Yesterday I forgot to mention the outcome of my visit to Simon Richards, the hand surgeon. That can only be a good sign. He has discharged me, but physiotherapy will continue for some time. The middle joint on the little finger remains bent rigid. He has advised me to practice straightening it with brute force from my right hand. That’s painful. And scary. Rather like holding a newborn baby, I don’t want to break it. But it seems to be working.
Wind still gusts around the garden, but we do have sunshine and showers. 
A new rhododendron is in bloom;
an ant perches on the first of our colourful alliums to arrive;
the thymes I rescued from the blue sinks last year have thrived;
as has the heavily Corokia cotoneaster outside the back door;
and the clematis Niobe enlivens the kitchen wall.
The rain, reinforced by a fierce fusillade of hailstones, soon returned and watered my charges for me.
These mimuluses, hosta, heuchera, and cosmos have yet to be planted up.
I returned to the task of identifying and scanning the prints retrieved from Elizabeth.
Here, Michael and Sam are seated in the garden of Gracedale Road in June 1983.
Later that year, Sam tucks into refreshments after completing the Furzedown mini-marathon.
This was a fund-raising event for the children’s nursery school. Clearly the professional-looking number tags had been donated by the organisers of the Farnham Castle Marathon, sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken. I made a complete black and white portfolio of the occasion for the school. Some parents bought copies. If I ever find the negatives, I think the pictures would warrant their own post.
(I did find the negatives. This post and the next two feature the pictures)
Sometime in 1984, Michael appears to be watching telly in the lounge of Gracedale Road. Probably an Arsenal football match.
Also in 1984 we attended Tony and Liz’s wedding. Here is a portrait of Becky taken there.
That was the period in which I was converting colour negatives to black and white prints, using an enlarger and chemicals. Goodness knows how, I certainly don’t remember. Now I can do it at the touch of a mouse, so who cares?
This, from the same set, was scanned from a 10″ x 8″ print.
Louisa was there too. Here, putting me in mind of the bridesmaid from 1970, she, too, seems to be out on her feet, and contemplating whether the confetti would soften the paving stones sufficiently to provide a feather bed.
There was more than enough of Jackie’s delicious beef stew for my meal this evening. I also finished the Madiran wine.
