Well certainly at my age it has to be security. I’ve never been very adventurous. Well, I say never, but I suppose I took a risk in the sixties when I met and fell in love with a boy from across the religious divide. A no-no in Northern Ireland. Lost a lot of my security being in neither communities. But it was worth the risk and we are still together 60 years later.
Over the years I was always terrified of something happening to my family and as a result played it safe, not taking any risks like climbing Mount Everest or swimming the channel. Lol
Now I love the security of being in my own home, living vicariously through my children and grandchildren’s adventures ( and they do love their adventures)
My husband who travelled the world as part of his job is also content to stay put, play golf and travel within a safe distance of home .
So, all and all I’ve settled for security. My days of adventures long gone but I’m content and very happy with that situation.
As I see family almost every day I would have to be more creative and invite someone I’d never met but admired or was curious about.
First on my list would be Graham Norton. An Irish celebrity and author whose books I have read ( well, listened to on audiobooks) and loved every one of them. I imagine he would be a great guest regaling my other invitees with funny stories about the celebrities he had interviewed.
Next would be Elvis Presley. Image after enjoying an amazing dinner ( if I say so myself) being entertained by Elvis.
To add a bit of history Joan of Arc might warrant an invite. I’d like to hear from her about life in the 13th century. Did she really believe that she had Devine guidance? In all likelihood she would reveal that she indeed had mental health problems and was bipolar. Nevertheless her tales of battle would be intriguing.
My fourth and final guest would have to be Cleopatra who could regale us with tales of Ancient Egypt.Would be interesting to see how beautiful she was and how she was able to rule as a woman in a patriarchal society. I imagine her stories would be like that of a modern soap opera.
So that’s it. My guests for dinner. A motley crew but I’d sure have something to talk about at subsequent dinner parties.😀
If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?
That’s a hard one. Looking at myself and my ageing journey there are lots of positives and quite a few negatives.
On the positive side, I no longer care about how others see me. I don’t set out to annoy anyone but I don’t suffer fools gladly. When I was younger I didn’t have the courage to speak up when I found myself disagreeing with others. So my confidence and belief in myself has gotten better with age.
My relationship with friends is stronger because at 75 they have remained true friends. Unfortunately some have passed away and that is one of the things that doesn’t improve with age, the sense of loss.
Physically my hearing has deteriorated to the extent that I need hearing aids. I have dental implants and I’m physically worth a fortune, a bit like the bionic woman. Thankfully my sight is excellent. No prescription glasses.
I’m lucky that I’ve reached this age, so to sum up all I can say is that ageing doesn’t always get better with age as there are so many problem with the NHS but I’m one of the lucky ones so fingers crossed.
Reading this back it doesn’t seem very positive but maybe like a good wine I’ve matured with age without realising it but there is a theory that
‘Aging changes wine, but does not categorically improve or worsen it.’
I go to bed anytime between 12 pm and 1 am. However could be 2am or 3 am or even later before I fall asleep.
As soon as I get into bed I settle down with my phone and scroll social media. Then half an hour reading, followed by a bit more scrolling.
When I final settle down to sleep my brain doesn’t comply. Things that happened during the day or events from the past are there to keep me awake and tossing and turning. I know sleep is on the way when I start imaging bizarre scenarios.
Once I get to sleep I usually sleep quite sound until my husband wakes me, usually about 10-30 with my breakfast. Croissant, fruit , tea and of course my tablets.
Sometimes I’ll doze for a short time but usually it’s straight on to Twitter and Facebook or Words with Friends to catch up on events that may have happened while I slept.
Then it’s up, a shower and I’m on the go till midnight when I repeat it all over again.
For many years I’ve had problems with my hearing. I was determined to fight the inevitable that I needed hearing aids. That would be admitting that I was old. Okay I know I’m old and it’s not just older people who need hearing aids but as I grew up in the fifties there was a stigma about anyone with large contraptions hanging from their ears.
I strain to hear my husband talking to my son which means I miss out on much of the conversation and consequently find myself unaware of dates, times etc. I know they are fed up with my answer to everything being ‘What ?’ It does hurt a bit when they make fun of me and respond with a sigh. I’ve tried lip reading, but not very good at it. I use sub titles on tv so that rest of the street doesn’t have to listen to my programmes. I eventually switched off and stopped listening, socially isolating myself and it’s not a nice feeling. I’ve also learned that this isolation can lead to dementia so if you have a problem hearing, do something about it.
I made the decision and went along to Boots and had a hearing test. Moderate to severe loss in one ear, mild to moderate in the other ear.
The hearing technician recommended hearing aids that are linked to my phone. I can turn the sound up or down on the phone, depending on my environment. They are tiny and discreet and they are silver which matches my hair. I had a trial and walked around Forestside for 15 minutes. I could hear my steps as I walked which was a little disconcerting but apparently my brain will adjust to this over time.
Unfortunately they are expensive but I would have to wait up until 16 months just to get a first assessment with the NHS. As I’m 75 no point in waiting that long so I’m diving into our savings to pay for them.
I get them on Wednesday so wish me luck. If I don’t like them I can return them in 90 days. Hopefully I’ll be picking up sounds that I’ve not heard for a while. I have to admit that sometimes not hearing what’s going on can be a blessing.
‘We’ve noticed you were in our Marks and Spencers branch at Forestside yesterday and we have a short questionnaire for you.’
Now this happens on a fairly regular basis as much to my shame I visit on a too regular basis. Thinking about it, it’s time to pay me as a secret shopper instead of getting me to do their spying for nothing.
So were you watching me yesterday as I filled my trolley with food, didn’t check the sell by date and will inevitably chuck it in the food bin?
On the other hand, I might just have a sniff and hope for the best.
Was the store clean and tidy? Can’t say I noticed. I spend enough time keeping my own house tidy to do housekeeping for M&S.
How did the staff treat you? Did they make eye contact with you? No, I shopped, went to the self checkout and didn’t come in contact with any staff. I only went to the self checkout because of the queues at the human tills. Would you recommend M&S to family and friends? Well if they have more than two in the family, no! Much too expensive.
You could say I should ignore these questionnaires but the problem is I love questionnaires. And as much as I complain I find it hard to ignore them. I love giving an opinion where no one is going to shout me down and I can be extremely honest.
So how does Marks know when I shop?
Do they pick ip a signal from my mobile phone? Probably. If I use my Sparks card, they will even have details of everything I bought and will give me offers based on my shopping habits. So they know I love their Coronation chicken and Panna Cota.
So from now on I’m going to wear a disguise, pay in cash and hopefully I can shop without Big Brother 👀watching.
A good neighbour is someone who is friendly, respectful and keeps their property in good repair. Happy to take parcels in when you’re not at home. They are people who you can depend on in an emergency and who are happy to take the time to have a chat. They also mind their own business and don’t get involved in neighbour hood disputes.
My neighbours are lovely and I’ve never had any problems with them. One side I consider friends.
I was 75 on Valentines Day. I have lived through 7 decades and I always imagined by the time I reached my 75th year that we would have progressed so much that we would be living in a peaceful world, free from wars, hunger, poverty and violence.
I thought by now we would have learned from our mistakes and would have put the world to rights.
But instead here in Northern Ireland even after 40 plus years of the ‘troubles’ we still haven’t really learned to coexist with our neighbours. There is still an undercurrent of an, us and them mentality, not always on the surface but close enough to stop full integration and a positivity for the future.
Due to the incompetence of those who run our country, the health service is being destroyed. As a child growing up up in the fifties the NHS was a place where you were treated immediately, a doctor called on you at home, and hospitals were run efficiently and I believe without so much bureaucracy. Now money is frittered away and there doesn’t seem to be anyone capable of budgeting the books and improving services.
We have politicians complementing their constituents on having the best food banks. Can’t they see the irony ?
On a world wide scale we have many countries at war either internally or from an external source. Thousands are killed every day and we look at horrific pictures coming out of these war zones and we become increasingly immune to what is going on.
America lost its standing as the most powerful country in the world when Donald Trump was elected and became a laughing stock.
Climate change is another big problem. We can see it here in the UK with the amount of rain we are seeing and the number of storms this year already.
We need to vote wisely in the next election. Vote for those who will strive to improve day to day living and be wary of those who vote based on a flag.
Think of the long term future. I don’t want my grandchildren or great grandchildren growing up in a dystopian society but unfortunately the future doesn’t look very bright at the moment.
CHATTER 