making a comeback

We have written to each other, occasionally talked on the phone and tried, but failed, to meet up a number of times over the years.  However, if my memory serves me correctly, I think the last time we saw our friend and former next-door-but-one neighbour Rufus face to face was in October 1982, when we took Jack (then a toddler) to stay with Rufus and Susie in Edinburgh. Yesterday Rufus made a welcome return to Henry Road and we had a wonderful couple of hours catching up on mutual news before he headed back north.  I never cease to be amazed how easy it is to pick up the threads of a good friendship even after such a long period of time - but please don't leave it that long before we see you again!  


Also making a comeback to Oxford, although not a welcome one this time, is the snow.  We spotted a few large flakes drifting down yesterday, but that didn't prepare us for the sight awaiting us this coming - we awoke to a thin blanket of white covering everything, yet again.  Not the soft snow of a couple of weeks ago, more like a billion tiny beads of polystyrene - even so, not what you want to see when you have travel..


...Yes, it's time to return to London, which will be my work base Monday-Thursday this week, same again next week, and for two days the following week.  Steve will be driving me today to help transport the box of documents I'll need, but will be coming back to Oxford this evening. I couldn't have contemplated leaving him on his own for so long whilst his chemo treatment was in progress, but now what passes for "normal" life has resumed, it's not quite such a scary prospect. However it would be great if some of you could find the time to send him an e-mail while I'm away, so he doesn't feel lonely!


The good news is that tingles in his fingers and toes seems to have reached a plateau - certainly not any worse in the last few days.  That's something we definitely do not want to see making a come back!