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the humphrey family web site
Sometime during the pandemic
In this section I will be posting about events that have happened or are happening in our lives in more recent years. If I manage to sort myself out the aim is to try and add comments and photos of the trips we have taken in the past.
This section is called ”Bob’s Thoughts from The Man Cave” because my office is in the basement and Lynda saw the sign that is in the header and decided to buy it for me. The highlighted dates are the dates when those thoughts were added to this page, not necessarily when the events occurred.
26th June 2022
The first entry is about our recent trip (May 2022) to Scotland which turned into a tour of Great Britain (the link to this page is Our Trip to Scotland). While looking into adding a flag for use as a photograph mount, I discovered that the first Union Jack was a combination of the English and Scottish flags but nothing from the Welsh flag, so I have created a flag which incorporates parts of the flags from the three countries we visited. Because the first Union Jack was created before Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom it didn’t have the red diagonal cross. The photographs are on the page called Our Trip to Scotland slideshow. A lot of the photographs have captions, if you are using a desk top or lap top when your move your cursor over the photograph if there is a caption it will appear below the photograph, on a mobile the caption will appear over the caption if you move your cursor over the photograph.
If you have any comments about anything on this site please email me on bob.lyn.humphrey@btinternet.com and tell me or if you would like to be informed of any additional pages I add, just ask.
Whilst still sorting out our recent trip, just thought I would add that on Friday, 10th June, 2022, Lynda took the plunge and brought herself a vape kit. She started using it Saturday. She did finish the last 2 cigarettes in a packet that she had started but from Sunday, 12th June, she hasn’t smoked any cigarettes just used her vape.
19th July 2022
I have now finished creating the pages of dedications for Darren and publishing the site.
In June I had a follow-up to my diagnosis of Diabetes Type 2. I saw the nurse at the clinic and she weighed me, took my blood pressure, examined my feet as well as taking blood and I had to give an urine sample. My blood pressure was very good and she was pleased with the condition of my feet. I got the other results back and they are still pleased with me, my blood-sugar level although slightly higher than the previous result, is still below the Diabetic line, so I am “Pre-Diabetic” which means I don’t have to go on to medication, just got to keep a healthy life-style.
22nd July 2022
Today Lynda and I celebrated our Golden Anniversary, 50 years together. Michelle and Charlie visited us from Gloucestershire and are staying the night before taking us out on the 23rd. They brought us a picture frame and Michelle took a photograph of Lynda and I cutting the cake they brought. I then scanned a photograph from our wedding album of the two of us cutting our wedding cake. So I printed these photographs out and put them in the frame as seen below. As with other photographs if you are viewing on a desktop, laptop or tablet, hover your cursor or finger over the frame to reveal the photograph.
27th July 2022
On the 23rd Michelle & Charlie took us to Cassiobury Park, Watford, where we set up to have a picnic next to the children’s playground enabling Charlie to play whilst we could still keep an eye on him.
What Michelle also did was to surprise us by arranging for Chloe, Nick and Isabelle to join us. We had a good day, the children enjoyed playing in the playground and also had fun in the paddling pools which were very close by.
On Sunday the 24th, Lynda and I travelled to Tenterden in Kent where we met up with 6 of our friends from the Maidstone SOBS group. They gave us a cake and a bouquet of flowers. The family group photograph taken at Cassiobury Park is on the Home Page, some photographs from Kent are below.
Our Golden Wedding Anniversary turned out to be a very memorable time for us.
28th August 2022
Today I am sitting on a patio at a Retreat place called Manoir Mouret in Andillac, France. We are sharing this beautiful, peaceful place with 8 other TCF members. We arrived Saturday 27th and will be staying until 3rd September. Lynda and I travelled by car, we left Friday, 26th, and used the Channel Tunnel (another tick on the Bucket List), we stayed overnight at Tours and we will stay there again on the 3rd, before travelling home on the 4th.
This is the first time we have travelled to France since before Darren died in France 24 years ago. The time seemed right to do this trip now and we will be here on Darren’s 24th Angelversary on the 31st.
Michelle has also started vaping a month after Lynda and she hasn’t wanted to smoke since as well.
On the 22nd August, Nick, Chloe’s partner and Isabelle’s Dad, proposed to Chloe, whilst they were away at Weymouth. Chloe said yes.
11th September 2022
We have now been back from France a week. Whilst out in France it was Darren’s 24th Angelversary, the 31st August 2022. Our TCF friends cooked for us that evening and we sat down with them and our wonderful hosts, Margaret and Jack. At the start of the evening they raised a glass for Darren then we raised a glass for all of our children and siblings, later they placed t-lights in a heart-shape on a tray and lit them. The whole week was a very supportive one and our friends encouraged us in our decision that on Sunday, after spending a night in Tours, to take a trip to where Darren had been staying and then on through Mayenne (the nearest town) to Saint-Lo, where we believed the unicorn statue that Darren was last photographed feeding a chocolate bar to it, was situated. We did undertake the trip and we did find the unicorn. Travelling the route we did we added another 450 miles to our journey but it was worth it just to be able to say we saw and touched the unicorn that until now was just a photograph taken 24 years ago.
This week I have been sorting this site out because I was led to believe that from a main page I could have 2 sub-domains, one would have been for Darren’s story and the support we have received and the other one for My Family, so I could keep the two separate but in the end I found out that it couldn’t be done.
23rd September 2022
I have finally got round to sorting out the slideshow for the Cyprus trip that Lynda and I took in March. Hope you enjoy looking at the photographs.
On 13th September I had a diabetic eye screening test, which apparently I should have had soon after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes which was in January 2020. Fortunately I have managed the condition through life-style changes (diet, portion sizes and exercise) without resorting to medication and I am now classed as a pre-Diabetic and I received the results of the test yesterday and they have given me the all-clear. I should have another test in a year’s time.
Yesterday Lynda and I joined 5 other Compassionate Pals and Ted the dog for a walk round Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham, Surrey. It was a very pleasant walk and lunch afterwards.
27th October 2022
I have finally got round to sorting out the slideshow for the trip to France and have added them as a slideshow. Hope you enjoy looking at the photographs.
Lynda and I have both had our autumn booster covid jabs and flu jabs. We didn’t suffer any side-affects.
Charlie’s school held a Harvest Festival event in their school hall and for the first time since the 1st Lockdown they decided to let people come and see the children perform. They decided, though, to limit it to grandparents only, so we went.
4th December 2022
On Tuesday, November 29th our grandson, Charlie, turned 11 years old. Because it was mid-week Chloe, his sister, wasn’t able to see him on his birthday so she invited Charlie, Michelle and ourselves to stay for the weekend before. So we all went to Milton Keynes on the Friday. Charlie’s favourite burger is a McDonald’s which unfortunately, because where he lives there are no McD’s nearby, he doesn’t get one very often. So Saturday was planned that we all would go to nearby Stony Stratford for their turning on the Christmas Lights. Stony Stratford organised various events, including a mini fair ground, lots of stalls and a Lantern Parade. Charlie enjoyed himself there, then afterwards we went and got food from McD’s which we took back to Chloe & Nick’s house. I did add a video of the lantern parade but on looking at it again I am not that happy with it, so I will try and look into adding a better one in the future.
Then from Chloe & Nick’s Lynda and I followed Michelle and Charlie to their home in the Forest of Dean so we could be with Charlie on his Birthday. This took rather longer than expected owing to an accident on the M5 which meant we sat in a traffic jam for about an hour. But at least we got there safely.
Christmas 2022
This period turned out differently than planned. First of all the plans for Christmas was for Michelle and Charlie come to us then we were all invited to Chloe’s future in-laws for Boxing Day. Unfortunately due to one of Michelle’s storage heaters packing up earlier in December and her Housing Association couldn’t book anyone in to fix it before the 29th of December and then also the fact that both Michelle and Charlie not feeling very well, they decided not to come to ours or Chloe’s, so it was agreed that Lynda and I would go to them on the 22nd or 23rd to spend Christmas with them.
Then on the 20th our boiler, which supplies both the heating and hot water, packed up. The first firm I phoned said they couldn’t get anybody to us before the New Year, the second firm I phoned was able to come and have a look but then came the bad news, it wasn’t fixable, a new boiler had to be fitted but fortunately he had planned a week off but he was willing to do it for us straightaway. It turned out more complicated than we first thought and it wasn’t finished until the 23rd. So we travelled across to Michelle’s on Christmas Eve and stayed until the 28th.
2nd January 2023
Went to an informal bring-and-share lunch in Marlow where we met friends from The Compassionate Friends. Very pleasant afternoon.
15th January 2023
Just spent the weekend at The Compassionate Friends Gathering at Sedgebrook Hall, Northampton. Chance to meet people we have met on our journey and to talk to others who are more recently bereaved.
On the way home from there we called into to see Chloe, Nick and Isabelle and exchange Christmas presents.
24th May 2024
I will have to try and fill in the gap between this post and the last one sometime soon, but in the meantime I am going to add what happened after Our Trip To The USA 2024. On the 4th May we went to Harry’s Old Place for a meal, on the 14th Janet sent me a message saying that on the 13th it had caught fire and out of business.
As I said in the blog we ordered a home delivery of groceries. The estimated time of arrival home was 5pm so we looked at a slot after 6pm to allow time for delays, the earliest one we could get was 9pm-10pm so we booked it even though we would like to have been in bed by then. It arrived and we were nearly finished putting it all away when there was a knock on the door, this was about 9.45pm so we both thought it might be the delivery driver saying that something was missing. It wasn’t, it was a friend who we hadn’t seen for a while, so we invited him for a cup of tea. Because we didn’t put it on our home page of FB that we would be away he didn’t know. Anyway the reason for the visit was to tell us that another friend of ours was in hospital in quite a bad way and he thought he should tell us.
So, first thing out of the way, then the following day we were told by a neighbour that a lorry had scuffed our car while we were away. The car was parked right outside the house and the lorry driver didn’t leave any information under the windscreen wiper or anything. Luckily for us our neighbour had seen it happen and took some photographs. So started the trouble of trying to get hold of the firm which the lorry belonged to. It was an European firm but who had 2 depots in England, I tried leaving messages through their website but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Eventually I found an email for the Sales department so I sent them an email and the firm did respond to that. Apparently by this time the lorry driver was on holiday but due back this week and I also received an email from them telling me who their insurance company is and also the insurance company got in touch and send they were investigating it. I was doing it this way because I as far as I knew at that time if I went through my insurance company I could lose my No Claims Bonus because it isn’t a No Blame Bonus. This week I received a News Letter from my insurance company and in it it said that if the other party accepts the blame it won’t affect my NCB but I do have to let my insurance company know, so something else to sort out.
We had found a café in Watford where we used to have lunch once a week but whilst we were away they closed their doors so we now have to find somewhere else to have lunch, the trouble with Watford Town Centre there is a distinct lack of a good old-fashioned café where you can get a decent sandwich without all the extras and at a reasonable price.
Towards the end of March I wanted to add Roaming to my mobile phone for whilst I was away, I was with BT and they recently merged with EE. So I went into their store in Watford and I was advised that because of the merger that BT would be dealing with business clients and EE would take on the personal clients, so I changed my contract to EE. But even though they are the same company I had to change the wi-fi router from BT to EE which they would send by post. Whilst away I kept reminders to return the old router but I hadn't received a new one before I left and it wasn’t waiting for me when I returned home, so I phoned them up. It ended up with them phoning me back and I was on the phone for nearly an hour while some guy explained what he was going to do and why and that I should have the new kit within 2 days. It did arrive as promised, so eventually sorted.
To top it all, a few weeks before our trip we had developed a leak from a valve on our central heating system so I had called the plumber that we use, despite calling him time after time and him saying phone back, etc., he never showed up. So after our return we tried again. Yet again he would answer the phone and ask us to phone back another day, and so on. Eventually he said one day that he would call in and see us on his way back from London where he was on a big job and that he would phone as he left. He never phoned and he never called in. I sent him a text message asking him if he was going to help us, he hasn't bothered to reply to that, so we are going to have to find another plumber. So welcome back!!!!
I will try and get back to fill in some of what has happened in the past year.
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