076 - Chapter 76

(Illustration : Colin Wilbourn’s Last Supper)

Along with time spent on the ‘Kaleidoscope of Characters’ project, I also painted a picture of a sculpture by Colin Wilbourn of the Last Supper by the River Wear, just below Durham Cathedral. (see Illustration) I painted it from a postcard or photo, I can’t remember which, as I had both. The sculpture was actually a set of carvings on the ‘inside’ of 13 tree trunks, and it was only by sitting on a wooden chair at one end of the sculpture, that you could see all these carvings coming together brilliantly to form the upper room, all set out for Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. It was one of the finest and most creative pieces of sculptures I’d seen in a long time. We had visited it years before, and I still remember sitting in that wooden chair in awe, reflecting on its beauty and its meaning. Sadly, the entire sculpture had to be removed, due to the tree trunk’s deterioration, some say Elm’s disease caused it, but I just felt I had to capture it as a painting, now that this great work was lost to us. The illustration shows my painting and what could be seen by ‘looking in’ from the viewpoint of the wooden chair.

Looking through the corridors of your time, what do you learn from looking in on your life? What has given you cause to celebrate? Would you have changed anything?

I wouldn’t change a thing. If I had my life to live over, I would want it to turn out exactly the same.

It’s only by taking a step back, and reflecting on my life, as I’m doing right now as I publish this book, which began in Lockdown 2020, that I see it from a clearer perspective, rather like sitting on that wooden chair! Looking back, I’ve tried to ‘do’ far too much! Perhaps it’s in my nature to work hard for my living, after all I am a Saturday’s child!

I wonder if such a rhyme really does reflect someone’s personality?

Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

But the child who is born on the Sabbath day,

Is blithe and bonny and good and gay.

On the other hand . . Bob was born on a Monday?

But I’ve also enjoyed times of just ‘being’ me! How can I separate the ‘doing’ from the ‘being’, as they seemed to me to mingle together as one.

A lot of my work at this time in my life was a real pleasure and joy to me, half of our week was spent in the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District. I was painting outside, composing songs, playing guitar, and taking some wonderful walks with Bob. Doing something I enjoy keeps me out of trouble I suppose, exercises my mind, and actually helps me to relax!

We sometimes took our grandchildren on holidays with us to the caravan and to sheep dog trials and fell races, and also at home to cinemas, museums, to the fire station where Uncle Peter worked. They also came with us to holiday clubs at church in Kingston Park, and as they got older, they made contributions themselves with Rubik cube stunts, guitar performances, cup clapping, dances, art and drama.

I was also visiting prison each month, speaking at local churches, preparing for youth drama input at a holiday club, and assisting at the church's Alpha course. Assemblies in school each month though, were a real source of joy to me, I’ve always loved working with children, and teaching them.

I was given permission by one headmistress at Jubilee Primary, to take a small team of children with me to Beacon Hill, Wallsend, (a school for children with health conditions or impairments), to do an assembly for the children there. The Jubilee ‘assembly’ team were excellent; I’d never heard of this happening anywhere else, where one school encouraged the children in another.

Luke also took part in one of my assemblies at his school, Newton Hall First School, Durham, dressed up as the character ‘Mario’, as he already had this fancy-dress costume at home, and we planned the script together. I narrated a ‘journey through life’ to his school friends in assembly and ‘little Mario’, Luke began running on the spot passing through many ‘hurdles’ on his way. This was so brave of him!

He came home one day, saying he was looking forward to his school leaver’s service, as the Prime Minister was going to be there! When Dionne questioned him further, he told her that the government was going to be there, and since the Prime Minister was their leader, then he must be coming too! (She had to explain to him what ‘governors’ were!)

2011 was indeed such a busy year, Not only had our two new grandsons been born, but we had had a superb holiday in Bodrum, Turkey, with Stephen, Dionne and the children, as their thank you gift to us for our love and support of Luke and Katie over the years.

In October that year, we all gathered together again with everyone descending on our house, and it was always a joy to meet up, and have everyone under the same roof.

Sarah and her family arrived for her friend Julie’s wedding to Vinny, and she and Leah were going to be bridesmaids. Mind they looked beautiful, and we were all invited to the reception.

That first night, as we kept an eye on the little ones in bed while our children were at the disco, I discovered itchy blisters at the side of my body, and Sarah, our family GP, came upstairs and diagnosed what it was; the beginning of shingles. We hurried home that next morning early to make sure we got the right medication which she recommended, so that it wouldn’t take hold. It seems that the sooner you spot shingles, and treat it, the less painful it is. It’s useful to have a GP close to hand.

Our Christmas get together that year however, was not the usual joyful holiday we expected!

For this gathering we, who lived in the North, all travelled down south to Sarah and Alan’s house, and there, the Norovirus bug went on the rampage, and it set about us! It worked its way through each member of our family in turn, two or three members of the family each day. As Sarah began to cook the lunch on Christmas Day, she became so ill, she had to go to bed, and Alan and I had to take over; but hardly anyone felt hungry!

There were 14 of us there, with sickness and diarrhoea, with only two loos, over a period of nine days, and we were far too ill to travel home! Only one of us, my son-in-law Alan, escaped the bug. It truly was horrendous. I felt so sorry for Sarah who had prepared everything so beautifully, and had carefully planned and shopped for all the food!

Christmas was not supposed to be like this! It was an awful end to the year.

But looking back at that disastrous Christmas holiday now, sitting here in my imaginary wooden chair, as if at the viewpoint of that famous sculpture, I see it all from a clearer perspective. Family members who were sick and in trouble, had helped each other in their distress, and cared deeply for those who were ill. We ‘kept calm’ and we carried on, and we came through! 

That’s family.