Your Day (apart from gardening) - what took place?

Well, not really today, but this week. I had planned to visit the Wisley flower show and to stop by and see my old police buddy who lives in Sheerwater Rd, Woking. It must be over fifty years since we last saw each other. I wanted to meet Andy and his wife. I've never met her but we have chatted on the phone many a time. She was a victim of IBS and as I suffer the same, we always had a talking point. We were both keen gardeners, and anytime I learned she was one degree under, I'd send her some flowers via Interflora. Andy would say. Mike. Georgie thinks so much of you. In time Georgie was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Surgery was performed and the usual stoma bag was provided. In time the cancer returned and Georgie was back in hospital. A couple of days later, and I rec'd an email from Andy. Mike. Georgie is expected to die during the night or tomorrow. Sept 2. Another email. Mike. Georgie died at 08.00 hrs this morning.

Andy was a good traffic cop and served for 31 yrs ending up as an inspector. He feared nothing, now he admits he is afraid of the future without Georgie.

I have to admit. This run of events has caused my tearducts to flow freely. So thats my past few days.

 

Regarding book writing. Oh! the times I have tried my hand. Experiences from my policing days, gardening, fictional medical tales and stories perhaps how my pets might have recorded their lives with us. To what avail? I always get as far as chapter four and realise I've said it all. I can well understand why so many of our favs engage the services of professional writers. Fair do's. Weiting a gardening book, pics and diagrams along with pages of calender committments will expand the book. I have just purchased a book by Monty Don. Just flicking through the pages. Such a clump is nothing more than a gardeners diary. With today IT, it is so simple for writers to basically, cut and paste. I remember seeing a program that featured Marjory Blamey. Forgive me if I have the names wrong. Marjory is perhaps the greatest plant illustrator. The scene showed filing cabinets all containg text and prints of plants and flowers. When writing a new book, this database comes to the fore. In a similar vein. I have read many of Jack Higgins novels. Such a common quote. And he continued on and finally came to the Judas gate, and entered.

 

I lost another brother to lung cancer yesterday and he was only 69.Smoking is such a terrible hobby as it claims so many lives,but at least Martin died doing something that he loved to do and that was smoking.So that’s two brothers gone forever this year

 

Sorry to hear of your loss Kandy.

 

Nearly ready for printing.

 

Sorry for your lose Kandy.
My mother died of lung cancer, smoked all her adult life. They couldn't do anything.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts

The brother I lost in March had never smoked in his life but the good lord decided it was his time and he just sat in a chair and went which is how my mum went.At least they didn’t suffer

@Logan Years ago smoking was all the rage and there was so much advertising encouraging people to take it up.I can remember large hoardings when I was a kid advertising smoking and even the motor racing cars were sponsored for it.When I was at school I can remember a poster at school of a black pair of lungs due to smoking.I tried it when I was young buying mine from the cigarette machine outside our local paper shop.I only had a few packets out of the machine because I found I couldn’t afford to keep smoking so gave up in the end and spent any spare money I had on other stuff like David Cassidy and Donny Osmond records

It is good though that smoking has had so much bad press of late that finally the message is getting through and one good thing that has come out of my brother getting lung cancer is that it has made his daughter pack in smoking so something good has come from it

 

@Kandy I send you hugs.

I too experienced the most horrible thing this last Sunday. My dear sister, who was living with me, took her own life. I have experienced alternating bouts of vomiting and crying up until today. I have no idea what her daughters decided to do about a send off. They took over everything the morning after I found her. She was just getting back on her feet. She'd found a job she liked and I told her she could stay here free and build up a cushion of money.

She was sad that she was dropped by her daughters some 15 years ago when her luck had changed and she had nothing to give anymore. She figured that she had grandchildren but these selfish mean girls never shared the fact they had 8 children between them. I only found this out after the police managed to locate one of them and she called me to let me know they were taking over because they wanted commemorative lockets and other things that I might not have thought of.

I arranged for them to receive all of the keepsakes such as their baby photos and records. But I withheld any pictures that had their mother or any of our family in them. I feel if they didn't want to see her for the past 15 years, it would be silly to hand over her images now.

I have not found any obituary listing her, nor been able to determine if she is indeed at the funeral home that had originally been planned as the location to take care of her and also where I had dropped off her clothes to make her look nice.
The last time I saw her alive, we were having a fun game of scrabble that afternoon. If I'd only known..

 

@CanadianLori I have no words that can comfort you at this sad loss, but I am thinking of you.
Take care of yourself and have strength.

​

Victoria xx

 

I am so sorry, Canadian Lori. I know the devastation that a death like that can cause.

 

May I respectfully extend my most sincere condolences to all who have lost loved ones. In a way, I think, although such an event in life is so sad and can be very soul destroying, here on an internet forum, as complete strangers. We have opened up and talked and shared our thoughts and feelings.

I, sad to say have witnessed death many times, having been a traffic cop. Always, the worst scenario was where a child was the victim. Traumatic enough to knock on the door and say. Sorry but, Dad or Mum won't be coming home again, but to relate to a child. Even now 50 yrs on. I still have nightmares relating to such cases.

I remember when my dad was in hospital and time was running out. Mum and My sister and I sat at his bedside. We prayed that his end would come soon. Even expecting it and praying for it. That final gasp. Dad had now gone. It was still like a terrible punch, way below the belt.

When my beloved Valerie returned to St. Thomas's hospital. We both knew that this was the end of the road. Our two daughters pestered the hospital switchboard. How is our mum? Val and I had in our own private and everloving way had said. Bye Bye. Our love is for eternity.

We both shared a bible based faith. The scriptual text states that man knows he has a lomited time. That he lives,knowing he will die. Finally. The dead are conscious of nothing.

 

Sorry about your brother.
I agree with what you say, i tried smoking when I was 11 or 12. My parents made their own for a while and i collected all the cigarette butts and made my own. But i didn't do it for long and decided that it wasn't for me.

Yes i like David Cassidy and Donny Osmond.
Got nearly all the collection of the Carpenters.

 

@Mike Allen sorry for your lose.
Not being a religious person myself, i hope that there is life after death, something. But my husband thinks there isn't that's it, that frightens me.

 

Making my christmas puddings.
Put pics up when I've cooked them all.