From Selsey to Turnham Green
My mater died at the end of 2005. She used to say on one or more occasion that she would never go to hospital and if she did she would not come out alive. As predicted this actually happened. Apparently, if I recall aright she died from the mrsa bug in Oxford.
A few years later my pater married with my blessing a new woman who happened to be Russian. Her name was Irina . Her family seemed to have a close connection with Putin. Her very wealthy son lived just outside Moscow in a large mansion apparently containing much marble and surrounded by fir trees. She claimed to be a ballerina in her youth and had the power to "heal". Her grandson Nikolay if I recall correctly was educated in economics in England and worked for a time for Putin as an economist. I never met him but once talked to him on the phone. He certainly came across as someone who was well-educated with a lively mind. However, when his Facebook site was online he used to have photos of himself seemingly imitating ones of Putin doing a number of sport activities which were ofcourse photographed and circulated!
Anyway, Irina my step mother and my pater moved to Selsey together and started a home. The house itself was very close to the beach and was spacious and had a large number of antiques and the like. I only visited the place once, and for some reason or other I missed out on making a visit to the home of the famous local astronomer Sir Partrick Moore. However, I kept in touch with pater for a number years via the phone and by sending Birthday, and Christmas cards.
Near the very end of 2021 Irina died in a hospital in Moscow. It appeared that she had contracted covid. More shockingly she was mistakenly put in a ward next to someone who had the virus! Bizarre as it may seem she never trusted English doctors and hence went to Russia for treatment, and yet ironically, she died there!
My pater was understandably distraught. He contacted me from her flat in Turnham Green, London. By now the house in Selsey had been sold. I had not met pater face to face for a very long time, and yet, when we met again we got on very well. At the time of writing this he is 91 and hopes to move somewhere else. A recent retired doctor friend called "John" used to be a GP in Hammersmith. He also remembered the place where my pater was living. Sometimes, he visits Turnham Green and to put flowers on his parent's grave who used to live in the area. He is keen but open minded Catholic and we seem to get on well.
Turnham Green This is a more civilised and posh part of greater London and can be seen as being upper middle class in character. I love the place and always look forward seeing it again whenever I go down to visit my pater.
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