THINKING ALLOWED

Feeling nostalgic as today is the anniversary of my dad's birth.  He was born in 1885 which I worked out was 131years ago.  That just doesn't seem possible but when you realise he was 46 when I arrived on the scene I guess it makes sense.   He was a wonderful dad although rather Victorian in his outlook about various things but I loved him to bits.  It is now 45 years since he left this mortal coil and yet he still seems very close and even to this day I miss him very much.  This was my dad taken in our back garden way back in about 1948 when he would have been 63 (I think he always wore braces).

Feeling happy as my daughter and her hubby are on their way home from New Jersey.  I hope they will have a safe and comfortable flight.  On the outward journey I believe it took them 36 hours house to house which I couldn't imagine doing.  I found flights to and from New Zealand long enough and I was 30+ years younger then.  Will be wonderful to have them both home again.

 Feeling amazed at how men can sometimes be very dogmatic and once they make up their minds about something it is hard to shift them.  Instance in question:  Phil's Visa card expired last month and a new card arrived giving him another 4 years of use (one feels quite optimistic at 86 when you look at 2020 on the card and hope you will be here to use it).  He had a letter from HBF (our private health insurer) reminding him about the expiry date of his Visa card and requesting he ring them when the new card arrived so they could update their records.

"OK" you say "so what?"  Apart from HBF, Phil has four other payments deducted regularly from his Visa card (which, by the way, he pays in full each month); car insurance, house insurance and two small donations he's been making for some time.  I said to him that he would have to notify these organisations as well and he said there was no reason why he should as they would automatically know the card had been renewed.  I asked him why then did HBF write to him!!  He didn't really have a valid answer to that.  You can imagine the toing and froing that went on and he, in fact, got quite hostile (Phil when hostile is never frightening but just damned annoying).  "All right"he said "I'll ring the bank".  He rang the bank and of course was told "Yes, you must notify everyone where regular payments go to from your Visa account".  I didn't even tell him "I told you so" but rang all but one of the places to advise them of new expiry date.  Phil rang the university as it was difficult to tell to whom we had to speak but he found someone so all was done.

I of course had to smile to myself because I had been right and pondering on it afterwards it rather reminded me of the opening words in a wonderful children's book I read years ago and thoroughly enjoyed "Katy did"  "Katy didn't"  "Katy did" "Katy didn't"    Did you also read that book when you were a youngster?  I am sure you did.

Feeling disappointed we couldn't spend time with our grandson-in-law on his birthday last Tuesday.  We'd offered to take them out to dinner or go to their place and buy take-away but on the Monday our granddaughter messaged me to say she had come down with a really sore throat and a head cold.  Phil rang him and wished him happy birthday and said we'd catch up with him soon which I am sure we will when K and B return home from the US.

Feeling apprehensive as our weather appears to be heating up quite quickly with a 29C (85F) forecast in a few days.  It's really beginning to feel like summer to me and you know how I detest the hot weather.  I must not wish my life away as there may not be a lot of it left but in the next 5 or 6 months I will be outside my comfort zone....thank goodness for a decent airconditioning system now!!