Christmas letter 2014!
Greetings from Joy & Eric and the Foxley clan towards the end of a very satisfying 2014.
Offspring news
Both Karen & Angus and Jean & Rory enjoyed 25th wedding anniversaries this year; how time flies! And it was also Rory's 50th, although (because his birthday is in winter) he had a "fifty-and-a-half-th" party in the summer as well. Ideal Foxley tradition, hire a small hall out in the countryside, dance, sing, play and eat all evening, camp overnight, and then walk on the South Downs the next morning. Just wonderful! Karen & Angus's twins Naomi & Heli graduated from Swansea University in July, how fast the three years have flown! Their first class degrees and excellent volleyball results was recognised by a special article on the university website. When we were in Bommersheim in October they had both started work, Heli in nearby Bad Homburg and Naomi in downtown Frankfurt. Suzi progresses her university career in Germany, moving from Oldenburg to Bremen to continue her studies. She worked briefly for the National Trust in Derbyshire during the summer. Jenna has moved to "Sixth Form College". Sean keeps up the football, not winning as often as he deserves. Jean sings in a with a local choir, we attend the concerts when possible. We've been down to play with Rory's band a couple of times. Anita keeps up the professional decorating without falling off ladders. She and Hamish go cycling and running.
Our news
A busy year all round (medical news later). We had to make up for an enforced quiet year in 2013! We had two holidays in France. Camping was one of the things I missed most, I adore France and the French relaxed way of life. The first holiday was just relaxing and walking and cycling and sightseeing. During the second French holiday we helped with a friend's daughter's wedding. Then we had a short tourist visit to Berlin with friend Catherine (25th anniversary of the wall coming down was a good time to visit), and a longer visit to Karen & Angus and company which included a charity gig with Joy MCing in German and me leading the band. We've continued our playing, singing and dancing as usual. See the Greenwood Clog and Foresters Morris photos. We sang industrial songs at Nottingham Castle for the opening of a exhibition on "The effects of Industrialisation on Society". We've performed a Plough Play in the Castle twice, once as part of a special World War 1 arrangement.
We have general household photos of the year. I've done plenty of walking (lots of short walks, starting gently as post-surgery exercise), and a little cycling (I couldn't do that for a long time due to lack of balance) and pottery. The works for the new tram line, which took a large part of our garden, are a continual source of annoyment, noise and dust, lasting far longer and worse that they forecast; it should have been finished years ago. The complete process has been totally non-democratic and non-cooperative and the city and construction company lie left right and centre. The project management is totally incompetent. The work should finally end three and a half years late next May.
Use www.chezfred.org.uk for our website, where you will find lots of up-to-date photos of all our adventures. And keep up-to-date with news on Facebook. Phone is still 0115 9786858, snail-mail is chezfreD, Dunkirk Arts Centre, 31 Greenfield Street, Nottingham NG7 2JN, UK.
See here for Eric's now completed (except for annual checks) cancer medical blog. In summary my last surgery was in March this year (to get rid of my stoma bag) since when I've got slowly stronger, and more recently been declared clear. Only annual checks from now on.
Last year's Christmas letter is here.
Eric's thoughts
Bored readers may stop here! And atheists should give up too! But I (Eric) decided that I should put a few thoughts in writing now that I'm a normal human being again.
When I was declared terminally ill in October 2012 it came as a bit of a shock. Death just wasn't on our agenda, it happened only to other people. We just didn't know what to do. Then a week later after more scans, to be told that I had curable cancer; we nearly put out a flag saying "Yippee, I've got cancer, but it's curable!" Looking back, much of the process was pretty unpleasant. But it didn't seem so at the time, since I knew it was all being done to me for my benefit. Lots of NHS staff time and expertise went into looking after me, you can't fault them. In many ways it was worse for Joy, who shared it all and felt my pain but it wasn't actually for her benefit. (But she says that it was also in her interests that I survived!) I can't over-state how wonderful she has been. And my training in Logic made me decide that if I wanted visitors and support (which I did) that I mustn't be a miserable old git; I had to at least appear to be cheerful.
But however I felt during the treatment, there was always this urge to look past the treatment to a new life after it would all be over. Joy never let me give up on anything, (almost) every pastime kept going in some form or other. A relative said "cancer is evil, you must fight it". It isn't evil, it's just there as part of the universe we live in. And I don't fight, I'm a pacifist. I just saw a new life ahead, and had a strange and inexplicable feeling of a hundred family and friends pushing me towards it. I know a number of prayer groups had me on their lists, I always felt an inexplicable external force. People never ever let me give up, much appreciated visits and phone calls were always being positive and urging me on. And I hereby forgive all those who lied and made comments such as "Oh you're looking so good today" when I obviously wasn't, they meant well and I believed them and it helped.
And it is true that, after being told you are terminally ill but now declared all clear, life is now more vivid in all aspects. Every part of life, everything I see or do or experience, is more intense and appreciated than before. It's a new and wonderful life. Occasional flash-backs keep reminding me what a wonderful life I live. Thank you all!
John Cook might remember some of the moralistic Gabriel Grub story (Charles Dickens), who's life improved after some Christmas adventures. It may be over the top, but I feel a bit like he did!
"The sun shone from out the clear blue sky; the water sparkled beneath his rays; and the trees looked greener, and the flowers more gay, beneath his cheering influence. The water rippled on with a pleasant sound; the trees rustled, in the light wind that murmured among their leaves; the birds sang upon the boughs; and the lark carrolled on high, her welcome to the morning. Yes, it was morning - the bright balmy morning of summer. The minutest leaf, the smallest blade of grass, was instinct with life. The ant crept forth to her daily toil; the butterfly fluttered, and basked in the warm rays of the sun; myriads of insects spread their transparent wings and revelled in their brief but happy existence; man walked forth elated with the scene, and all was brightness and splendour".
This copy edited Wednesday 17-Dec-2014
