Shrouds and Good News and Life Saving Days

Yesterday Robin and I went to see this 'Shrouds of the Somme Memorial' by the artist Rob Heard in Northernhay Gardens in Exeter. He carved and wrapped 19240 individual figures - each one different -  and had them laid like this on the grass. 19240 is the number of losses on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in June 1916.

I was concerned Robin would find it too distressing and he was 

moved but not overly upset. I found the roll call of all the names of the young men who died being read out by a man at a podium, and the sounds of the gunfire and voices over a loud speaker, like a Pathe news reel, more poignant and dreadful  somehow than the actual artwork.

I'm reading a book about the First World War called My Dear, I wanted to tell you  by Louisa Young, so it's very much on my mind at the moment. I'm skipping a lot of the awful details about the injuries though...wanting to stay with the love story bit. But of course you can't separate them.

I was glad to see these poppies and daisies in the gardens as we walked back to the car......something fresh and bright and alive ...however briefly.

I wanted to watch some tennis this afternoon but letters in the post and phone messages to reply to  and arrangements to make and hanging out the washing  and talking to my neighbour and wrapping my Lemon Polenta and Almond Drizzle Cake took up the whole of my free afternoon before I had to go and pick up Robin from The Mede.

The good news in the post - in one of those brown envelopes I used to dread - is that Robin has been awarded the enhanced rate of the PIP allowances -  the benefit to replace his Disability Living Allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions that we applied for last month - that long and complicated form. He doesn't even need to have a face to face interview and the amount is more than double what he was getting before.  I'm so grateful for all the support I had with it.

This is the cake I baked for the cake sale on Saturday  - to raise money for the Mede - the wonderful day centre Robin goes to  every week. I would have baked a lot more cakes if I'd had the time... I'm so grateful to all the people there who look after Robin.....Thursdays are my life saving days.