CHATTER

Have you ever been camping?

Yes, for one night and never again.

Many years ago on our way to the South of England to catch a ferry to France we booked into the only campsite on the route. It was dark and we were tired. Got the tent up and settled down for the night.

We didn’t realise we were directly under the flight path into Gatwick and the noise of the planes coming in to land was .. well let’s just say it was not conducive to a good nights sleep.

I can’t remember what we slept on but it wasn’t very comfortable and that together with the noise made the whole experience a disaster.

When the dawn broke we staggered out of the tent and over to the showers. The water was cold and the place wasn’t very clean.

A disaster. I swore never again to camp out and on the return journey booked into an hotel. Camping was not for me.

When do you feel most productive?

Afternoons, my time for housework, walking, visiting friends and all other activities.

Mornings not very productive, trolling through social media, having a leisurely breakfast in bed, ( courtesy of husband) contemplating how I will spend the afternoon.

Evening’s, especially in winter, watching television, playing Words with Friends and back to scrolling social media.

I actually accomplish quite a lot in the afternoons.

But then that’s life for a retired granny. 👵 My time’s my own. And if I don’t want to be productive today, there’s always tomorrow

What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?

Wake up late. Reach for phone. Check social media.

Husband brings breakfast

East breakfast, croissant with raspberry jam, banana, raspberries, pear and any other fruit available. English breakfast tea with milk.

Take tablets.

Bank to social media. Maybe doze a little.

Up and shower.

That’s it. An hour has passed.

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

You must be joking, that’s 71 years ago. We weren’t that advanced in those days to have any knowledge of what sort of opportunities were even out there at the age of 5. No social media, one tv channel.

If I had been aware I would have realised it was a patriarchal society and as a female I would have be expected to get married and have a brood of kids.

Thankfully things did change but I was well into my twenties when I realised I had missed out on a lot of career opportunities.

However I was ambitious and carved out a successful life.

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

I think it has to be that I’m a very kind and caring person and would go out of my way to help others. I do try to be caring and empathetic and I would put someone’s needs over my own. It was lovely to hear it even though it was said at a worrying time in my life when I was waiting to hear if I had cancer.

Thankfully I hadn’t but I will always remember those lovely words.

Are you superstitious?

Not really but I’ve always had one superstition that I’ve religiously followed over the years.

I have no idea where or from whom I first heard it but I would probably put it down to elderly aunts. I just know I’ve been doing it for a long time.

Ok, so what is it?

Well if I go out the front door of my house I have to come back in the front door. There’s no way I would come in by the back door. If I go out the back door I have to come back in by the back door.

Absolutely no logic to it and I’ve never queried why I do it. It’s amazing that you can get hooked into something that is without any rational explanation.

In my head I know it’s stupid but well what if …

Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.

I would imagine if I wrote a letter to my 100 year old self, in the year 2049, it probably won’t have arrived as the post round here is pretty slow. 😂

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

I wouldn’t go anywhere. I hate shopping especially for clothes. I would lift something, try to justify spending money on it and then put it back. I think it has a lot to with when we were younger and didn’t have money for luxuries. Each new purchase had to be saved up for and luxuries were few.

Now that I can afford those luxuries I realise how transient the thrill of spending the money is.

I realise I don’t need much to be happy, the thought of trailing through a store picking up lots of stuff I don’t really need, doesn’t to me appeal in the slightest.

I know, I’m a sad person, but when you see the poverty in the world well it makes you think 🤔

What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?

My middle name is Patricia and I was called Patricia after my mother.

The name Patricia, which means “noble” or “patrician”, is associated with tradition and heritage. It became popular in the Christian world after the death of St.Patrick patron saint of Ireland. The male equivalent is Patrick.

Older aunts and teachers called me by both my names, Ann Patricia, especially when I was being admonished for being naughty or cheeky which happened a lot in my younger days. Lol

My mum was never called Patricia but was always known as Pat.

I passed it on to my daughter who is Patricia Louise but goes by Louise. It’s an old fashioned name and I imagine it will soon disappear, which is a pity as it is a gentle, pleasant sounding name.

What is the last thing you learned?

That Trump is trying to form a new world order, with Russia and America being aligned.