springs) and after lugging all my luggage and computer back to the car on Friday, I’ve developed a bad back.

When I say ‘bad’, it actually means I can’t move. Oh well. Keep taking the tablets…