Sunday 4 July 2021

Sunday

 Good morning.  No rain this morning and yesterday afternoon the sun came out.  Two reasons to feel cheerful.

Yesterday was a funny old mix of sad and happy with some pleasant surprises thrown in.

The first very nice surprise yesterday was that  I opened up my mailbox first thing to find a message from the Premium Bonds people to say I had won.  Of course, they never say what one has won so I went online and it was the basic win of £25.  I'm certainly not sniffing at that.  It's £25 I didn't have before the draw and it is great.  I always reinvest the money rather than withdrawing it.

Before Beth woke up, I attacked the airing cupboard and some of the built in cupboards in 'my' room.  I think it is fair to say that Mum kept pretty much every bit of bedding that wasn't actually in holes.  I found blankets at the back that I remember having on my bed when I was a little girl!  It is now mostly out and on the long window seat on the landing and I just have to go through to make sure there's a quilt and some sheets, etc, for each bed in the house.  Dave and Anna are coming later on to take the rest for a local animal sanctuary.  Mind you, I wonder if they realise quite how much there is.  They are also planning on taking a load of old magazines and a nest of tables and I don't think their car is big enough.  We will see.

The second very nice thing was the arrival of a lovely bouquet of flowers from Diana, Mum's much younger sister.  It was good to take a bit of time out of sorting and clearing to get them into a vase.

Beth and I worked hard and get everything done that we had planned to do.  All Dad's clothes are now in black bags in the car port for collection, the photos have been sorted and, mostly, chucked.  In these days of digital photography, it is easy to forget how many duds one took to get one half-nice photo.
Finally, we wrapped nearly all of the china in newspaper and into bags and Beth now has it at her home.  I can bring the rest with me when I set off home this evening.
There's still a way to go but we'll get there.

And the third very nice thing was the best of the lot.  Alex (grandson with autism) got confirmation of his finals results and he's only gone and got his Masters in Mathematics with first class honours, that's all.   Blimey!  What a total star!  Things have been so very difficult for him since the whole covid thing, he hasn't coped at all well with all the uncertainty and disruption at times and . . . well, it's just fantastic.  I wish I could tell Dad - he supported Alex all the way through his four years at uni, both financially and in other ways too.  

So it was quite a day and I was shattered by the evening.  Today, as already mentioned, Dave and Anna are coming.  I have a chicken to roast for lunch and bedding to sort out so I'd better get going.
Have a good day and take care.  xx


28 comments:

  1. How absolutely wonderful for Alex, how hard he must have worked and what a great reward for his efforts, you and Beth must be thrilled....as would your Dad have been. Well done to him. You're getting on with the sorting amazingly well, Joy, well done to you too. It's great you have such a supportive family who are all pitching in to help. xx

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  2. What fantastic news after such a sad and difficult few weeks for you. Massive congratulations to Alex, you and Beth must be feeling so proud of him. Even though I don't know any of you personally it's cheered up my Sunday morning! xx

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  3. Well done Alex.Everyone has had such a difficult time particularly someone with autism.You must be so proud.

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  4. Thanks, Sooze, Hazel and Barbara. We are very, very proud of him. He has worked so very hard and climbed so many more mountains than most students could ever envisage that he really has earned this. We are indeed extremely proud.
    xx

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  5. Wonderful news about Alex you must be so chuffed!

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    1. Very, Diane. It's been so hard at times. xx

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  6. Huge congratulations to Alex. It's fantastic news for all of you but especially for him. xx

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    1. It is such a huge thing, isn't it?
      xx

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  7. Huge congratulations to Alex, especially under the circumstances with Covid! Your Dad will know :-) xxx

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    1. You could be right, Ali . . . thank you. xx

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  8. What a fantastic result for Alex! Congratulations to him. Sad your dad didn’t get to see it.

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    1. Yes, it is sad, but he was always so glad that her had the means to support Alex financially and in other ways too. It gave him great joy. xx

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  9. You are such a trooper to plow through all of the necessary work. I’m glad you have some help. Congratulations to Alex!! That is quite an achievement!! Zenda

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    1. Has to be done, Zenda, and I have the luxury of time. That's a great gift.
      xx

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  10. What a day! Certainly of mix of emotions. Wonderful news about Alex. Imagine your Dad would be so proud of him. Good to remember how he contributed to helping Alex achieve such an important goal--especially under such difficult circumstances. I also have a grandson with autism who was very successful in obtaining his university degree, so I know a bit about the challenges they faced.

    Hope you are able to get some rest this coming week.

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    1. Thank you so much, Mary. You really understand.
      xx

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  11. Huge congratulations to Alex on what has been a difficult path.
    What an achievement!!
    You should all be very proud that as a family you gave him the loving support that he needed to have the confidence
    to do so well.
    Well done all of you.
    Sue

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    1. We really are, Sue, extremely proud. Proud of him and glad that we all had a little part to play. xx

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  12. Congratulations to Alex! I know you are so proud of him. And you have worked so hard this weekend sorting through things at your parents' home. I am glad your children are supporting you with help. I hope that you will be very kind to yourself this week and rest.

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    1. I have plans for an easier week, thanks. I guess weariness is natural. xx

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  13. Well done Alex. What a great accomplishement.

    Winning 25 pounds is great as well.

    God bless.

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    1. They were nice things, weren't they? xx

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  14. That's fantastic news about Alex! It is draining to go through your parents' things. I am still using bedding up at the cabin that's from the fifties! It's in excellent condition, though.

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    1. How lovely. I'm afraid, as we all have enough bedding for our homes, the cats' sanctuary/shelter is the gainer and when they don't want or can't use will go to the tip. Hopefully, it will be recycled in some way from there. xx

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  15. Fabulous news about Alex. Very well done! All the family must be so proud of him. Amanda x

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  16. Huge congratulations to Alex. That is fantastic news and well deserved. You must be so very proud. X

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    1. Words can't express how proud I am. It's fantastic. :-)
      xx

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