Stained glass window reflecting historical link with Rowley, Massachusetts
Another trip to see Simon in hospital today. He was lying peacefully on his bed with a feeding tube and saline drip attached. He hasn't been able to find the energy necessary to take a shower in the bathroom which is located right next to his corner of the four bed ward. I brought him shaving gel, a book of crosswords and some small lemon sweets to suck. He told me he hasn't read a word in the last five days. His situation is of course depressing. There's talk of a stent to aid his breathing and of course he knows that he should have vacated his rental cottage by today. I will be phoning his landlady tomorrow morning.
A view of Skidby Village Hall
I left him at 2pm and then Clint transported me to the nearby village of Skidby ahead of a three hour walk. My circle included Risby, Little Weighton, Rowley and Westfield Farm. That area is on the edge of chalk downs known as The Yorkshire Wolds. It is good arable land but the fields are dotted with billions of pieces of chalk and flint.
As I walked along I noticed how dry the landscape was. It must have been one of the driest Aprils on record in this part of the world. Whatever happened to those April showers?
Rapeseed flowering on the Yorkshire Wolds - near Little Weighton
Rowley Church sits in splendid isolation up on the wolds. Fortunately it was unlocked this afternoon so I went inside. The church was in existence before The Normans arrived on these shores during the reign of William the Conqueror. I took a photograph of a stained glass window that is evidence of the church's special link with the town of Rowley in Massachusetts - between Boston and Newburyport. It was founded in 1638 by the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers who led a group of non-conformists to New England having previously been the vicar of Rowley parish here in Yorkshire.
St Peter's Church, Rowley
Our April was very dry too. "Of course," I can hear you saying, "you're in Arizona!" True enough but even in the midst of our drought we usually get a shower or two in April but I don't recall more than a few drops of rain this year.
ReplyDeleteWould Phoenix have grown so big without air conditioning?
DeleteI think not, though we are 80 miles from Phoenix, higher and cooler.
DeleteIt's sad to see people suffer. It's good that he's got you to look after things for him.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't help out, his affairs would be totally stuck.
DeleteI hope the landlady is kind enough to hold Simon's flat for him. And I hope Simon feels better soon. I can't imagine not reading at all for five days.
ReplyDeleteThe old church with the graves around it looks very peaceful.
That church is especially remote and peaceful. The main village it once served has faded away over the centuries while the second village - a mile away - has grown into a thriving community with a population of just under one thousand.
DeleteRapeseed seems to be thriving and filling a hole of oil as we read of shortages from the wretched Ukraine war. The news gets bleaker for all those poor people, who seem to be fighting a war for us The West.
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you visit Simon daily, I expect his possessions will have to be removed from the rental cottage as well, a busy time ahead.
No Thelma - I do not visit him daily. It is sixty miles away. I hope the landlady is understanding. Maybe give him another month.
DeleteI hope that your walk helped to lift your spirits after your hospital visit . It sounds as though Simon is now a little more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteHe has plenty to think about it - the entire course of his life for example.
DeleteI think if I visited England again, I'd like to see more small villages. The ones you show look so interesting, yet there is nothing special about them.
ReplyDeleteI have been to America a few times and I always prefer visiting small towns and villages more than the famous big cities.
DeleteThe stained glass window is a work of art.
ReplyDeleteHow many hours of work went into that window? I think American money paid for it.
DeleteGood to know that you were able to see Simon, and that he is as peaceful as it's possible to be under the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteA lovely walk again, with some excellent photos, and an interesting history attached to Rowley, and it's church.
In contrast to your driest April, ours has been one of the wettest on record, and even now we're into May, more rain is forecast for later in the week! Last year I turned my central heating off for the summer on May 1st, but I doubt I'll be doing that this year.
Maybe you should escape Spain for sunnier climes - such as England.
DeleteBeautiful pictures, and an interesting connection between the two Rowleys.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been something of a relief to see Simon peacefully. I guess if he does not have enough energy for a shower, nurses will look after him and help him getting washed in bed. Hopefully, his landlady will be understanding.
I hope you are right about nurses helping him. In my opinion he should have had a shower or a bed bath by now.
DeleteAn awful thing to have to cope with. I hope you can resolve the cottage rental at least temporarily. I find wandering around churches and the countryside a great solace at these times. Time and space to think. Life is too fast-paced these days.
ReplyDeleteI am a lifelong atheist and yet I love to visit country churches. They contain the silent echoes of generations past.
DeletePoor Simon. It must be hard for you to watch his decline. As for dry April - the same here. The flower beds are solid. I am going to need a motorised digger at this rate to dig in the summer bedding!
ReplyDeleteYou do not need a motorised digger. Just command your prospective son-in-law to grab a spade - maybe a pick axe too! You and Kay can watch him while sipping prosecco.
DeleteCan't someone help Simon get a bath? I thought that was part of the nursing staff's responsibility when a patient can't do it for themselves. A warm sponge bath would make him feel better.
ReplyDeleteI love the strained glass window, and the pretty field of rapeseed.
Regarding your first remark - that is what I thought too! After all, good hygiene in hospital is vital. Shirley (nurse) will speak to the ward about Simon's situation in the next day or two and she will ask whether or not he has now had a bath or a shower.
DeleteIt is good that you have been able to reach out and help him as I can't imagine he can handle any of this on his own anymore. It must be hard to know what to do about it all and I am sorry for Simon and for you. It must be so stressful. Glad that Clint took you for a pleasant spin to help you unwind after your visit.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I am retired. It makes it easier to support Simon Ellen - even though he is sixty miles away.
DeleteI'm guessing Simon does not have a wife or children, or is estranged from them. I'm glad you're able to help him.
ReplyDeleteCan his things be put in storage? Sometimes it's hard to help a sibling, especially if you're not close and I have no idea what kind of a relationship you two have. It's really not my business.
Simon may have been offered a bath and refused. Is he stubborn? Private? That might complicate things. I tend to get difficult patients, and grandchildren, to do things by offering them a choice, but they're just different versions of the same thing. One patient wouldn't take his pills. Instead of asking him to take his pills, I asked if he would like his pills with juice or water. He took the pills. We all want some kind of control and going into hospital means you pretty much lose all control it seems.
I can't go into my relationship with Simon here. He has not been the easiest brother to have. He has no children and has lived alone for years. He lacks the verve necessary to take a shower and he has got the saline drip and feeding tube stands to wheel along with him. I spoke to his landlady today. She seems kind and understanding. There's no pressure to leave which is a big relief.
DeleteWhat an interesting link between Yorkshire and Massachusetts. (And of course Boston is named after an English town too!) Love the window.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for checking in with Simon and hopefully you can help get his bath situation ironed out.
I will ask Shirley to phone the hospital tomorrow and enquire about bathing and showers.
DeleteIt is great that Shirley and you are near enough to help out and support Simon. As I've discovered on several occasions, those ill in the hospital or at home need advocates. They are often too weak to do so for themselves.
ReplyDeleteSimon admits that himself. The verve we need to live has left him and I don't know how he will get it back.
Delete