…and some traumatic dentistry ….

July 15th was Shannon’s 3rd birthday, and there was a party the next day, being Saturday. A week earlier, however, I’d had all remaining bottom teeth extracted (only six!) and that has had a profound effect on just about everything ever since, as anyone who has had a similar experience might understand. Not to go in to too much detail, I’ve had considerable difficulty adjusting to the new dentures, and enjoyment of meals is very much reduced for now.

Is that why you don’t cook like you used to?

Yes, Harry, exactly, – it is. But never mind, it’s getting better, bit by bit.

Bite by bite?

No, that’s not what I said!

Anyway, there’s another picture of birthday girl during her party.

On July 18th I had a further consultation with my “Hippy Man” (orthopedic consultant) and having received a communication from the oncologist, saying that she was happy for at least one hip replacement to go ahead before the cancer treatment, he agreed to proceed with that, hopefully sometime in September.

July 30th. Franky?

What? Oh, aye – that really slow trip up tut Lake District! That were a bad un!

Yes, it was, but we met with Chris and family in Bowness and they asked the staff at the pub they’d chosen about where an old man with reduced mobility but no blue badge might park, an they said to drive up to the bollards right outside, in spite of the double yellows and it would be OK. And it was. We had a good lunch, and I managed jacket potato with baked beans – but had to ‘lose’ the teeth part way through! Then we got lucky in finding a roadside space not far from the boat moorings so that we all enjoyed a cruise round the islands of Bowness Bay.

 

After the cruise we went on to Grasmere – Helm Grag is in the centre of the photo, with the ‘lion’ clearly visible, but not the ‘lamb’ from this angle – and made our way down to the lakeside, though not by the ‘usual’ route because the lay-by was fully occupied. Chris and family then left for a tea-time visit to friends in Kendal, and Franky and I moved on to to Grasmere village where I was staying at the Red Lion. Last time I was there they were in the middle of renovations, and had offered me a free B & B for one night to compensate, so I was taking avantage of that. This time my room was at the front of the building with Dollywagon Pike (centre left overlooking the village) in the view: 

Parking were difficult in Grasmere, weren’t it?

It were, aye. – It was, yes. No chance to park within or near the hotel grounds, so I had to leave you on the far side of the green. (The green is just visible above the red car in the photo.)

It were OK – I were bothered for thee and tekkin luggage across t’green.

I didn’t have much. I was disappointed by the reaction of the receptionist when I explained about my eating problem. He said he was sure I could find something suitable on the menu. Well, I couldn’t – not at a price I wanted to pay, anyway. So I made do with what I’d brought with me – a hard boiled egg and some potatoes and mayonaise. Breakfast was better – I was able to choose suitable items from the ‘full English’.

July 31st: I brought Franky round to the hotel car park to pick up the luggage,

Then we had a reet good drive round yon lake –

Thirlmere

Aye, up one side, and back down t’other.

Yes – Helvellyn is still scarred where the torrents came down and destroyed the road, but the views of Thirlmere are so much better than they used to be – they’re reducing the forest and replacing with more ‘natural’ species.

I had some soup at the Grasmere garden centre, and having left my folding chair in Harry, went on to Hayes in Ambleside to buy another, better, one, and doubling back to Grasmere to sit by the lake for a while. No photos – they’d look the same as previous ones!

The M6 was slow again on the way home, so I thought I’d drive the Trough of Bowland instead. I was following signs OK, but I must have missed one, and found I was back on the A6 and re-joining the motorway! But it was flowing better south of Lancaster, so we got home OK.

First week of August included a return to the dentist, who agreed there was a problem with the lower denture. She said the socket which had been infected was going to be a ‘slow healer’, but she filed the plate down a bit, which has made it a bit better. I also got a British MoT for Harry – not easy with his French plates, as they couldn’t find him ‘on the system’ until they entered his former (UK) registration. So they had to put UK plates on him, which I took off again when I got home! I’ve completed the paperwork to re-import him (with Rachel’s help), but it’s not straightforward. European standardisation, eh? I can’t insure him in the UK as I haven’t lived here for 12 months! Never mind the previous 67 years!! I picked up some new specs from Specsavers, too.

So Harry?

Ja?

Want to do a bit? – your fan club have been asking to hear from you – all one of ’em.

Dass ist aber nett! How nice! What can I say? You packed me up very slowly over several days and set off for Coniston on Monday –

8th August –

Ja, richtig – When we got to the Caravan Club site there were already Rachel with husband, daughter and stepdaughters. With also their Wohnwagen.

Caravan.

So you call it. They have reserved us a pitch nearby. So  – you park me up, and don’t move me for a week. Well, at least it wasn’t two months. And it wasn’t cooking hot*. In fact it was raining.

Not all the time!

Mostly.

Yes, well that’s Cumbria in August. You’re allowed one fine day per week. I was there six days, and I missed it. I decided to hire a car, if only to get around the camp site, but that meant getting to Kendal, and although the hire firm came for me, it still took out most of the day on Wednesday.

It was easier with Sally.

I know …..

On Thursday – the wettest day of the week – I drove over Wrynose and Hard Knott passes, taking Rachel’s friend Jane with me (and a little deaf dog). She was camped on the neighbouring site, Coniston Hall, which is where, many years ago, the whole camping / campervanning / motorhoming adventure began. Imagine! Me and a little 8 year old girl in a tiny 2-person ridge tent and a Citroën Dyane! Someone would call the police these days!

Anyway, there were no views on that outing, but the cascades were magnificent! We did Hard Knott both ways, with lunch (more soup!) at Dalegarth Station, but didn’t come back over Wrynose, choosing to follow the Duddon valley instead. Lots of white water.

Next day I took the family for a ride on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway to visit the Aquarium at Lakeside – that is, they provided the transport and I treated them to the ride and the visit.

Shannon seemed to enjoy the train rides:

Engine ‘Victor’ runs round the train to connect at the other end:

While steamship ‘Tern’ approaches to make the connection:

Shanon watches, and Mummy photos ‘Victor’ bringing the train in to take us back:

On Saturday I took the hired car back to Kendal (do American firms really close at 12 noon on Saturday till 9am Monday morning? Or is all that TV advertising just ‘Enterprising’ propaganda?), then used my bus pass to get a 555 to Grasmere to meet the family there. I tried to take some photos from the bus of views we can’t get from a car. Top deck would have been better, of course, and open-top on a fine day better still, but I wasn’t up for the stairs! Here are the Langdale Pikes across Windermere:

I wanted to be in Grasmere that day – it was Carol’s birthday. Again, the garden centre was the most convenient place to park for lunch, but the soup didn’t appeal, so I managed a piece of fish, without chips. Thanks for that, family.

The weather wasn’t ideal, but we got down to the lake side – with more than usual difficulty in my case, and finding ‘my’ beaches occupied by fisher folk, we moved on to the spot where we had set up a base on July 9th last year, which was not inappropriate.

Shannon and Mummy do a ‘paddle dance’ while half-sister Becky prepares for another plunge into deeper water. (She stayed in for an hour!) I sat and watched, not feeling on top form  …..

I’ve had a mild form of tinnitus for some time, but on Saturday morning something seemed to ‘move’ in my left ear with a sort of ‘twang’ which hurt a bit. That and discomfort from the teeth was partly why I just sat by the lake with my hood up. Since then, I’ve had ‘total face-ache’ on the left side affecting teeth, nose, ear, temple, eye and head. Also today, Tuesday, the symptoms of migraine. I’ve taken all the pain killers I can lay my hands on (I would have taken some of Carol’s left-over morphine if I had any here, but I haven’t, as far as I know, which is perhaps just as well.), so I saw a doctor at the local practice yesterday and he agreed with my suggestion that it was probably neuralgia. He added amitriptyline to the medicines I’m already taking, but it could take up to two weeks to take effect!

Anyway, I got Harry packed up on Sunday morning and completed the job by doing the ‘waterworks’ with Rachel and Sean’s help. The drive home was striaghtforward and uneventful, but I didn’t want to go on to Wakefield to park Harry up and bring Franky back. And I haven’t wanted to do that yesterday or today, either. Tomorrow I have a pre-op appointment at the hospital (though no date for an op yet!) and Chris is planning to join me afterwards to get the job done.

So – you plan to leave me bei Rachel again?

Yes – but you’re very useful there. You provide me with a bedroom without going upstairs. And there’s electricity for you, which I can’t provide here.

As you would say, M’sieur: hmmm ….

*Harry is remembering our time at Puivert in 2012, when we were on the one site for two months, two weeks and two days and he only moved once! And it was baking hot!