Blogging at Eighty

It was in April 2022 that I decided my gardens were getting too much for me and decided to put my house on the market.  15 June 2022 put in an offer on a lovely flat.  19 June 2022 was guzumpt.   27 June put an offer in on another flat.  4 July offer accepted if I sold my house within six weeks.  By reducing price I did so and was looking forward to moving to my new home. Come 15 December I was still waiting for paperwork so my purchase could be completed.  I'd had enough and withdrew my offer only to be offered a reduction of £5000.  But what was the good of that.  I had prior to this been looking at other proprieties so was able to put in my third offer on a modern flat which was accepted.  Yesterday my solicitor sent me a bundle of paperwork which hopefully means I can sign contract before I go on holiday on 21 February.  Everybody talks of the difficulties of buying and selling properties.  I now know what they mean but fingers...

 For a good part of my life getting a cold meant starting with sniffles and a red, raw nose in autumn and it coming and going till the daffodils started to bloom.  I remember dragging my self to work and about three in the afternoon popping pills and wishing I could hibernate till spring.  But those days are gone.  Would you believe it was a trip to the dentist that lightened my life.  I had had to have a scan and it showed there was something wrong with my sinuses.  Fast forward and I am in hospital getting over an op to clear out what had been causing all my problems for years.  Not painful but very unpleasant.  I had something like a small nappy tied under my nose to catch the residue of the op.  Not too bad while in the ward but a bit embarrassing on the two buses I had to catch to get home.  Anyway I can now breath through my nose now and while I still don't like colds it means they only last for a week or so then go away.  It ...

 Got up this morning to find a white world of frost.  Looked lovely but at -6 degrees far too cold to think of going out.  Just thinking of the layers of clothes I would need was enough to put me off.  Its pull up knickers - pull down vest -pull up tights - pull down t-shirt - put on skirt - pull down fleece, put on socks then top with coat scarf, gloves and hat.  Then I think back to the time I would've walked round in the snow with mini skirt, short coat and high heeled shoes. How could I have worn granny boots and loss face with my friends?  Oh for the hot blood of youth.  But that's one of the advantages of old age going out dressed for warmth and not caring what people think of you or like me today just staying in and not doing much of anything.    

 I know people have been viewing my blog but nobody has left a comment.  I wonder am I doing something wrong?  I thought it would be fairly straight forward.  Start a blog tell friends and soon word would get round and people would come and talk to me.  Obviously not as easy as that.  Think I will have to take time to find out how to get this site noticed.  Not that I ever expected to get thousands of followers but a few new friends on line would have been nice.

Chapter 1   The last stroke.   A second of silence then HAPPY NEW YEAR.     HAPPY 1999. The people around me were kissing, toasting, shaking hands and smiling.   I turned to the barman and we wished each other a happy New Year but there was no joy in our greetings.   Then the band picked up their instruments and started to play.   People put their glasses back on the tables, hands were grabbed and Mr Barlow pulled at my arm.   I tried to protest but found myself pulled into the ring singing Old Lang Sang.   My arms were being plumbed up and down to the music but despite all the merriment I could not forget that this was the last time I would be here. But I was here now and my job was to make others happy so I stuck a smile on my face and raised my voice.   Thank goodness everything had gone well and I had not let Mr Evens Snr down.    The music ended, people returned to their tables to finish their drinks and let t...

 Since I moved here I have belonged to various writing groups.  I have written many short stories and some novels.  I have attended courses and done two correspondence courses but despite all that I have only won one local story competition, which was published in the local newspaper and an anthology, and had one story published in a short story magazine. I do wonder sometime if I am too old to hope for publication.  But what the hell I shall go on trying.  It would of course help if I entered more competitions or tried harder to find an agent. But I have to believe that this is my year and I am going to make the effort to finish editing my latest novel and try to find somebody who believes in it enough to publish it.  I seem to remember that you can add pages to a blog so maybe I will make one for the beginning of my novel and see if anybody ever finds it and comments.  It would be so helpful if somebody did.

 You can have breakfast in your dressing gown while writing your blog.  Which is exactly what I am doing.  Among the other good things is eating what you want when you want it.  That's not to say you shouldn't try to eat a balance diet at regular times but for when you just can't be bothered it's nice to flop in front of the TV with a sandwich.  And that's another advantage you always get to choose what to watch on the TV, even if there is never much that you want to see. These thoughts were brought about by something that I had to do yesterday.  While fishing seven dead frogs out of my ponds, disposing of them in the dustbin and wondering if I should have buried them I was trying to think positively about living along.  Not always easy. You would think that since women tend to live longer than man we would be used to the idea that we will spend the back end of our lives alone.  Doesn't work like that but at least when my husband died I was fairly...

  There were five of us at my delayed birthday lunch.  As it turned out, all of us had not met at least one other person there before, but that didn't stop the chatter.  What do you think we talked about?  Grandchildren, knitting patterns or the latest TV drama.  Wrong. Computing.  Not how difficult the technology is but the fact that two of the guests had taught the subject.  Inflation.  There was a chorus of agreement when one lady declared she had paid a 17% mortgage when she was young.  There's not much that's new by the time you hit eighty. Political Correctness.  We all agreed that it was a good thing that sexual and physical abuse was no longer swept under the carpet.  However we also agreed that we had been thrilled to bits to receive a woof whistle in our youth.  S-E-X.  Yes we all knew about it although I can't say how many of us were still in practice.  But it was a surprise to discover how much we were not...

 After thinking I should do something special to mark my 80th birthday I decided to start blogging.  After all if I live to be hundred I still have twenty years to fill.  Well twenty years less two days. I had hoped to host an open house to celebrate in my new flat - but that didn't happen - long story.  Still in my present house there was more room so I could invite more people - but that didn't happen - chest infection.  So I spend my birthday alone taking the tablets and looking forward to Friday 13th when my friend was arranging a small gathering at a local restaurant.  Looking forward to that tomorrow but I can't have a celebratory drink as it will not agree with my tablets.  Just one of the joys of getting old.   But cheer up I will be moving to my new flat soon and against expectations I will have a small garden.  One of the reasons I am giving up my house is my front and back gardens which are just getting too much for me.  ...