It’s been a year… in many senses
To cut a long story short
Eventful journey home from last year’s Oostende voor Anker Festival followed by a few short sailing trips round the coast and up and down rivers during the summer, when Clive felt well enough. He started suffering angina about three months after his triple heart bypass operation. Thankfully this has finally settled down and he’s been given the all clear by his surgeon, Will Davies, who we saw at the new Papworth Hospital (in the City of Addenbrookes) about three weeks ago.
The new Papworth Hospital in Cambridge
My mum was in poor health even before dad died last March, and she became increasingly anxious and forgetful last summer. Living four hours away from each other was becoming more and more worrying and together with my brothers, we planned moving her to Harwich, buying the house next door to our cottage in order to be able to look after her. During the house purchase her health deteriorated rapidly and though we successfully bought no. 17, we had only just moved in, got the stair lift fitted, brought her furniture over, tearing hair out to get it all ready before my older brother Tim drove her and her carer to Harwich on 14thDecember, and alas she was at the end of her life. She only had a few hours in the house and I don’t believe she knew where she was, she was quite delirious (after been given the all clear to move by her doctor). She was suffering pneumonia in her right lung and her left was full of fluid and she spent her last few days in Colchester Hospital. We were all able to be with her over her final weekend and I was with her when she died peacefully on 17thDecember. So a bit of a shell shocked Christmas and New Year. We were only able to think about the New Year once we hit Robbie Burns night towards the end of January.
Mum at 21 years old in 1949
I’ve had a chaotic time sorting out our parent’s house, collections of stuff going back decades, in some cases I’ve found things dating back hundreds of years. I managed to get some items into auction however most value these days is in the property, not the chattels. While I have dealt with the house clearing, my brothers have been dealing with all the administrative side of mum’s death. As dad had only recently died it has all been rather too emotional.
My gorgeous old dog Fergus at 16 years and two months, passed away on Tuesday. After flatly refusing to come aboard Distant Drum, he moved in with my lovely friend Elizabeth Taylor for the last four and a half years, coming for seaside holidays with us a couple of times a year. He’d had a great life, much loved, full of mischief and fun. He will be so terribly missed by us all. The following photos were taken just a week before he passed away, on a seaside visit to Harwich, where he happily topped off his stay with one of his favourite pastimes, chasing a cat
Farewell Mr Fergus
Clive and I sailed to the 20thOostende voor Anker Festival on Monday, a much needed break from all that has been going on, and what a great festival it is. We have our good pals Sue & Howard here plus other friends too, and have met up with new friends we’ve met in previous years. Here are some photographs….
Distant Drum in the centre with her red stripe along the bow, after we’d raised our bunting, with The Mercator behind – a great ship to visit, it was used for exploration including to The Easter Islands in the 1930s
The Vole au Vent raised on her pylons in the harbour – impressive
There are some amazing murals around Ostend!
Distant Drum from The Mercator, with Sue & Howard aboard in the second photo
Clive, Barry and Howard at the Mayor’s Reception in the city hall yesterday morning, with Cpn’ Jack and Fergus
I’ve been working with my Reiki at St Helena Hospice, the Lifehouse Spa & Hotel in Thorpe Le Soken, and more recently I have joined the lovely team of Reiki Teachers working with Taggart King and Reiki Evolution nationally
From now I will try and keep more up to date with the blog. With all that has happened the last year, only touched briefly on here, I found it hard to know where to begin, or where to stop, so this summary is just to bring the year to life and your imagination.
Bog Watch Ostend: 5 out of 5, as long as you get in the right shower, no 1 as you enter, after that, shower 3, 3 out of 5, shower 2 and shower 1, 1 out of 5! The main difference from last year is that ladies showers are back working, yay!
distantdrumsailing 
My Dearies,
What a year… WOT a YEAR! I am beaming you light and love from Tacolopolis.
Please know I am holding your parents and gorgeous old Fergus in my heart these days.
The Talmud says we all I’ve as long as we are fondly remembered. By that measuring sticks, then, they are immortal.
One day perhaps all can be honored in an All souls Procession In TUCSON?
Again, light and love.
Señor Brad
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Dear Sarah
It really has been a year for you…and dear old Fergus now…what a lovely dog.
I hope this is the end of the bad times for you, and it’s plain sailing from here on. Love and best wish to you and Clive.
Jane and Russ xxxx
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dear Sarah and Clive,
you have been in my thoughts lately, so I am glad to hear from you, even though it is so sad and you have obviously been through more heart wrenching times. So sorry to hear of your Mum’s death, Sarah, these times pare you down to what is real and most important. even if it feels like you are living in another dimension to the rest of the world. She was surrounded by those she loved and who loved her and that is all anyone can ask for. You are closer to the spirit realm than I am and will know she valued your presence, even if she could not let you know.
It sounds as if you are coping together as a family, although sorting ‘stuff’ is an exhausting task and often emotionally charged.
So very sad to lose Fergus at the same time, (when we rehomed my brother’s collie dog, Ben, the grief returned, even though it was a happy move for him!)
You have both had much pain and sadness over the last few yrs, my heart goes out to you. I am so very glad, Clive, that you are feeling better after your major health challenges. I hope the Festival is one of many for this yr and that the grief can be placed along side good memories and wild times in the future.
We have had similar times of relentless tragedy and sheer unbelievable awfulness, and looking back, you wonder how you ever lived through it. The detail is vivid, but, as you say, if you started to explain, you would not be able to stop. I have since learned that ‘it is not what happens to you (and loved ones), but how you respond to it’. That is a wisdom only truly possible in hindsight, I suspect.
I am gradually emerging from 9 yrs of low energy akin to ME, and as the brain fog and anxiety clears, I realise how limited my life has become. (I tried many therapies, but recommend diet advice from Medical Medium, Anthony William, so, not quite in Festival mode, but certainly lighter in body and soul!) I am part of a new ‘Power of 8’ group set up in March by a psychic friend of mine. From experimental work on Group Intention by Lynne McTaggart. We have learnt the basics and we are beginning to see doors opening in our lives in a very satisfying way. We are practicing on ourselves initially before releasing ourselves on the wider world, with planet saving an ultimate aim!! Well, ‘How do you eat an elephant?….One bite at a time…’
Despite reading this truth many times, I am realising that we are much more powerful than we think and, it seems, when we act in a group, we are really quite something! (as long as we/our egos, get out of the way, of course!). Your Reiki Group sounds as if it has similar potential in the healing arts. The Universe needs as many humans working for the highest good as it can awaken at these ‘interesting times’.
Thank you for keeping in touch, I look forward to hearing more about the healing work of Reiki and your life on the ocean waves….
with all my love and a big hug to you both,
Jane B XXX
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Hey Sarah, it has been a year indeed. How are you hanging in there? No such drama for me. I still have pics of dear Fergus from my 2004 visit. He was a one though. I enjoyed the update with all the pictures. Went to Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC with my sister and sister-in-law. Quite a day that was. The ferry back was bouncing a bit but I enjoyed it. I am settling into the local community and doing volunteer work for different groups, meeting people, doing different kinds of things. Gardening takes time and energy but I am enjoying it a lot.
Always glad to hear from you my friend,
Sharon
On Sun, May 26, 2019 at 6:29 AM distantdrumsailing wrote:
> workingwildchild posted: “It’s been a year… in many senses To cut a long > story short Eventful journey home from last year’s Oostende voor Anker > Festival followed by a few short sailing trips round the coast and up and > down rivers during the summer, when Clive felt well enough. H” >
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