Full church for the Jubilee Service
Barrie is serving another year as Churchwarden at St Michael-le-Belfrey. But the main event of the year was a Jubilee celebration marking 50 years since David Watson came to York. He came as a curate at the soon to be redundant St Cuthbert’s Church. His remarkable ministry not only kept the church open but grew the congregation so large they had to be found a larger home at St Michael-le-Belfrey next to York Minster. Continue reading
Barrie joined the Labour Party in a vain bid to sweep them to election victory in May. On the evidence of his ‘success’ you may be better not inviting him to back your cause. Look what’s happened to the party since they lost in spectacular style. But don’t get him started on the performance of the Tory government ……
We both joined the Refugees Welcome Here march through York in protest at the derisory response of our government to the plight of people fleeing Syria. Continue reading
Here are a few pictures that tell their own story.
Alexander and Emily at the NRM waiting for The Railway Children to start in the Signal Box Theatre
At Peasholme Park, Scarborough
Alexander and Laura – games on the lawn
Alexander and Emily washing clothes in Kirkgate with Dolly White (Nanny) at York Castle Museum
Ceramic Poppies at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Bretton Hall
Wildlife at Hanningford Reservoir – Warning: Some of it is alive
Salisbury Cathedral from the refectory – the tallest spire in England
Derek and Joan look up at Salisbury Cathedral Spire
Flamborough Head Lighthouse, East Yorkshire
Three Days On Two Wheels
Years like this one test our faith and challenge our resilience. The hope and joy of Christmas reminds us not to trust in our own strength but in the strength of the God who came to the manger as Jesus Christ and endured the humility of the cross. So we pray for the very best for you as we celebrate and look ahead to a new year.
Barrie turned sixty five this year and started to receive his state pension. But that’s not what made it a tough year.
Warwick on the mend
Warwick’s health started to deteriorate and by the spring he was visibly losing weight and suffering from a tremor in his limbs. Diagnosis was a drawn out process of elimination. His anti-convulsants, nasty tummy bugs, and loss of appetite all came under scrutiny.
After losing a fifth of his body weight and becoming very lethargic he contracted pneumonia a few days after a barium swallow test. During the next month in hospital he sank very low, losing more weight, he was emaciated and frail. After leaving intensive care there was a very dark time when his lungs filled with more fluid and it seemed he wouldn’t pull through.
Lots of friends and family were praying for him. The hospital staff were brilliant. At a very critical time a physiotherapist persisted with Warwick and removed over a litre of fluid from his lungs. That was the turning point. We had never known before that physios saved lives – but in Warwick’s case, they certainly did. He slowly started to improve. Perhaps low level lung infection had been behind his demise all the time. He’d been aspirating; taking fluids and food into his lungs because he was failing to swallow properly. A not uncommon thing with people of his age (he’s 41) who have cerebral palsy.
At this stage he had to be strong enough to have a general anaesthetic to have a PEG tube fitted; that is a small feeding tube inserted through the wall of his stomach. In future all of his food, fluids and medication will be administered through this tube. Nil by mouth for the rest of his life.
He is still weak but back at his own home. He is slowly putting on weight and looking better. He now often greets us with a smile but is still unable to move his arms and legs. We hope physiotherapy will gradually help to him to more fully recover. He’s confined to bed for the time being and may not be well enough to come home to us for Christmas. He needs our prayers.
The overhead of going to see Warwick for a few hours each day has, at times, taken it’s toll on us too, but we have been sustained by God’s grace and our good friends, and we’re in good heart.