Stephen

I came down this morning to find a working party in my garden.

About a month ago, I heard the news that Stephen, our amazing gardener, had cut his hand badly while using a chain saw. It was only a few days later that I realised what a bad injury it was - lots of stitching, lifelong scarring, and physio to come. Within days of the accident, when he was still in hospital, his wife told me that he was arranging to contract work out, and I told her that the last thing they needed to think about was the House of Stories grass. In spite of this, one of our friends from church turned up a few days later and tackled the 'meadow'.

This morning, I heard the sound of a mower. Said friend and his son were there, trimming and tidying - and so was Stephen! With his hand still bandaged, he was doing as much as he could one-handed and as cheerful as a boy with a football.

I admire his courage, his spirit, and his delightful wife, who has taken all this calmly in her stride - but I don't think I'll ever be able to watch him with a saw again. They can't turn back the clock and stop the accident from happening, but they have a fantastic attitude to the present and the future.