Two Tales For Halloween

SHE WORE GREEN

In a sleepy Essex village a long time ago a young gentleman lay gravely ill. An old family retainer was asked to become the night nurse to this young man. He was in critical condition and unable to speak. The house was, at that time, rented by a nobleman and was lived in by members of his family who kept themselves to themselves.

Well, on the first night the old nurse sat by the glowing log fire watching over her patient and hearing only the moaning of the wind in the dark night. At around midnight the patient started to breathe heavily and seemed very uneasy and restless. As she looked at her patient the old nurse was startled to see a lady in a green silk gown with a black veil over her black bonnet sitting by the head of the bed.

The nurse was not alarmed as she thought it was a relative although she had not heard this lady enter the room. It did cross her mind that it was very cold and rather late for a visitor to call and also the doctor had advised that his patient should receive no visitors until his condition improved.

The lady sat watching the patient and the nurse began to feel a strange repulsion especially when the lady approached closer to the bed and bent over him. The nurse felt unable to speak and the lady made no sound. Eventually, with the lateness of the hour and the heat from the fire the old nurse started to doze off. Shaking herself awake she found that the lady had disappeared and the patient had returned to being very calm.

The following night it was very stormy and sleet was hitting the window, the wind howled down the chimney and doors banged in the wind. The nurse was edgy and very uneasy and decided that she would tell her master that she no longer wanted the responsibility of looking after the young man during the night. Suddenly her patient started breathing heavily again and looking towards him she saw once again the lady in green seated by his bed.

The nurse assumed by now that this lady must actually be staying in the house and  was not visiting for she noticed that the woman’s dress had a very low bodice and was the sort of garment that was worn in the summer during that period of history and it was quite unsuitable for the winter weather. The nurse got up and went towards the bed but the lady in green waved her back. However, the poor young man was getting so distressed that the nurse rose again to go to the bed. The lady immediately drew her veil close across her face and went to stand by the window. The patient appeared to be in agony, perspiration rolling down his face and eyes full of horror as they turned toward the window where the woman was standing. The nurse tried to calm the young man but he would have none of it.

Reluctantly the nurse returned to her place beside the fire and the lady returned to the bedside. The nurse could not remember taking her eyes of her but she must have done for a moment and when she looked again, as before, the lady was gone and the patient was calm.

The nurse told the doctor the next morning that she simply could not carry on, these experiences had scared her. The doctor seemed very surprised but he begged her to carry on for one more night until a replacement could be found.

The night she was determined to watch for the lady entering the room but she was defeated. Tiredness made her yawn and whilst she was yawning the lady once more appeared in the room. Once again the old nurse approached the bed and, once again, the lady retreated to the window. The young man was terror struck, his eyes bulging from their sockets, unaware of anything but the mysterious lady. Nurse was alarmed by his condition and decided to go for assistance when suddenly the lady moved to the door. The nurse already had one hand on the door latch and with the other she tried to raise the lady’s veil. When she did lift it, she screamed and screamed. For instead of a face there was a death’s head inside the black bonnet. A hideous laugh rang out from the lady in green and the old nurse fell senseless to the floor.

The next morning the old nurse was found on the floor gibbering and the young man was stone dead and had been for some hours.

The mysterious young man was buried in the parish church with a lavish funeral and a metal plaque on the coffin reading “Charles Leroy died 29 February - Remember”

The old nurse died within three months of her ghastly ordeal and ever since the gloomy chamber is said to have a strange feeling of coldness and unease by whoever occupies it but the green lady never appeared again.

AND MOTHER CAME TOO

Trevor P. worked for many years as a bus conductor in Plymouth, Devon. His job was to sell tickets and help passengers on and off the buses.

One summer day he was working as usual on his normal route heading into Plymouth from the east of the town. The bus stopped in the suburbs to pick up passengers. At one stop there were  two couples and an elderly lady waiting. These people took some time asking Trevor where the bus actually went - did it go right into the centre of the town, how long would it take etc. etc. so Trevor had far more time than normal to get a good look at his new passengers.

There were two middle-aged women whom to Trevor were obviously sisters and the two middle-aged men appeared to be their husbands. The elderly lady bore a striking resemblance to the two other women so Trevor assumed she must be their mother.

He was quite startled by the elderly woman as she was wearing clothes more appropriate for a much younger woman. Her outfit was fake leopardskin and he noticed a large turquoise butterfly brooch. She had handbag and shoes to match. He thought she looked very smart but very loud especially for Plymouth. Still he thought, each to their own.

The five passengers climbed to the upper deck of the bus, the elderly lady being the last to ascend. On her way up Trevor was amazed when she gave him a wink.

When he went up to collect the fares, one of the men asked for four tickets to the city centre. “No, said Trevor, you mean five tickets, there are five of you.” The man was adamant that there were only four of them. Looking around Trevor realised he could not see the elderly lady anywhere on the top deck of the bus. He walked up and down half expecting her to leap out from behind a seat  at him.  He knew she had not gone downstairs.

He had no alternative but to sell the four tickets requested but he did tell them that when they boarded the bus there were five of them, he was absolutely sure. They seemed surprised.

On reaching their destination one of the woman took hold of Trevor’s arm. She wanted to know what he meant by there being five of them. So Trevor described how the elderly woman looked and exactly what she was wearing - he even said he was sure she was the mother of the two women.

The lady went white and looked very uncomfortable. “You are right. She was our mother and the outfit is exactly what she wore the last time we all went out together. Then she added “That was ten years ago, the day before she died.”

Have a Happy Halloween everyone but don't get too spooked!

Medical Monday

I have not long returned from the breast clinic.  I am so glad I was able to keep my appointment this time.  I did the journey very well indeed with no panics.  Slightly different when I got there as there was a forty minute wait and I could feel the tension rising and rising.  After all this was my first visit back since my treatment and I did not know what to expect.  I felt the tears spring to my eyes.

Becky went and asked how much longer it would be and a nurse immediately came out and took me into the room where I would be examined.  She says I should have been seen sooner because my anxiety problems are clearly on my records.  She made us all a nice cup of tea.

Then Casper came into the room and joked with me and put me at ease.  I showed him all the photos we had taken of my breast and he agreed I had reacted very strongly to radiotherapy, one of those women whose skin is ultra-sensitive.  He then examined me and saw the state my breast had been left in, still red, skin like an elephant all thickened around the nipple and the nipple sunken in.  I hope you do not mind me going into these details.

He told me it might well stay like that for the rest of my life although as time passes there might be some improvement. No amount of cream will help.  He did assure me that it was in no way dangerous and that I had been worrying about it unecessarily.  He said that as my radiotherapy only finished in June I was doing remarkably well.

He gave me a thorough examination and said he could find nothing wrong, no abnormalities.  Unfortunately it was far too early to do a mammogram as the breast is still very tender.   So, no all clear today.  I have to wait another six months for the mammogram.  So I will be having the mammogram roughly around the time I see my oncologist again.

As for medication they still want me to stay on the Tamoxifen as they feel that drug is the lesser of two evils but that I can take a week break from it now and again without there being any problems.  So I shall be doing that for Christmas.  When we discussed what had happened during the year starting with a shock way back last Christmas, my cancer and subsequent treatment, all the problems with Daniel, he feels that the increase in  my anxiety and depression levels have more likely been caused by all that, plus all the worry I have had over my breast and what I went through with that for weeks.  

He said that now I have been re-assured maybe I will find my whole general wellbeing improving.  He is a lovely man and so easy to talk to and listened to all I had to say.

I do feel exhausted now but that is mental and emotional fatigue from going there and not knowing what to expect.  I am disappointed that they did not do a scan to assure me I was still all clear but I guess he knows best and I must trust him.

Daniel will be arriving in a little while as we are looking after him this afternoon whilst Nathan goes swimming.

Becky had a letter from the County Council last week.  Nathan starts school next September.  I can hardly believe it and neither can she.  He will only be four years and around three months old.  Too young in my opinion.  I wish our children started school later as they do in other countries.  Childhood goes so very fast and at just four he will still be a baby. So he will leave pre-school and get taken into the education system proper.  We shall see a lot less of him sadly.

Well, I need to eat now before Daniel arrives.  I know you will be glad I made it to my appointment and will continue to pray that I remain cancer free.  I just wish it was not another six months before I can get the news I long to hear - all clear!  I hope to get back to commenting on all your journals this week.

God bless and have a good week

Love,

Sunny Friday

It is a beautiful day today, the sun is shining brightly, not October as it used to be but nice to see nonetheless. It has been nice for quite a few days now.

I am glad you liked the pictures I posted of our new bathroom.  It has certainly made a tremendous difference, even lightening up the hall.  It is a pleasure to use.  I think that some of you felt inspired to tackle your own tiles.  Well, I cannot recommend that paint highly enough.  It is true it is much more expensive than normal paint but only a mere fraction of the cost there would be in re-tiling.  I would be interested to know if any of you do go ahead and try it.

I am still having lots of trouble with my back and leg and beginning to wonder if it will ever go.  When Mike had his sciatica he was laid up with it for four months and, of course, I cannot afford this.  My new hospital appointment is not that far away and I truly do not want to have to cancel a second time.  I ask those of you who believe in God to say extra prayers for me.  I need to feel much better than I do now if I am to attend.  I still feel so low in myself but I suppose that is to be expected, this has been such a horrendous year not only for me but for little Daniel as well.

Talking of Daniel.  Here is the latest update on him.  As you know he has been having treatment for some time now at our local hospital.  He has been passed from department to department, you know being shunted  backwards and forwards.  Each time there have been conflicting opinions.  New treatments have been tried without any apparent success.  Well, he had another appointment this morning.  It has now been decided to refer him to Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital, the best there is.  We know he will get marvellous treatment there.  However, it puts a great strain on his parents as it is obviously a lengthy journey to London and they will now have to go backwards and forwards there.  It would seem surgery is the only answer and at least we know he will get the top surgeons in the field. He needs the best as any slip would result in permanent damage to his face. 

We do not know yet when the appointment will be. For his sake, the sooner the better.  I do ask all of you please to pray for him.  If you do not believe in prayer then send out good and positive thoughts.  He has been through so much in his two years and is already getting a little scared of hospitals. We can only hope he gets tip top treatment and that he will suffer no lasting damage.

Please continue to send out good thoughts to me as well.  It is important that I keep my new appointment.  It would have a very bad psychological effect on me if I have to cancel yet again although if Daniel gets an appointment on that day, he comes first and we will have Nathan whilst they go to London.  In those circumstances I would have to change the appointment again.   However, I hope this will not be necessary.  I do not want it hanging over my head any longer. I want it done with and out of the way.  I also hope there will be no more problems with my health but until I keep that appointment, I will not know.

Had a little scare with Leo the night before last.  He is much more a housecat than any other we have had.   He does go outside but only for short intervals and much prefers to be indoors.  Well,  he went missing, we called and called and he did not come.  He usually comes running and as it was time for his supper, his normal routine is to keep coming up to us and mewing and then going into the kitchen.  Supper time came and went.  No Leo.  We called and called.  Mike walked the streets. Nothing.  I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.  Mike checked the garage or anywhere he could have been shut in.  It got to 1 a.m. and still no sign.  Mike walked down the garden again and heard a little mew.  Leo has an extremely loud purr but only a little mew.  Well, one of the neighbours fence panels is loose and must have blown in the wind.  Leo got curious and went through to see a different part of the world.  Then he found he could not get back.  When Mike heard him he lifted the bit of the fence panel and Leo was able to return.  We were so relieved and so was he.  He is a loving cat but I have never known him make such a fuss of us as he did that night and he has hardly left us since.

Well, I need to get off here now and go and lie down and relax my back.  

I know you will send out your love and prayers for Daniel and myself.  It is a great comfort to know that so many of you care.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful weekend.

Love,

Out With The Old........

Autumn in our garden

The leaves are really falling now as you can see by the lawn. The garden Mums look so bright, it is a pity their flowers cannot last all through the winter.

Well, before I can tell you about our new bathroom I had better show you what the old one was like - a real disgrace.  I was always worried that someone visiting would ask to use the facilities.  The whole bathroom was pink.  Tiled pink from top to bottom, pink bath, pink basin, pink toilet.  Nice, some of you might think  - and I guess it was a novelty when we first moved in but the novelty soon wore off.  It was also very dark.  The room is on the side of the house where sunlight never penetrates and on a dark winter day it was like the black hole of Calcutta.  We should have got rid of it years ago but Mike was working and never had the time and it was impossible to get professionals in because he worked nights and slept days so there could be no noise.

A few years ago the bath panel split so we had to get a replacement.  Of course, they no longer made panels that colour so we had to get a totally new shade of pink which did not match.  The bath had started to drop downwards  and left a gap between the bath and the tiles which Mike had to disguise with a plastic strip.  When the toilet seat needed replacing, likewise, the pink was unmatchable so he got white.  The whole thing was a shambles.  Eventually, no matter how much you cleaned the porcelain, dirt or marks would not be removed.  It was so depressing.  Here are some pictures.

Note the odd bath panel

Well, Mike started by taking down the old ceiling tiles which were brittle and cracking and also of a hideous pattern.  Our lighting was a huge fluorescent strip so that went as well and up went new tiles and a new light.  Then the ceiling was painted.  Mike then tackled the wall tiles.  As I said in my previous entry it would have been too expensive to re-tile the whole place and, give the man his due, whoever put them up in the first place did an excellent job.  So, as we liked the actual pattern of the tiles and tile paint did such an excellent job in the kitchen, we opted for that.  Mike put on two coats.

Dean arrived a week ago to put in the new suite.  The ceiling had been no problem but it was a different story with the plumbing.  The basin was a different size, of course, so all new pipes had to be purchased.  However, there was then an incurable leak which took three days to get to the bottom off and fix.  The toilet went in without too much trouble.  With the bath it was another matter! 

We had often wondered just how old the suite was and Mike thought about fifteen years or so.  Wrong.  It turned out to be the first owner who put it in and we are the fourth occupants.  How do we know?  Well, when they eventually managed to get the bath out,  the man who put it in  had stuffed loads of old newspapers down the back of it, heaven knows why and we found the date.  Way back in the early seventies when Becky was but a toddler.  So the suite was over thirty years old and we were the fourth family to use it.  No wonder if had seen better days.

I say "when they eventually managed to get the bath out" because this clever person had cemented it into the wall so a great deal of time was spent knocking the wall out to get the old bath out and the new one in.  The noise, the cement dust, the dirt.  Eventually the new bath went in but the mixer taps and shower had not arrived so there was a couple of days wait.  When they turned up the shower head was faulty so that had to be dealt with.  In the meantime Mike painted what little wood we have in there and also laid new flooring.

Some of the old tiles had to be removed to put fitments in and Mike was able to cut them and re-fix them and you cannot tell the difference. The toiler roll holder fixings did not match the old ones so there was lots of filling in of holes and re-drilling, painting and making good.

Last night Dean came over again.  The bath panel had to be cut down as it was too long, the shower head replaced but....... it was finally done.  We are so grateful to Dean for all the work he has put in.  The whole of last weekend and then coming over every evening after work to continue and poor him indoors has been working at it all the time.

We never expected so many problems to be encountered along the way, at times I despaired it would ever be finished but what a transformation.  It was worth all the sweat.

So we are now from this

To this :-

New ceiling tiles, new overhead light, new blind at window.

New bath, new taps and shower, new handrail to bath.

New flooring, new toilet,  new cistern, new sink.  As you can see the tile paint did an excellent job and we can still see the pattern through it.

A complete transformation, a joy to walk into, so bright and clean looking.  We obviously could not photograph the whole finished project because the room is not big enough to allow for that sort of camera shot.  Anyway, we are delighted and my heart no longer sinks into my boots when I walk in there.

I would like to thank you all for your good wishes.  The pain in my leg is not so intense now but I am still getting lots of pain in my lower back and, as I only have a couple of weeks before my new clinic appointment, I am hoping for a miracle.  Even doing this entry, I have had to keep taking breaks from it and hoping that AOL did not swallow it whilst I was away.

I do so hope things get back to normal for me soon.  Anyway I did keep my promise and show you our new bathroom.  Have a good weekend everyone and know that I will keep updating as I can.

Love,

Ups And Downs

Bellrope Meadow ~ Stanley Spencer

I thought I had better do a journal update.  Several people had shown concern in comments under my previous entry (thank you for that, my friends).

The truth is for the last ten to twelve days or so I have been laid up with bad sciatica.  So bad that I could hardly put my foot to the floor.  So I have been in bed as there was nothing else I could do.  Rest, painkillers, warmth.  It is slowly getting better although it is still not right and even sitting here is quite painful.

This meant I was unable to keep my appointment at the Breast Clinic that was due on the 1st.  There was no way I could even walk to the car, in fact I could not bear a shoe on my foot, let alone do the journey.  The Clinic was very understanding and have given me a new appointment for the end of the month.  However, it made me extremely depressed having to cancel. Although I was very nervous about my appointment - being the first time back since my treatment  - I had gone through having it hanging over my head for months and I truly wanted to get it out of the way and be able to relax.  Now I have it hanging over my head once again.  I think I have shed more tears in the last few days than I have ever shed in my life and felt so low that I have not even been able to read or listen to music or the radio.  I had pinned my hopes on keeping that appointment but the fates had other plans.

You will understand why I have not been updating my journal, it has been impossible.  Mike did read my e-mails for me and I was so saddened to hear of the loss of our journal friend Penny.  God rest her.

I also lost my Aunt a few days ago.  She was a grand old lady, over 100 years old but she was the very last of the older generation, the last link with my parents and other family members.  Her passing brought back many memories to me and quite a few tears. Her husband, my Dad's brother, was the closest to my Dad and we visited countless times and they came to us.  We stayed overnight on a few occasions.  All those recollections came flooding back. Aunt Doris seemed indestructible.  She had lived through the death of her own daughter and became carer to her Grand-daughter who has kidney disease and will need a transplant. She stayed strong almost until the end.

Something more positive.  Daniel's tests came back negative.  It was not what they feared he might have which is wonderful news.  However, on the down side of that is the news that he must face more surgery as that is now the only course of action to cure what he has.  We are waiting for a date at the moment but that could be delayed due to the postal strike.

I know that you will continue to pray for Daniel.  He could be having his surgery locally or he could be referred to a London hospital but, one way or another, he still has to go through this.  I also ask for prayers for myself.  There is nothing as wearing as pain and to be in pain and to be depressed is something I would not wish on anyone.

On a much lighter note, Mike and Dean are at present in the throes of installing our new bathroom suite.  The old toilet and wash basin have already been removed with great difficulty due to corrosion.  Until the new toilet is installed, sanitary arrangements have become primitive, it is back to the old buckets (sorry if this is too much information).  We take our plumbing and our little rooms for granted but how we miss them when they are not there.

Mike painted the tiles and they came up well.  Now the toilet and wash basin have gone, the next thing is to lay the new floor before installing the new suite.  It will not be finished today except for the toilet which we are hoping will be.

Well, my friends I just cannot sit here any longer.  Please understand that I will be updating my journal when I can, I have a lot going on in my life right now.  My own priority is to try and get my back right, feel much better in myself . Also that all goes well and quickly for Daniel.   There are times when journalling  just has to take a back seat.  I cannot comment on other journals at this time either, my back will just not let me sit here long enough.  Although I am starting to get mobile again, I can only do little at a time like just doing small walks around the home.  I simply cannot sit in one place for any length of time.

I have been touched though by those that have shown concern especially one lady who said she had never commented on a journal before but was wondering if everything was o.k. with me.  It is nice to know that there are people who care.

With that, I will wish you a happy weekend.  As I asked previously, please hold myself and Daniel in your prayers.  I am hoping that by November I will have kept my appointment,  Daniel's surgery will be over and done with  and he will make a rapid recovery.  We are in God's hands.  Please also pray that my depression lifts.  I will get back to updating my journal more regularly and commenting on yours when things improve.  People have also asked to see the new bathroom so later on I will post pictures of that.

God bless you all.

Love,