Ups and Downs!

Beautiful days are filled with laughter, this one ended in sadness.

Say it with roses! A gift from my lovely sister. There was laughter in Monk Bretton, where we tripped off to on the off chance of finding lost relatives, Roystons or Clarkes - no luck! (Probably lucky for them). We ate lots, walked a little, consumed a fair amount of alcohol, and just as we were going through the box of old photographs, we got the news that our cousin (well, half or second, and I'm never sure which it is) had sadly passed away. Paul Midgley, the first son of my cousin Lynn, also no longer with us. He was only 50 years old, and diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks ago. The cancer also caused a tumour on his brain, and just after midnight on Saturday, he died.

I remember Paul being born, and together with his younger brother, Richard, they were part of my close family circle. Their mother, Lynn, was like a sister to me, and I alway looked up to her. Lynn, was a working mother, their father, Melvin, was a lecturer at Hull University. Our paths would cross from time to time as they were growing up. But despite the infrequency, I always felt very close, a blood bond. Yet, looking back, we were not that close at all.

Then, as families often do, we became more distant. I went to live in Crete, Lynn died, and the boys had their own families to concentrate on.

A few years ago, Richard and his partner, Linda, came to visit David and I in Crete. We caught up on all the family news. Paul had gone to live in Norwich, he had left his partner, and was bringing up his two boys, Liam and Alex, by himself, and by all accounts making a damn good job of it. We continued to be connected on Face Book, and a year or so ago, he opened a shop selling Vapour Cigarettes, in Norwich.

Sadly, Melvin has lost his son, Richard has lost his only brother, and Liam and Alex their wonderful father. My heart goes out to that immediate family. I ask God to keep Paul safe in his love, and to watch over those closest to him.

Love Jane x

The South Yorkshire Adventure Begins

Homing is the inherent ability of an animal to navigate towards an original location through unfamiliar areas.

My mother was born at Monk Bretton near Barnsley, my father was born in Rotherham. I have certainly navigated through unfamiliar areas on my journey back to the gene pool, almost 20 years in Greece, and 3 years in London. 

Birdwell, there isn't much to it, a couple of pubs, a post office, hairdressers, a village school and a little Methodist Chapel, oh, and a Pharmacy and doctors surgery. What more does one need? Well, whatever more there is, can be found within a bus ride. (And I think there is a Chinese take-away, a little village shop and a classic car restoration garage).

This is our new home, and we love it.

 We decided to come to live in Yorkshire when it was quite obvious that the small pension we get was not going to be enough to sustain us in Bromley, where the rent on our one bedroom flat was just too much for our purse to stand.

Now we have a two bedroom little house, with a south facing garden big enough for a decent size man-shed. How good is that. And the rent is half the price.

OK, Barnsley is not Bromley, but Meadow Hall Shopping Centre is not far away, and Sheffield is only a short train journey. I am sure we are going to have fun checking out the many antique sale rooms, and garden centres in the area.

We are in the countryside and have already had our boots on and stamped our footprints along a fabulous bridleway. There are lots of horses and ponies in the fields. It's a far cry from the coal mines and coke works that used to fill the landscape around Barnsley.

I won't deny that it was a wrench to leave our daughter, Jo, and grandson, Jack, in the South, and I can't wait for them to visit. But now we are near to our son, David, our two lovely granddaughters, Star and Jade, and mum Tracy.

I shall continue to trip down to London every month, Beckenham isn't getting rid of me. I have church organ to play, and poetry to write, not to mention friends to meet for lunch, and plenty of mum-daughter days to enjoy.

So, the South Yorkshire Adventure begins! In fact it has already begun. Life is good!

Talk again soon, have a brilliant weekend dear reader.

Love Jane x