Tale of two Kaths

Another long night's sleep and then checking out after a hotel breakfast - not bad at six quid each for a 'continental' with brioche, toast and jam, cereals, fruit juice and lots of coffee. We drove up to Kath and Anto's place and relaxed for a couple of hours, then had a light lunch before setting out for home. This time we were accompanied by a fellow partygoer and friend of Kath's for thirty years, forever known as 'Little Kath' since they both did dance boot camp at the Rubicon in Splott - yes, she is a head shorter than our lovely daughter, and a larger than life character.

In her day, she's been a daring outdoor sports enthusiast and travelled a great deal, then several years ago she had a stroke which nearly killed her. After eleven months in hospital she recovered enough to go and live with her parents until she found a bungalow near them and sold her house. She lives independently, and needs a carer daily to help her wash and dress. Then she gets on with her life with all the energy and good humour she can summon. She travelled up to the party by train, thanks to the available support staff rail companies provide for disabled people, via a mobile phone app. It's her first visit to Kenilworth since her stroke, and the first time Kath realised the challenge caused by there being no handrail on the stairs. It didn't take the two Kaths long to figure out how to meet the challenge!

It was a pleasure driving back into Wales in the company of an irrepressible Valleys girl - stories about places, then taking a shortcut off the A449 through Usk and Pontypool to reach her Valley, the Ebbw Valley at Newbridge, to go south to Crosskeys where she lives. She knows where every radar speed trap is on the journey, which is very helpful. It's an east-west route I seldom take, now there are motorways. The stretch of country road from Usk to Newbridge reminds me of childhood excursions and trips home from Birmingham to see my parents when I a student chaplain in Brum nearly fifty years ago, before the motorway network was fully developed.

We reached home just before six and Clare speedily cooked a veggie soup for us. I worked on recording and editing the audio input for this Thursday's Morning Prayer, then went for a walk in the dark around Llandaff Fields before turning in for the night.