…for
this unplanned break in transmission. Normal
service will be resumed as soon as possible.
When
I first started coughing during my trip to Belgium, I could never have dreamt
it would take me so long to get over the chest infection which had hit me. But all things come to those who wait and thankfully
I’m now well again at last and trying hard to catch up with all the things I should
have been doing during the past few weeks.
One
big task which I’ve now started to tackle is to unpack and sort the boxes of books
which I accumulated during the almost thirty years of my active ministry, many
of which I no longer use and for which in any case we simply don’t have space.
Some I will keep, some I will offer to colleagues if they want them, and the
rest will go to a charity which supplies books to theological students overseas
who cannot afford to buy the books they need.
So
far I’ve emptied and sorted some twenty boxes of books and am now taking a
break, as DS and Grandson#3 are coming to spend the Easter weekend with us, as
our poor daughter-in-law is going to be very busy at work. Once Easter is over I’ll
make a start on the long-delayed posts about my trip before tackling even one
more box of books – I promise.
In
the meantime I’m crossing fingers and toes that the weather forecasters have
got it wrong. After a nicely dry fortnight, they are promising rain for the Easter
weekend - a typical British bank holiday, in other words. I think our recently-neglected
stock of board games may come in handy once again…
Images via Google
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteIndeed the outlook is grim... just as long as it doesn't snow!!! Sorry you had such a time with the lurgy - my sister had something similar and I think it was about three months before she really felt clear of it... take care, stay warm and dry and most of all have a blessed and peaceful Easter! YAM xx
Thanks,Yam, and the same to you. Yes, it's been a nasty bug and there have been a lot of different ones around this winter. Sorry your sister had such a bad time with hers.
DeleteThe forecast hasn't improved - indeed we've now got a yellow warning for wind on Saturday! But it won't stop us having fun. :-)
I had been wondering what had happened to you. Glad you are now on the mend.
ReplyDeleteOur weather is the opposite - after a very pleasant summer and early autumn we had heavy rain and strong winds yesterday and worse overnight but the forecast is for fine at the weekend.
I am sure you will have a Happy Easter in spite of your forecast weather. That is my wish for you anyway.
Thanks, Susan. I really hadn't realised how long it had been since I'd posted. The last few weeks just seem to have disappeared without my noticing it.
DeleteI'm glad to hear someone has a forecast of good weather for Easter. Our forecast has now got even worse, with strong winds on the way as well as heavy rain. I do feel sorry for all those people who have organised events or booked a few days away. Thankfully I don't have to go anywhere but church.
Wishing you a very happy Easter too.
I'm glad to hear you have shaken off the chest cold, they can be very debilitating.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you needed to get rid of some of those books they can accumulate till they take over your house (pot calling kettle black as my mother would have said). I am still not finding the necessary inspiration to start decluttering my own 'space invaders'.
Have a lovely Easter whatever the weather.
Thanks, Ray, and the same to you. It's taken the best part of a month for my chest to clear, but it really is better now, thank goodness.
DeleteThe books in question have only come into the house to be sorted, having been in boxes for months. I always knew I'd have to get rid of many of them once we moved, but it's taken until now for me finally to tackle them and to track down an organisation that can make use of them. I do feel virtuous now, though. :-)
Like you I started sorting books to give away – and it is quite a task. I am happy you feel better as it’s not good to feel weak when spring comes. After my 3-weeks with pneumonia, and no medical help, it has been hard to get back to normal – I still don’t feel too good, but it is getting warmer, trees are full of blossoms and many birds are active in our back yard – I will feel OK soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's a huge task, Vagabonde, and I wish you luck with your sorting. I'm very sorry to hear that it is taking you so long to recover from your pneumonia. Hopefully the warmer weather will help. Here March has been colder than February and the blossom is slow to arrive, but at least we have daffodils for Easter.
DeleteAh, memories of wet Easters with board games aplenty. I am glad you are starting to feel better, after really a long bout of the 'bug'. Such impressive decluttering speaks well of your renewed energies :) Enjoy the family Easter, and the coming Springtime.
ReplyDeleteGrabbing a moment while everyone is otherwise occupied to catch up with replies. Given the weather outside today, board games may well be the order of the day after lunch - either that or poker, at which Grandson#3 shows an unnerving skill for a 12 year-old. :) I'm so glad I'm well again to enjoy it all.
DeleteI do empathise with you Perpetua - when I returned from Turkey last Autumn I had a chest infection that seemed to go on forever, and it really wears you down.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely Easter time with your family, and yes, I too am hoping that the weather will be better than predicted.
Sorry to hear you were similarly afflicted last year, Rosemary. I think we pick up these bugs in coaches or planes - anywhere where we are in close proximity to many others for a period of time.
DeleteWe're having a lovely time, but it's despite, not thanks to the weather, I'm afraid.
So glad you are feeling better. Those coughing spells can really knock the feathers out you. I picked up something sounding familiar when the grands were here this summer and fought it for 6 weeks. I feel for you, Perpetua. No fun.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you had something similar, Penny. You're right, these bugs can really knock the stuffing out of you. In my case the cough was annoying but manageable, but I was so short of breath, thanks to my aggravated asthma. Very tiring. Thankfully it's all in the past now. :)
DeleteYou're an inspiration, Perpetual: handing off some of those old books to people who need them and sampling your life with less. I'm so glad you're feeling better. There are some really bad viruses going around. Here in Arizona, a lot of us have suffered from a long-lasting flu that, in some cases, goes into pneumonia. A friend of mine was hospitalized and nearly died. I was lucky: just sick with the flu and/or coughing like crazy going on six weeks! It really can slow one down. I hope you and your family have a glorious Easter weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sorry to hear you've been a victim too, Kathy. It's been a terrible winter for respiratory viruses on both sides of the Atlantic. An American blog friend in Atlanta had flu which turned to pneumonia and it's taking her a long time to get over it. :( I do hope you are better now and enjoying spring. Once our visitors leave I'll be back to sorting those books... :)
DeleteI'm glad to read that you are on the way to recovery from the infection, and I hope that you get some Easter sunshine. We are promised good weather, which will be a treat, as I am becoming accustomed to sunny workdays and rainy weekends over here! Wishing you a lovely Easter with your fellows.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling very well now, thanks, and we did have glorious weather for Good Friday, though the promised rain and wind have arrived today. I'm glad your forecast for the Easter weekend is better than ours. You work so hard that you deserve good weather for the holidays.
DeleteMethinks you may have/had the 100 day cough which I am inclined to think is the adult version of whooping cough. Debilitating to say the least!! I hope you throw it completely off with the approach of warmer weather.
ReplyDeleteEaster invariably tends to bring changeable weather, whether we live north of south of the equator.
Enjoy your family time over Easter. While it is 'interesting' decluttering books it can be a 'use of time' ... so easy to peek inside the covers of a few and before you [or me at least] know it the day is gone.
Have a blessed Easter Perpetua:)
Thanks, Shirley, and the same to you. I'm glad to say my cough didn't last anything like 100 days. In fact the worst bit was the shortness of breath due to my asthma getting worse for the duration. I'm back to normal now, thank goodness.
DeleteOur Easter weather this year is certainly changeable - glorious sunshine yesterday, wind and rain today! However it won't stop us enjoying ourselves. :)
You're so right about the dangers of reading books while sorting them. After all I can't decide whether to keep or pass on a book without having another look, can I? ;)
I'm so glad to hear you've made a full recovery from that awful chest infection. So many people here have it, and it has been an especially nasty bug. Have a joyous Easter with your family, Perpetua!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristie, and the same to you. The chest bug seems to have been ubiquitous this winter, and I'm very glad to be rid of it at last, just in time for spring. :)
DeleteOur household has also been knocked back by chest infections - they seem to last forever.
ReplyDeleteYou too? That dratted bug is everywhere. You're right about how long it lingers. Hope you are over yours now.
DeleteI hope the weather isn't too hard to navigate on Sunday, Perpetua. As you well know by now, I really can't relate. LOL! How different our climates, my friend! I also hope you're continuing to feel better. You must be doing some better if you can manage going through so many books. Theology students ought to be so thrilled with what you have to offer! I really am so eager to hear more about your trip. I'm sure you're eager to share as well! Soon, I hope. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the worst of the weather will be today, Debra, and Easter Sunday will just have blustery showers. You're so right about the difference between our climates. I can't imagine living somewhere where one can eat outside in winter and it hardly ever rains.
DeleteI'm feeling properly well now, thanks, and in any case I've been taking it slow and steady with the book sorting, wanting to be sure which to keep and which to pass on.
Now I can think clearly again I'm starting to plan my trip posts in my mind, ready to put fingers to keyboard once our visitors have gone home again.