4 weeks is such a long time to be lying on a bed. while i don't know for a fact, i guess that mark has walked for less than 30 minutes in this whole time. i have tried to imagine what this is like but my mind cannot go there. i stayed in bed for 4 days once with a bad knee and that did my nut. 4 weeks. wow. no wonder he's feeling low. i honestly can't imagine how he would be doing if it wasn't for all your love and care shown in so many ways.
i had a really great chat on the phone last night with mark and then one with ruth. both were real blessings for me. ruth manages to keep on going and is managing to hold things together so well but it remains very difficult. mark is trying so hard to fight discouragement. each day he really really longs for the doctor to come to his bed and say "we've found the reason for all the problems..." but each day the doctors report back that they have drawn a blank on another set of tests. he fears that every ache and pain might be another major problem.
Posted above are two photos of better days - in jamacia :) Thanks so much for these Paul. also a couple of photos showing the recent art display by marks students at beaufort school - with a strange face peering from behind one of the display boards - nice one mr nye! :)
19 comments:
Hi Mark
Left you an email and hoping that things are going well. I am a fellow AST and really just want to wish you all the very best,
best wishes Lorna Conway
Hi Mark & Ruth,
Really enjoyed catching up at Rich & Abbi's wedding - great to see you again Mark, still the most charming,genuine chap I've met and now with a beautiful wife and two tinkers to boot!
Chin up me lad - we'll be thinking of you - keep visualising a Rocky training montage on a cold snowy peak to the strains of getting stronger! I'll be there shouting words of encouragement whilst being ran ragged by the huskies and trying to devour a lump of smoked cheese!
All our love,
Simon (muller) & Alex
Hey hey - nice to see my camera work on the blog. Thanks Tim!! Fame and fortune are mine at last.
As you can imagine, I have a little to say about the photos of Mark in Jamaica, and I intend to put together a rather informative blog on this - so it might take a day or two to appear! But I'm sure they'll raise a smile with you. Anyway, anticipation is almost as good.
4 weeks - I'm sure that's a comiseration due. So, in the meantime, you still keep fighting Mark, and keep getting better. And enjoy the wonderful art photos that have been brought to you.
Love from all the family
Barty
Hi Mark
Hope that you received our card. Rest assured that we're thinking of you and hoping that you'll be all better very very soon.
Best of everthing
Sam & Julie @ OCR
Alright - I lied - well Mark, you are more important than preparing for school.
OK – so the Jamaica trip. This is simply intended to raise a smile for Mark, but also to reminisce a great time we had when Mark and I (and the lurverly Mrs Watson) were lucky enough to go to Jamaica for two weeks a few years ago. It also gives you a little insight, if you didn’t know already, about what a funny bloke Mark is.
Anyways, the photos first. The one of Mark at the breakfast table was just typical. We did go as a group, but Mark could never get himself up early enough in the morning to eat with the rest of us. So, this was a typical early morning session for Mark – eating on his own! Not bad though – if I remember rightly, breakfast consisted of 5 or 6 courses.
The one of Mark lying by the sea was taken just after we had been scuba diving. Right laugh that was – under normal circumstances you need about 3 months training, to use the breathing gear properly, get to understand underwater signals, come to terms with water pressure, and basically learn how to stay under water, rather than bobbing up to the surface to be cut to pieces by a passing propeller! Well, after 20 minutes intensive training, we were ready!! Once we had basically mastered keeping underwater, it was of course beautiful, and well worth the experience. Mark and I were happily swimming along, pointing various things out when I became aware that Mark was motioning me towards a big black spiny thing on the sea bed, and he was almost going to touch it. To protect both Mark and the same ‘urchin’ from damage, I pushed Mark’s hand away. At the same moment the most intense searing pain shot into my finger. Of course at the time, I thought I was injected with a lethal poison, and I was going to die there and then. Mark looked over to me, smiled (I think) and waved, and swam off. Thanks for saving my life there Mark!
That was it for me, but Mark wanted to get some conches, and did further snorkelling with one of the guys from our hotel. Mark had a fab time catching around 15 or so of these things. He happily brought them ashore, and took them up to our hotel room and lined them up on the floor. Pretty soon, the animals inside the conches started wondering where the water had gone to, and there large ‘foot’ started coming out of the opening to try to find their way back to the sea. This resulted in 15 conches basically lifting themselves up off the ground by a few centimetres, only to clatter back down on the floor again. All rather bizarre and a bit scary in a Hitchcokian sort of way. Mark’s there saying ‘What am I going to do, Man?’. We gathered them up, and took them down to the beach, and instead of setting them free, we got them de-conched. All in a good cause – Mark wanted the shells for the art room, and raw conch was rather tasty.
So, Mark ends up with 15 shells. No problem. Until we discover that conches are actually protected in Jamaica, and you are only allowed to take two out of the country. So, just for Mark, we all happily broke the law and smuggled three or four conch shells out for him. Not sure about the legality of that, but that’s what we were told.
It wasn’t all play. We actually did do some teaching together. I was quite interested in using a technique which used some images; the idea being to get the students to contrast Jamaica with Britain. I thought I’d leave the artistry to the expert, and asked Mark to draw what I wanted. I kid you not – he couldn’t do it. Well, what I mean is, I wanted a basic outline, but he refused to do anything other than a work of art! Such a perfectionist.
We always stuck together out of the hotel, which wasn’t such a bad idea considering that you did get offered some of the dodgy stuff on your travels. We did have a quick rouse to get over that – I simply made out that he was my son, and said that he promised me that he was going to leave the ‘stuff’ alone. No one ever pressed the issue, to the eternal credit of the Jamaicans. However, our age difference isn’t SO huge!
We decided one night to have a take out – and decided on the Jamaican equivalent of Kentucky Fried – aka Mothers. There were four of us, so we decided on 2 pieces of chicken each. Off we trot, Mark did the ordering, and I got talking to one of the guys in the take away, who was a retired teacher. You also have to picture that there was a lot of very poor people there too, and many of them were in the shop buying a basic meat ‘pattie’. Anyway, there I am talking to this guy when Mark almost runs up behind me, lurches into me and says ‘Come on Man, we’ve got to get out of here, NOW’. I responded really without looking at Mark that I was halfway through a conversation, but then turned to Mark to find him loaded with 6 carrier bags full of chicken – with lots of inquisitive, and rather hungry eyes looking on! We had inadvertently ordered 8 whole chickens! If we hadn’t panicked so much, we might have given most of it away there and then, but a lot of the workers at the hotel had a decent meal that night!
Well Mark, probably the only one who’ll laugh at all this will be you, because we can remember the conversations and the visuals. I never fail to raise a smile remembering those days! And just taste the over-proof rum when you close your eyes!
Happy days.
Barty xx
Hi Mark and Ruth
I nearly posted yesterday but thought what I'd written was pants so decided to wait until I really had nothing to say!
We're both praying that you make a speedy recovery and are sorry you've had to stay in hospital for so long. It must be so hard for both of you, but keep strong.
I've offered help to Ruth as much as I can and thankfully she took me up on the offer once at least! Made me feel like I was being somewhat helpful to your situation. Finlay was a little star and Bethany loved having him here. I took a little film of them - couldn't resist which I'll send on CD for you.
Well at least you're not missing out on beautiful weather!!!
Hope to see you out of hospital soon. Much love to you all, from Andy, Rob and Bethany xxx
Hi Mark and Ruth. Am shamed by how long it has taken me to get around to this, but it is not a reflection of how much you are in my thoughts. Cannot begin to imagine how you must be feeling. It seems that whenever it looks like things are settling down, you have another mountain to climb! I hope you are both still managing to keep your chins up.
Will be in touch.
Lucy and Steve
Hey Dood!
I know Lucy has written a message from the three of us, and added my name to the bottom of it - because she thinks I'm too lazy to write my own message - but that didn't seem quite right somehow. So here I am trying to think of something hysterically funny or profound to write myself...
...ok, that didn't happen. May as well get to the point then...
Take it easy fella, hope ur outta there soon, and back with ur boys and Ruth - & anyway, I think it's ur turn to do dinner?
btw, I've got some new tunes for your ipod if need a change of scene. I'll get Luce to speak to Ruth and get it organised.
Get better soon mate. love & best wishes, s.
ps. If u think I'm puting my full name for everyone to see, think again! I don't do sensitive!!
Hey Tim
You missed Squida off the list??
Hey mr B we hope you are feeling okay and that you get better soon. Art is going well and photoshop is now becoming interesting...(Ms Kingston is luvly) and overall things are fine here. We all send air hugs to wherever you are and we look forward to seeing you soon - Beth, Jas, Alice, James, Chris, Becky, etc...
hi mark
it has been a long time since we met in bolivia 1995, but still thinking about that experience while working for medecins sans frontieres all over the world...
for the moment i´m in angola... read your news and wish you all the best, quick recovery and many strenght and pover to pass this difficult time...
thinking of you and hope all will be ok, soon
take care
Anja the german vonunteer
hi mark - we're thinking of you - get better quick - you're overdue a session in the hot tub - we've cleaned the water especially for you just the other day - much love jane and alan, katie and anna
hiya mark
thinking of you and the family, and just want to say hi
dawn hyde @ beaufort
ps, forgot to say........the photography exhibition was fab.....really enjoyed seeing all the excellent work...well done
dawn again! x
Mark, Both Naomi & I are thinking of you & the family and praying for you all. We have been on holiday for the past 2 weeks & when we get back, we will contact Ruth to see if there is anything we & the homegroup can help with. Love Stephen, Naomi, Joel, Theo & Taxi.
Hi Markeee,
Here we are in the Alps and we couldnt help but reminisc about our time in Megevette together in 1994. Most noteworthy was the classic from you.... "Ive blocked the U bend..." Hope you can remember that time and have a laugh!
Much love as always and our continued prayers,
Clive and Andrea xxx
Hi Mark and Ruth
Just to let you know we are praying for you lots and if you need anything we are only a phone call away.
Aly and Ian
Hi Sir..Its your top A* student here..Well if you never guessed..Emily Howe..lol..Well just to say its good to here your getting well..hope the tests results come back positive. Hope your boys and wife is all well..hope to see you very soon..hope you liked the card our class made..Danny says get well soon..hes off to swindon on wednesday for 2 years..just thought id inform you..Cya Em & Danny..Xx
Mark,
Really glad to hear you have made it onto the right road to recovery, all the bestest wishes and good times coming your way
Andrew Fox Fowler
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