January update, and my 4th Granddaughter, Ruth

I 'm surprised to find there are but two days left in January.   I have not been well and I have written nothing since I told you about the great party we had when all seventeen of us assembled in York to celebrate the 93rd birthday of my Jane.    I have not managed to acknowledge the Christmas cards we received although they were only a fraction of the numbers we used to get while I was in practice and meeting people.   Sadly the great majority of our  friends have passed away and we now know very few who are older than we are.   We are delighted that our closest --Sean P. Kennan  -- is enjoying good health in Dublin.   He is our Nuala's dear Dad.    We are also pleased that my brother Owen has adapted to life in the Clontarf nursing home and having excellent care from the Little Sisters of the Poor.
I feel better today because the 3 inches of snow that covered our streets for four days has vanished.
I must tell you about the card I had  from a very special client called Les Fowler.   There was a £20 note  with it.  Although this was a rare finding it caused me no great surprise.    I could never forget Les or his equally kind wife Gwen.   They really did love their greyhounds.   They never kept more than two but provided them with luxurious accomodation.   They f irst consulted me in 1961 and remained loyal clients for 31 years.  Even when I could offer them no cure they always appreciated my advice.  They were never in my debt but they knew of many who were.   Their sympathy probably explains the score.

 At 93 Les and his wonderul wife Gwen still live in the same tidy house in Luton.   They had gardens around it and usually brought us fruit and flowers on visits with an injured greyhound.     Les was a brave and true Brit who was prepared to die for his country.     He was proud of the medals he was awarded for his distinguished service under Field Marshall Montgomery in the Desert War.    He told me he got to like sleeping on a blanket on the sand.    The hardship he disliked most was the shortage of water.   Troops often had to wait six months for a bath.

We enjoyed a visit today from Ruth one of our seven lovely granddaughters.   She was saying good bye to us for 3 months while she is gaining experience working in the Art Gallery in Berlin.   At 23 she is the younger of Simon and Lyn's two girls.   Judith is at Newcastle University studying Spanish and Politics.






Ruth with Grandma

 Their younger brother Neil who has been teaching kids and kayaking in Costa Rica last Summer now has a job in York controlling the lighting in the Theatre Royal.    Good Bye for now  Keep well.   Paddy