Celebrating twenty years of English-language Anglican services at the Dresden Frauenkirche

On Sunday 21^st June 2026, the monthly English-language Anglican service of Evening Prayer celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Anglican services at the Frauenkirche. The first such service was held on Sunday 18^th June 2006, some eight months after the consecration of the re-built Frauenkirche on 30^th October 2005.

From its inception, until the end of 2015, the service was overseen by the late Rev’d Dr Irene Ahrens, Assistant Priest of St George’s Church, Berlin. I took over responsibility at the beginning of January 2016.

As I have previously explained, the evening services at the Frauenkirche, both the German and English ones, follow a theme over several Sundays. The theme since Pentecost, through to Sunday 19^th July, is the hymns of Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), marking the 350^th anniversary of his death. Several of Gerhardt’s hymns have been translated into English and the hymn I had earlier chosen for this service was, ‘O sacred head, surrounded by crown of piercing thorn!’, known in German by the opening line, ‘O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden’.

The text of the hymn is clearly based on the description of Christ’s passion and being mocked and put to scorn by Roman soldiers, as described in Matthew 27. 27-31 which was our first Bible reading. And the placing on his head of a crown of thorns which is also found in the narrative of chapter nineteen of John’s Gospel.

Preaching in the Frauenkirche Sunday 21st June 2026 © Titus Parade

As I said in my sermon, it may seem strange to be focusing on the Cross of Christ at this time of the Church’s year, a few Sundays after celebrating the Feast of Pentecost. But although the hymn does appear in the Good Friday section of our hymnal, the cross is central to the Christian faith and is a powerful Christian symbol.

In many ways, having the cross as probably the most important Christian symbol, is rather strange. It reminds us of the cruel death of Jesus, the founder of our faith. It is something St Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 1. 18-25, which was our second Bible reading. He writes, ‘For the message about the cross is foolishness – even stupidity, to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God’.

As Paul goes on to say, ‘We proclaim Christ crucified’ – the redemption won for us through his death on the cross. As Gerhardt puts it in verse two of his hymn, ‘O agony and dying! O love for sinners free!’ Through the death of Jesus on the cross, God shows his love for fallen humanity and offers salvation, redemption, to those who believe.

But having reflected upon our two Biblical readings, I then spoke about the reasons why back in 2006, the Church of England in Germany was offered this monthly English-language Anglican service by the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD), and more specifically by the Frauenkirche. There are two reasons.

One is the ecumenical Meissen agreement between the Church of England and the EKD which recognises each others ministry and ministers and allows me, an ordained Anglican priest, to lead worship and preach in the Frauenkirche, an EKD Church. But the second and very significant reason is the strong links that have been established between the Frauenkirche and Coventry Cathedral through their shared experience of wartime destruction and their shared commitment to work for peace and reconciliation.

As I have written and explained previously, on the night of 14th November 1940, the Nazi Luftwaffe carried out a major bombing raid on the city of Coventry which resulted in the death of 568 people – a far lower number than in Dresden four and a half years later, but the highest casualty figure for one night’s bombing of any English city. And the destruction of Coventry’s mediaeval Cathedral with its wooden roof and interior being set on fire and destroyed. Amazingly, the tall spire survived, along with most of the outside walls.

The Provost of the Cathedral, (who would now be called the Dean), was a man called Richard Howard. At Christmas 1940, only six weeks after the bombing, Provost Howard spoke on BBC national radio, not of retribution, but instead, that once the war was over, his vision was to work with those who had been enemies, ‘to build a kinder, more Christ-Child-like world’.

Speaking very personally as I did that Sunday evening, I believe my being able to stand in the pulpit of the Frauenkirche, lead worship and preach, as I have done for the past ten and a half years, is a fulfilment of Provost Howard’s vision. As some of you reading this blog know, as do some in the Frauenkirche congregation, it is particularly significant to me for I was born in the city of Coventry, it is where I lived and was educated up to the age of eighteen and I am a life-long supporter of Coventry City FC. I am a proud Coventrian.

All of this was completely unknown to those who approached me in the Summer of 2015 and asked if I would be willing to take on responsibility this monthly service, from the late Irene Ahrens. Many people have since remarked that it was a wonderful coincidence. I prefer to call it a ‘God-incidence’!

The charred roof beam cross & ‘Father, forgive’ © Ricky Yates

Provost Howard also did three significant physical things. He made a cross out of two of the charred roof beams of the Cathedral and erected it behind the altar of the ruined building, now open to the skies. And on the inside of the east wall, behind the altar, he had the words, ‘Father forgive’, carved in the stonework. Both are still there and can be seen today.

His third physical act was, out of three mediaeval metal roof nails, he made a simple cross, of which the one on the Frauenkirche altar immediately behind where I preach, is a replica. The original sits above the high altar of the new Coventry Cathedral. And this cross is now the symbol of what is known as the Community of the Cross of Nails, linking Churches together, committed to working for reconciliation between those formerly in conflict.

The Cross of Nails/Nagelkreuz on the Frauenkirche altar © Ricky Yates

The Cross of Nails/Nagelkreuz on the Frauenkirche altar, was presented to the Frauenkirche in February 2005, some eight months before the rebuilt Frauenkirche was consecrated. In February 2025, John Witcombe, the Dean of Coventry Cathedral visited Dresden to mark the twentieth anniversary, as well speaking at Nacht der Stimmen/Night of voices, marking the eightieth anniversary of the bombing of Dresden and the destruction of the Frauenkirche.

Engraved on the plaque at the base of the Cross of Nails is both the date of presentation but also those important words, ‘Father forgive’.

Plaque on the Cross of Nails/Nagelkreuz © Ricky Yates

So I concluded my sermon by giving thanks for those who had the vision for this regular English-language Anglican service to happen each month. And I gave thanks for the leadership of the Frauenkirche who have given me great freedom in leading worship and preaching.

Maria Noth speaking during the service © Titus Parade

I was very pleased that Maria Noth, the Geschäftsführerin/CEO of the Stiftung, the charitable foundation that run the Frauenkirche, was present with me on the dais for the service. She has been very supportive of my English-language ministry. She read the second Bible reading but also asked if she could have a speaking slot. I will end this post with one paragraph of her speech.

‘Every Anglican service celebrated in this church bears witness to a simple but demanding truth: that community can grow where history once produced division, and trust where suspicion may seem inevitable. They remind us that reconciliation is not first and foremost our achievement, but a gift; and a responsibility. We live by the grace of the One who reconciles the world to himself and calls us to become servants of reconciliation.’

The first five months of 2026

My home, Stará Oleška 44, 19th May 2026 © Ricky Yates

I know, I know, there hasn’t been a blog post since early January. Sadly, good intentions to write one have never come to fruition – until now! So here’s a bit of what’s been happening since I returned from Zermatt on New Year’s Eve 2025.

Health update

Let’s start with the good news!

Unlike in the UK, where when you reach the age of seventy, you have to self-declare that you are still fit to drive if you want to retain your driving license, in the Czech Republic, you are required to pass a medical examination. And the process starts five years earlier, on reaching your sixty-fifth birthday. A further examination is then required at age sixty-eight and every two years thereafter.

On 5^th January 2026, a few weeks before my seventy-fourth birthday, I was medically examined by my GP and deemed fit to drive my car for a further two years, until the day before my seventy-sixth birthday in February 2028. I had to pay CZK 1100/GBP 39.15 for the privilege as it is one of the few things not covered by my otherwise totally free healthcare. But without having the resultant certificate, my car insurance would be invalid.

Also on a positive note, my INR, (level of thinness of my blood), has now fully settled down having been seriously disrupted by taking antibiotics to treat my Erysipelas infection. I am back to only needing to have it checked once every six weeks.

On the downside, the swelling of the lower part of my left leg, which never completely subsided following my Erysipelas infection has partially returned. I am back to taking anti-inflammatory tablets again to try and bring it under control. It subsides overnight but returns soon after getting out of bed each day. A further consultation with my GP will take place on Friday 26^th June along with the regular check of my INR.

House

Over a period of several weeks from late March to mid-May, the father and son team of K & K renovace nemovitostí have renewed the cladding & improved the insulation of the enclosed verandah at the front of my house. Why it took so long to complete is another story 😉 but the end result is excellent.

Rainwater-damaged cladding © Ricky Yates

What prompted this work was me asking Karel junior if they could repair this damaged section of the existing cladding, alongside the steps to the front door. Whilst he said they could repair it, he suggested that it would be much better to undertake a complete renovation of the whole exterior of the enclosed verandah and, as part of the work, improve the insulation. As in previous posts about the renovation of my house, I’ll let the photographs do most of the talking.

Stará Oleška 44 before renovation work on the enclosed verandah © Ricky Yates

The photograph above shows what the front of the house looked like before work commenced.

Insulation material attached to the exterior sides of the enclosed verandah © Ricky Yates

Insulation material was inserted on the three exterior sides of the enclosed verandah, held in place by wire. Then a couple of wooden batons were attached to hold the new cladding.

Insulation material covered by a waterproof membrane © Ricky Yates

All the new insulation material was then covered by a waterproof membrane.

Insulation being inserted between the roof and the ceiling of the enclosed verandah © Ricky Yates

Fresh insulation material was also inserted between the roof and the ceiling of the enclosed verandah.

New cladding was then attached.

The cause of the damage to the old cladding, as seen in the photograph at the beginning of this section, was rainwater dripping from the small gutter on the side of the perspex shelter above the front door, onto the steps and then splashing onto the wooden cladding.

New shelter over the front steps © Ricky Yates

So the old perspex shelter has been removed and a more extensive shelter erected over the front steps, with a gutter and downpipe to take rainwater well away from the new cladding.

Garden

A year ago, I discovered a tree surgeon called Michal who lives locally to me in Decín. He is the husband of Marcela who I’ve known for a few years through her teaching English classes held at the Hussite Church in Podmokly, the western part of Decín. Michal doesn’t have a word of English but communication via Marcela has worked perfectly 🙂

Michal working up in the poplar tree © Ricky Yates

Fallen branches stuck in the poplar tree © Ricky Yates

In June 2025, he cut down the branches of the poplar tree that were hanging over the roof of my house, as well as removing two branches that had snapped off in a storm but were still caught up in the tree. He also seriously reduced part of the massive walnut tree in my back garden.

Michal working on my walnut tree © Ricky Yates

Through Marcela, I asked him to return this Spring, as he had previously said it would be the best time for him to work on the trees, and complete the reduction of the walnut tree.

He also said that the poplar tree should cut right down drastically, assuring me that it would survive and sprout again. As it is very close to the house, I agreed to his suggestion.

One benefit of having all this work done has been the creation of a considerable new supply of firewood for next winter which Michal has kindly cut up and stacked in my woodshed. And I am hopeful that I will experience another benefit this coming Autumn with a much smaller leaf fall to rake and clear up.

Walnut tree 13th June 2026 © Ricky Yates

Poplar tree 13th June 2026 © Ricky Yates

Here are two photographs, taken yesterday, showing that both trees are still flourishing.

English-language ministry at the Dresden Frauenkirche

The Coventry Cross of Nails/Nagelkreuz on the Frauenkirche altar © Ricky Yates

As I have explained previously, one of the two main reasons that the Church of England in Germany, was offered a monthly evening English-language Anglican service at the Frauenkirche, twenty years ago, is the strong links the Frauenkirche has with Coventry Cathedral through the Community of the Cross of Nails. Being born in Coventry and living and being educated in the city until the age of eighteen, makes my English-language ministry at the Frauenkirche very significant to me.

With John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral © Ricky Yates

Over the past couple of years, I have got to know John Witcombe, the Dean of Coventry Cathedral, through his visit to Dresden in February 2025 and by attending worship at Coventry Cathedral when I’ve been in the UK.

With Bishop Sophie Jelley at the Frauenkirche 26th October 2025 © Ricky Yates

More recently, the new Bishop of Coventry, Sophie Jelley, a fellow graduate of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford 🙂 made her first visit to Dresden on Sunday 26^th October 2025 and was the preacher at the Festgottesdienst, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the consecration of the rebuilt Frauenkirche. I attended the service and got to meet her afterwards.

Over Easter 2026, I made my first UK visit of this year and worshiped at Coventry Cathedral on Easter Sunday morning. Dean John was the celebrant and +Sophie the preacher at the Eucharist and she recognised me in the congregation and greeted me warmly at the Peace. In her sermon, +Sophie spoke of her first visit to the Frauenkirche and of the shared ministry of reconciliation. It has been a real privilege to be a part of the significant relationship between the Cathedral of my home city and the Frauenkirche where I minister.

Having updated my safeguarding training and once more proved my lack of criminality in the Czech Republic, earlier this year, my Bishop’s Permission to Officiate (PTO) was renewed for a further three years, meaning I can continue to lead worship and preach in my active retirement. I’m very much looking forward to my next service at the Frauenkirche on the evening of Sunday 21^st June when we will be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of English-language Anglican services, the first ever service being held on Sunday 18^th June 2006.

The view from the Beatenberg Conference Centre © Ricky Yates

I remain very grateful to the Intercontinental Church Society for their continued prayer support of my Dresden ministry. At the end of April, I was again able to attend their annual Chaplain’s conference held in Beatenberg, near Interlaken, in Switzerland. A lovely mixture of good teaching, fellowship and relaxation and you can’t really beat the view from my bedroom window 🙂

Yours Truly at the Rhine Falls/ Rheinfall © Ricky Yates

On my way back from the conference, I broke my journey, staying overnight in Bülach, near Zürich, meeting up with my friend Benedikt who I first met in Bavaria in 2004, when he was only sixteen years old. On the following morning, I drove us to Neuhausen am Rheinfall on the Swiss-German border and visited the impressive Rheinfall/ Rhine Falls where Benedikt kindly took this photograph of me. He then got the train back to Bülach and I drove on to Stará Oleška.

Postscript

There are several more things I could write about, particularly from my UK visit where I met up with both of my sisters as well as my two adult children and four grandchildren, watched Coventry City beat Derby County 3 – 2 at the CBS Arena, and at great expense, obtained a new British passport in Peterborough. But I want to get this published before it becomes six months since my last post.

Christmas 2025 in Zermatt

St Peter’s Church, Zermatt © Ricky Yates

As I explained in my previous post, this year I volunteered to go to Zermatt to be the Chaplain of St Peter’s Church over the Christmas period, covering the first two weeks of the Winter season. After my first few days of leisure, my period of duty began on Tuesday 16^th December.

My first duty each day was to open the Church by 09.30 each morning, turning on the lights in the sanctuary, and then locking it again in the evening, no earlier than 20.00. This allows people to visit and use the Church for private prayer. Judging by the number of entries and positive comments in the visitors book, this is very much appreciated.

My other initial task was to update noticeboards, removing the notices saying that the Church was currently closed, and instead, posting ones giving details of all my services, together with a mug shot of the current Chaplain.

I was unsure what to expect on the two Sundays either side of Christmas. At this time of year, it is very easy to lose track of what day of the week it actually is and therefore fail to realise that it is Sunday. So I was quite pleased to have a congregation of ten for Holy Communion on the morning of Sunday 21^st December – the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Among them was a Francophone Swiss couple celebrating their wedding anniversary, who were very appreciative of the service and were responsible for this photograph of me. I also believe they were responsible for a rather large contribution to the collection at the end of the service 😉

Standing by the altar of St Peter’s Church, Zermatt, Sunday 21st December 2025 © Ricky Yates

In the evening, there were just three of us gathered to say Evening Prayer together.

I knew from my experience in December 2024, that the 17.00 Service of Lessons & Carols on Christmas Eve would be popular. I wasn’t the only one. Several people arrived more than half an hour before the service was due to begin, just to be sure they had a seat 🙂 By just before 17.00, every pew was fully occupied, about twenty loose folding chairs were pressed into service, and at least twenty people were standing at the back. Finally, to get everyone in, at least a dozen others sat on the carpet in the central aisle.

In total, there must have been in excess of two hundred people present, wanting to sing Christmas carols and hear again Old Testament prophesies of the coming Messiah, the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, the visits of the shepherds and wise men, and concluding with St John’s wonderful explanation of the Mystery of the Incarnation. I made that final reading the basis of my sermon and pointed out that they had just sung the truths of that passage in the previous carol.

‘Veiled in flesh the Godhead see: hail the incarnate Deity,

pleased as Man with man to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.’

At the end of the service, because of the number of people packed into Church, it took me quite some time to be able to reach the Church doors & shake hands with everyone as they left.

At 19.30 I had a repeat Service of Lessons & Carols, this time with a congregation of sixty-five. This was the only congregation that was smaller than those I experienced in 2024 – down by twenty. All the others were considerably greater with sixty attending the Midnight Eucharist and thirty-one at an informal act of Morning Worship on Christmas Day.

Several people who attended the various services, said that they remembered me from last year and were very pleased to see me once again in 2025. A few also expressed the hope that I would come again in 2026 😉 I did also have a number of enquiries as to whether there was a toilet in the Church or a reesst room 😉 Being a typical nineteenth century Church, there isn’t.

One thing that did surprise me was a couple of people arriving, thinking that services would be in German. This despite the Church being known locally as the ‘English Church’ and the noticeboard and website stating clearly that services are in English. As I had to explain, it will be ‘Anglikanischer Gottesdienst in englischer Sprache’ 🙂

I have several good memories of people that I met during my time as Chaplain. The first arrival for the Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve, was Caroline, the rep in Zermatt for the Ski Club of Great Britain. Whilst not a regular Church goer, she enjoyed the service and came up to the altar rail for a blessing, during the administration of Communion. She invited me to come to Ski Club’s social hour held each evening between 18.00-19.00, in the bar of the Pollock Hotel. So I went the following evening where Caroline and several others made me very welcome.

It was coming out of the lift in the apartment block where the Chaplain’s apartment is located, on my way to the Pollock Bar, that I met Victoria and her twelve-year old son Henry. They, together with Richard, Victoria’s husband/ Henry’s father, had attended both the 19.30 Service of Lessons & Carols and my Christmas Day morning service. Their rented apartment was literally a few steps from the Chaplain’s apartment. Victoria insisted that I should join them for a glass of bubbly, upon my return.

So I did! Not only was I given a glass of bubbly, I was treated to a Christmas Day evening dinner including this delightful dessert.

Whilst Richard had been to Zermatt several years ago, with his elder daughter, he was unaware of St Peter’s Church existence. This Christmas, they all were delighted to have discovered it and to be able to attend worship. Richard also got me involved in an interesting conversation about evangelism and expressed his appreciation of my preaching.

On the evening of Sunday 28^th December there was a congregation of six for Evening Prayer. One of them was a lady called Edith who is a ‘Villager’, someone who lives permanently in Zermatt. She is one of only two ‘locals’ who attend services on a regular basis. She expressed her appreciation of the service and I was delighted to have made a connection to her.

For three of my four Christmas services in December 2024, I was blessed with the presence of Christine from North Yorkshire, who played the organ for me. So I never got to understand how to play hymn tunes through the Church speaker system, and led one Service of Lessons & Carols singing unaccompanied or a cappella.

This year I had no organist for any of my services. But having arrived early and now knowing how other things such as heating and lighting, work, I had time to get to understand the system. And whilst there was frequently, a pregnant pause, between announcing the hymn or carol and the music starting, it worked!

The one thing that was noticeably different to my experience at Christmas 2024, was the lack of snow! In December 2024, I arrived in a heavy snow storm that lasted for a couple of days with snow everywhere in the town. This year, whilst it had clearly snowed previously in Zermatt itself as there was still some snow on roofs and in gardens, no snow fell at all during my eighteen day sojourn. Quite a surprise!

Health update and heading again to Zermatt for Christmas

It is now four months since a little critter got me and over two months since I last wrote a blogpost. So I thought it was high time that I posted an update.

Firstly, I am very grateful to the many people who have been praying for me, sending me their best wishes for a full recovery and wanting to know my current state of health. This post is for all of you!

When I last saw my GP, on Friday 5^th December, and he saw my leg 😉 , he was pleased with what he saw. Whilst the upper part of my left calf is still a bit swollen, it is vastly improved from three & a half months previously. So I have finally stopped taking anti-inflammatory tablets. The other good news is that my INR has finally settled down after being badly disturbed by taking antibiotics. On 5^th December, it was 2.6 – almost perfect, as it is meant to be in the range 2.0-3.0.

As I said in reply to one of the welcome comments on my last post, my planned further hospitalisation on 7^th October, to investigate the scabby lump on the bottom of my left leg, didn’t happen, as there wasn’t a spare bed for me. I am now re-booked to see the dermatologist on Tuesday 6^th January 2026. In consultation with my GP, I will be slightly reducing my intake of Warfarin in the week before that appointment and then having my INR checked by my GP, the day before the appointment. Hopefully it will be around 2.00 and will allow an incision to be made, without the risk of me severely bleeding.

Last December, as I wrote in this post, I answered a cri de cœur and travelled to Zermatt, Switzerland, to provide Christmas services at St Peter’s Church, known locally as the ‘English Church’. Having enjoyed the uplifting but tiring experience, some months ago, I volunteered to return in December 2025, this time for a full two weeks including Sunday 21^st December- Advent 4, and Sunday 28^th December – Christmas 1.

Because my two weeks mark the beginning of the Winter Season, the Chaplaincy flat has been vacant since the end of the Summer Season in September. Therefore I have been able to arrive a few days early, acclimatize myself and enjoy the mountains, before my Chaplaincy duty commences.

Gornergratbahn at Riffelberg Bahnhof © Ricky Yates

Therefore, I’ve had a wonderful journey on the Gornergratbahn up to Gornergrat with amazing views of the Matterhorn.

And I’ve travelled the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing from Switzerland to Italy and back, with further amazing views and a delightful Italian lunch in Breuil-Cervinia.

Christmas services at St Peter’s Church, Zermatt © Ricky Yates

During my two week stint, I will be officiating and preaching at eight different services, as advertised now on the Church noticeboard and on the Church website. With my two earlier services at the Dresden Frauenkiche, that means ten services in December. So much for being retired!

It’s amazing the damage a little critter can do

My left leg – 20th August 2025 © Ricky Yates

Between 02.00 and 11.00 on Saturday 16^th August 2025, I seriously vomited five or six times. During that Saturday, the lower part of my left leg, together with my ankle and foot, became swollen, red and painful. At the time, I didn’t associate the two events.

I assumed the vomiting was because of something I’d eaten. And my left calf and foot are always slightly bigger than their opposite numbers on my right leg, ever since August 2015, when a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) escaped from there and became a pulmonary embolism in my lung, as described in this post.

After a day of resting and not sleeping very well that night, on Sunday morning I was still feeling quite unwell and also not very mobile. So I made the reluctant decision that I couldn’t officiate and preach at the Frauenkirche that evening, the first time I’ve ever had to cancel a service since I took up my Dresden responsibilities almost ten years ago. Thankfully, my friend and colleague Andrew Allen, stepped into the breech.

After another uncomfortable night and no improvement during Monday 18^th, late that afternoon, I decided the time had come to go to my local hospital in Decín and seek medical help. Fortunately, I had a friend staying with me, my first guest in my renovated upstairs rooms. We were unable to get a taxi and so Libor, husband of Sona, the boss of Restaurace U Soni, kindly drove us to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was seen by a nurse and had some blood samples taken. Then I saw the duty doctor who told me that I needed to be admitted to hospital that evening, in order for the infection in my leg to be treated with antibiotics and pain killers, fed intravenously. The doctor fortunately, had some English and used Google translate on his phone when he became unstuck. My friend got back to my house by taxi and the following day came to the hospital by bus, bringing me clothes, pyjamas, toiletries etc.

The ward whilst receiving antibiotics intravenously © Ricky Yates

I took this photo from my bed whilst receiving antibiotics intravenously. It gives you an idea of the four-bedded ward where I spent three nights. Every morning, the doctor came around to see each of the patients. He only spoke to me in Czech, most of which I didn’t understand. He didn’t seem to have a word of English. Fortunately, a couple of the nurses spoke fluent English, the one who got me to fill out my consent forms was particularly helpful. Czech hospital food was as unappetising as I remember it being ten years previously in Vojenská nemocnice in Prague 🙁

On the morning of Thursday 21^st August, the doctor told me that I was being discharged and could go home. That was one bit of his Czech that I did understand 😉 I was presented with four prescriptions, (two for further antibiotics, one for anti-inflammatory tablets and one for pain relief), and a two-page report about me and my time in hospital, obviously all in Czech. But from the report, I finally found out what I had been diagnosed with – Erysipelas.

Erysipelas, historically known as St Anthony’s Fire, is a bacterial infection of the skin and the lymphatic system. Its origin is the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, almost certainly caused by an insect bite. When I wrote this on Facebook, along with the photo of my leg at the beginning of this post, a friend commented that, ‘It’s amazing the damage a little critter can do’, a sentiment with which I completely agree and why I have chosen it as the title for this blog post. One of the symptoms of being infected with Streptococcus pyogenesis, is vomiting. The two events of the morning of Saturday 16^th August were connected.

Whilst I’ve now lived in Stará Oleška for over eight years, I’ve remained registered with the GP practice, Young & Co, in Prague. This is for a number of reasons. They have looked after me brilliantly since my pulmonary embolism in August 2015. All the doctors have to be able to speak English. And going on a train trip to Prague once every six weeks to have my INR,(the level of thinness of my blood), checked, makes for a nice day out.

But having to travel there with a badly swollen leg, has been a little more difficult. So far I’ve been for five follow up visits, the first on Monday 25^th August, the most recent on Thursday 25^th September. Both my regular GP, Dr Josef Stonawski, and the boss of the practice, Dr Adriana Youngová, have been very helpful and supportive. Whilst the infection has been dealt with and I no longer have pain or numbness in my left leg, it is still swollen. Dr Youngová told me that I will probably have to take the anti-inflammatory tablets for up to three months which means I have another five weeks to go.

The other problem that has caused me to make frequent visits is that the antibiotics have totally upset my INR – a well-known problem. My INR is meant to be between 2.0 and 3.0. On 25^th August it was 4.2. Having reduced my Warfarin intake, on 2^nd September it was 1.6. on my last visit it was 2.9, just within range, but still rather high. And this has caused me further problems.

On my last visit to my GP practice, on the morning of Thursday 25^th September, I had an appointment in the afternoon with my dermatologist, at Vojenská nemocnice. This was to investigate a scabby lump, near the bottom of my problematic left leg. Is it a Basel Cell Carcinoma to be treated with liquid nitrogen? Or is it a leg ulcer requiring different treatment? But to extract a small sample for testing would involve an incision in my leg and with my INR being 2.9, my dermatologist is afraid I will bleed too much.

As a result, tomorrow morning I am being admitted to Vojenská nemocnice for four or five days, whilst my INR is reduced and closely monitored and then appropriate treatment will follow. It will be a very early start to catch the 05.40 bus from the village, to then catch the 06.25 train from Decín to Prague, in order to reach the hospital by 09.00. So I’m off to bed as soon as I’ve successfully posted this text.