Monday, October 31, 2011

AN AMUSING STORY ABOUT A FRIEND OF MINE

I have a Facebook friend in New Zealand that I met back in 2010. We both love playing Scrabble and have about 60 games going between us on Facebook and I must admit we are pretty well equal in our successes.

She is 23 years younger than me (actually almost the same age as my own daughter).  This lass though is the eldest of 11 children which probably makes her a little different to my daughter who only had a younger brother to deal with.  Her mother is proving to be a bit of a problem to the family by being very stubborn about her care whereas I, of course, am never a problem to my daughter (I'd not mention that to her though as she perhaps wouldn't entirely agree with that comment  *_*).

As we can't converse in the normal way we sort of chat as we play Scrabble or sometimes playing Farm Town (another addictive game on Facebook).  I will leave a message or a comment for my friend and next time she plays she will reply or leave another message for me.  This may annoy some people but she and I really enjoy it very much.

The other day I played the word TRUANT at the same time leaving this message for her (I bet you've never played truant have you?)  Next day came her reply "Yes I have a little bit and once I wanted to go to another High School so along I went with my birth certificate and told them that my mother was too busy working to come along with me and so I enrolled myself."

I thought this quite hilarious and next time I played Scrabble I asked how long it was before her mum knew she had changed high schools.  The answer came the next day "When the other school rang mum and asked her why I'd not been to school for a month."   A Month!!!!  Wow what was that school thinking leaving it so long before contacting her mother?

When I asked my friend her reason for changing schools she said that all her friends were going to the school she had chosen and she didn't know anyone at the first school.  This I felt an excellent reason for her doing this and it certainly didn't do any harm as she (when living in Western Australia years back) took up nursing and her use of words is excellent that a good education was obviously hers.

Just needed to share this little story with anyone who cares to read it as I felt it very amusing and hope you do as well.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

AND THEN THE REAL TRUTH STRUCK ME

As you know MOH and I are getting on years and we are not complaining about that one little bit as the alternative is not even worth thinking about but.....

Over the past couple of years we keep saying to each other "I don't know why I am feeling so weary today" and words to that effect.

The other day MOH said exactly that to me and the truth suddenly hit me.  MOH is approaching his 82nd birthday and me my 80th birthday come January.  While we are sitting in our comfy chairs reading, crocheting (me not MOH) or watching TV or doing absolutely nothing at all I still more or less feel as I did when I was 35 or perhaps 45 and I could spring up and do anything I felt like doing.  Now there's the rub.  I can't do much of whatever it is I feel like doing at all and even though MOH is much better physically than I now am he too is finding he tires very quickly.

What was that inevitable truth that had to be recognised one day?  I turned to MOH and said "You often wonder why you tire much more easily these days and I get frustrated because of so many tasks I now cannot do that I once took for granted.  It's not just because we are getting older it is because we are OLD.

This does not mean we are giving up but only that we have to face the fact that much water has passed under various bridges since we were born.  We are not giving up or giving in but at last will be able to stop trying to find answers to the question "Why is this happening" 'cos now we both know why.  We can now stop worrying ourselves sick about what is wrong with us but just get on and enjoy all we can in the years remaining to us.

I still love to read, I crochet when my old hands will let me and I really love my computer and can type quite well for an oldie.  We don't see as much of family as we once did nor are we now able to lend assistance as we could before which is regrettable.  We used to love to have our grandchildren stay here and also take them on holidays with us.  We are no longer able to look after little ones which is something we both regret but it would not really be safe for us to do so.  We have so many happy memories of time spent with family and these memories will hopefully always remain with us.  Photographs also help us pinpoint moments in time that were and still are so memorable.

Does all the above mean we are now enjoying a new lease of life?  No, it does not but we will continue to be thankful we have been given the chance to spend so long on this earth in what is a very special and wonderful country (and of course in my view the best city in this great country too).  MOH was born in the UK and lived there for 30 years.  He has never had the inclination to return even for a holiday and now considers himself an Australian.  He even has his Certificate of Naturalisation to prove it which he always tells everyone he signed with tomato sauce.

Now I have turned this corner in my life I am hoping I can return to blogging if I can find anything I think may be of any interest to anyone or perhaps just of interest to me.  It is over 3 months since I dislocated my left shoulder and the arm is still not right so off I go tomorrow morning to have an injection in it (under ultrasound to make sure they hit the spot) which I am hoping will do the trick.  My eyes are recovering well from the cataract operations (the specialist was extremely pleased with the results of the ops) and on Tuesday I am off to get new specs which will make a big difference as well.  Still not too good outside when the glare is too bright but have been told the retinas will gradually adjust after 'being in the dark' for a while so that too will be good.

Oh boy!  Am I being positive or am I?  Hopefully this mood will stay with me and me and my family will see good times when we reach the new year of 2012 which is only only 2 months away.  Oh heck that means Christmas too.  I wonder will my fantastic daughter decide on Secret Santa pressies again this year?  I think it worked out well last year and I can already think of a couple of items to put on my list.

I trust everyone out there in blogger land is keeping well.....just love and care for each other is all I can ask of you.