Stormy weather

Hello everybody.

Well, it’s been testing times as you’ve probably gathered but Sylvie’s weathering the storm and as much as she pushes me away at times, I’m watching over her and Clint. I took a Swiss Roll to his DJ booth today and I could see he’d been crying, he said The Carpenters always gets to him but I said nowt and took his empty plates and closed the door.

Sylvie has her good and bad days. On a good day, its like nothing has happened and she talks about Eric as if he were a saint. I don’t know what to make of her at times. On a bad day, I can’t do right for doing wrong but I put up and shut up. My neighbour the counsellor said that it’s like bereavement and she has to go through different stages.

Sylvie was in a foul mood this morning. She called me disrespectful and contemptible. I said ‘Don’t think I can’t read in-between those lines’. But I let it wash over me.

She occasionally takes my hand when things get really bad and she came over for her tea last week. Sidney laid on a nice gammon steak with pineapple rings, Green Giant sweetcorn and baby potatoes. He likes to add a bit of glamour to the plate, so he put a sprig of parsley on top. He’s artistic like that. I made a sherry trifle for afters, as a special treat.

Sidney’s applied to the ‘Come Dine With Me’ show on Channel 4. He wins £1000 if he gets the highest score at end of week, which I’m sure he would with his flair for home entertainment.

I had a visitor to the hospital shop t’ other day. Ted came in while I was putting a brew on! I almost died and hid under sink out back. Sylvie had been doing the TV Quick crossword (though, she really should pay for the magazine first) and hadn’t seen him.

I heard her shouting out ‘Ten across, victorious landlady of the east’ and I was trying to whisper ‘Peggy Mitchell’ so Ted couldn’t hear, and then she looked up and saw him stood at counter in his car coat and trilby hat.

He’d brought that Valerie Ashcroft into A&E, she’d had a run in with trouser press. He said he’d heard Sylvie’s bad news and offered his sympathies. What a hypocrite! After the way he treated me for years. I could tell he was winning her round; she gave him a Turkish Delight and a bottle of pop for nowt.

He asked after me but she said it was my day off and then he spotted my coat hanging up on door and skulked away. Sylvie said she felt sorry for him and that he’s lost a lot of weight.

He’s good at that puppy dog look, I told her not to be taken in. She said that he’s definitely not going with that Valerie as she’s always in Gold Rush club with every Tom, Dick and Harry but never with Ted. There are names for women like her. Sylvie will tell you.

I must confess to getting a bit teary after he left hospital foyer. Sylvie helped me out from under sink as I had a dead leg. It was her turn to look after me that afternoon but it took her mind off things. We’re a right pair!

I know she thinks I should meet up with Ted and talk but it’s very difficult. He’s still my husband and always will be but there’s too much water under bridge and we have nothing to say to one another. I don’t think we ever did.

He popped back home to see me a few weeks after he left to pick up the rest of his things and he said ‘I don’t want you to think you’re worthless’. ‘I never did’, I said and closed the door on our marriage.

Still, I’m not short of admirers. Wally Atkins from drama group complimented me on my pearl necklace t’ other day and Frank the security man is still trying to woo me, though I don’t see that as owt to boast about. His uniform has a right shine to it. I told him to stop ironing it, Mandy could put it through steam cleaner in laundry.

He tried to run after some kids who were stealing carnations from Tilly’s buckets. He couldn’t give chase though, not with his hip. Calls himself security? He couldn’t knock skin of a rice pudding.

Oh, and I was flashed at by a geriatric in a dressing gown last Wednesday, he came down just as I was closing shutters, so I refused to serve him. Where was Frank? Having a crafty roll up outside, that’s where. He shouldn’t be smoking, not with his asthma.

You’ll be pleased to know that Ivy has been discharged from hospital though she still has lumpy hands. She’s staying with her son Brian and his wife. He’s an Elvis impersonator and plumber. He wears a white cape with his overalls and big gold sunglasses. He can’t see a thing through them. He nearly flooded my kitchen in the summer but he eventually took them off to sort out my blockage.

As I said to Sidney, he’s as mad as a dog in a bungalow, that one.

Sylvie cheered up at lunchtime when Doctor Forbes bought a packet of Revels. He offered one to Sylvie but she said she was happy with her fat-free yoghurt and banana. What a fibber! I pointed out she had Chocolate Egg all down her cardigan. She didn’t talk to me after that, except when I asked if my teeth were red after sucking on a Fisherman’s Friend. ‘No, you’re alright’, she sniped, ‘They’re still yellow’. She can be very hurtful at times.

Lester has been teaching us how to spread sheets this evening. I must say, it looks very confusing. Sylvie won’t get the hang of this at all. He also taught us how to save pictures on computer and then make changes to them in the photo shop. Sidney will enjoy that. He has a laptop and keeps all kinds of things on there, though he doesn’t really like me to use it.

Argos Alan is going to get me and Sylvie our own computers after this course finishes. He said he’ll set us both up with an email account, I think it’s with ‘Cooee!’ I can’t really remember. It had a daft name whichever way you look at it.

Well, I better go as Lester is in a hurry to finish up, he’s playing in a Bob Marley tribute evening at the Gold Rush club, after Clint finishes up the Bingo. Lester played us one of Mr Marley’s tunes during tea-break. It was very catchy and I caught Dolly Hargreaves tapping her moon boot.

I looked up Bob Marley on t’ internet and thought I’d post his picture. Mind you, I can’t say I’m surprised the poor chap died young. Look at the size of his roll up!



I think I’ll tell Frank and see if it puts him off.

Speak again soon.

God bless, Joyce x