The Aches and Pains of this Boring Old Fart!

Will the aches and pains of old age ever go away? 

This is a question I have been constantly asking myself of late.
Over the past year I have had skin cancer (Bowen's disease) return and hopefully dealt with once again? I have had the angina dealt with by way of a bypass operation but it is the smaller niggles that are the troubling ones.
Over a year ago now it must be since I first noticed that my right shoulder was starting to give me jipp when I tried to scratch my back and it has not got better.
It seemed to get a lot worse very quickly when I had my stay in Derriford, whether it was due to rough handling during the op or just because I was rested up for a long time, who knows?
Anyway to cut a long story short for the past 3 months or so it has got so bad that it has been waking me up at night if I roll over onto that side. Well with the pandemic and how busy they have been I was hoping that it would just go away, WRONG! When it seemed to start causing problems in the region of my neck, possibly pinching a nerve or muscle I thought that it was perhaps time to act?
I finally got around to filling in the laborious form online and got a ring back from Marcus who is a nurse practitioner, whatever that is? I presume a nurse with further training anyhow he told me he to take more pain killers for a week to see if it would improve and he would ring me again then. What that was going to do if it has been bad for a year is anyone's guess?
In the meantime I had a call from the Dr's as they wanted to catch up with blood tests that should have been done over the past 3 month and had been missed. I duly went for those yesterday and was intercepted by a man called Peter, another nurse practitioner (they seem to be coming out of the woodwork) who was supposed to ring me yesterday morning but saw I was coming in for bloods and thought he could perhaps examine my shoulder while I was there!
He thinks that there is a protrusion that has developed over time and wants me to ring today and arrange an x-ray so that they can see what is going on and take it from there!

Janet is Home!

As a post script to The story of Janet in Lockdown Janet arrived home about 2230, tired, safe and well Praise God and a real answer to all our prayers over the past weeks/months!

Janet's plane approaching Bristol seemingly on time.

We went in Thursday morning to give the bungalow a final spit and polish. We being myself, Rosemarie Lane, Rosemary Hodgson and Jane Gunner (who cooked meals to leave).  There were also contributions of flowers, fruit, milk, bread, bacon, chocolate cake among other things including some cards from those above. Janey Fisher popped in to leave some flap jack.

I texted Janet this morning welcoming her back and got this lovely reply and I quote (copy and paste)

You must be psychic (only joking!!)  I've just had a delicious breakfast and picked up the phone to text you 🤣   THANK  YOU  is so inadequate but it's all I've got - I am feeling surrounded by love and friendship and I can't thank everyone enough for everything you've all done for me. Praise God for you all and I am so grateful that He led me to you all at the Bridge.  I'm actually feeling OK at the moment; my sister is coming over this morning and then Jon is bringing my car back. I'll possibly then try and sort out my three and a half months worth of post 😱. Please feel free to come over for a ☕🍰 if you'd feel like it.  I will be out walking at least once a day so maybe call first.  Thank you all again, God bless you ❤️🤗xx

Sue and I are planning to pop over to see her sometime tomorrow (Saturday) and it will be lovely to see her I am sure? Also hoping of course that Janet still has some of the chocolate cake left?

A Swarm of Bees arrive at Dowr Close!

About 1630 I looked out of the flat window to see bees swarming in the garden! Sue guessed Andy upstairs would be having his nap so she rang to get him to close his window.
We continued to watch them and they seemed to settle in the Acer tree on the centre plot.
I contacted Roger and Rosemarie Lane to give them a heads up in case our neighbour Denis was unavailable but also knowing they did not really need them.
After they settled I got Richard to contact Denis next door to come and deal with them and went out to take some pictures. (Click to enlarge).

Swarm in Acer.

Denis waiting.

Denis still waiting.

The receptacle the bees were loaded into.

It was quite amusing to watch and a good reminder of how it was done.
I had not seen this done since I lived in Trowbridge when the children were small and the process does not seem to have changed one iota.
Thank you Denis who is still sprightly at 90 years young and by 1830 he was all packed up with the bees on the back seat of his car and gone!

Another view.

The Story of Janet in Lockdown.

I have a dear friend at church who is also in my housegroup by the name of Janet.
Janet lost her husband Owen earlier in the year to cancer and decided to go and stay with one of her daughters for a couple of weeks in Holland.
Janet has two daughter who live in Holland, Renee and Tamsyn who stayed there when Janet moved back to the UK several years ago.
Well that was in March! Then lockdown happened and two weeks turned into 3 or 4 months and here we are at the end of June and it looks like Janet will be returning on the 2nd of July.
You can imagine the state of the garden? A neighbour has kindly been keeping the front garden, which is mostly lawn, mowed but the rear garden has not been touched in all that time as you will see.
However the housegroup felt it would be good to give it a general tidy up before Janet got back which happened yesterday. It was forecast to be the last dry day until Thursday when we plan to do indoors?
We met at Janet's house at 1000, we being Roger and Rosemarie Lane, Malcolm Jones and myself and got stuck in by about half past.
A few pictures to tell the tale (Click to enlarge).

These three are the before.

Malcolm Jones hard at it.

As is Rosemarie Lane.

The final four are finished

 Taken by Rosemarie Lane.

 I left at around 1145 as my shoulder was being a pain so Rosemarie Lane took some pictures when they finished at about 1245. So these last 4 are by her. Thank you Rosemarie.
(again click to enlarge).

 Well I hope that Janet is surprised because we have tried to keep it from he about the garden but she does know that we are planning to go in on Thursday morning and give the house a spring clean ready for her return!
We also plan to leave her a welcome box as she is not due home until 2230 in the evening!

Welcome Home Janet!

Interview by Jude Jones for church.

I was interviewed last Tuesday via Zoom as part of testimonies given by church members by a lovely lady, Jude Jones.
It went out on the church website as a part of the Sunday service on 21/06/2020.
I do not need to say any more as I think the YouTube clip says it all.
Just click on the picture to play.

It seems I have something called Bowen's disease on my back in 3 places. It is apparently a blemish that if not treated may turn into cancerous tissue.

The NHS definition of it.

Bowen's disease

Bowen's disease is a very early form of skin cancer that's easily treatable. The main sign is a red, scaly patch on the skin.

It affects the squamous cells, which are in the outermost layer of skin, and is sometimes referred to as squamous cell carcinoma in situ.

The patch is usually very slow growing, but there's a small chance it could turn into a more serious type of skin cancer if left untreated.

The most effective method of reducing your risk of Bowen's disease, as well as other more serious types of skin cancer, is to limit your exposure to the sun.

Sue's 70th Birthday.

We were up as normal by 0600 and Sue was opening what few cards came through the post (2 from a total of 5 that were here) and my presents after tea was made, of course! I am sure she will be getting more cards as the day and time goes on?
A surprise present from Lindy arrived on Saturday evening being 2 boxes of lovely flowers which Sue Loved.

The totally unexpected flowers from Lindy and family.

We were expecting Stella and Lainie about 0930 but Stella slept in and arrived at around 1145.
Stella presented Sue with a 7 ring and being 7 different metal necklace which was vice the present that the children were going to present her with being a Thames river trip and ride on the London Eye. Cancelled due to this bleeding virus! Lainie gave her a butterfly and Wii game.

Well these 2 reprobates arrive with gifts through the window.

As you can see the sun has now come out so we decided that we would retire to the garden with coffee and tea for a natter. Glyn came in for lunch about 1315 and Lainie and Stella stayed until about 1330 and went back home.

Yes it is an OWL made by
 Stella and Lainie.

Susan and balloon.

We had lunch and watched Songs of Praise and then it was pretty much time for us all to get together via Zoom, that was all 4 of mine, 2 of Sue's being Lindy and Stella. Lisa and some of the grand children, Joe, Emily, Lainie, Karis, Joshua, Natalie plus Michael popped in and Dea just missed us.. 

The gathering of the clan lasted for nearly 2 hours and then it was time for dinner.
Chinese take away it is and watch number VII of Star Wars.
We need to remind ourselves of the previous two as Andy has bought Sue number IX.
Nina from number 6 arrived on the doorstep with a card and plant which was really lovely of her and Alistair!

Skinflint turns the heating off!

Well today I finally turned the heating off and before the end of May as well!
I have also not had a vest on hardly at all this winter, 1) because of hardly going out due to the pandemic and 2) having spent time in hospital having the bypass op so"Nere cast a clout 'till May be out" did not apply to 2020.

TLR Kickstart at Leicester in 2015 and the 5 years since!

It is now over 5 years since this event and I am only adding it now because it has had such a profound effect on my life in Christ that I feel it needs recording.

In April 2015 I went on a weekend kickstart that was run by The Last Reformation and hosted at Holy Trinity Church Leicester.
This was a weekend that was to radically change my mind and my thinking so much that it occasioned me to leave the church (Launceston Community Church) that I belonged to and until then was quite happy in. I wandered aimlessly without a church for three and a half years just meeting with like minded folk and going to the occasional 2-4-5 meeting at Central Methodist Church in town.
At this point I will add a video of the weekend which may go some way to explain the just how it changed my thinking. Please watch it all the way through before judging it!

Healing was what took me there in the miraculous healing that I was granted by God of the cancer in my throat!
This led me on a search that led me to Torben Sondergaard, a minister from Denmark and also he teaches many things but his teaching on healing was the thing that attracted me to TLR which he founded.
I will let you make up your own mind about Torben and his teachings but at the end of the day Jesus and God are essentially at the centre of them all!

What caused me to split with Launceston Community Church.

Let me first start by saying that I was so deeply hurt and shocked by the following that it is only now over 5 years later that I feel able to write a balanced account of what happened on my return to my home church!

On my return from Leicester I was so fired up and wanted to get out into the community and tell people about Jesus. Healing them and telling them how he healed and saved me and my life in Him over the many years.
Well it was like I hit a brick wall when I went to the leadership (such as it is) to ask for support. In fact it was quite the opposite, I met with hostility and discouragement! Every way I went I was told such things as "Only the leaders of the church are equipped to heal" quoting James 5v14 at me telling me I was not equipped! I was very hurt by this and then to be told that if I did do such silly things as go out onto the streets of this town evangelising and healing I was not to tell people that I went to Launceston Community Church as they wanted nothing to do with it. I remember asking was it not commanded of us in the Bible to go forth and do this I was then told it was not relevant for today's church!!!
I remember also that a man named Robin Talbot gave a prophecy back in 2010 just after the church moved from Egloskerry to St. Josephs in town which said..... and I quote.

"Prophecy given to Launceston Community Church in July 2010 by Robin Talbot.

God is giving you a spirit of creativity and expectancy.

Don’t wait for a sovereign move of God to come upon you. For the Lord is waiting for you to step out in faith.

The Lord tells us to live by faith, to walk by faith, to perform acts of faith by the Holy Spirit.

Do not hold back in order to be in step with others for I am calling you to be the pioneer – the advance party, the ones to open up the way for others to follow.

Be prepared to pay the price of being radical.  I’ve not called you to be acceptable, I’ve called you to be amazing.

Your increase depends upon your hunger for My Presence and My Glory.

There are people here who know what it is to move in faith. Release them, respect them - provide them security to move in faith.

Steady the boat to let them step out on water but do not steady the Ark of God’s Presence when His Spirit moves."

I felt very much that this was a prophecy that included what I was proposing especially the highlighted which was, I believe instructions for the church to support these things.
Well I was in no uncertain terms told that "THIS CHURCH DOES NOT BELIEVE IN PROPHECY" To this I was gobsmacked to say the least. A considerable percentage of the Bible, being the word of God consists of prophecy!
At this I felt very hurt but also very shocked at what I was being told and after some considerable thought and prayer felt I had option but to distance myself from this unbelief!
It only goes to show what level of control a church leadership can have over just what the members of their church believe? It is therefore easy to understand how cults and sects become established because sheep really do tend to believe what shepherds tell them, no matter how erroneous or misguide it is! The things that I can see I was being fed by the leadership of LCC only go to prove this to me!

I am now settled in what I consider to be the only God centered church in Launceston, Bridge Church which worships in a warehouse on Pennygillam industrial estate and holds assets with very loose fingers.
It is strange times at the moment with the pandemic and everything but it is very much, I believe in God's control and as I am sure will become apparent will turn out for the best. 
After all Romans 8:28 says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (BSV)

After 7 Weeks of Lockdown our Visit to Crackington Haven.

Well after 7 weeks of being stuck indoors, for Sue especially it was a really pleasant change to be able to get out into the fresh air and take a trip to the seaside.
Just after lunch we set out about 1320 and with a little bit of apprehension off we set!
The hesitation I think on my part was because I was not sure whether we would get stopped by the police en route as we were going so far in the car? We need not have worried, we saw not a trace of the law and on arrival at Crackington Haven we parked up and went to the beach for in excess of an hour and it was wonderful just to be out in the fresh air and smelling the sea!
The trip home was quite uneventful coming back around the lanes via Canworthy Water, Splatt and Egloskerry and with so little traffic I think even Stella would have enjoyed it!

A selfie with Sue in the background.

Such a beautifully warm day.

Coronavirus! Ah Now, what have we been up to trying to preserve our sanity whilst in isolation?

Now there is a question?

5D Diamond Painting.

To be honest it has been quite difficult at times especially since the weather has got so nice over the past 3 weeks or so!
The mornings are easy as it is the same as we have always done being in separate rooms doing a bit of games on facebook and surfing the net as it was always called. Then whereas if the weather was nice we would go out to NT properties or do other things we no longer have those options?

A 1,000 that took Sue yonks

So we have found other things, we read, well Sue does mainly while I listen to books on Audible or listen to plenty of music.
Sue additionally has been doing colouring in her books and also this lovely Diamond cut picture to be framed and pit on the wall.
I have been doing plenty of bible study
Additionally we have been watching oodles of DVD's, Netflix and Amazon Prime thereby keeping us out of mischief.

Of course that is not to mention the wonderful contact with family and friends from church and choir via telephone and other ways that are open to us all today, such as skype, zoom, messenger and whatsapp! All of them where you can see as well as speak.

This one is a 1,000 and 2 x 500's done between us.

Then of course there are the inevitable jigsaw puzzles, just 500's for me and 1,000's for suicidal Sue. I am going to put pictures of some of them on here just to remind us in years to come.

Two cars in the village.
1 of a set of 4 called out and about.

A new car in the village.
Number 2 of the same set.

Day out.
Number 3 of 4 was finished on 22nd April.

A Stop to Look Back.
The last one of the 4 finished 27th April.

28th January to 17th April 2020. The Strangest of Times!

The first 5 weeks home I could do very little due to weakness, weather and lack of driving licence.
I just got my licence back and started to get out and about taking Sue shopping and collecting our Friday fish and chips which I always thoroughly enjoy.
I went to a house group that Dave Lewis collected me for at Vera's and then the poop hit the fan so to speak as the coronavirus pandemic struck the UK.
We have hardly been out for the last 4 or 5 weeks except for walks around the block as we are in isolation with Stella and neighbours doing the shopping and other things that are needed.
Yes that is no church, no choir, no shopping, no fish and chips just these four walls and the garden. Thankfully in that respect the weather has got warm and sunny, until today that is!
There has been a clapping and things have been going on Thursday evenings at 2000 so last night Chris Pitt who lives at number 6 decided he would brighten things up and do some singing in the car park making sure that we kept social distancing rules. I will put a couple of short clips here.

 Today it is back to rain so normality is back! Lol.
Well that has just about been the highlights of our past 3 months here at Dowr Close.

My slow but sure return to health.

So far it has been a slow process, mainly due I feel to age and inability to get out and exercise. The first is due process and the second it was constantly pissing down for the first 2 months that I was out of hospital.
Kim, who was visiting me from cardiac care seems pleased enough anyway apart from the slight hiccup that occurred on Monday the 10th February which reporting here is likely to get me deep in the poop as I have not told anyone else except Kim. I am putting it here as there is little likelihood of it being seen!
I was sat at my PC when I came over all queer, I do not know what happened, all I do know is that I lost the use of everything and appeared to black out. I came to at 0832 slumped in my chair and feeling somewhat nervous and very shaky.
I spoke to Kim about it when she visited and she said that all she could think is that a very small blood clot possibly passed through my brain and had since broken up (dispersed) as it had not reoccurred. This is where I get into trouble as she asked me what Sue thought about it. I told her I had not told Sue as she would probably have immediately called 999 and I would have been carted off to hospital again.
I was told to pass the info on to Sue in case it happened again which she thought was highly unlikely now as it had been so long since the event. Of course I did not tell Sue but as all seems to be good I am noting it here so there is a record!
I am so thankful to Sue for all she has done nursing me back to health especially when her own is not so good.
Stella, Stacey and Andy also need a mention for all the help with transport and the odd bit of shopping. That is also so current now with the Covid 19 pandemic as it is.
I was due for my last check up with Derriford on 19th March which was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.
Kim rang me during the following week to check how I was and sign me off.
So hopefully it will all be plain sailing from here on.

5 day stay turns into 8!

It was planned that as everything went well with the operation that I should return home on Friday, day 5 but alas due to a collapsed lung during the night of Weds/Thurs I was to remain a further 3 days.
Apparently what caused it is a bit of a mystery but eventually it was put down to being a smoker for some 52 years leaving my lungs with an inherent weakness especially of the left lung causing it to leak. It eventually sealed itself on the Sunday morning, so was decided as long as it stayed sealed for 24 hours I could return home on the Monday.
After some delays and a wait of some 5 hours while getting medication and x-rays were taken we eventually set out for home at around 1830 arriving home about 1915.
Thank you to Andy Fortmuller for getting Sue there to pick me up. Stella was due to do it but unfortunately she had college at Truro on that day which we all thought was given due priority.
It was lovely being home if somewhat uncomfortable due to not having the aids such as specialist bed that you have in hospital! That was far outweighed though by the love of a wonderful nurse and wife and by far superior food.

Operation Day!

Up bright and early, being nil-by-mouth, so showered and changed ready to go to theater at 0715.
Had premeds then off down we went and the nerves are now getting to me so deep in prayer and in the knowledge that many others are praying for me also.
Got there and met by the anesthetist that had spoken to me last evening and to be truthful I do not remember much more about the day except coming around and opening my eyes to see Stella, Sue and Lainie speaking to me. Stella seemed to be a little upset but the other two were fine and I even remember Lainie telling me that she loved me. Now that was a moment to remember!
I can honestly remember nothing else of this day.
As a footnote there was no need to renew any valves so it was just a double by-pass.

Admission to Derriford again.

Had a quiet day arriving at the hospital early, as usual getting to Clearbrook ward about 1600, thank you again Stella.
Well the first thing that I learned was that I was second on the list again so may be going back home again tomorrow.
We met with Mr Asopa's assistant and told him of the problems that we have had since my last admission.
Lo and behold the next thing is Mr Asopa arrives and we have been promoted from second to first for "medical reasons"! Not going to argue with that one!
Shortly after Sue and Stella went home leaving me to have tea and then it was getting settled into an adjoining ward ready to go down at 0715 tomorrow for the operation (fingers crossed) provided no emergencies come in in the meantime.
I did feel a little sorry for David who they jumped me in front of and went from first to second!

Well here we are 2020 already!

We have much to look forward to this year, but to start with we have to get my operation sorted.
We have the new date of 19th January as admission day for the op on the 20th. Lets just pray that it goes ahead on this date?