Hopes for Clemmie's arrival

We’re back in grey damp days. It’s not even a decent downpour, just a persistent drizzle, almost a mistiness. It’s gone on all week.

All week we’ve been going to wash our car, Paloma. She’s going to be turned in for a new car later this week – this one is already provisionally called Clemmie, short for Clementine like Churchill’s wife, as she is both classy, a BMW, and sunset orange in colour. However it hasn’t seemed worth the effort to wash her when it’s quite as wet as it is. We can’t help thinking by the time we’ve driven over to Lindale, about 23 miles away, Paloma will be as dirty as if we’d never cleaned her in the first place. There will just be so much dirty spray from other vehicles on the road. She will inevitably be given a good valet before sale whatever cleaning we’ve done.

We’re looking forward to collecting Clemmie. In our test drive the model was a dream to drive. The Fox is even contemplating driving down to the south coast so we could take her over to France on the ferry for a holiday in Brittany next year. I’m not entirely confident that that is such a wise move. Since his stroke, in 2011, he’s found driving much more tiring. A trip down to Stoke to see family or over to Harrogate to see friends is the furthest he’s driven. He thinks that easy driving Clemmie will resolve the driving issue as most of the time he feels fine now. However, there is no denying his loss of stamina. Before we commit to quite so long a drive, I think we should to have a weekend away somewhere a bit further than we have been of late but not as far as Poole, Portsmouth or Exeter, the ports on the south coast the ferries depart from. Only then, assuming all’s gone well, will I consider a drive to France. Air flight may be tiring, boring, hassle-inducing, but at least it is relatively quick & so that much easier to get over.

The other factor is that we have had several niggles with Paloma, especially since her last service a few months ago. She can be hard work to drive. Sometimes she seems quite unresponsive. We’re hoping Clemmie will be better. We’ll soon find out.

Of friends & plans

I’m coming to the conclusion the time has come to get out our Christmas cards. They seem to be arriving with us of late. We’re already on the third card.

With some cards I enclose letters, just brief ones. Today’s card came with a letter. This is a couple we met on our holiday in Molveno Italy several years ago. It’s always good to hear from them, even though they are finding life reducing as they grow older & more rickety. However, they have a relish for life which won’t be stopped even though one of them at least is now using a mobility scooter now. They’re both well into their 70s now.

My thoughts had already been mooting what I would put in my letter. Above all it will be telling the gladsome news that my latest mammogram is showing the all clear. I feel this year has been dominated by my ill-health & its impact on both of us. It’s good to think we can look forward to 2018 as hopefully being a better year.

We’re already getting ideas for travels next year. We’re contemplating either Brittany or Alsace May/June time & Lake Garda in the autumn. We had hoped to get off to Provence early in the new year but the hotels we’ve tried have all been closed until March & Easter. We have to be here in April – my next dose of chemo. We reckon by the time things we’ve sorted out all the details of the holiday & access itwould be too late before, & we’re not sure if we wouldn’t prefer to explore a totally new area after, April.

It’s just good to feel we can start to make plans, to dream a little, with a realistic expectancy of being able to put them into action.

On its way

The signs of Christmas are beginning to arrive. The trees are going up with all their lights & sparkle. Morecambe had its lights switched on last weekend – not that there are many, blink & you would miss them.

During the week the golf club put up its trees & decorations. The hotels along the prom have had them up a week or two now – presumably trying to get guests in the festive spirit spreading their money around.  Now our local pub has put up its garlands & trees. We came back through some of the back streets to discover houses garishly lit. Lights streaming from everywhere, every bush, roof, window. There’s Santa on the roof. Reindeer, bells, poinsettia all shine out.

We never get that bright. We’ve never seen the point of lighting up the outside of the house, where you don’t see it, only passers-by do. Nearer Christmas we will get out artificial tree out, cover it with lights & baubles. We put the lights on in the afternoon so, if we are out, we return to their welcome.

Next week we get our big present. The new car will be ready to be collected. We’re looking forward to it. Since her last service our present car has had a few niggles so we won’t be displeased to see her departure. Hopefully the new car will be all we remember. It seems to have been a long wait since we put in our order last July.