Darlings I am home and I want to say a huge big thank you, on behalf of myself, Richard and above all else, Richards Dad, John for the comments, facebook messages and private emails we have recieved with messages of support while we have been away.
Richard, Finley and I are now home and as I write, John is being brought by ambulance from Torquay to a specialist stroke unit here in Liverpool. While he is by no means out of the woods yet, and remains unable to speak properly, move or see out of his right eye, his condition has been declared by the kind staff at Torbay to be stable enough to endure the six hour trip and he should arrive here later this evening.
As you can imagine the past week has been something of an ordeal but it was much relieved by a stay in the most traditional of British guesthouses, walks along the twinkly Torquay harbour on the drizzliest of evenings and as always the giggly joy that is Finley, a little boy always able to see the bright side and a little boy who stood blinking bravely at John’s hospital bedside, and talked gently to him, though I know the sight of this lovely, vibrant man struggling to hold his hand must have been more than a little disconcerting for one so young and thoroughly bewildered by the damage a stroke can do.
And now it is back to real life. Finn and I are both full of colds, and competing with each other for winner of the scratchiest sore throat competition. There is a case full of un-washed clothes, a house thats smells of neglect, and much to catch up on here at Brocante.
I realise I am behind on the delivery of both the Puttery Post and Trash or Treasure and I hope you will allow me to get up to date over the weekend. I will try to get what is missing into your in-boxes as soon as possible and I thank-you a million times over for your patience.
Life eh! Alongside the saddest of trauma’s, I also managed to leave my iron in the guesthouse, gain a hundred pounds while living on bacon and McDonalds while we were away and worst of all, I am now required to come to terms with hearing that Robbie Williams got married over the weekend. And quite outrageously, it wasn’t me wearing that gorgoeus tiered wedding dress.
Damn it. Life is a cruel mistress sometimes.
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Best wishes to all of you in these difficult times. I'm sure it may have been hard for Finley to take this situation in, but ulitmately this experience will make him more mature, compassionate, and brave. As much as we would like to protect our children from experiences that aren't perfect, it is real life with both the lows and the highs that helps our children grow with strength and character. I hope that Richard's father gets better soon.
Thank you Heather: I thought long and hard about taking him on to the ward to see John and finally came to the conclusion that reality was probably much less frightening than the images Finley was likely to be conjuring up and ultimately I too agree that bringing our children up in a safe, cosy little bubble doesnt provide them with the skills they need to deal with life in all it's sad, ugly glory..
Alison! You don't fancy Robbie Williams do you? [keels over] x
More than life itself. Some days so bad it hurts in my tummy. And yes I realise he is most unsuitable but the heart wants what it wants…
It's good to know that you are all safely home. Cheers from Australia.
thank you so much Rose, its lovely to be home….x
Dear sweet Alison….I do hope you and your babe Finley feel better very soon!!! I'm so very sorry about Richard's Dad and can only hope that he will be in wonderful hands at the new location. So many recover wonderful from strokes and we can hope for nothing but the best for him!!! Please take good care of your self and sweet Fin (and of course, dear Richard as well) hugs and love, Dawn
Oh Darling Dawn, thank you so much for this. Already the new unit are running a drill of tests and arranging courses of therapy so it's all looking very positive.
As for Finley, the little monkey becomes more of a hypochondriac every day and took to the sofa in something of a Hollywood style swoon this evening…
Bless his little heart.
Hope you and yours are well.x
Glad to have you back! They can indeed work wonders with stroke victims Alison,he will be monitored carefully forever now its a horrible worry never the less and I send much love to you and Richard.Robbie Williams.Gutted.xx
Thanks Gena, you know how much I appreciate it. And yep: gutted just about sums up the whole Robbie Williams situation. Do we need to get a grip??
So pleased to hear that Richard's Dad is improving. As for the other things – well, life is what it is. We will wait & enjoy the posts as they come in. Family and loved ones always come first. (Children are always more resilient than we give them the credit for.)
Thank you for your patience Thea, I am uncomfortable being as behind as I am, but by tomorrow I should be all back to normal (or as normal as it is as possible to be during the school holidays!). And you are right, children are resilient and we don't do them any favours by offering them a Disney-fied version of life do we?
Have a lovely sunday.x
Home and hope….I am so happy for you and your loved ones, Alison.
Home and hope… you always manage to find just the right words. Thank you Lesley.x
Glad all are home, best to Richards' father in his recovery….chicken soup and good books for you and Finn…a strapping big six year old now! No longer a babe…a real guy in his own right…you have a life long job of teaching him to be a gentleman of character and kindness….hope the colds go away quickly. Best to all…and to heck with Robbie (though we wish him well!)
Alison, I'm so sorry your family has had to go through this ordeal. Best wishes for a full recovery. So sweet of you to apologise to your readers, but all of us Vintage Housekeepers understand the need to put family first!
Blessings to you and your family during this trying time. Hope that you & Finley are feeling better everyday. All the best