WHEN I´M 84!!
Health can sometimes get us down. It´s surprising how many friends, family and FB palls have back problems. Theres an Old saying that Òld age never comes alone´ So I thought a little lighthearted ramble might help. We all know the first verse of the Beatles song `When I´m 64´ so I thought I´d do my version of it.
When I get Older ..... your 81
Loosing my hair ...... you´ve lost most of it already
Many years from now ..... 2 years actually
Will you still be sending me a valentine ..... My name´s not Shirley
Birthday greetings ..... you keep saying you don´t want to be reminded how old you are
Bottle of wine ..... it´s on the shopping list
If I was out till a quarter to three would you lock the door ..... No I´d be worried you know you can´t walk fast.
Will you still need me ....... yes
Will you still feed me ..... Yes now eat your fish
When I´m 84......dom dom .
Goes without saying my wife didn´t have the last word here...but I have to say it does surprise me just how many women have cosmetic surgery to try and keep the years at bay. Yes crinkly skin is not pretty but these days there are creams that can help delay crinkles and help the facial skin repair it´s self. Here the tv adverts dont use young skinny models for products, they use natural women, all shapes and sizes which, according to my wife, is more likely to sell the product than seeing a size 10 using it. We are in our early 80´s late 70´s and yes keeping fit and inshape is difficult. However, as everyone else is in the same boat so to speak, theres a lot of support and fun out there to help you along. Walking is the great thing here, lots of people walk along River Road. I was even stupid enough to walk the 7 klm into town oneday when my wife needed help with a delivery, took me over 2 hours, but believe it or not I actually enjoyed it. Trouble is my wife´s enjoyment and idea of walking is shoppiing! She can walk around the mall or superstores for absolute ages and not buy anytthing. Her reply to my question why? its the only place I can wander look at stuff, make future shopping lists (oh my bank balance) have a coffee and BE IN AIRCONDITIONED COMFORT can´t argue with that I also like to wander round stores, but looking at tools and stuff unfortunately I always come home with something I really didn´t need.
A century on and we have forgotten that we used to walk miles in the 50/60´s not everyone had a car or could afford one. In the country busses were the transport and walking a mile along country roads to the bus stop was nothing. London was the same, buss or bike but we did have the underground. Now there´s a thought, during the war the underground was often used as bomb shelters. Believe me up top, as my mother was fond of reminding me, when on her way to the hospital to see me (I was born with double pneumonia) it was always during an air raid and she was in more danger of being hit by falling shrapenal from the ackack shells fired at the german planes than a bomb. I also met a lot of different people from all walks of life and understanding how they came to be where they were was interesting.
As I grew up in the Eastend I played on bomb sites but gradually London began to rebuild itself. People did whatever it took to stay alive, for some women who´d lost husbands, home and family taking to the streets was their only option. I have always worked on the basis that if someone is kind and nice to me I do not judge, however, there are some who do. I think thats what gave me an interest in the way people lived not everyone had a silver spoon.
When I recalled people I had known just after the war and the way they lived, I decided to write A Loving Son. For someone like Stanley and his mother it been hard work surviving, but Stanley soon learnt how to protect them both. The things he did soon earned him a reputation. Yes he mixed with villians but took no nonsense from them, or anyone else for that matter. His mother ran a brothel and the girls were kept healthy so in return they looked after him and taught him about life. But his experience during this time would make him very useful to government departments........
A LOVING SON by MD BOSC
