Danskcolin: Sunday May 26th 2024 "Mahatma Gandhi Dead!" and "Paris Hilton a Leeds fan!"

Other older drivers eh! They can be a menace. I'm not including myself in that category, as you will note by my skilful use of the handy adjective "other" !

Nevertheless I'm glad that the county's transport department's recent "floating" of a well-meaning scheme to "cut older drivers a bit of slack" got well and truly "stamped on" by its own health-and-safety department! That's what I call "joined-up government" in action, in a good way this time!

I think that, not just me, but also any local drivers under the age of 75 (an oppressed minority haha!) probably breathed a collective sigh of relief when this crazy idea, thought up by some "bright spark" in the County Transport Department, got well and truly hit on the head by some wiser head in the County's much more generously staffed "Health and Safety Department".

And today is a big day for me, because I do my first "longish" drive since my hip replacement operation on April 3rd, taking my long-suffering wife Lois to her church's Sunday Morning Meeting in the Ashchurch Village Hall just outside Tewkesbury today.

this morning I do my first "longish" drive since

getting a new hip at the Alexandra Hospital

Redditch last month

All right, so it's not very "longish" - just 16.5 miles - but I do get to drive on two motorways, the M50 and the M5, so quite scary really haha!

And I encourage Lois to do the driving on the return journey home after the meeting, which she does, although she avoids the motorways and drives us back on the A38 instead. She's gained so much self-confidence behind the wheel in the last 7 weeks while I wasn't allowed to drive, and I don't really want her to slip back into a passive role, if at all possible. When you're part of an old codger couple, it's important to have back-up isn't it, and have 2 confident drivers available - who knows what will happen to us in the future?

Also it's nice and quiet at this morning's meeting - it's the last Sunday in the month, when the church's 20-plus-strong contingent of Iranian Christian refugees hold their own meeting, in Farsi, at a reading-room in Gloucester, so that's all good.

the lunch break at Lois's church's Sunday Morning Meeting

between the "Bible Hour" and the breaking-of-bread service:

nice and quiet, with the Iranians meeting elsewhere

Later I find I can't remember what Theo, the visiting preacher's exhortation was all about. It was possibly something about living in the moment, rather than dwelling on the past, or fantasizing about the future, but don't quote me on that! Well, it is my "sleepy time of day", but Lois tells me it was a nice little talk, so that's all good.

Everybody's very kind and solicitous about how I'm getting on with my new hip, but above all, they're all really pleased to see Lois again, after a long period when she was having to take part online. I look back in my blog and find that the last time she took part in person was March 10th, so about two and a half months ago.

flashback to March 10th: Lois "settles me down" at a table next

to a radiator with a coffee, while she goes around greeting

her fellow-church members, including a large contingent of

Iranian Christian refugees.

Brrrr! How cold it was that morning in the hall on March 10th! But I was comforted as always by the sight of our dear late Queen, whose portrait is ringed in the above photo.

And I can today exclusively reveal that the Parish Council still hasn't replaced the Queen's portrait with a portrait of King Charles, but news travels slowly in this part of the country, to put it mildly.

After all it wasn't that long ago that house-clearance specialist Albert Steptoe, while clearing out somebody's attic, discovered to his surprise, from an old newspaper lining a drawer, that Mahatma Gandhi was dead (1948).

house-clearance specialist Albert Steptoe (right)

with his chief assistant, son Harold

an old newspaper breaking the news that

'Mahatma Gandhi dead'

Lois and I are still not sure about the recent picture of the King looking uncomfortable in the Australian desert, painted by aboriginal artist Vincent Namatjira. And we hope and pray that the local Parish Council don't decide to go with that one, when they get around to replacing that portrait of the Queen.

Australian artist Vincent Namatjira with his

picture of King Charles looking uncomfortable in the desert

Looking uncomfortable in my surroundings is one of my own specialties, and I often think it's a pity that artists down the centuries have sadly neglected this rich vein of subjects for their art.

Just to say, I've sent Namatjira today some photos of myself in various parts of the world looking uncomfortable. They are much-loved, and nostalgic (to me!), photos from my collection, and I'm hoping that he'll choose at least one to make into a paintings: any one of them could potentially be a real "doozy" in my opinion!

I haven't heard back yet from Namatjira, as of today, but watch this space. Remember, you read it first here haha!

14:30 We arrive home, via the old A38, with Lois behind the wheel, to be greeted at our front door by our daughter Sarah and her 10-year-old twins Lily and Jessica, who are staying the long weekend with us.

We are conscious that Sarah's husband, in the family's Alcester home, will be "going through hell" at the moment, as "a medium-to-long-suffering fan", nervously watching his favourite soccer team Leeds United playing Southampton at Wembley this afternoon, with the chance of promotion to the Premier League if they can manage to win the match.

Poor Francis !!!!!

Yes, we find out only later today, that the Leeds team has missed out again, despite the message of support from US media personality and (apparently) loyal Leeds United fan Paris Hilton, not to mention Will Ferrell, a Hollywood A-lister that Lois and I have never heard of, but no surprise there!!!!

What a crazy world we live in !!!!!!

15:00 I can now go up to bed for my delayed afternoon nap, while Sarah takes Lois and the twins into the middle of Malvern to allow the twins to let off steam at the playground there, and listen to the live music from a local group playing in the town bandstand.

Lois takes this picture of our daughter Sarah

and her 10-year-old twins Lily and Jessica

enjoying the playground's swings, while

listening to a local group entertaining a small

but appreciative crowd from the town bandstand

(see rear of photo)

So today gradually turns into a normal-ish day, after all, just like all those "normal people" spend Sunday, with an afternoon nap for "poor old Poppa" and a visit to the park for everybody else, and, in the evening, a delivery of Chinese food from the local Hung's Kitchen place that advertises itself as "Age Friendly", food which we eat while watching a kids film about an 'amazing' fox on one of the Pluto TV channels.

We order the set meal for two, which turns out to be plenty for the five of us, with a bit left over for mine and Lois's lunch tomorrow, so that's all good too.

the view from inside Mr Hung's Kitchen

And what does "Age Friendly" mean, exactly? Well I discuss with Lois but the jury's still out on that one. Perhaps we should be told - by Mr Hung himself for preference. Always go to the top man if you get the chance haha!