The Alpha and the Omega – 300 posts, stroke, bowel cancer, alzheimers ..



Carbis Bay Hotel



Sounds a little dramatic doesn’t it – Alpha and Omega – the words just tie a few things up, open the doors to new beginnings ... this is my 300^th post – my Omega; the A – Z Challenge will be my Alpha ... an infinite number of posts ahead .. starting with a mere 26 in April.

The alphabet of stories, poems, ideas, creative thought – all 600+ of us participating in the A – Z Challenge .. I shall be posting the ABCs of the British Countryside – highlighting areas of our landscape we take for granted.



Whoever thought just over two years ago I’d still be here writing and being involved in this enormous creative blogging world – such an eye opener to many a mere mortal.  The story of life played out by and to each of us as we blog, read, comment and connect along our journey’s paths.  Thank you to you all ...



Elizabeth was a great gardener



It’s a real all sorts mix of a melting pot – we glean, we learn, we travel, we photograph, we cook and we write and importantly, I think, we become aware of things that perhaps might not hit us if we were not internet connected.  So this post is a celebration by me of my 300^th  article... a few things I’ve learned and would like you to be aware of too, and some happy times ...

The acronym F A S T – saved a young girl’s life .. her class mates recognised the symptoms and reacted .... the brain does heal ... (to an extent) but never forget this aspect .. certainly this has happened with my mother, though she will never ‘recover’ – as this youngster had the chance to because of her friends’ immediate reaction to dial 999.



Fast Stroke Test:  ... F A S T - react to these symptoms:

• FACE - Has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
• ARMS - Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
• SPEECH - Is their speech slurred?
• TIME - call the ambulance .. if you see any single one of these signs

Alzheimers – the Nursing centre, where my mother lives, have opened the ground floor to Alzheimer patients; at the opening the Director for Dementia came down and left some copies of his book: “And Still the Music Plays” – stories of people with Dementia – by Graham Stokes.

Doris, who blogs with us – I love that phrase!, at her blog ““Hold My Hand” A Social Worker’s blog” where she tells stories of her experiences, much as Dr Stokes does above ... they are just great ways to learn.



Alzheimer’s can strike early in life too ... Dr Stokes’ first story is about a 41 year old woman ... she coped, however her husband and sons were not aware of her struggles ...

Autism – perhaps you’ve seen the TED talk by Temple Grandin .. an amazing woman, who despite Autism .. in fact because of it .. has this amazing (out of this world) capacity for visual thinking ...  a fascinating way to understand someone who thinks in a series of photo-realistic images = picture perfect .. and who can only do this because she is autistic.

Googling – brings up the Wikipedia entry:  the 2010 film is a biopic on Temple Grandin, as a woman with autism, who revolutionised the practices for the humane handling of livestock.

Lastly and sadly Bowel Cancer ... can strike very quickly and is one of the most painful cancers, so I understand.  My mother’s best friend and ex manager of her Care Home had not been feeling well .. she was cheerful and looking forward, despite the probable prognosis.  Sadly she was in such pain, she went into hospital and never came out .. it was only a few hours .. and she was relatively young – 73.

I have been drip feeding my mother with the information that Elizabeth is ill – as I thought the shock of her death needed to be tempered by the knowledge that she was seriously ill first – as my mother cannot easily express emotion after her strokes .. because of the shock & when you are confined to bed with no other resources than your own brain ... these sorts of notifications need to be carefully handled – if there’s a possibility to do so.

Gorse flowers

The funeral was wonderful and this week I will tell my mother about it – and speak-paint her the pictures of Cornwall in Spring, the new Crematorium – Cornish granite, wonderful wood – including a beautiful polished cross, set in the gorse covered, tree cowed countryside that is Cornwall.

It was so good to meet Elizabeth’s family and old friends from the Care Home days ... the day was glorious with blue sunny skies; the Reception was held in the Carbis Bay Hotel, who were kind enough to allow me to use their photos here.  The weather was very kind giving us magnificent views across St Ives Bay.



In tempering the news re Elizabeth and her funeral I can include the sunny day, being able to meet the family and share our appreciation of her, as has also been expressed by our relatives too – as my great uncle and his wife were cared for by Elizabeth and my mother in their last days.



We used to stay in Carbis Bay at a Bed and Breakfast, while my grandmother owned a house on the hill down to the hotel – where we had often played as kids ... so it brought back many memories of those days ... my first swim/paddle .. the chugging local line train, stopping at the beachfront – but high on a viaduct, which linked St Ives to the main line.  It was strange driving down to the hotel – but what a view ... a day of mixed emotions.



I then had the great privilege of having another visit to my 94 year old ‘aunt’ near St Austell .. with glorious food – courtesy this time of Marks and Spencer:  just to whet your appetite –

+ King Prawn and Avocado salad, with pasta and a creamy lemon dressing

+ Herb crusted Scottish Trout fillets stuffed with a Crab and Red Pepper mousse

+ Raspberry jelly with fresh raspberries, and Cornish clotted cream

... washed down with grape and berry juice

You cannot really go wrong with this meal .. it was delicious and met with total approval!!



This is a sad time .. however my mother is as pragmatic as always – saying that bowel cancer is horrible, and thinking back to other people she had cared for, who had died of this disease.  So I think I did the right thing in ‘delaying’ the telling ...



Alpha and Omega .. 300 posts an end, a new beginning; life begins and ends .. beware it can happen suddenly and be aware it can drift in .... keep and remember the positives ...

Thank you so much for your continued support – new times ahead ...



Alpha ‘Arlee Bird’ Challenge .. the ABCs of the A – Z Challenge start Friday – April Fool’s day .. now that’s a thought ... but 700+ participants is not ... amazing .. congratulations to you all and especially to the organisers:



Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out (who created the challenge)
Jeffrey Beesler at World of the Scribe
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jen Daiker at Unedited
Candace Gangers at The Misadventures In Candyland
Karen J Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain
Talli Roland
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs

The Carbis Bay Hotel were kind enough to allow me to use their photos - there are some incredible panoramic views on their website: Carbis Bay Hotel ... please have a visit ...


Dear Mr Postman .. we go on – when my mother is awake .. she is just so with it .. other times she dozes, or sleeps and seems reasonably content – the main thing in my life.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

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