The aftermath

What a day! The winds really did blow yesterday. I’ve just been out to inspect the damage in our back garden.

Yesterday I had to bring in the bird table & feeders before they were smashed to bits. They’re remaining in the shelter of the garage for the moment.

A couple of fence panels have gone. Parts of our neighbour’s garden shed are now in our garden. Bits of trellis are scattered across the lawn & patio.

A 40+ft tree is leaning at a precarious angle. This huge conifer is no longer upright. It is more like at a 60° angle. My only consolation is that the tree was going to come down next year as part of the re-design. To my mind it was always too big for a domestic garden, even though it did look pretty with some yellow roses from next door flowering through it. At least if it does continue to fall, the worst it will do is flatten another fence panel on the other side of the garden. It isn’t likely to land on a building.

In the midst of this chaos I had to get to Lancaster hospital to collect some new knee braces. Afterwards we did a bit of shopping before heading to Ricky’s, our favourite Chinese restaurant. We’d decided it was time to treat ourselves a bit. The previous night I’d had to go to bed at 9pm & slept through to 9am. I was just so exhausted after our various medical trips even then.

We were surprised by the warmth of our welcome at the restaurant. We haven’t been for a while. The last time we saw Ricky & his wife, Susan, was at a local garden centre. They’d even got us a Christmas card in the hope we would call in before Christmas.

It was a very satisfying occasion. We caught up on their news – they’re expecting to become grandparents in the spring for the first time. Once home we both found ourselves continuing to savour the wonderful flavours of Kung Po Lamb in the Fox’s case, Sweet Chilli King Prawns in my case. We’d also both enjoyed the delicious Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup as a starter.

So today it’s once more back to the surgery here in Heysham. This time it’s for the Fox to have some physiotherapy. He sounds a bit nervous. He’s never had any physio before, not even after his stroke, so this will be a first for him. I suspect this session will essentially be an assessment of what he can & cannot do. The real treatment, if any, will begin in subsequent sessions.