Sunday 14 June 2009

Much Talking in the Vale

Yesterday we had a very sociable day. In the morning we met Elizabeth Berner for coffee in Oxford. I never met her late husband, Tim, but wish I had. He also had MND, but had a different attitude from many of us. He disliked the way that MND is demonised and that campaigners play on the idea of victimhood. I must say I share his views, and in fact I owed the last word of my book to a letter of his. The illness is of course awful, but it can be an experience of good things such as beauty and compassion. The light shines in the darkness. That's why it can be redemptive. Time flew as we talked. It was so nice to hear about a man whom I have found an inspiration.

In the afternoon we went back to Stanford in the Vale to visit the annual summer Festival. We thought we'd spend an hour there, but in the end it was more like two and a half. It was non-stop talking of course, and good to meet so many old friends from the village. However I must confess I'm glad to have retired and to know that Dr Tim Rose will be taking over after the summer holidays.

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