Spare a thought for – and send out some good vibes to – Andrea and her friends, who are tackling the 40 miles of the Keswick to Barrow Walk tomorrow, starting at – as they occasionally say around these parts – the crack of sparrow fart. I believe their start time is about 5.30am. Ouchie.
If all goes to plan, they should arrive at the half-way mark – Coniston – around midday and hope to be marching (or possibly hobbling) into Barrow some seven to eight hours after that – although the thought of the finish line ahead might spur them ona bit.
Unfortunately, the forecast for the route tomorrow isn’t great. But look on the bright side: at least they won’t get heatstroke.
Andrea and a group of friends are taking part in the Keswick to Barrow Walk on May the 11th – all 40 miles of it. Up and down hills. Lots of them. On roads. Whatever the weather. Oh yes.
They’re doing it in memory of Paula, of course, and also in recognition of all the financial help we’ve received from the K2B Committee over the years – amounting to several thousands of pounds. The team will all be sporting these rather ritzy tee-shirts – so if you live anywhere along the route and spot them – do cheer them on their way.
Andrea’s immersed in training, and has so far managed a couple of 20 mile walks without too much grief although yesterday in the Centre, if I was being deeply ungenerous (Who? Me?), I’d say she was doing a passable imitation of a ruptured duck …
The major point, of course, is to raise money … and she’d be EVERSO grateful if people would sponsor her because – you know – she’s not really doing this for the fun of it. Not even in a pretty pink and white tee-shirt.
If you can spare a few pounds … she has her own page on the K2B website:
… the one that was postponed from the 24th of March … actually happened last Sunday and, predictably, after a stretch of tolerably fine weather right up to Saturday, Sunday dawned wet, windy and thoroughly miserable.
But our certifiable heroic volunteers were utterly undaunted. Working on the assumption that you can only get wet once, they donned their wet weather clothing and flung themselves into the storm to battle the elements along with the weeds and the shrubs and the veggie patch:
Before they all adjourned to Mawsons in Seascale for lunch, there was a little ceremony to dedicate a memorial to Paula.
The memorial took the form of a wooden dragonfly, made by Ralf (of Silent Forest Creations), with the family’s names carved on its wings …
I went out this afternoon and took some photos of the dragonfly swooping over the sunken garden in the spring sunshine … a permanent reminder of a remarkable and lovely lady.
I am at the Centre, having battled heroically past two road blocks to get here. (Yes, really … but not QUITE as dramatic as it sounds … one is unmanned and only there to deter rubberneckers and the other has a jolly Council bloke sitting in his truck waving you down and telling you that you can’t go any further than Waberthwaite, lass …).
Anyway, the drive is impassable, having three foot drifts on one side and impacted snow and ice on the other, so visitors are obliged to walk up from the main road. But once you get here … well … the sun is out, the sky is blue, and there’s no traffic on the A595 …
The Chase from the A595
Snow drifts on the drive.
Really – there’s a driveway somewhere under that lot …
Unfortunately, due to the utterly bizarre weather conditions, we’ve had to make the decision to postpone the Garden Clear Up Day which was supposed to be taking place at the Centre this Sunday.
Although the Met Office is saying that it’s going to be dry, and we may even get some sun, the snow is currently quite deep at The Chase and as the forecast is for bitter winds and temperatures barely above freezing on Sunday, that snow isn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
So – sorry, we know how many people were looking forward to it – but just occasionally, we have to behave like grown-ups. Poo. Poo. Poo.
We’ve rescheduled for Sunday the 14th of April. Make a note in your diaries, and keep your fingers crossed … Meanwhile, please spread the word about this Sunday. Ta.
It’s getting close to Easter. Oh yes it is. Ignore the sleet, snow, horizontal drizzle and biblical deluges outside. Easter is coming. Think bunnies and fluffy yellow Easter chicks and rebirth and all that stuff. Think chocolate if it helps at all.
Anyway, Easter means that Gretchen’s family are – even as I write – excitedly contemplating coming up to see Grandma, which means I’m limbering up my digits to start work on the Spring Newsletter in order to make best use of the slave labour headed my way.
Normally, I’m struggling a bit to fill four A4 sides with news and information, resorting to casual abuse and low hunour to fill in the gaps, but this time there is so much to say – so much that has happened, so much that is waiting in the wings and so much lurking in deep cover that I can’t tell you about at all (ooh – I’m such a tease …) – four A4 sides simply aren’t going to be enough.
So – here’s a little eyesight test:
If you can read this, you can probably read the newsletter.
If you can’t read this, there are several excellent, reasonably-priced hand-held magnifying glasses on the market.
(For the avoidance of doubt, this is a JOKE .)
Right, off to churn out vast amounts of verbiage, some of which may even be grammatical.
The amazing story of Paula and her legacy may not be over yet. She is still weaving her spell.
Let me tell you a story.
At about 4.30pm, at the party after Paula’s funeral last Wednesday, we released 44 balloons – one for each year of her life. They were taken on the strong northerly wind that was blowing that day and carried rapidly southwards, out of sight.
The following morning, before midday, we received a message from a couple in Navarre in Spain – Jorge and Carolina – that they had found one of Paula’s balloons. Their message said:
“Hello – we are Jorge and Carolina. We are in Spain and have found some balloons with cards that say ‘In memory our dear friend Paula Roberts 1968/2013′. We believe it is your Paula. England to Spain is a wonderfully long way to have come. Greetings from Spain.”
Because of the strength of the wind that day, some of the balloons became entangled with each other and were released in a bunch. This is plainly one of those bunches – and the one surviving balloon descended slowly onto the plains of Navarre with its cargo of five labels, some 1,000 miles from where it set off 16 hours beforehand.
But Carolina and Jorge hadn’t finished surprising us. What they offered next was truly magical.
“If you give me an email address I send you some pictures of the balloon with the cards … and if it seems a good idea, we will attach 44 new balloons to the cards and release them again.”
And do you know what?
They did, on Saturday … releasing the new balloons from the same place they had found ours, with an additional note explaining what had happened:
Carolina and Jorge are now a wonderful part of Paula’s story, and they say that what they would love above all else is for other people to find the balloons and labels and also send them on, carrying Paula’s memory to wherever that cold, strong wind takes it …
~~~:~~~
(PS: Much as I would like you all to think that my Spanish is wonderful, and I was chatting away to them like a native, honesty compels me to admit that I had an interpreter in the shape of my good friend Kirsty McCluskey …)
Just before Christmas we were approached by the regional news programme, BBC Look North, who wanted to come to the Centre to film a segment for their upcoming feature on volunteering in the area. They were particularly interested in talking to Paula and Paul Roberts.
Paula had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the Summer of 2010 – almost literally out of the blue. She and her husband Paul – the parents of two young children – turned up on our doorstep in a state of shock having been told that her life expectancy could be measured out in months rather than years.
Together we set out on an extraordinary journey which took us to places none of us could ever have imagined on that chill late summer’s afternoon two and half years ago. They became our close friends and we became – I hope – their haven and second family.
In due course, having succeeded in beating back her illness, Paula joined our Board of Trustees and took an active and enthusiastic part in our Volunteer programme. She wrote perceptive and articulate letters of support for our funding applications, was a vocal and persuasive supporter of the Centre and became a powerful ambassador for us in the local community.
By the time the Look North film crew arrived last Wednesday however, Paula was gravely ill. She was nevertheless absolutely determined to face the cameras and tell her story.
Within 24 hours she had been admitted to hospital, and yesterday – with Paul at her bedside – she slipped peacefully away at the age of 44.
She fought her illness with grace, humour and a splendid – even breathtaking - bloody-mindedness. The Look North interview was both her swan song and her parting gift to us.
It will be shown – with Paul’s blessing - on BBC1 between 6.30 and 7.00pm on Monday the 28th.
Rest in peace, Paula. It was truly amazing knowing you.
(Photograph: Copyright Jacqueline Moore Photography.)
Ha! Betcha all thought ( hoped?) I’d expired over Christmas, didn’t you? Well tough.
January has begun in an auspiciously bizarre manner – with a visit from the BBC Look North team, who were filming a feature on volunteers. They pitched up at the Centre last Wednesday and spent most of the day with us, interviewing volunteers and filming them going about their business like knitting, making bee frames for next season and eating vast quantities of (three different varieties of) cake … Several hardy souls then braved antarctic temperatures to tramp up and down the lawn in bee-keeping suits, trying to look purposeful while the camera rolled. Or, more actually, didn’t roll … on account of it seizing up in the cold all the time.
The end result, which will doubtless look perfectly sane and normal (and therefore thoroughly misleading) is due to be screened on Look North (between 6.30pm and 7.30pm) next Thursday or Friday. When we know for sure, we’ll let you know …
