"Suffolk Stories" drabbles by Neville Hunt

Many happy returns

Suffolk Stories #5

Her operation was on our wedding anniversary. Arriving at her hospital ward, there was nothing where she and bed had been. Was this the portent of really bad news? Or was she still in surgery... rebranded as a ‘procedure’, not euphemistically, but on account of the fact that scalpels were absent?

An hour later she was wheeled back, eyes firmly shut, face as yellow as a daffodil. We expected the medical orderly pushing her to morph into The Grim Reaper. We doubted she would last the night. Sad greetings, hidden tears.

Next day... business as usual. Badmouthing, criticism. Welcome back!

Guilt sandwich

Suffolk Stories #4

Wedding anniversary yesterday. Not a particularly significant one, except that every single one is significant. A good day on balance... a sort of enjoyment sandwich.

In the morning... coffee at The Shipwreck, in the sun, looking across the confluence of two estuaries at twin ports. Harwich ahead right... and countless cranes of container port Felixstowe ahead left. Fascinating! Then great fun watching yachts go in, out and through the marina lock.

The chewy meat in the sandwich was seeing the old lady, post-operation in hospital. Not looking good.

Felt guilty enjoying a lovely meal later... but not that guilty.

Out ward in

Suffolk Stories #3

We were waiting for mother-in-law to return from surgery. A lovely day, I didn’t want to wait in a depressing geriatric ward, so I went outside into the patients’ garden.

Big mistake!

First off, a patient asked me to help get her arms into her coat... except it was a blanket. I helped. She waddled off trying to escape. I alerted the staff.

Next one chatting to me seemed very coherent, until she told me she was the queen of the hospital and that the first woman was a serial people beater.

I returned to the ward, beaten.

Flygility

Suffolk Stories #2

We’re staying in brother-in-law’s house. It is a fabulous barn conversion on the beautiful Stour Estuary, where a little further up river, John Constable was inspired. The house is surrounded by arable farmland, and a step across the adjacent field to the shoreline.

We were welcomed to stay in their absence. Less welcome are the flies that seem to own the enormous kitchen. Not big flies or bluebottles, but average-sized flies that are so agile that the spray can’t get them. They always escape, and then taunt us. Such arrogance, but I will get them all... eventually.

Secret getaway

Suffolk Stories #1

We had a free day, away from home, in Suffolk. We decided to visit a favourite spot on the coast, a place of secrets, of strange contrasts and a place of beauty. Orfordness. We would lunch and walk.

This elongated spit of land, formed by longshore drift, traps the river Alde. As well as being a place of outstanding natural beauty and scientific interest, it has an interesting secret side too. Across the river are strange ‘pagodas’, constructed by the MoD. This was the birthplace of radar, Cobra Mist and atomic bombery experiments. And wildlife loves it. So do we.