Laxatives

I haven’t done this wonderful lady justice on the photography front. I did manage some in focus but they sadly didn’t catch her smile so I’ve played around with this one because I wanted to remember her glowing character.  Words are more important today.

This is Christine, born near Christmas, David’s sister.  I haven’t chatted to her properly before but took my opportunity today as she was heading to the station with her walking stick.  David was on his way too and she joked that it was the race of the broken hip versus the arthritic knee.  

She was winning by a long way and we had plenty of time to chat before David came around the corner laughing about hares and tortoises.  David had told us his sister had broken her hip but I hadn’t realised she’d fallen off her bike with a clatter to do it.  Now, ten months later, this is the longest walk she’s done and the station was her target before heading home.  We were yards from it so she was definitely going to make it and it had clearly given her a big lift.

They have a lovely wild garden with lots of mature redwoods. I admire it most times of the year including early on with the carpet of snowdrops followed by daffodils.  Christine has a magnificent sense of humour - just my kind too.  She was willing the tulips that David had taken a year to plant to be a laxative to the squirrel that had hoovered them up one a night.  Her neighbour had just hoped it had given it ‘tummy ache’ and Christine giggled about her own humour being more far down to earth!

The two of them seem to have a really good relationship and banter was in their hearts with each other.  Our conversation and hearing the two of them laugh with each other gave me a proper smile all the way around my walk.