Results tagged “Solihull” from Birmingham Mail - I Will Survive

John and I went to Canada for Xmas when thick snow covered the landscape and your fingers froze if you dared to take them out of your gloves. Now I was going to see Canada in the summer and after such a hectic year I was looking forward to just chilling out with my son Jonathan and Jaimie.

The day before my flight I attended the funeral of a friend Sue, who had died tragically young of bowel cancer leaving two children barely twenty. It was held at the lovely St. Alphage Church. Solihull and my heart went out to the Hannah and James looking so slight and alone in the pew. Then suddenly James leapt up and went to the front of the altar where suddenly the most amazing piano music filled the church. He had written a piece for his Mother and as the music soared to the rafters, we sat in total awe and amazement at James' wonderful tribute to his Mother, how proud she would have been.

The next day I was standing nervously in the queue to book in for my flight. Had I too much weight? Would they confiscate my bottles? Had I left my fruit knife in my case as I had accidently done last time almost causing a national incident? Would I bleep going through security despite my shoes and all my worldly possessions travelling through in a grey plastic tray separately? Air travel since 9/11 has become a nightmare, but finally I collapsed exhausted in my seat ready to enjoy a relaxing flight. 7 hours later I was being welcomed at the airport by my Son.

Canada is beautiful in the summer and everyone seems so much more relaxed than in England and I never saw a policeman. For the first time I saw the boardwalks round Lake Ontario where people walked, skate boarded and cycled. The beaches were clean and sandy and the beautiful people played volley ball and swam. We walked there most days and went to the Scarborough Buffs (so many English names) where prehistoric cliffs majestically fringe the beach.

Niagara Falls is a must, so off we went on a long journey as I took in the landscape amazed at the number of vineyards we passed. Finally we arrived at what looked like Blackpool. The main drag is very tacky, but nothing can take away the magnificence of the falls. After queuing we finally donned our very fashionable blue plastic macs and climbed on board the"Maid of the Mist" and headed out on the Niagara River to the very heart of the falls, passing the much smaller Swallow Falls on the American side. Only here can you experience the sheer force, power and awesome sound of this wonder of nature.

I had no idea that the Niagara River divides Canada and the USA, but Buffalo is just across the bridge that spans the canyon with the flags of Canada and the USA flying side by side. On our next port of call at a Butterfly Farm I discovered that most only live for a couple of weeks which seems quite tragic to me.

Most species in the world were housed in this great butterfly paradise where they would land on you for a brief moment before flying to the nearest nectar filled flower.

Jonathan and Jaimie are having a baby in February, so we went house hunting which I loved. Every house had a large basement and a veranda. Why don't we have a basement in English houses, it is such a great idea to utilise more space. My cosy bedroom was in the basement and every day I felt like a mole emerging as I climbed up the stairs to see what the weather was like today.

Jaimie took me to her yoga class. I had been doing yoga for years so this would be a piece of cake, I'll show them what we English are made of! This Yoga was so strenuous, the exercises so powerful that I realised I wasn't quite the expert I thought I was as I toppled over trying to do the tree balance. Luckily for me there was an incredible storm with thunder and lighting like I have never seen before. People were screaming in the street whilst desperately trying to find shelter from the torrential rain. This distraction meant that the lovely yoga teacher didn't see some of my less than perfect yoga poses. The storm was over when we left the Yoga class and the night was beautiful and warm again as Jaimie and I walked home and I plunged into a hot bath to soothe my aching limbs.

The next day we caught the tram to Toronto City where all different cultures and nationalities seem to live in harmony together. I went Downtown, where in the winter people don't need to face the bitter cold as there is this fascinating underground world of shops, restaurants and offices. I felt a bit like a mole again!

All too soon, it is time to say fond and sad farewells after a truly wonderful stay in Canada. I understand why Jaimie and Jonathan love it and I look forward to returning in February to see my new little grandchild. Nevertheless it is still hard to leave not knowing when you will see your loved ones again. So I take with me my memories and can't wait to tell John of my adventures when he meets me at the airport back in England.

How did we ever survive without computers? John's went down a few weeks ago and after sending it off to be repaired, it packed up again, so off it went once more and now we have had it returned for a second time, they still have not fixed it. The service we get today is really dreadful, people don't seem to care. Luckily my son Jonathan gave me a laptop so I can once more continue my blog in the hope that people haven't forgotten me!

When I last wrote, I said that I was waiting for my oncologist to compare my scans and write to me with his findings, 6 weeks on despite phone calls I am still waiting. They cannot possibly understand the anguish and worry we cancer patients go through when we are kept waiting for results. Luckily for me, I feel well, but if I didn't the worry would certainly make me feel a whole lot worse. I just have to believe that no news is good news - I hope!!

John & I at the Ball

I always believe that keeping busy takes your mind off concerns and worries and I
went to the Mayor's Ball in Solihull. It was a great night and all the proceeds went to help the wonderful Macmillans. I saw this handsome young man on the next table who seemed to recognise me and then I remembered - it was Alex, who a few years earlier had gone round the world with my son Jonathan. What a small world and how lovely to meet him again, unrecognisable from when I last saw him, with beard and backpack at Heathrow Airport where we excitedly welcomed them home.

My brother came over to England from Australia for a few days and came to dinner with his son Matthew. He was six when I last met him and is now 25 - again how time flies.

The next evening I went to the Solihull Arts Theatre to see the musical 42nd Street. I had seen it many years ago in London and was expecting a very amateurish version of it. How wrong I was, it was top class and the tap dancing and the energy they put in was amazing, especially as they have jobs to go to in the day. I will certainly look out for the Coleshill Operatic Society when they come again. It feels so good to support our local theatre where I have enjoyed some really great entertainment over the years.

My week finished with my grandson Nicholas's 4th birthday at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre where the children had great fun on the bouncy castles and equipment, followed by a tea party which had a jungle theme. Apparently children don't have parties at home anymore, they have them at Wacky Warehouses or McDonalds etc.

I am showing my age now but I so loved arranging parties at home for my boys, with lots of games and prizes and home cooked food.I can still see the children to this day excitedly running over the house hunting for hidden items to win prizes. I don't know who enjoyed them most the children or me, but I do wonder if the kids of today get the same fun out of these themed parties and for some mothers it must be very hard to have to keep up with the Jones's when times are hard.

My brother goes home next week and I sadly won't be here to say goodbye as I am off to the New Forest to spend quality time with my friend Debbie.

Debbie and I always have the most wonderful time together and I love staying with her and Gordon in this beautiful part of England. Walking the dogs first thing in the morning is a novelty for me, but by the end of my stay I felt very much fitter and slept like a log.
We went to Branscome Chine where the beaches are as beautiful as any you see abroad and the sun shone every day. We caught the ferry from Sandbanks to Studland Bay and explored Corfe Castle, seeped in history but very much a ruins thanks to Cromwell.

Debs and her beloved dogs Mia and Molly

On my last day we went to Chawton to see Jane Austen's house where she wrote so many of her novels. It was a perfect English village with a Church and Manor house which was owned by Jane Austen's brother, who was lucky enough to be adopted by the previous wealthy owner and inherited everything.

All too soon, it is time to go home and we are both sad to say goodbye, but we always have so many wonderful memories to take with us and as I drive the 2 1/2 hours back to Solihull I I am always happy to be going back to John and my Chloe, who although she is 13 runs down the stairs the minute she hears the car, charges through her cat flap and is sitting there to welcome me on the drive before John has even heard the car.

Be it a dog or a cat,they all enrich our lives and give so much pleasure and the welcome they give us shows how much they have missed us, although I think John missed me a little bit too!

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