21 February 2022

Normality

Our little semi-detached house in the suburbs this afternoon

In the past six days, three winter storms have rolled in from The Atlantic: Dudley, Eunice and Franklin. When the next storms arrive, they will be Gladys, Herman and Imani. We never used to name our winter storms but current thinking is that by giving storms names , the general public will be less blasé about responding to them. There's a certain anthropomorphism going on. 

Living here in Yorkshire on the eastern flank of The Pennines, we rarely feel the full force of Atlantic storms. By the time they reach us they have usually dissipated somewhat. The worst seems to be reserved for the south west of England, southern Wales and the north west of Scotland.

On Saturday night, I thought I might have contracted COVID for the first time because I had cold symptoms and  suspected it might have been connected with my football match attendance last Tuesday. However, a lateral flow test yesterday morning was negative. Down in London our son Ian tested positive last week and remained in home quarantine for five days. At first he felt quite poorly and took to his bed.

I made it up to "The Hammer and Pincers" last night for the Sunday quiz. My team won. It was helpful that I knew that the North American name for coriander is cilantro. We also knew that Axl Rose chose his stage name because it is an anagram of "oral sex". We won six beer tokens and £12 in cash and felt happy even as Storm Franklin was lashing about outside.

Earlier I had made yet another family Sunday dinner which was of course attended by our darling Phoebe. No longer does she grab our faces, threatening to pull them off. Instead she likes to walk us round the house as she holds on to our hands for stability. Kitchen to hallway, into the study then right past the downstairs shower room and back into the kitchen. It is a route I have now travelled dozens of times. Round and round like a teddy bear.

It seems that my younger brother Simon (aged 65) will have to have one of his kidneys removed before spring arrives. There's a tumour  but we don't yet know if it is benign.  He lives alone in a terrace of cottages not fifty yards from the bedroom in which he and I were both born in the middle of Yorkshire's East Riding.

I have already offered to bring him back to Sheffield for his recuperation period - assuming of course that the removal process is straightforward with no complications caused by possible malignancy. 

We never considered such things when we climbed trees, played football and larked about down by the canal.  And we came home to Mum and Dad, Paul and Robin and to Oscar our cat and later we laid in bed listening to the wind in the sycamores where  coal-black rooks had built their jumbled rookery.  No we never thought of kidneys or cancer, cholesterol or catastrophe as we entered sleep's gates. I whispered, "Are you awake Simon?" but there was no reply.

Hallam Towers - a new apartment block in Broomhill 
- seen from our top decking this afternoon

48 comments:

  1. I hope your brother is okay and that surgery goes well. I never thought about death or disease really until I had my son, then I realize another human being was dependent on me and if I died, it would be a problem.

    I am quite envious of your lovely weather. It's sunny here but was -26C this morning.

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    1. I wish you could nurse my brother Pixie.

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  2. I hope that Simon's procedure is straightforward, as pain free as possible and that the tumour is indeed benign.
    It is an anxious time for all concerned I am sure.
    Well done to Phoebe for putting you through her exercise regimen.

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    1. Shirley and I are her personal trainers even though we did not apply.

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  3. That's quite a concern about your brother. Hope it's not to be as bad as feared.
    Do you have bottom decking as well as top decking?

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  4. I hope your brother makes a quick recovery and takes up your kind offer to live with you for a while.

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  5. All the best for your brother, Neil. If anything like that would be on the cards for my sister, I'd do everything in my power to help, too; just like she has been doing a lot for me over the past years with my eye operations and other stuff.

    With so many people getting the omicron variety, even those who have had all their jabs and been careful, it feels as if it is just a question of time before we've all had it. I am rather worried about it all.

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    1. I am not as close to Simon as you are to your sister but even so - we are blood brothers and I will help him if I can.

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  6. We are expecting a cold spell but spring is on the way. (I hope) I didn't realize that coriander was cilantro. Hoping for the best for your brother!

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    1. Thank you Margaret. Lord knows why Yanks came up with alternative names for things!

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    2. Isn't cilantro a Spanish word? Perhaps we use it because that spice is used in a lot of Mexican food. (which is very popular here) My boyfriend John hates it and thinks it tastes like soap. I'm indifferent to it.

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    3. Here it is frequently used in Indian cooking.

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  7. I hope with all of my heart that your brother's tumor is benign. I have a dear friend going through a similar situation although they knew before they did surgery that hers was not benign. It is not easy having that surgery, either way.
    And if I had known that about Axel Rose, I had forgotten. Good to know!

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    1. Thanks Mary. Axel Rose's real name is William. Let's hope he never breaks down outside your house in Lloyd.

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  8. Storms, Covid and removed organs sounds like anything but normality in your neck of the woods.

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  9. I'm sorry to hear about Simon's illness. Fingers crossed it's benign! I liked your brief description of childhood innocence. None of us thought about these sorts of adult topics when we were kids, did we?

    Re. your negative test, if you're still feeling cold symptoms, keep testing. My tests were negative for three days before they turned positive. It seems to be a thing with Omicron -- it shows up late on lateral flow tests.

    I never knew that about Axl Rose! (But I'm not surprised.)

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    1. Thanks for the tip about negative tests. I will test again tomorrow.
      P.S. I now realise that I mis-spelt Axl. I blame the head cold/COVID.

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  10. I read that the reason they are naming storms is to make people more aware of global warming, another bit of brainwashing. We've had bad storms ever since time began but they want you to believe that you are to blame.
    Briony
    x

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    1. I swear that I had nothing to do with those storms your honour!

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  11. I hope your brother does well with his op. How right you are about being care free when we are young.
    Briony
    x

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  12. I never knew that about Axl Rose, though I've heard he thinks mighty highly of himself. I was never much of a Guns N' Roses fan.

    I sure hope things go well for your brother and I hope you don't mind if I say a few prayers for him. Sometimes I miss childhood innocence, though mine was shattered at a fairly young age.

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    1. Very sorry to hear that your childhood was "shattered" at a young age. Good that you came through the other side Kelly.

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  13. Anonymous9:49 pm

    I did not know that ever so useful trivia about the name Axl Rose.
    Rough news about your brother. Hopefully it was a timely discovery.
    Top decking implies you have more than one deck, maybe multiple decks. How the other half live compared to us with just one small and modest balcony.

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    1. Because of the lie of the land - on a hillside - we have one deck at ground floor level then steps down to a larger lower deck. I hope that Simon can survive this episode and regain his health. I can't see him working again.

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    2. Anonymous11:34 am

      There are worse things than not working for some of us. Fingers crossed for Simon.

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    3. Work is an overrated pastime in my view.

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  14. I wish all the best for Simon and hope that his treatment is successful. You've had your share of storms. I don't like wind storms.

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    1. Storm Keith would be a particularly nasty one but Storm Jean would be like a lovely summer breeze.

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  15. I am sorry to hear of your brother. I hope that the tumor is benign.

    I remember our Iris gently taking our hands and walking and walking. Now she runs and jumps and does gymnastics and swims and plays t-ball. An eyeblink. I swear to you that's all it was.

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    1. I feel a little sad that with regard to our own grown up children, I cannot remember such phases as Phoebe is currently going through.

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  16. "...little semi-detached.."
    Little?? It sure as heck looks big enough to me.
    I'll keep my fingers crossed for your brother Simon to be okay.

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    1. It has been big enough for us for thirty two years.

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  17. I offer my heartfelt good wishes to your brother and all the family. May you all fine the courage you need to get through it.xx

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  18. Hope your brother's operation is successful and that the tumour is benign.
    It's true that when we were young we don't give much thought to illness and death. It barely passed our consciousness, unless it was a close relative, and then soon forgotten as memories faded.
    How differently do today's children view it, with all the horrors daily bombarding our screens?

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    1. Who was that character in "Dad's Army" who continually announced, "We're Doomed!"? That is often how it must seem to the youngsters of today.

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  19. I wish all the best for your brother, Simon. I vaguely recall you mentioning him a few years ago when he sent you a birthday card but, apart from that, I can't recall him. It made me wonder how many times I've mentioned my brother.

    Your 'top decking' looks very high. Is it an upper floor outside space over an extension?

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    1. Re. the decking, please go here Graham: https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2006/06/decking.html

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  20. Hope your brother Simon gets through his illness, it must be a worrying time.

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    1. He has smoked cigarettes all his life. Often there is a terrible price to pay - not just in relation to lungs. Of course I hope he pulls through and gets to enjoy some retirement years. He was still working as a water board contractor at the start of January.

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  21. I'm just catching up with reading blogs. I'm sorry to hear of Simon's kidney issue and I hope the tumor is benign. As far as losing a kidney is concerned, he should be fine provided the other one is in good shape. I knew a lady that has lived and done well for years with only half of one kidney, but of course she has to be very mindful of her health. Best wishes to him for a full recovery!

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    1. You are so kind Jennifer. Thank you.

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  22. Sending all good wishes for your brother and hopes that the tumor is benign. I found your reminiscences of childhood so poignant - no, back then we never thought of things like kidneys or any of the other body parts that take their own unexpected journeys. And I learned something new today: Axl Rose. Who knew? You!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Jean Jeanie... and I bet you didn't really want to know that about Axl Rose did you?

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