Page 100 - Through a glass brightly

Sending you lots of love and I will be in touch again soon.
From Janet at 13.35
Thank you all so very much for all your kind responses to me either as a group and just to me. They are really appreciated. Two months ago, I would not have thought it possible that I would be in a "chat" group with people some of whom I had not seen for possibly nearly 60
years. But the thread linking us all together is there and strong.
As you say Rod died peacefully where he wanted to be at home. He died of heart failure (and on the certificate the GP has also written old age which no doubt he is up there laughing about when you consider he was driving up and down motorways in mid-January at full speed!). He was given the choice when Worcester Hospital said they could do no more of either hospital, hospice or home. If he had stayed in hospital he would have died of COVID 19, the hospice stopped visitors for about a month due to COVID 19 so home was definitely the best place. He was actually pretty stable for around 8 weeks but then slowly weakened. Elder son came down over the weekend and younger one arrived on the Wednesday with Rod passing away on the Saturday and has now gone home to Leicester but is due back here probably some time this week..
All praise should be given to the carer team who came twice a day for the 9 weeks - they really are unsung heroes at this time. The nurses too although they only became seriously involved towards the end - they only were given masks to wear at homes where COVID 19 was confirmed otherwise they were told they were not necessary for everyone else - all that had changed though by the time they were here more often and they were fully protected.
Daphne - yes I do remember our lunches in Ashbourne - we did have a good time - I have always liked Ashbourne as a place but unfortunately have not been back there since coming here. We did visit Bakewell once too on a day out - went to the tart shop and bought the proper Bakewell tart.
Sandy - yes we did visit you both in Bristol - I think Chris was a baby in a carrycot. I must say I agree with you that you didn't come to our house in Tonbridge. So perhaps Peter is thinking of someone else - it is a very long time ago now. However, I do seem to remember meeting up with you when I was up in Newcastle for a wedding without Rod and you came and picked me up but I have no idea where we went but you must have dropped me back at my uncle and aunt's house. That was only around 50 years ago now!
Jen - my sister says Rod was like Dad - he could be just as pedantic as Dad which drove me mad so perhaps he was - Rod knew more about cars than Dad did which was very useful I do remember Richard sitting petrified on the sofa in Abbots Bromley waiting for a horde of ravaging cats to jump on him. I had been kind and shut them up as he was coming! I think the last time we met was when we met you and Peter at a pub ?The Ridgeway Tavern when we were clearing out my mother's house. I seem to remember the back of the car being full of gardening equipment as we had discovered that Mum's gardener had misunderstood
and had not cut the back grass and it looked like a prairie and the estate agent was coming the next day to value it! And you did indeed join us for our Ruby celebrations here in Malvern - I think the four of us met at The Abbey Hotel for a meal the night before and thenwe had a lunchtime party on the next day in The Pheasant \Inn at Welland- the pub closed down not long afterwards.
It is still strange that I have had to do nothing apart from deal with people on the phone.
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