Floods with a silver lining

I forgot to mention yesterday that when we arrived in the rain at The Horse and Jockey pub in Stanford, we were greeted by a chipper Charles. We were having lunch with his wife, Mandy, and himself. They live in Grove in an former flour mill on the Letcombe Brook. They now generate green electricity with a turbine there (though at the moment the turbine is out of action). I mentioned them in My Donkeybody, as their mill was badly flooded in July 2007 - and more importantly they came to be our guardian angels when I was diagnosed with MND.

Anyway, they were both excited as they had earlier that morning seen an otter in the brook - first time ever. "Must have got lost," said Charles. It was a bit of compensation for their and their neighbours' shock at the wholesale and unannounced uprooting of a screen of trees on the opposite bank. I hope the otter returns to delight them and even creates a holt in the area. I don't think they took a photo. But sometimes, when you do fuss over getting a snap, I think you miss the magic of the moment. After all a photograph never captures the real thing. However, I guess this Guardian photo is something like what Charles and Mandy witnessed.

A different Sunday

A very different Sunday from normal! No  church; instead we've been to the MNDA's Spring Conference in Bristol. I think I agreed with Hilary's verdict that it was the best spring conference she or we'd been to - the fourth for us. We particularly like the conferences because of the people one meets. Some of us have MND in some form; others are carers, and association visitors. There are also staff from the Association headquarters and trustees - as well as exhibitors, and of course speakers (of whom the main one was Prof Kevin Talbot, who's my new consultant).

We had to get up early (for me) and drove through the showers. This year it was at the Aztec West Shires Hotel. Not as grand as The Celtic Manor at Newport last year. No Danish pastries, as Jane observed! But it was fine, well, AA 4 stars, to be exact.

The first session, "How will changes to the NHS and social services affect people with MND?", was of course highly topical and important. It was led by the MNDA's Head of Public Affairs, Farah Nazeer, and Campaigning Head, David Hanson. It's clear that the proposals as they stood (before the "Pause") posed dangers for disabled people, particularly with MND which is normally so rapid that health care packages and social service provision can't keep pace. They also pointed out that there are also opportunities. Not surprisingly they knew their stuff. My particular reaction was to be grateful that MND patients have such competent advocates.


After a filling lunch, Kevin Talbot talked particularly about the research going on in Oxford which is one of the world's centres of MND research, and particularly the search for a biomarker (a diagnostic indicator) for the disorder. He has the gift of exceptional clarity in explaining science to amateurs. I have a feeling that Theresa, who, like me, has PLS, raised a potentially fruitful point about the usefulness of MND patients' diagnostic records for research.

So a good day, meeting new people and seeing new gismos - and oh yes, there was an ITV cameraman and reporter there, so you might see my friend, Norman, with discreet product placement of My Donkeybody behind him (!), being interviewed about one effect cutbacks have already had for him, in MND Awareness Week in June, if you live in the West! When we emerged, it was warm and sunny, and so we drove home in a mellow mood - which was somewhat dented by the discovery that Red Bulls were rampant in Turkey, while both Williams were lapped, and the Premiership is virtually decided. :(

And now for something completely different...

Lydia and Richard, with Badger

But come to think of it, there is a connection as on Tuesday we met two participants of a Palm Sunday procession, to whom nobody could object. We'd been invited to visit Pennyhooks Farm, about which, you may remember, I blogged in January after it was featured on BBC Countryfile. It's a care farm, the only one in the country that's geared for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. It's also where Rachel does some teaching. There's a good article about it here: Pennyhooks Farm article in current edition of Organic Farming.

Feeding the cattle (from www.pennyhooks.com)

It's a family farm near Shrivenham in Oxfordshire. It's now run by Lydia Otter (whose family have run the farm for 50 years) and Richard Hurford, the farm manager. Lydia is a teacher who has specialized in special needs' education. She saw the potential of a farm to develop the latent skills of young people with severe educational needs - and this place is working beautifully and successfully in doing just that. It, of course, is experiencing the economic squeeze. Sadly, these particular young adults don't feature highly on councils' lists of priorities, and they are voiceless in the political arena. And Lydia's busy educating, Richard too, and they run the farm. So who will be advocate for these vulnerable citizens with so much to learn and to give? And who will be a fund-raiser for their benefit? There is such a big-hearted vision behind the project. It should be nurtured, not neglected.

The garden, the 'shop' and Appletree House behind Richard & Badger

We were there in a week's break. So there were no students there, but we were shown the heart of the farm.

The main study room

The boot room

On the way to the animals

Jaguar, the young bull

Octavia, the Saddleback sow

Not easy holding a new chick with uncooperative hands!

But what about those Palm Sunday processors? Ivanhoe and Linnet are their names, and two days before they had been walking down Shrivenham High Street into the parish church with perfect decorum, I'm told - and of course to the author of My Donkeybody they gave great pleasure. I like to think we had a real understanding! As you may sense, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and could well understand its being both a therapeutic and educating (in the fullest sense) place for young people who have the dice of life heavily loaded against them. Gertrude Jekyll it was, I believe, who said that you're nearer to God in the garden than anywhere else on earth. Well, I'd say this was one better, as it has not only a garden, but also an organic farm; and what's most important people running it who genuinely care about their visitors - whether casual like us or regular like their young people. Thank you, Lydia and Richard - and best wishes.

Ivanhoe and Linnet

A quiet conversation with Ivanhoe

More meanderings

Talking of books, this week I completed checking the proofs of I Choose Everything, and on Wednesday, after Jane had helped at Riding for the Disabled, we decided to deliver them in person to Lion Hudson rather than send them by Royal Mail. There's just something about knowing they're there. So round to the Jordan Hill Business Estate and Jane popped out and handed the envelope over.

Then it was time to celebrate. This time it was Aston Pottery, where we'd been in February, near Witney, in the heart of Cameron country. Not that there were many posters up - just one big six-footer. I couldn't help reflecting on the irony of the most English of the candidates for the top job having a typical Scottish name, while the most Scottish has a typical English name. Such profound thoughts show how demob happy I was. The sun was shining and the air was heady with the scent of the tubs full of blue hyacinths along the path from the car park. We headed straight for the tea-room for some lunch and unsuspectingly decided on filled baps - I think mine were prawn marie with salad in sun-dried tomato baps. When they arrived they were HUMUNGOUS. We could have had half each! But very nice they were too. Taking it slowly I completely finished it, not a crumb left. And then we had coffee. Excellent! You can see the view from our table, above. The chap facing is Stephen Baughan, who founded the business with his wife, Jane, in 1990. He's a potter and she's an artist. And they're very friendly.

It's grown from its small beginning into a sizable business - they employ 25+ people now. They're just launching a new size (1 pint jug) and had a wonderful display on the way to the tea-rooms, called the Auricula Theatre. Auriculas are exotic relatives of the primrose. We were given one when we moved here. All the jugs and plates are decorated with different coloured auriculas. But no item is exactly the same as another, as they're all hand-painted. This picture will give you an idea of the beautiful displays in the shop part of the Pottery. Very tempting. We wandered around, and were tempted - a little. A bonus was meeting old (not old old) friends there, and catching up with each other's news.

And so we came home. I did watch the last PMs' debate last night. I'm afraid I was frustrated by the lack of engagement with the serious issues and specific policies. It seemed to me that at least two of the gentlemen were more concerned about projecting image, and that, frankly, doesn't interest me. I admit the debates have apparently aroused people's interest in the election, but I think the cost will be too high if we decide our Prime Minister on how telegenic he or she is. By the way, I've still not had a reply to my letter from Mr Vaizey... How odd!

And á propos of nothing in particular, by way of light relief, here's that donkey story from Brian I promised you. 
Father O'Malley rose from his bed one morning. It was a fine spring day in his new Ballina parish.

He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of the beautiful day outside.  He then noticed there was a Donkey lying dead in the middle of his front lawn.

Not knowing who else to call, he promptly called the local police station. 

The conversation went like this:

''Good morning. This is Sergeant Jones. How might I help you?"

"And the best of the day ter yer good self. This is Father O'Malley at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. There's a Donkey lying dead right in der middle of me front lawn "

Sergeant Jones, considering himself to be quite a wit, replied with a smirk, "Well now Father, it was always my impression that you people took care of the last rites!"

There was dead silence on the line for a long moment and then Father O'Malley replied:

"Ah, to be sure, that is true; but we are also obliged to notify the next of kin."

Happy days

As my son would say, happy days! Sunshine and warmth in the conservatory... this is the view from my riser recliner where I sit and check over my proofs. You can see Jane's handiwork (some of it) in the garden right in front of my nose: including the seedlings waiting for the frosts to go. The best bit is the tub with tulips and pansies, which, close to, is a riot of colour. Not bad!

And of course there's Jess wondering if I'd like to come out and play - which of course I would.... But it's not a bad office, is it?

So here I sit working and reworking through the proofs. I've chosen to set this book out in a bit of a complicated format; so it's not as straightforward as My Donkeybody, but I think it will look good as well as being a good read - in my opinion! I got really good news via my good friend Louise in Sydney that Jill McCloghry is happy to be quoted in I Choose Everything. Hers is such a moving story. 

Last night we went to Cornerstone Coffee Shop for a church quiz night. Our team did quite well. Officially we won, but I'm not sure we really did. I think they were being nice to the clergy. How many King Kenneths of Scotland were there? That was a pure guess - which we got wrong. Still it was a fun evening. Life's not bad!

'Glastonbury' for God - we were there

The Independent called it 'Glastonbury for God'. 'Church of England pews may be empty, but the fields of Somerset are rocking with a series of evangelical festivals this summer. Jerome Taylor joined the faithful.' And so did we, along with 59,998 others in all, according to the report. And we really enjoyed it. To be honest, it's the fourth year we've been to New Wine CSW, the second of five camps on the Bath and West Showground, And to be brutally honest, we didn't actually camp on site, but stayed in a very comfortable cottage nearby. It's a significant place in many ways, but for me it's the place where my book received its big impetus when I first heard Louise Halling talking about her experience of Muscular Dystrophy - which echoed so much of my experience. It was the last time, so far, she went there and it was my first time. You could say just a coincidence, but I consider it more than that. Anyway, more tomorrow. You can find the article on http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/evangelical-christianity-its-glastonbury-for-god-1767917.html.
The picture is on the last afternoon, and if you look very carefully by the big tent with yellow Tear Fund banners you might see me in my chair. This is the food stalls area, where you can get chips, burgers, noodles etc. Most people cook at their tents all round the site, but on the last day, when they've begun packing up, a lot come and the stalls do a roaring trade. Jane had a salt marsh organic lamb burger and I had a well-hung beef burger. And then Peter came along with the rather gloomy test match score. English wickets were tumbling and the Aussie commentators were crowing. Apparently the English ones had gone off to drown their sorrows.

Here's another cricket fan, James, sheltering from the rain at New Wine - and, who knows, Laura may turn out to be one too. Hopefully by then the English side will have improved their consistency. At least the Oval test match might be exciting.