James Culley has received his baccalaureat exam results and has been accepted by Portsmouth university to study architecture. He starts in September. WELL DONE JAMES!

Wednesday 20th September 2023

James went off to Portsmouth last Saturday and settling in well. Has met up with his new flat mates and getting on well - particularly with a student from Bulgaria who he is showing the ropes! Freshers week at the moment. Well done James.

Wednesday 1st November 2023

He is loving it down in Portsmouth. The Architecture course he is on is right up his street.

Sonia Owen, Barrie's sister was admitted to Morriston Hospital last evening complaining of chest pain - 'I thought my Bra was too tight' !!! Examination confirmed that she had had a heart attack and she was admitted to the Cardiac ward. Intra arterial insertion of a stent to the affected heart artery went ahead with significant relief of the symptoms. However, they did say that a number of other heart arteries were significantly narrowed and that once she had recovered from the current problem she would be readmitted for further stenting. Best wishes Sonia, we are thinking of you.

Monday 28th August 2023

Sonia feeling well. Has been told that her heart arteries are in a bit of a mess. They have not decided yet whether to insert multiple stents or to do multi bypass grafts. Echocardiogram tomorrow for further assessment

Wednesday 30th August 2023

Discharged yesterday evening. Much relieved to be home. Awaiting out patient appointment and decision by medics as to whether to do a coronary artery by-pass graft (cabbage) or more stenting.

Doesn't say much for the Davies family heart history does it - as well as Sonia, father Doug died 1981 with a heart attack, his sister May Dobbins died in her mid 50s of a heart attack and his wife Tydfil had by-pass grafts in 1995, Richard had a cabbage and mitral valve replacement in 2018 followed by pacemaker and defibrillator insertion and I have had 3 stents fitted !

Wednesday 2nd November 2023

Cardiologists have looked at Sonia's heart artery system and have decided that stenting would be too extensive and of dubious benefit. They have therefore put her on the Welsh waiting list for coronary artery by-pass grafting and, with any luck, she will be in Morriston hospital before Christmas. Good luck Son and more news here when it happens.

Monday 13th November 2023

Cardiologists have decided that Sonia's best option is to have a coronary artery by-pass grafting procedure (Cabbage). She has been put on the waiting list and is likely to be operated on before Christmas.

Nick Rohman, Sonia's 45 year old son, had a cardiac arrest at home this morning. His partner, Jane, did CPR for 15 minutes before the ambulance arrived. They continued CPR and his heart restarted. He was taken into Morriston hospital and admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit. He then underwent angiographic clot removal and stent insertion. More news as it becomes available but all praise to Jane for her efforts - she deserves a medal !!!!

Wednesday 13th September 2023

Must be a marked improvement as he is complaining that he wants to go home! Needless to say, Jane has declined his request !!! It seems his heart arteries are not in a very good condition so further surgery is likely. Once again, doesn't say much for the Davies family heart history does it

Friday 15th September 2023

Nick has had 2 more stents fitted and they are pleased with his progress. ?? being discharged today. Not surprisingly, Nick is very tearful which, post heart attack, is natural and particularly as they will take his HGV licence off him for 6 months. More news if anything else develops.

Wednesday 20th September 2023

Home and complaining that he is not allowed to do anything; complaining particularly about his broken ribs inflicted on him by Jane during CPR - well done Jane !!!!!

Monday 13th November 2023

Nick doing well apart from an episode of 'man-flu'. Decide that he is not looking forward to returning to a driving job so is looking for alternatives.

As some of you know, Isobel and I have been renting a flat in Maidenhead while we wait for the deeds for our house in Cyprus to become available - estate agents out there won't put it on the market until the deeds become available. In the meantime we are renting it to a smashing and reliable lady.

We have a solicitor working on it for us and the latest today is as follows 'Your file is currently at the land registry’s drawing department, which is the second stage out of the 3, before the borders adjustment is finalized.  When this task is finalized by the land registry office, we will go back to the district office to obtain the final approval certificate and submit it to the land registry for the issuance of the update title deeds' !

So, for the moment we stay as we are - hopefully 2024 will perhaps see light at the end of the tunnel!!! More on this as it happens!

About 10 years ago, Rhian befriended a little lady called Pip (not her real name but one that everyone knows her by). At that time, Rhian was her General Practice nurse but she has long moved to another practice - however, the friendship remained and spread to Isobel and I and she has become very close to all of us. Pip has no children but we think she has relatives somewhere but they have had very little to do with her for many years. Pip's husband, Andy, died some 20-30 years ago - he was a British Airways pilot.

Pip is 97 years old next January and, because she has become increasingly disabled, she has has been admitted to a nursing home on a permanent basis. Pip joined the army at the beginning of the second world war and had a fascinating military career including being one of the first allied soldiers to liberate Auschwitz and Belsen and worked at the war crimes trials in Nuremberg - she says that those executed deserved it because they had no regrets for what they had done during the war.

The nursing home that Pip is in at the moment is a little bit expensive (close to £2000 per week) so we are actively looking into somewhere a bit more affordable. More news about Pip when it happens.

Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Pip going downhill slowly. Keeps saying her prayers and asking God to come and fetch her. Refusing food and most drink - apart from drinking chocolate. I'm not surprised - what a life at 97, 24 hours a day in bed, doubly incontinent and knows it and in a nursing home where empathy and understanding are in short supply.