Eileen Mary Welcher M.B., B.S.

Middle Coombe
Huish Champflower
Taunton
Somerset
TA4 2HG Ikey's Christmas letter of 1999 sums up her life since retirement from medicine very well:

"CHRISTMAS 1999
Middle Coombe Farm, Huish Champflower, Taunton. TA4 2HG
Another happy year has flown, with trees and grass all round, cattle in the
field, birds, squirrels, and the occasional bank vole just outside the
window; every so often family or friends call or come to stay. It's an enviable
existence, which I greatly enjoy!

Last Christmas saw another gathering of the clan here at Middle Coombe
Farm, which included Elizabeth and Alan from Prague. More family visited at
Easter, and did sterling work on the campus.

Early in May, Bob and Lavinia Dolbear spent a day here, one of rare warm
sunshine. I had washed Blizzard's tail on the previous day, so she should look
her best when seen by these knowledgeable eyes. You can imagine how
pleased I was to hear Bob's complimentary assessment of her conformation;
I think he hadn't expected such a good-looking 18-year-old cow. Rufus,
following his dictum "You can't be too careful", didn't wait to be introduced,
but kept at a discreet distance.

In July, Denise and I spent 5 days on a narrow boat, cruising from
Llangollen to Nantwich, -- sunshine, quiet waters, dark tunnels, and a
spectacular aquaduct. There were only 3 of us passengers, so there was
plenty of opportunity to work the locks, and we were even given the chance
to take the tiller, supervised by the captain, Bill. Handling a 71-ft narrow
boat requires much concentration, and is really exiting. Bill's wife Margery is
a superb cook, determined to further ruin one's waistline. Their son, Philip,
piloted the butty boat; he made my day by telling me not to wind the lock-
paddle so fast, -- never before has anyone told me to do something more
slowly !

Elizabeth and Alan were over here for some 7 weeks in the summer,
bouncing in and out of Somerset, London, Southwell, and Yorkshire. Their
motorvan spent several weeks being repaired, after a collision with a rapidly
moving Charolais bull in France, leaving humans and bull uninjured, but the
van was badly damaged. I'm not sure what they felt about everyone's
reaction to this tale, which was to burst out laughing, and then to enquire if
the bull was all right !

Come August 11th. and the long-anticipated eclipse was upon us. We were in
the zone where about 98% of the daylight would disappear. I had warned
Blizzard and Rufus that it would get rather dark in the middle of the day,
just for a few minutes, and Not To Worry. When the time came, I alternated
between watching the event on television and rushing up to the landing
window to observe their reaction; they were grazing in the field behind the
house. You've guessed it - they showed no reaction whatsoever! The
daylight did fade considerably, but no more than during recent black cloud
build-ups preceding heavy rainstorms.

We had our own dramatic weather event later in the month, when one
evening Middle Coombe was struck by lightning. We were plunged into
darkness, the plug of the answerphone exploded, and both 'phone and
television transformer were wrecked. Fortunately there was no structural
damage.

Alan had noticed a serious woodworm infestation in Stewart House (the cow-
shed), so I spent several weeks clearing out, sorting, labelling, and
transfering things to be saved to the Potting Shed, and taking a goodly
collection to the tip.This enforced clearance was a good thing. Now I must
aim to do the same in the house!

Various outdoor projects have been tackled, thanks to the return of Tom
Ettery, who used to help in the past. At last the Fruit Garden has become a
reality. In November I planted raspberries, gooseberries, currants, and
rhubarb. No need for blackberries; I pick them from the hedge, provided
that Blizzard and Rufus don't get there first ! Seeds planted in the muck-
heap resulted in some magnificent marrows; almost too heavy to lift, but
with tender skin. Those which went to the Harvest Festival auction made
between £2 and £3 each!

It's a long time since I was able to go banner-waving with Compassion in
World Farming, but with Elizabeth here to look after the animals, I went to
Dover to take part in another Anti-Live Export March and Rally. Few people
realise that live sheep, lambs, and pigs are still being sent on long journeys
to the place of slaughter. The live export trade brags that it hopes to reach
the million mark this year. A recent report tells of 800 lambs being sent from
this country to Greece, spending 48 hours at Bari in Italy, waiting for
shipment, without food or water. When the investigators were finally able to
persuade the Italian authorities to unload the animals, nearly all those on the
top deck were dead or dying. A far cry from "tending their flocks by night"
2.000 years ago.

With all good wishes for this millennial Christmas, and with hope and prayer
for less suffering and desecretion on this planet Earth in the coming centuries

END Her exciting time in Africa may have been the best time of her life, but Middle Coombe beside West Coombe (home of Elizabeth and Alan) probably ran it a close second. Her last years were spent at Parkwood Court retirement home in Tavistock, five miles from Alan and Elizabeth in Brentor, but she didn't make real friendships with any of the residents and a hip operation which went wrong due to inadequate after-care meant she lost mobility and became reliant on others to an extent she found difficult to bear. She went to Moorgate Care Home, Horrabridge but again kept to her own room, and after a short spell in hospital died at Hart Care care home, near Yelverton.