Birmingham Symphony Hall Concert 2020

I am preparing for a male voice choir concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall in October 2020 with other choirs in the Cornish federation which will number some 380 choristers.
This consists of a practice every month at Liskeard and learning a whole range of new songs for which we have been provided with a CD with our individual parts that I was charged to make copies for our individual choir members.
These are the pieces that we are to be singing, some we know and some we don't and not in this order obviously.

1.     Angels

2.     Anthem from chess

3.     An American trilogy

4.     Camborne hill

5.     Deep river

6.     Do you hear the people sing

7.     Home home from the sea

8.     How great thou art

9.     Jesus shall reign

10.Llanfair

11.Love could I only tell thee

12.Rachie

13.Rock Island Line

14.The Lord’s Prayer

15.We rise again

16.With a voice of singing

Launceston Male Voice Choir are arranging to make a weekend of it with a couple more concerts on the way and on the way home. Should be a good time?

A funny ole' day.

Up and about early as Stella and Stacey came to pick up 3 bonsai (with Andy's help) to take to swap for 3 children at Dorchester?
 I do not know who had the better deal of the two?
After a coffee off Stella set on her mission. I think she was late getting there as the rendezvous was 1100 and she never left here until 0925 having to drop Stacey off at home, go to the toilet and then set out? As it takes about 2 hours to get there I am guessing she was late!
I can only guess that everything went well as Lindy rang me last evening to thank me for the bonsai which are in pride of place in her garden and she is looking forward to the challenge of caring for and shaping! Well Robert did say her wiring was to competition standard which Lindy makes sure I do not forget!
Sue and I had a quiet day as she is up to something secretive in her study and so I listened to another opera, in it's entirety, in English. La Traviata by Mozart.
I ended up falling asleep in front of a program I had been looking forward to! Still what do you expect after 2100? That is what iPlayer is for after all! Lol!
Hence writing this.....

23 out of 24?

Well it serves us right for being lazy?

Instead of going out to find some new plates we decided to do it online.
Having been not too good of late and our dinner plates being too big to go in the new compact dishwasher we sent for the ones on the right. 6 place settings of dinner plates, 6 side plates, 6 bowls and 6 weird sort of bowls/plates, or so we ordered.
On arrival we were short one side plate, yes only 5 in the box. What good is that? Anyway Sue contacted Amazon who sent the complaint on to the supplier.
To cut a long story short we are in a bit of a quandry? It is like they are having a bit of trouble believing us? We so far have had to take this picture to prove that we were 1 short? Though what that proves I do not know because we could just have taken one out of the box and told them that it was missing on arrival!!! Lol.
This done we now await developments?
I will update as we go........

Update 19/08 They are to send a tea plate to make up the number.

Redundancy, a lovely feeling?

Or perhaps the day I became redundant?

Having been known as the dishwasher ever since we have lived here we had this beaut plumbed in today which effectively makes me unemployed, but in the nicest possible way!

I look forward to a long and happy acquaintance filling and emptying it with even monotonous regularity.

Long may it reign!

Preparations for holidays? (Medication)

We are planning a three and a half week holiday in Scotland and Lindisfarne shortly calling in on Dea in Derbyshire for one night and staying another night at Perth on the way.
The preparations for this are horrendous under normal circumstances but add in my level of medication it becomes puzzling in its complexity!
 I normally do my medication 4 weeks at a time which is straight forward enough but add in another 4 weeks and a 3 day journey and the fun begins. The 3 day journey to get there means that if I were to take all of the insulin that I need with me it would warm up and spoil!
I duly applied for 8 weeks medication yesterday and not having done it before jumped in the deep end and surmised that if I did not get it right I would hear about it? I sent a second order for Sue's after and that was complicated by the fact that one of her tablets has been cut down from 1 a day to one every 2 days. A further complication was the fact that I needed a separate prescription for 5 vials of insulin to be filled in Scotland?
  About 20 minutes after I pushed send on the order the phone was ringing!!!
A very nice, but confused, young lady from the medical centre wanted to know what I wanted, and after I explained it all once I had to go through it a second time to ensure she had it right in her head (I do not know her but was left wondering if she was blonde by any chance? (and that is a joke))!

Fast forward to this morning.
At 0550 I was logged in to the my medical records checking to see if it had got through ok and it all seems correct.

Now this morning it is just going to leave me to ring the chemist to explain why the extra prescription and hopefully we shall be all done?

Well that is except for having to sort them all into separate compartments for 8 weeks but hey that is simple compared with trying to get them one hopes!!!

Is there such a word as OPERAFEST? If there is I think I am having one! FEEL SORRY FOR SUE?

One of the joys of my life since perhaps my teenage years is music. My problem, or rather my wifes problem is the variety of music I like? Anything before about 1975 and that includes all genre from folk through jazz, classical, opera, operetta and everything country and all in between!

I recently discovered Amazon Music and for a nominal monthly sum I can listen to as much music and in whatever variety and quantity I like! Well to me that is like a red rag to a bull because being a hater of advertisements in any shape or form it means endless music of my choice without a single advert all day and all night woohoo!!!
I can even download it onto my phone and have advertless music of my choice in the car as well.

As I am stuck indoors today because I cannot make any use of my right arm due to having the artery opened up yesterday and it has to heal I am working my way through my favourite operas! NOT JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS EITHER but IN THEIR ENTIRETY! Wonderful Wonderful operatic classical music! What complete JOY!!!!
1st THE MAGIC FLUTE
2nd CARMEN (playing now).
Only problem I have is which one next? LA TRAVIATA, TOSCA, LA BOHEME, DON GIOVANI, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, the list goes on and on not even mentioning Gilbert and Sullivan, Oh such wonderful music...... Poor long suffering Sue!

My short stay at Derriford!

Tag and the result (in double dutch).

Follow up from last post.

Woke at 0320 and saw 0500 then the next thing I expected was the alarm at 0530 but Sue forgot to set it and so it was 0552 when I next looked at the clock!
So started all behind with the way I had had it planned, still got it all sorted in time and Stella arrived at 0640 to get me to Derriford by 0800.
Oh I did inwardly laugh? Stella had gone her usual way so that she knew it and got lost! So funny but we still arrived at 0730 and then sat about until 0800.

Sue and Stella went off for a McDonalds breakfast and some retail therapy.

Chatting to the nurse Darren I discovered that he had spent the weekend in Trowbridge to attend a party, as his wife is a Trowbridge girl. He stayed at Silver Street Lane and better than that the party that they attended is at the very place that Antonia's wedding is at on the 31st of August!!!! He says it is a lovely venue, so that is something to look forward to. Needless to say, IT IS A SMALL WORLD!

I was first to be admitted as I was first on the list as I had come the furthest, (thank you Lord) scheduled for 0930 as it turned out as we had to sign our lives away at 0900 when we expected to begin.
After 10 or 15 minutes chatting to the staff while they ensured I was comfy so boss man came in and explained the procedure and we started.
25 minutes later and it was all over and I was on my way back to recover and the next one was on his way down. I was made comfortable. 4 patients and 4 nurses, Darren, Vicky (sticky Vicky) Olivia and Anthony by name, quite a good ratio. All staff were very professional, helpful and pleasant. I would even go as far as saying wonderful.
Fed coffee and a bacon sandwich and more coffee and more coffee, and very nice it was as well!
After a couple of hours of obs and letting air out of the wrist tourniquet I was done and just waiting the result.
They told me I should be finished, seen boss man and ready to go by about 1315 so I duely asked Sue and Stella to pick me up then.
Needless to say I was ready but not finished so was delayed but at least it meant that Sue was there when boss man was seen and had some input!
Result is that it looks like I may be having a heart bypass op sometime but that is to be confirmed and it will not be until hopefully after our holiday to Scotland next month.

Sunday 11th, Church, BBQ and Opera, now there is a combination!

Family service at Bridge church this morning run by the holiday club. Very enjoyable for those of good health and healthy with much dancing and singing. L.E.D. band from Oriel Ministries took part with Chris and Nicky singing and my hearing aids in the off position! Standing joke between me and Chris! lol.
After the service there was a Bar-Be-Que and car wash in aid of the young people going to Soul Survivor later in the week. £445 was raised so that will buy an awful lot of ice creams as it is a long way to Peterborough!

Home then for a short nap and then away again to pick up Stella and off to Sterts Theatre Upton Cross for a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute, one of my personal favourites and always good for a laugh!

The Magic Flute was performed by Opera Anywhere which is a small but surprisingly spectacularly good company that I think surprised us all at the performance. Watch out for them near you.
The young lady playing the Second Lady's part had a particularly good voice and goes by the name of Freya Jacklin and is one to look out for? Not often does a voice make me come out in goose bumps as hers did!

Then Home to try to sleep and steele myself for the day tomorrow!

Derriford update.

Had a phone call this morning from Derriford heart clinic to see if I could step up by 1 week and attend for the procedure on Monday 12th August at 0800 instead of the 19th?
Managed to get hold of Stella to see if she could get me there for that time which she can.
Well at least it is over and hopefully done with then and we can start looking forward to our Scotland holiday next month.

Ah but of course we have Antonia's wedding and visit to Wiltshire to look forward to before that!

The mystery that is my second daughter?

Elizabeth by name, she has always been an odd character and that has been exasperated by marrying an even odder one!
They married in 2001 whilst we were living in Saltford and things seemed markedly to change from that point on.
Whereas I had always seemed to get along with Brendan up to then it seemed that when married things went from tentative control to total and he became more standoffish, more remote, more distant! See previous post on this subject.
When we lived in Wales I think Elizabeth actually came to the house in Trevethin once, maybe twice at the most and every other time we had contact it was either we went to their house or met at a neutral setting, venues such as St. Fagans I remember with some fondness.
Since they married it has been very much one-way traffic in that if we want to see them we had to go to them or meet up with them on mutual ground or at family occasions such as funerals or weddings.
At family funerals some time ago (Auntie Bibs and Andrews) and the way we were treated at arms length there and the way that my family were treated as a totally separate entity at Elizabeth's 50th birthday celebrations even to the point of having one bar-be-que for "my family" and one for "Brendan's family and our friends" as though my children are tainted or infected? I decided anyway that enough was enough and I was not prepared to put up with this situation any longer and I told Elizabeth as much which went down like a lead balloon.
I am no longer chasing around after her and if she wants to see me she will need to make an effort and come here to our flat. I know it is beneath her husband to do so but with my failing health and loss of patience with them I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!

Well after a few months on Tuesday I had a phone call from Elizabeth suggesting that she would like to see me. I have suggested she come here to see me but she would not readily agree to that as I presume she has to run it past Brendan so we now wait and see.
I am hoping it is not going to be until after the visit to Derriford as I do not know if my heart will stand the stress at the moment? I guess I can only say this is to be continued!

New Driving Licence!

On Monday I got this through the post which I gratefully received.
Today two days later I got a letter telling me that I will be getting my Driving Licence returned to me within the next 2 weeks and if I do not receive it I am to start making enquiries?
Mysterious!

Government departments never cease to amaze!

What a day! A puzzling story and Derriford pre-op.

Off to Derriford for pre-op assessment at 1430 but first a puzzling story?

Don't you just love it when you spend several days doing a jigsaw and there is a piece missing!!!

I spent several days searching for the little bleeder, but to no avail. All around the floor, under the table, under the suite, it was so unusual for Sharon and Syd to give us a puzzle with a piece missing and it not to be marked as such!

As it was an edge it was quite apparent from the start that it was not there?

When finished I thought "well I will just get it packed away and then start the other one that is in the same box". So I broke it up while Sue went to get the bag that I keep the spares in. 

I took the plastic bag out to put the pieces away and lo and behold stuck to the sellotape along the opening was the missing edge, laughing at me!!!!

There has to be a moral to this tale and when I think of it I will add it? Lol.

If you can think of one comments at the bottom please?

So an early lunch then set off at 1300 for Derriford in Plymouth to find a new unit called Peninsula Heart Clinic. It had only just opened, in fact the official opening was 1100 this morning!

Having searched for 10 or 15 minutes for parking duly arriving at department at 1415 for 1430 appointment.

Promptly seen before time at 1425 and had a very pleasant time, as much as one can in a hospital! 

All passed ok anyway and appointment made for the actual procedure on Monday 19th August 2019 at 1200 noon. (I point blank refuse to write 1200pm as 1200 noon is neither am or pm! Ok readers it is just one of my things).

In 2004 when I had a similar procedure in Bristol Royal Infirmary after my heart attack they went via the groin, now it is done through the wrist and is much nicer? If invasive surgery can be nice?We will see?

Report to follow on the 19th-ish?

A busy ole Saturday it was too!

Up at the normal time but then off to the men's breakfast at Bridge Church.

Visit To Lindy and Co!

Lindy pulled the face as Lainie photobombed it!

 No sooner back from that and it is off to "the middle of nowhere" where the Hornby family are staying on holiday for lunch and fun.

As you can see they had a pool and I just love this picture of Lindy and Lainie so it had to be added!

Sue and I stayed until mid afternoon then it was all getting too noisy in the pool so we took our leave.

It was lovely seeing them all and I WILL get a photo of the four of them together at some point?

 After this it was home for a relaxing evening and snooze!

It is finished!

On the 1st of October 2018 I started trying to read the Bible in a year.
Well as it turned out I really enjoyed the challenge so much that here we are the 1st of August 2019 and I have finished it!
I will not say I was not challenged at times in some books of the old testament when you have "lists and laws"!
I have made it in 305 days shaving some 60 days off the year (I would have done it in 300 but forgot to take the plan with me on a visit to Milton Keynes).
My problem is now, what do I do with the first 30 to 45 minutes when I get up?

Mmm now I got this study book from the bookshop recently and I think it may keep me occupied for a while?
I have always struggled a bit to get my head round Hebrews and Revelation so hopefully it will be very illuminating!

Follow this space!

July 31st and Lainie is 15.

Up at dawn and off to Cornwall services at Victoria to Breakfast here.

Thanks to Sue taking her camera we were snapped enjoying a right sumptuous meal.




After that it was shopping in Bodmin and Back to Lanson for a bar-b-que at ours.

I started cooking and Stacey took over as the old guy had a funny turn. Thank you Stacey.


I will finish with Photos of Lainie and Levi (her boyfriend).

Lainie 15 today.

Levi.

Another one bites the dust!

I must be getting old! I have taken up doing jigsaw puzzles.
Mind you I only occasionally venture above 500 pieces and that is to the dizzying heights of 636!  Well they do keep me awake! Lol.
Here is the latest that I have just finished and a few that I have done earlier.

Ah so which one to do next? Better search the multitude waiting in the wardrobe!
Many thanks to Sharon and Syd, her father-in-law for the provision of the above.
Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Question, why do today's young people seem to think the older generation owe them a living?

I am just reminded of something that happened recently. This is just one of recent incidences to illustrate what I mean.

As usual I will start at the beginning.

A visit to see friends in Wiltshire was arranged recently. Of this on talking to one of our grandchildren he suggested we meet up at a local Wetherspoons for a meal. On his arrival (he was late) I suggested that as it was both of us I would not expect him to pay for us all so suggested that either he pay for the food or the drinks. As the drinks were inclusive with the meal deals we separated the 2 prices and it was agreed that I would pay it all and he would transfer the cost of the drinks £6 or £7 into my bank account.

We went to get the drinks and order the food and while waiting for the food to arrive he transferred the sum into my account (or said he did). Needless to say it failed to arrive, although I did not know this at the time as I never checked! Well he is our grandson!

Forward now to when we got home on the Monday. I looked at my bank account as there had been a problem with the card machine at the bakers we called in on on the way back home. I noticed the payment had not arrived so I contacted him and he stated that "I must have entered the details wrong as it has been pinged back to me". So I sent him the details again having checked that it was correct.

It is now 12 days since that happened and sad to say that it has failed to arrive.

I don't think I would mind so much if it had not been for the fact that he invited us to meet him for a meal and that I had always paid before when we had met. Then it was us that asked so I would expect to pay. Yes it is only 6 or 7 quid but that is not the point!!!

I do not think I need to say more than that but it does illustrate the point! I do not intend to press the point further with him but it is the sort of thing I would have expected from his father but not him!!!

Any answers or comments in the usual place below please.....

Facebook have BLOCKED The Last Reformation film "THE BEGINNING"!

As many of you no doubt are aware I have been involved for some years now with a group called The Last Reformation. We go out onto the streets healing and praying for people, evangelising and generally spreading the Word of God!

I was gobsmacked this morning on learning on facebook that the movie made by The Last Reformation entitled The Beginning has been blocked by facebook as "going against their community standards" I am posting it on here so that you can make up your own mind and if you find it interesting, helpful or even offensive please post in the comments to let me know?

I did try to post it to facebook myself just to be sure and this is what happened as I took a screenshot of it!

Torben Sondergaard and The Last Reformation do sterling work that needs as much publicity as they can get. If you use facebook please try to post it and object to the blocking! Thankyou.

When I tried to post it I was taken to an area that allowed me to voice my objection to the removal of what I was trying to post. This I did in no uncertain terms! 

We must try to stop this devious work that can only, I feel, come from Satan himself as we know how he hates any work by God's people that make a difference!

SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!!

Tyler is to be a father.

Tyler and his partner Bethany are to become parents in August and Sue, myself, Stella and Lainie are all feeling the lack of communication quite markedly at the moment!

As was stated in the earlier post about control Nicky and Mark have separated themselves and ultimately their children from all of us (including Lindy and family).

I sometime ago composed a letter to Bethany (sent via facebook messenger) as we have no idea what she has been told as to the reasons that there has been no contact with us since Mark, Nicky and the boys moved a couple of years ago? The reason being that we were never given a forwarding address!

The letter is as follows word for word.

"Dear Bethany,

We have never met but I am Tyler’s grandfather and I am desperate?

Myself and Mark’s mother (your child’s great grandmother) are gutted not to be able to be involved with your expected child. This is through no fault of our own. I do not know what you have been told about why we have nothing to do with Tyler’s family, this is very definitely not our choice, so perhaps I should give you a little bit of the history of events leading up to this time?

Mark had always been very close to his mother as he always had been as growing up it was just being the 4 of them with Ron, Freda and Tony. That was basically the whole family unit.

About 18 years ago Nicky lost her mother very suddenly. Around the time that Corben was born.

Shortly after this we noticed that we were hearing less and less from Mark and Nicky. There was a noticeable distancing between us all as a family, less and less contact was very much in evidence. We tried our best to keep in touch even to the point of arranging holidays in Cornwall in 2007 and 2009 to try to keep the family unit together.

The trend was very noticeable and mystifying as when on the odd occasion that we did see them and met at family events (funerals, weddings etc.) it was as if nothing was wrong and everything was hunky dory?

Hearsay is that Nicky was jealous of Mark’s relationship with his mother (as she had lost hers) and at one time it came to her giving Mark the option of “Nicky and the boys or his mother”. (this came from Mark via Stella I think).

We have never in any way done anything to upset or offend Mark or Nicky and as far as I know there has never been a cross word said between any of us?

We do find it very hurtful and upsetting that after the last house move from Edgell Road we have never been allowed to have the contact details, neither address or telephone numbers of where they have moved to and so have been unable to send presents or even cards to anyone, especially Tyler and Corben! Stella and Lindy both feel it is not their place to pass them on to us as they also do not want to upset Nicky!

Every 12^th January, Mother’s day, 24^th May, Tyler and Corbens birthdays and Christmas I have tears to deal with from Sue. She feels it very deeply and is feeling very sad to be excluded from the excitement of a great grandchild.

I know this is not your fault but please do not look too badly on us for trying to keep the peace in Tyler’s family. Really we do not know which way to turn for the best so up to now have just kept quiet!

Please give our love to Tyler & Corben and much love to yourself.

Glyn Xxxx"

As of this date this post the letter has not been seen as far as we are aware? At least there has been no response so watch this space!

What is wrong with me? Do I have something that is catching? Am I going to taint their children?

I am becoming increasingly aware that my daughter Elizabeth and her family are getting more and more distant from me. It is like I am tainted and this hurts me immensely! (See previous post about control)

When Alice had her graduation last year I was somewhat disappointed that I was not invited to it even though it appears they had a spare ticket! I did voice my disappointment!

WELL THEY HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! What is the first I get to know about it, a post on facebook with some pictures!!! Am I never to be allowed to be a part of their family?

All I can do is from a distance wish Alice all the best for the future and send her lots and lots of love!

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

CONTROL, one persons control over another and how it impacts on us and others?

I know it is a strange subject but alas it is one that seems to keep rearing its' ugly head more and more of late.

Firstly I must say that I will be mentioning people that are still alive today by name and if they stumble across this blog one day by accident they will perhaps understand a little about how their actions, thoughtlessness and selfishness have impacted on us and hurt us and others around us. So for this I make no apology!

So how did it come to mind now? Mainly a visit we made to friends over the weekend where the wife has total control over her husband.

Let me go back oooo some 53 years to 1966 when I first got married. My first wife was it seems very jealous of any time I spent away from her, be it with family, friends or anyone that kept me away from her. Also it seems she wanted me to herself so even if I was with family and she was there there was always a noticeable atmosphere that she created by being lazy and offensive! My mother was the first one to notice this and pointed it out and after that I was always alerted to it!
  It never changed and she succeeded in losing me any friends I had but the one thing she could not come between was me and my family! It was not for the want of trying I can assure you!

Now I am going to list those that I will be looking at in this post, the list is quite long and I will list them in the measure that their actions have affected us!

1. Mark and Nicky.
2. Liz and Brendan.
3. Ben, Kayley and Kath (Ben's mother).
4. Mike and Jane.
5. Sharon and Peter.
6. Rob and Sarah-Jane.
7. Danny and Angela.

So the best place to start is the top!

Nicky Atkinson and her control over Mark. 

We can pinpoint the time it started, that it seems is the time that Nicky lost her mother with whom she was very close. We think that it was decided by her that as she had lost hers Mark also must lose his?
Mark up to that time had always had a very close relationship with his mother Sue. We noticed from this point on that after perhaps a year or so contact with them started getting less and less from them to us. Although it was still normal the other way.
Slowly the contact from them drifted off to nothing!
Strangest thing was that when there had to be contact through family things such as weddings and funerals it was as if you had only seen them the day before and everything was hunky dory!
Two joint family holidays were arranged in 2007 & 2009 to try to repair the damage or at least try to air what the problem was but to no avail!
Forward to Lindy's wedding in 2014 when all contact was NORMAL!!!! It is totally beyond all our comprehension or understanding?
Lets move on to the present day? It seems that Nicky has now come between Mark and his sisters, Both Stella and Lindy it seems have no contact with them now.
They are about to have a grandchild, this would be our great grandchild and not only have we not been informed but we do not even have an address for them as when they moved a couple of years ago no details were passed on to us!

Liz and Brendan Ricketts and the total control of their children.

This seems quite an odd one, well it seems that way to me! The way that their total control of Alice and Emily have robbed us of any relationship that we could have had with them. 

This has been going on for years, ever since the children were small we were never permitted to spend any time alone with them. It seems to have been a conscious decision by Liz and Brendan as it stretched to the whole of our family, or at least Liz's?

I do not know if it was only "The Cotterill" family that there was a problem with or if it was the same with "The Ricketts" as well? We have never been left alone with the children long enough to find out!

I think that it is possibly not the case as when we lived at Saltford they would pass where we lived several times a week to visit "the Ricketts" family and also the fiasco at the 50th birthday BBQ where Liz's family were invited to a totally separate party than Brendan's family and their friends!!!! YES THAT HURT! And I never even went to it but felt for my children and grandchildren that did!

Ben and how he seems to be controlled by his girlfriend and mother!

We have a great granddaughter called Thea-Paige. We are not allowed to see her though due to lies and deceit by her parents and her fathers mother. 

I am not going any deeper than that but as they are only an hour and a quarter away seems such a shame and Richard is extremely hurt by this as are we. 

Jane and how she controls Mike.

Mike met Jane just before he came on holiday to Scotland with us in 2011. Sue and I had become quite close to Mike since he lost his wife Sue to cancer in 2007. He had spent a lot of time with us both in Wales and after we moved to Cornwall. 

The first sign was his beard vanished for the first time in many a moon soon after his return. Then he was on the move to another flat in the same complex. Well then they got married in 2012 and we saw less and less of him. We soon noticed he was seeing less and less of his children especially after she got him moved to Cheddar!

Update to today. We only see him if he comes to Cornwall on holiday or if we make the effort to go to Cheddar! C'est la vie.

Sharon and Peter.

This is really only noticeable when you stay with them and seems to work only in the evening? 

Peter has a real problem with drink and drugs, Sharon now only with drink. During the day they seem to strike a happy medium but as soon as Pete gets home from work the whole atmosphere changes.

Rob and Sarah-Jane.

Who knows how this one works? SJ cut herself off from our family immediately after their wedding. I think I have seen her about 3 or 4 times since and Rob about 3 times as much. I have had the feeling that our family is so much below hers in status that we have never been worth bothering with!
They have 2 children that I think I have met 2 or 3 times at most?

Angela Greatwood and her control of Danny.

Well that is a whole other story that I will do on another post and another day!

Stella's itchy feet strike again! or is it painful knees?

When Stella moved here She seemed quite settled in the jobs she had had. Always very loyal to her employer and hard working in the things that she aspired to!

Since moving here however I think she appears to have been quite unsettled in the jobs she has had but still very loyal. Well needless to say--- 

Here we go again..........Lol!

Firstly I will list the jobs from moving here in May 2012 to present:-

June 2012 to Sept 2015 care assistant at Kernow House.

Sept 2015 to Oct 2015 Sales person at Carpet Right.

Oct 2015 to Aug 2016 back at Kernow House.

Aug 2016 to July 2017 Care assistant, challenging unit on nights at Bowden Derra Park.

July 2017 to Aug 2019 Supervisor at a Cooperative Store.

As of the 1st August there is to be a total career change! Stella is going to work in an office as a receptionist! It is back at Bowden Derra Park, Polyphant.

Let us go back a couple of years.

As those that know Stella will be aware of a certain joint weakness in her knees. After two years of constant pain and many tears she has come to a realisation that boredom is better than pain? Well we hope so as it is full time Mon-Fri days (I think possibly for the first time in her life) should be better for both her home life and most certainly for Lainie.

Sue and myself  wish her all the best in her new career and we are sure that it will be for the best in the long run. 💘😉😀
🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖

Weekend in Holt Wilts 12 - 15 July 2019

Had a lovely weekend visiting the Greatwood's home.

First went to Saltford for a concert by Bath Community Gospel Choir to which Danny and Angela belong and participated in. Well true to say I went while Sue had a lovely afternoon watching the Tennis!

Next on to Sunday and a Bar-B-Que in the garden with musicians, friends and acquaintances of our hosts. Sue had a lovely afternoon watching Wimbledon! Lol. 

Our very good friend Danny who it is fair to say never stopped smiling all afternoon!

Launceston MVC 2014 - 2019

There are too many concerts and trips to record but here is a selection of pictures to cover the time.

Just three of the highlights.
You can find a lot more here which is my YouTube channel.

Atlantic Village Bideford November 2014

Wells Cathedral April 2016

Men of Cornwall Tour of Northampton October 2017

St. Chadd's Cathedral Birmingham (top)

Rugby Parish Church (middle)

Northampton Baptist Church (bottom)

Link to watch the Tour on YouTube.

My discipleship with Christ 2014 - 2019.

Much has happened over the 5 years between then and now!

I have changed church for 1 thing but let me start at the beginning.

As you will have seen in 2014 I had skin cancer on my face well over the next few months I developed cancer in my throat! This was miraculously healed by God via a man called Don at church one Sunday morning. In fact it was 2 days before I was due to go the hospital to have it dealt with. Well I went and nothing was found!!!! Healed, totally clear and never had any problem since PRAISE GOD!

This in turn made me start seeking to learn more about healing and was led to a man called Torben Sondegaard and The Last Reformation (TLR) who were having a weekend seminar in Leicester that they called a "Kickstart". Going out onto the street and healing on there.

I attended and everything just fell into place, everything made sense in that Jesus Christ not only died on the cross for our sin but also to be healed.

I think the biggest revelation to me though was the fact that when God sent his Spirit at Pentecost it was to ALL men who are His receive it at baptism! YES, I WAS GIVEN THE SAME POWER TO HEAL AT PENTECOST THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE DISCIPLES WHO WERE THERE!

Well to cut a long story short the church that I belonged to at that time did not seem to recognise this and I started to find a level of control by the leadership of that fellowship that disturbed me greatly, to such an extent that in the end I felt that I had to distance myself from them!

So for the next 3 years or so I drifted meeting where I could with friends for study and going out onto the streets with TLR both in Launceston and other west country towns. I never at any point though lost any of the unshakable faith I have in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour!

Well needless to say eventually God found me a church in the local area (in fact it is the closest to me) called Bridge Church and so last September I tentatively attended for the first time with a friend who was also seeking a church. Well as soon as I walked through the door and climbed the stairs I felt right at home. I have now settled into fellowship there and the church has since moved into a much larger space in the warehouse next door and is growing and developing all the time! They are a church that trust God to supply everything, if they feel God is speaking to them they get on with it trusting God to provide the means, and so far He has! The Church even has a door now!

I am happily serving on the prayer team and Sue and I help with the after school club for 4 to 11 year olds on a Monday.

Watch this space!

5 plus years!!

Has it really been 5+ years since I last posted on here?
So much water has gone under the bridge since then but I will get around to telling you all in due time as being of the elderly mind I have to recall all in time? Does that make sense?

Life has moved on so much and so much has changed in that time.

I think the best way to go may be to list events and then cover those I remember! Lol

Visit to see Danny 10 to 12/05/2014

Got up quite excited on the 10th as off to Holt to get re-acquainted with Danny Greatwood after about 48 years and to meet his wife of 45 years for the first time.

Decided the day before that as we could not arrive until after 1800 that we would pay a long awaited visit to Tyntesfield House, a National Trust property near Bristol on the way.

Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and it was a really horrid morning with really heavy April showers, the fact that it was May seemed immaterial ha ha! So we decided to abandon plan a and do a plan b and divert to Frome and see if Mike and Jane were up for lunch at the Frome Flyer? They certainly were so they booked a table for 1300 and we arrived at the same time as them, after having a coffee break on the way, at 1250. A wonderful lunch was had with lovely company and then we just had a couple of hours to kill until we could get to Holt!

We went and had a cuppa in the garden centre at Studley then had a drive around stopping at Bradford-on-Avon for a comfort break before arriving at Holt at about 1810.

Had a lovely time and as it is now July 2019 and I have just found this I am guessing I should put it on and perhaps add a picture or 2 from the visit!

Glyn's apprentice!

Well talk about taking to latch hooking like a duck to water! Only had to Show Lainie a few times and she was doing it nearly as fast as me within half an hour or so!

Most confidently going like a good 'un and watching the telly as well!

Still under the ole mans' watchful eye though! lol!

Am I missing Fb and Twitter?

The short answer is yes, but not too much!
It means that I have been spending much more time doing the things that were being neglected of late, spending time with, and listening to God, I have been very aware that FB and Twitter must sit very much on the back-burner after Easter! The things that have been revealed to me I will enlarge upon when they have fully worked their course!
I am a little disappointed that most of my children have only presumed that I am ok and only Elizabeth has seen fit to actually ring me (twice) to see how the cancer treatment has been going. Makes me wonder if they really care? Apparently they are so wrapped up in their own little worlds that I no longer seem to matter?
What have I been up to so far, well apart from the usual things like doing the news magazine etc. for the church and the Launceston MVC, I have been sorting the change of bank from the Co-op to Barclays and of course the aforementioned which really seemed to knock 10 skittles of s**t out of me!!
Now that it is over and I am well on the road to recovery my thoughts are returning to getting back to the voluntary work that I do for the Launceston Money Advice Centre and Kernow House old folks home, oh and also what Sue took a photo of me doing (below)!

Yes it is a Disney latch hook rug! The second one I have done.

The first one is getting a bit threadbare now but I still love it!

2 Days further on

Well they said it would get worse before it got better! Every so often a lump breaks the skin and pops out through and thereby leaves a freshly open wound. I presume it is lumps of dead cancer cells that my body is ejecting as the hospital advised may be the case? Thankfully is seems to happen where there is already a scab. (updated Sunday 30th March)

The Last Treatment (I Hope)

Attended Derriford Hospital yesterday for the last of the treatment on the skin cancer and was much more painful than the first one! I also have a good deal more swelling especially around the eye.
Sue was so concerned about it that I rang the hospital this morning and they assured me that it was quite normal, but if not gone down by Friday to return without an appointment and they will be only too happy to look at it for me.

OUCH THAT HURT LOL!!

3 days after

I took this picture a few minutes ago on my tablet to show 3 days after the first treatment.
I hope it looks a bit better by Sunday as we have a concert at Ashwater Parish Hall!

Sue says that it will not look too bad at a distance!

Post script to previous post on the 18th! 20/03/2014

I do not know how this happened but I lost one and three quarter pounds this week which takes me under the 18 stones! JUST! So chuffed!!

Possible Bank Account Change 19/03/2014

Sue and I bank with the Cooperative Bank with our main current account, and as many of you will know they are not having the best of times at the moment BBC News here will tell you if you don't!

Sue and I arranged an appointment with Santander to see about the 123 account which had been recommended to us by a member of LCC and works for the bank and we duly arrived at 1000!
We were very politely shown into an office by one Paul Elkin to see about changing over. I by law have to tell them that in 2010 we declared ourselves bankrupt! Look here To say an attitude change occurred would grossly be an understatement! We were very promptly shown from the office without even a goodbye handshake! I think he went back in his office and scraped the bottom of his shoes off!

So funny as it will encourage their staff perhaps to listen to customers when they speak to them as I had asked the lady who made the appointment if being bankrupt in 2010 would cause any problems? To this I received no reply so considered it was hunky dory!

Now we have decided to stay with the Cooperative Bank as to be truthful they have been more than good to us in the past, but not to the extent of leaving all the funds that they hold so opening a savings account that is internet accessible with possibly Barclays to hold the bulk of the funds that are now held by the Coop.

As I always say that annoys the hell out of Sue "well at the end of the day it's only money"! As you may have guessed Sue worries enough about the stuff for both of us and I learned a long time ago that God provides ALL that we need and so I put all my cares about money on Him as He is big enough! Praise Him!

Today the cancer treatment started 18/03/2014

Well up early for the start of the Photodynamic Therapy Treatment for the skin cancer on my cheek. It involves 2 appointments 3 hours apart hence the visit to KFC to kill time!
As I am on a diet at the moment I have real fears that the weight loss is going to be in the negative this week!!! What with Trencreek Sunday, Homegroup meal Monday and now KFC Tuesday! Perhaps if I starve until Thursday morning?
Stella came with Sue and I just in case she was needed to drive home and below is a picture that she took while we were having our early lunch!

Make the most of it as you do not get many photos of me!

You do not get many natural pictures of Stella either so thought this was worth adding!

Thank You 16/03/2014

After church we went for lunch at Trencreek Farmhouse as a thank you from the church for all the work I do in the fellowship.They gave it to me as a Christmas present.

What can I say? The food was fantastic, the surroundings and welcome was outstanding!

So thank you Launceston Community Church for the gift, the wait for the booking was well worth it.

Westward Ho! 10/03/2014

Sharon was in Westward Ho for the first few days of the week so we arranged to meet her for lunch on Monday at the chalet where she was staying.
Well I nearly lost Sue for the duration of her stay, for to say the view from her chalet was spectacular would be a gross understatement!!!

As stated, a view to die for!

 We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant that was attached to where they were staying which had sea views out of the windows.

My word Sue is getting rather grey! ha ha! Oh and Sharon looking as young as ever!

We then had a drive to the town and a wander along the front and popping into the shops before the drive home, yes Sue was with me?
The astounding thing was also that the sun shone all day, it was all in all a good day out!

Diet up to 06/03/14

Just to start with the boring stuff, I this week went over the stone loss and weighed in at 18st and a quarter pound. Total loss so far one stone one and three quarter pounds so a pat on the back for Glyn me thinks!
Well if I don't do it no-one else will ha ha!

Lent 2014

Well I have decided that I am giving up "social networking" (Facebook and Twitter) for lent again this year. I started on Ash Wednesday (5th March) and will be continuing until Easter Sunday (20th April). I had forgotten how much I missed it last year? I got through it then so I am sure I will get through it now. It is good, mind you to be spending time on other things, I am spending more time reading the Bible and praying, also I may even be getting my rug finished after about 4 years! I have my bonsai to start as they are just starting to bud up, a weather station to set up in the garden, also help Sue with the raised bed she has taken on for us, I am sure I will not be idle?
Will also be able to update this more regularly!
I have a few thing to add such as, our visits to Frome and The Eden Project.
Also there was the flood relief concert.
I will also be able to bore you with how my diet is progressing!
During this time I will be having the treatment for the skin cancer on my cheek! One thing that I am not looking forward to!

10 pin bowling with church 20/02/2014

Went 10 pin bowling at Trethorne for the first time in what must be 10 years!

The company was wonderful and it was a fun evening. Stella and Lainie were in attendance as well as it was half term.

What I did find surprising was how you forget how to do such a simple thing as chuck a ball accurately at 10 pins! What is that all about? Sue and I were crap on the first game but at least I tied the second with Mervyn but only with 101 pins. When we were playing regularly I would have hung my head in shame at that score so will not even tell you what I got in the first game!!!

We had a lovely meal between games, not that I really needed it being on a diet.

Below are a couple of pictures taken by Rachel who must be thanked for organising such a fun time for all!

What a mixed bag of friends?

Lainie ready for action!

Flood Relief Concert 15/02/2014 raising £8000

Due to the amount of flooding on the Somerset Levels and the longevity of it the decision was made by Launceston MVC and 4 other choirs to do a charity concert (suggested in the first place by Chris Hitchins) to try to raise some funds for the victims.
I think I can safely say that the support and generosity was astounding considering it was arranged in less than a week and raising a staggering £8000!
I am going to put on here a picture and report from the local paper and a news item from the choirs website!

http://www.launcestonmalevoicechoir.co.uk/support_news.html

Chris Hitchins is front row second from left, I am on there so look?

LAUNCESTON MALE VOICE CHOIR

PRESENTATION OF £8000 CHEQUE TO THE ADDINGTON FUND

Ian Bell of the Addington Fund was presented with a cheque for £8000 by Brian Jennings, Chairman of Launceston Male Voice Choir on Wednesday 5th March 2014, to help the victims of the floods on the Somerset Levels.

£7000 was raised through a combined impromptu concert by five Cornish male voice choirs, and the Tetcott Ladies choir, all arranged in under a week, Lynne Pett from the Launceston branch of Barclays Bank also presented a cheque for £1000 from the Bank’s Charity fund to this very worthy cause.

“All of those taking part have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support we have received. Bringing together six choirs, totalling over 120 voices to perform a two hour concert in a matter of days was no small feat” said Brian Jennings. “With the magnificent support from our our choir friends from Burraton (Saltash), Tintagel, Pelynt, Liskerrett (Liskeard) and The Tetcott Ladies, we thrilled a packed house, who gave more much needed cash. We have also received many large anonymous donations”.

Ian Bell assured the choir members present that ‘every penny’ of the monies raised would be spent on flood victim support, both now and in the aftermath, as this tragedy is likely to last for at least another year or more.

Most of the choir members have very close connections with the farming community, and as such, although not involved, wanted to ‘do something special’ just to show those who had suffered so much that they too cared.

The Gathering! Frome 08 & 09/02/2014

Well for the first time in six and a half years we were all together again! That is the five children of Thelma and Dick Cotterill, yes even Rob appeared with Keaton! Hell he has grown, well I suppose that a young man of 20 would! You do not realise how time goes on when you see so little of them over the years!
We all met at the Premier Inn at Frome which has a public house attached called the Frome Flyer. This is very necessary as far as our family is concerned with the amount of alcohol we seem to consume when we get together. It was mostly a very pleasant evening except for the usual suspect and his nasty snide remarks toward me that as usual I chose to ignore rather than give him the satisfaction of rising to his "bait".
The rest is told in pictures!

The Five of us Cotterill Siblings

The 5 with Keaton.

Keaton was taking the photo and this is the rest of those attending.

Weight, Angina and secrecy!

Well now that Sue knows I suppose the rest of the world might as well!

I went to the doctors on the 7th January as my angina had been giving me some trouble since mid December. Not wanting to worry anyone until after Christmas I decided to keep it to myself and covertly take the spray as and when required! Well I found that quite easy so after going to the doctors decided to continue keeping it to myself.
That was OK except that the doctor had told me that having put on about 4 stone (had gone up to 19st 2lb or 122kg in foreign money) since giving up smoking about 2 years ago it was putting too much of a strain on my heart and to lose 2 stone very quickly OR she was going to have to arrange a bypass operation! If I did not I was going to be "kicking up daisies" sooner rather than later (general gist of conversation, my words not hers)! Also I was very strictly told not to do anything that was going to cause me the slightest stress until I had at least lost the 2 stone and reduced the blood pressure. Ummmm, how do you do that when you have a 9 year old child to entertain after school and still keep it to yourself?
Well tried it for 3 weeks and all was going quite well until I really did feel ill and felt close to passing out one day when playing with Lainie, so after that I decided I had better spill the beans to Sue. I had even lost 6lb in weight!!!!

To Be Cont..............As of today (05/03/14) it looks like I will have plenty of time to! explanation follows!

Feeling Down

Not something I normally do but feeling really low. Reason? I cannot really put my finger on it but is a combination of things that have happened over the past couple of weeks.....

1) Disappointment in my children that only Lisa thought I was worth sending as much as a Christmas card to!

2) The only one that thought I was worth a phone call was Sharon! I know they have their own families to cater for but it does not make it any easier!

3) Perhaps feeling a little sorry for myself after being diagnosed yesterday with skin cancer! I suppose that only compounds it but at least that is hopefully only going to be disfiguring and not life threatening.

Well I am not going to worry anyone with number 3 until after the new year, they never read this so let them at least have a happy new year!

Happy New Year To All Who Read This