Sunday 5 August 2007

Lynne and Alfie



Picture of my JRT - Lynne and Alfie adore him and he adores them.

Lynne and Alfie

Last week I received a call from my special friend Lynne . . .sadly it was to tell me that Alfie, Lynne's husband, is in hospital and is dying of cancer. He has weeks at best to live and at worst possibly only days. I would like to add that Alfie does not know that he only has a short time left - only that he is dying - so if anyone reading this discovers that they know him and Lynne - please please don't say anything.

But I don't think they would thank me for dwelling on this awful news so instead I would like to tell you about Lynne and Alfie and the fun we had together.

To set the scene – I have sent them a new improved fart machine with 15 farts on it - brilliant have got one myself now . . . . was going to send a card and flowers . . . but knowing Lynne and Alfie a fart machine is much more appropriate. I gather Alfie (now home from hospital) is creating havoc with it.

HS and I met Lynne and Alfie in the Village years ago – sadly they have now moved along way South and we rarely see them. We quickly became friends. In the old days HS was away all week working in London and I was left coping with three cottages to let and clean and over a period of time re-decorate. Enter Lynne and Alfie with mops, buckets, paint pads and great big grins. I can honestly say I don't know what I would have done without their energetic and practical help and enormous sense of fun. Actually thinking back it was amazing really that we ever got any work done at all – we seemed to spend most of our time doubled up with laugher. Alfie has a huge repertoire of jokes and a day decorating with him and Lynne always left me aching with laughing too much.

Alfie is a very good mimic and the number of times I have been scuttling around looking for a lost cat is untrue. He got me every berludy time and every time I really should have known better.

On one occasion (whilst Alfie was downstairs painting the dining room), son, daughter and Lynne and I tied several poles together and then leaning out of the upstairs bedroom window we kept tapping on the dining room window. We had poor Alfie rushing outside every couple of minutes to see who, or what it was. . . Eventually he caught us which then involved much running around with spray bottles of water and water pistols trying to soak each other. Alfie then ran into the downstairs toilet and locked himself in. AH HAH . . The kids and I went and got an old wardrobe door with a full length mirror in it and propped it up a few feet back from the toilet door – the idea being that Alfie would get a fright when he opened the door . . . . We than made lots of 'we are walking away' noises. Two minutes went by, no Alfie, 5 minutes, 7 and then BOOOOO. He had somehow climbed out of the really tiny toilet window and crept round and jumped out at us. We were all crying with laughter until we discovered that Alfie couldn't actually climb back through the toilet window and now neither could we get into the toilet , which was where all the paint was kept. . . . so we went and had a cup of tea . . . . Meanwhile son – not one to be beaten and not a tea drinker either had somehow managed to wriggle back in through the toilet window and unlocked the door – happily apart from a few scrapes he didn't hurt himself. Then again he didn't hurt himself when he jumped out of his bedroom window to see what it was like. Aaaaarrrrgggggg it is on the first floor!!!!!!!!! WHY????? Oh blood runs cold now even thinking about it. Still he found out what it was like and amazingly didn't hurt himself at all . . . and after the lecture he got hasn't done anything that stupid since . . . that I know of. Any way I digress . . .

One morning Lynne brought me my first ever egg from my chickens – special moment . . . I was amazed at how soft and fuzzy feeling the egg was – Lynne explained that was how it was with the first egg that a chicken ever lays. Then gently taking the egg from me . . . . she suddenly threw it at me yelling quick catch – I missed . . it was a rubber egg . . . . which I still have . . . .

Another time HS and I had to go and deliver something to Lynne and Alfie 's house – they were out, so we decided to leave it in their shed . . . . . golden opportunity . . . .we turned every item in their shed up side down . . . . . they still haven't forgiven us . . . . yeah right!

Another occasion saw us all painting the lounge. Lynne and Alfie schooshing away with their paint pads and me with my roller . . . I had gone to to pour more paint into the roller tray and was leaning forward when my mobile phone fell out of my scruffy very non-Boden shirt pocket and plopped neatly into the middle of the paint tray and with much gloopy satisfaction . . . . sank. I plunged my hand right into the paint tray and grabbed my paint sodden phone . . . . Lynne says she remembers me standing there covered from head to toe in paint splatters holding up this object with paint sliding off it – shaking with laughter and pleading – 'OMG please don't ring, please don't ring,. . . . . because we all knew that, as a compulsive mobile phone user, I would have had to have answered it if it had indeed rung. . . . . .

Lynne says it is this image that she brings to mind when it all gets to much and it is this image that is helping her through . . . . .Lynne I don't know what to say . . .

15 comments:

bodran... said...

I don't know either, what lovely memories well worth sharing..xxx

Chris Stovell said...

I'm genuinely so sorry to read your sad news and wish you, Alfie and most of all Lynne who will have to carry on the courage and love to face what's coming.

If it's any help, my sister, Mum and I had a terrible fit of the giggles over some shared memories when Dad was dying - I hope that as Dad lay there he could hear happiness at the good times as well as sorrow.

Best wishes to you all. ChrisX

Pondside said...

You certainly know how to make friends, WW! Lynne and Alfie sound like a wonderful couple - aren't you lucky to have found one another. I hope that they felt some of that hug that was sent all around today.
Blessingsxo

Faith said...

Ah, they sound like great people and such fun. Poor Lynne... but she has had a wonderful man at her side... lots of women dont have that. It's awful for you.... oh gosh, don't know what to say....

love Faith x

Anonymous said...

You have some amazing friends. I guess it must be hard for you to know what's happening but if you're there for Lynne I'm sure together you will get through it. Memories are so special and yours are wonderful. Take care and best wishes.

Crystal xx

Sally Townsend said...

No-one can really find the right words but hanging on to those special memories will be a source of comfort. x

patsy said...

Oh westerwitch, so sorry. Words are so inadequate but your friend will live on in the stories he leaves behind. Sounds like a wonderful person...

CAMILLA said...

They are very good friends indeed, and so lovely to have those special memories for all time.

Camilla.xxx

Suffolkmum said...

So sorry Westerwitch, terrible news, but wonderful memories and happy times never die do they - I loved the chicken egg one - what fun he must be.

CAMILLA said...

Forgot to say Westerwitch, love the pic of your darling JRT.
Thank you for your kind comments.

Camilla.xxx

Posie said...

Oh what happy happy times you have all had, Alfie sounds briliant fun and as for the fart machine I am sure he will be enjoying it. Goodbyes are so very hard, I am sorry that he has not got time on his side, it will be a diificult time for him and Lynne and all of their family and friends, thinking of you all. Posie x

DJ Kirkby said...

Such a celebration of life and such sadness at the same time. My commiserations to Lynne, Alfie and you and your HS.

Milkmaid said...

So sad, they sound like a really fun couple, hope Alfie has fun to the end, you will always have fab memories, those rubber eggs are brill I bring ours out every now and again and I always catch someone out

Milkmaid said...

DB & B I'm the 13th comment, normally I don;t do 13, but I wanted so much to leave a comment I hadn't noticed, at least it's 14 now

Bluestocking Mum said...

I am catching up and read your blogs in reverse order.
This moved me to tears. Life is so cruel.
Lynne is so lucky to have you as her friend and is going to need you so much over the coming weeks...

Big hug
xxx