2015 letter

Jane is in fine form. She has become a keen cultivator of the land and many hours are spent, in all weathers, tending to the vegetable bed. The sense of self-sufficiency is very keen and to feast off the fruits (and vegetables) of the soil—albeit that they have already been the feast of varieties of garden life best left unimagined and undescribed—is immensely rewarding to her. It has also encouraged her vegetarianist tendencies (if you discount the occasional specimen of animal life to be found nestling amongst the leaves). Even at the grandest of receptions she does not hesitate to add to her share of what is provided by tucking into the scraps of lettuce, sprigs of parsley or the odd half tomato arranged for decoration on the serving plates. Here she is, replete after a good haul on the occasion of her nephew’s wedding.

For Fred, poor old thing, the news is not so good. She has lived us for many years now and has become increasingly elderly—as, I suppose, have we. (“Fred,” I hear you say, “short for Fredericka, I suppose.” Would that it were as simple as that, but a frightful error was made when she was young, before she came to us, and you can but imagine what difficulties in life that sort of mistake can make.) She wandered off last summer and we suddenly found her gone, with no idea where and with no reasonable certainty that she could find her way back. Jane did everything—contacted the Police, dropped cards in letter-boxes, put up posters—and thanks, it has to be said, to social media, finally discovered Fred’s whereabouts. She had walked a very long way across three fields until she met a young man who took her in and looked after her until we could come and bring her back home in the car. She recovered well from her wanderings, but we had already agreed that we should be looking for suitable sheltered housing, and we have applied for a place at a small retirement home. Though it appears to be run on workhouse principles, with no mixing of males and females, Jane assures me that it will be best for Fred. Jane is caring and kind and will, I know, exercise the most careful judgment when I need her guidance on what is best for me.George