A quilt of many colours

We get up just before seven and I make breakfast, while Normy trots out into the garden to a cold, grey, dawn, the wind has swung to the east and as the old Yorkshire saying goes, "is no good for man nor beast". Norman has Baker's dog food for breakfast and I, smoked salmon on rye toast with cream cheese and my usual strong, black, Italian coffee. We can't hang about this morning, as I would like to be at the Poppy Seed for ten thirty, so we are showered, dressed and on the road for nine o'clock. We arrive on Newbald Road, having collected Dolly and Teddy, for twenty past nine and set off on our usual loop. It is quite a contrast from yesterday's bright sunshine, all the colour seems to have been drained from the world, even the birds have been quietened, all except for a little robin, who flits from branch to branch, as we make our way up the path towards Barbara's house and onto the common. The Bulgarian woman is there today, with her two retrievers, and we fall in with her and her dogs, as we make our way towards Black Mill, her name is Daniala and she is married to a Beverley man and moved here with him in September. We say goodbye after the Mill and walk back to the car and then return the terriers to Two Riggs, before driving to Beverley and parking up outside Saint John's church. It is only a short walk from here, through the Bar to the Poppy Seed, where we find Felicity and Hanne already in residence. The waitress arrives with my tea unbidden, Norman is settled on my knee and immediately tunes his ears into the news, while simultaneously scanning the table, in the off chance that there may be a scrap of bacon or sausage about. It transpires that Felicity has just had scrambled eggs and not saved any for him, so we chide her gently about this. Hanne is about to depart for Turkey tomorrow and won't be back until a week on Saturday, March 2nd. Before I have chance to enquire about her holiday, which is somewhere in the mountains, Thelma arrives, shortly followed by Annie. Felicity then regales us all with a story about her new quilt, which she has been given by Anne McNamara, and has been made by hand, she calls it her "Field of Dreams", and Norman and I are warned in advance not to sit on it, when we visit. Felicity is no longer capable of climbing the stairs and has put a single bed into a room that used to be a dining room, where sometimes we sit and drink tea. By eleven thirty she is tired, so I fetch the car and ferry her back to Albert Terrace, popping in to see the marvellous quilt, before I leave. It really is spectacular, constructed of triangular shapes, sewn together, which on closer inspection, turn out to be cut from old silk men's ties. Hanne arrives on her bike, just as I am leaving and is also suitably impressed by the art work. We arrive home for midday, Norman has some more dry dog food and I meditate for a while, but suddenly feel very tired, so lie down and sleep until half past three. Clearly I am not yet fully recovered from whatever bug is responsible for the reduction in my energy levels, but I feel better after a sleep and a pot of tea and some Madeira cake. I read for a while, and then after giving Norman his evening meal, run the vacuum cleaner through the house and iron a pile of shirts. I realise at eight thirty that I have only eaten a slice of cake since breakfast and an apple and tangerine orange, when I walked the dogs. My appetite seems to have gone, but I marinaded some seafood cocktail this morning and have the balance of the stir fry to either eat or throw away. After some prevarication, I take down the wok and the sesame oil from the cupboard and make dinner. Despite my lack of appetite, it tastes better than last night, and it is a shame to waste good food. Around half past nine, Leslie's daughter, Margaret, calls and tells me that my old friend was quite incoherent this evening and seemed much worse than last night. They had after all, braved the football traffic and visited him anyway. The only consolation I can offer her, is that the nursing care he is receiving is first rate and in the condition he is in, he is in the best possible place. I tell Margaret that I will visit tomorrow and then ring her when I get back. We can only take things one day at a time and nature will take its own course, in its own time. At least Leslie is not in any pain. To bed for ten thirty.