Lois and I don't have too much to show for our performance today. I gave her her first "squirt" - olive oil in her left ear about 10 am. It helps if we're in bed when I do it, because she has to lie still on her right side for the squirt, and then to stay in that position for 20 minutes afterwards, to make sure it all goes in.
Five hours later we're back in bed again and I administer the second squirt of the day around 3 pm. That'll be the last one before her appointment tomorrow morning at the "ear clinic" at our doctor's surgery: it's set for 9 am - yikes, that's early! We'll have to fight the rush hour, which will be a shock for us: we're used to the quiet life these days haha!
our doctor's surgery
In between the two squirts we go for our usual walk over the local football field. Half way round we have our usual coffee, and we also have a brownie each. This is when I become aware that I'm having to let the belt of my trousers out a little bit. Oh dear - time to cut down on all the treats we're giving ourselves, that's for sure! On paper they're supposed to "keep our morale up during the pandemic", but they'll have to go now , no doubt about that!
I reserve a couple of seats, while Lois queues up to get our drinks and eats
we have a brownie each, and afterwards I have to let my belt out a notch
- oh dear !!!!!
After the walk Lois has an appointment with James, her stylist, who cut her hair and does a nice job as always.
16:00 We have a cup of tea on the couch, but no food with it today. Poor us !!!!!
My sister Gill in Cambridge recently saw a historical article on the web put there by a U3A member from Cowbridge, Bridgend, named Stephen Monaghan. The article was all about the Marine Hotel - Southerndown is a quiet Welsh seaside resort, and in Victorian times the town's hotel was owned and run by our great-great-grandfather Samuel Howells.
Gill is thinking of writing to the author of the article, Stephen Monaghan. Who hasn't fantasized about being able to say "That's my great-great-grandfather you're talking about there!"? Yes, it's true, I'm his great-great-grandchild! What do you think about that eh? Haha!
[I don't think people fantasize about things like that, to be quite honest! - Ed]
Lois has the idea that we could send Gill a photo of the Victorian teapot with a picture of the hotel on it, which she could then share with Stephen Monaghan. These teapots were made specially for the hotel and used to stand on dressers etc in the lounge where residents would "take tea". What marvellous times they were, that's for sure !!!!
a Victorian teapot from the Marine Hotel, Southerndown,
owned by mine and Gill's great-grandfather, Samuel Howells
When you're the eldest child of the family, as I am, you tend to wind up with a lot of your parents' belongings, by default, which isn't always fair, but it's just what happens in all the confusion of sorting out your parents' things after they pass away.
I've also "inherited" an old family photo, or so I thought. Although it is actually in Stephen's article too, isn't it. I wonder how that happened!! No fair!!!! Still, at least I know who the people are, which is nice.
In front of the doorway we can see Richard T. Davies, who became the manager for a few years in the 1890's, after the death of owner Samuel Howells in 1885. Richard was Samuel's son-in-law, married to his daughter Margaret, in front to the left. The lady in black in the centre is Samuel Howell's widow, Jane, our great-great-grandmother, and the woman on the right is the housekeeper. The child's identity is not certain but we think it's Margaret's son Stanley - later torpedoed in World War II, but he survived to tell the tale, although not for long.
Poor Stanley !!!!!
I wish I could time-travel and be in the photo, although it might make it look a little odd, that's for sure. It must have been summertime, when it was taken, judging by the dress of the people in the photo.
Time it was, and what a time it was - I have a photograph. Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you haha (Copyright Paul Simon).
an artist's impression of what the scene might have looked like,
with me appearing unexpectedly (far left), as a time-traveller
20:00 Lois disappears into the dining-room to take part in her sect's weekly Bible Class on zoom. I settle down on the couch and I watch an old edition of the 1990's sitcom "One Foot in the Grave".
This is the one where the newly-forcibly-retired Victor has an accident in his back garden, stepping on the end of a rake and knocking himself out. He thinks he has died and gone to heaven when he wakes up and sees what he believes to be God looking at him.
But isn't it strange how in comedies in the 1950's to 1990's, people seemed to be in hospital for such trivial reasons: tonsillitis (as here with Mr Partridge), a bad back etc: things you'd never be treated in hospital for nowadays.
What a crazy world they lived in in those days!!!!
21:15 Lois emerges from her zoom session and we watch an old "May to December" and then go to bed early - zzzzzzzzz!!!!!!
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