大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples War site by Jas from Global Information Centre Eastbourne and has been added to the website on behalf of Mr Alford with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions

On meeting our new vicar David Fricker it came up that I had not been confirmed and he thought it might still be a good idea. He didn鈥檛 put me through the rigours that all the youngsters went through, just came to the cottage and we chatted about everything other than religion.

I am sure with the work I did for the community I was a suitable candidate. There was a young girl living next door who also was being confirmed and she insisted on going to the alter with me.

Quite a famous Bishop the Right Reverend Peter Ball CGA Bishop of Lewes who went on to be, I think Bishop of Canterbury or one of the other famous Cathedrals. This was all a month before my 71st birthday 1991.

In the meantime Christopher is getting worse with kidney failure and having to go on dialysis. They are living in Lamberhurst and have suggested that we speak with the owners of Court Lodge who are desperately in need of someone to maintain their 6 陆 acre garden.

We duly were invited to supper at Court Lodge to discuss the proposition. It was arranged temporarily for us to come in one day a week to make a start on what could only be described as a jungle. We slowly started to uncover what must have been a lovely garden many moons ago.

In the meantime my stepson, wife and children decide to buy a house in Wadhurst which is about 2 or 3 miles nearer us at Dallington. By now the Morlands who own Court Lodge have had a coach house come available to rent and their suggestion was that we rented that and let our own cottage to help cover the rent.

It was also put to us that we could work full time in the garden to cover the rest of the rent.

We agreed because it was that much nearer to Wadhurst where we were now involved in taking the children backwards and forwards to school in Tunbridge Wells.

Christopher by now is getting worse and not able to work so he stays at home doing the chores while his wife goes to work. All very tiring for everyone but had to be done. He eventually became so ill that he was invited to have a kidney and pancreas transplant.

Very worrying and touch and go but fortunately he pulled through and returned home being able to eat and drink anything he wanted. I think he said the first thing he wanted was a pint of Guinness and a beef burger. Nevertheless he was still quite ill and unable to work but he was alive.

They said at the hospital if he survived the first five years he could go on to have a normal life. It is now nearly 15 years since the operation and he is working a normal 9.00 to 5.00 job and enjoying life to the full.

We in the meantime have lasted out 10 years at Court Lodge maintaining the gardens to a very high standard and doing my restoration work on the side still in a very large barn I had in my own garden.

I converted another smaller barn for my wife who was teaching art. I at this time had developed a problem with my left kidney and urethra and was advised by my consultant at Kent and Sussex to let him remove it.

I didn鈥檛 feel that ill that I felt like going to such drastic ends at that time. He said at the time that on reading my notes that I was an antique furniture restorer and that he had lots of work for me. 鈥淐ome to my house on Sunday morning and you can see what I want doing鈥�.

Well if I tell you that this went on for nearly another year, every time the next piece came back he would say, how are you feeling now and I would always reply 鈥測es I am fine鈥�. Eventually I started passing a lot of blood in my urine and told him.

His reply rather surprised me when he said 鈥淚鈥檝e got another couple of little jobs I want you to do first鈥�. I duly returned them the next Sunday for which he was most grateful and said come in on Tuesday morning and we will operate on Wednesday.

Would you know, Wednesday was the 24th April 2002, my 82nd birthday. I wasn鈥檛 happy in hospital, lots of pain with precious little attention. Very young foreign staff only in it for the money. Not my words but theirs! It鈥檚 all behind me now and I am enjoying life again.

It seems ironical that on returning home to my Coach House I had his Lord and Master Mr Morland waiting for me to tell me that obviously I couldn鈥檛 carry on doing the gardening and that he would have to get someone else to carry on.

You can stay at the Coach House if you like but it will cost you 拢850 a month, but with no work and only the small rent from the cottage it seemed we had to be on the move again.

This time it was much more traumatic because we had a lot of trouble with the tenants at the cottage, the last one doing a moonlighter on us owning us 拢2,000.

Nothing to do but to sell it. This we did having one less thing to worry about. We had during the previous year realised that all this might be coming so had put our names down for a Warden Assisted Flat at Rushlake Green.

I contacted them again and went for an interview and apparently our faces fitted and would be accepted as soon as one became available. My wife in the meantime had had a couple of falls whilst at the Coach House breaking bones and pelvis.

She also spent time in hospital in a London Heart Clinic having stents put in and she had been on steroids for many years before. By the time we eventually moved to Rushlake Green she was a very sick lady and having to have a carer come in every morning to get her washed and dressed.

I am by now doing all the shopping, cooking, housework etc apart from looking after my wife for the rest of the day. Anyhow I carried on the best I could until the Doctor came to see her one morning, she looked at her, looked at me and said 鈥測ou have done all you can I don鈥檛 want you back in Hospital again鈥�, so picked up the phone, phoned Eastbourne Hospital and within 2 hours she was in there.

A great relief in a way but now I have to do the visiting bit every day, forty minutes drive each way and two to three hours with her.

My Doctor soon found out I was doing this so she told me I must only go every other day. This I tried but my wife said 鈥渨here were you yesterday鈥�.

I told her what the Doctor had said, her reply, 鈥渢here鈥檚 nothing wrong with you I want to see you every day鈥�! What could I do!

After they had done all they could for her they sent her up to Princess Alice Hospital for rehab. She either couldn鈥檛 or wouldn鈥檛 do any exercises so they got fed up in the end and said I must get her into a rest or nursing home.

At this time I thought her children should be involved in the decision. We had a meeting and started looking around Eastbourne but had a lot of trouble finding anything affordable until we hit on the Queen Alexandra Cottage Homes.

What a wonderful place and such caring staff. My step daughter came with me to be interviewed by Gwyneth Watcham who informed us there was a waiting list of up to three years, my heart sank! I went home and put pen to paper ringing the praises and almost be return of post I had a letter accepting her.

The bonus was of course that they also accepted me into a flat in Littleton House. I could hardly believe my luck and have appreciated it every since and wherever I can I help out on anything they ask me to do.

The latest job serving the ladies in the care wing on Saturday mornings with their tea or coffee. Now I am jumping the gun a little so let鈥檚 get back to when I moved into Littleton House. I forgot to mention that within a very short time of moving into the care wing of Q.A.C.H. my wife died.

They came up to ask me if I was coming down to see my wife this morning I said 鈥渙f course I always come down about 10.00 am鈥�.

It was only about ten minutes later they returned to say she had just died. Quite a shock but in a way a welcome release for her. Her Rheumatoid Arthritis had been getting a lot worse over the last few months and she was very bent.

I think she wanted out! Anyhow we had the funeral and cremation and scattered her ashes up on the Downs under a tree.

I shall return there yearly to say hello!

The first thing after settling down was to recap on some of my old friends and acquaintances from when I was in business in Grove Road.

I was surprised to find out how many were still here after my absence of about 16 years. If was also time I started playing golf again. I went to the Driving Range at Golfing in the Park in Lottbridge Drove where the Pro did a Monday morning lesson between 11.00 and 12.00 with a couple of buckets of balls, all for 拢5.

I soon had another 6-8 people with whom I could make friends. I might add they were all more than 10 years my juniors. It didn鈥檛 feel like it though! Some have come and gone over past eighteen months but 6 of us still meet regularly and play together.

I have picked up my sculpting again and have done a head of myself and also a life class at Eastbourne College for a week.

I am ready for bigger and better things now! I have a commission to do a copy of one of Picasso鈥檚 sculptures.

Not a lot more to tell now, no doubt I have left lots out, some of which I am sure my family wouldn鈥檛 want to read about. Most of it, or should I say, all of what I have told you is true and none of which I would have told had it not been requested by Rotary and the Q.A.C. Homes.

I shall be 85 years old this month of April and hope that I have many more years to come. Another couple of months and I shall be off to the U.S.A.

Where I have cordially been invited for a holiday. I turned down another trip to Australia to my nephew鈥檚 60th birthday party. I just couldn鈥檛 face up to another 24 hour flight. My older sister Mary who also lives there will be disappointed as she is 90 years old this year.

We are quite a long living family, my mother living until she was 101 years old.

End of story to date. If I live long enough there might be another story to tell, who knows!

I hope those who read my story will get some pleasure from it, maybe a history lesson!

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