I was out for a meal last night with my husband and stepdaughter. We were in a lively Turkish restaurant which had a number of large groups dining at once. However the evening was nearly ruined by the raucous and thoughtless behaviour of the party closest to us. There were about twelve women aged from late thirties to fiftyish, and two men of similar age. They were drunk, and very loud. One of the women, almost clad in sequins and lace, frequently exposed her apparently naked bottom to me, while leaning over to have a shrieked domestic with her male companion. She was entirely unaware of the exhibition she was making of herself. The waiter apologised about their behaviour and said he had asked them to moderate their noise several times.
Eventually they called for the bill,which was delivered in double quick time, and the party started to leave. Two of the women apologised to us, saying that their companions had given them a headache!
People of a certain age regularly complain about the behaviour of young people. The young woman with me (my stepdaughter) was as horrified as I at the actions of these 'mature' adults. I really wish they could see a video of their dreadful behaviour in public - next time they might empty a few less bottles of wine!
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
On revisiting the past...
We decided to come home the 'pretty' way today. We had stayed overnight about 10 miles from the village that was my childhood home. The gently undulating chalk hills brought back strange feelings of unidentifiable nostalgia. As we drove past the small housing estate that had been the dairy farm, I remembered collecting extra milk, cream and eggs. There was a fierce pig who made us jump by putting its legs on the sty door and grunting loudly at us.
We looked at my first home - I have dim memories of my sister's birth. I remember sitting grizzling on the back doorstep as my Mother left us in the care of the sharp tongued 'Auntie Joan' next door.
Utterly amazingly - my second home, built by my parents had not changed at ALL. The metal window frames were still there. The tree I fell out of was a stump, but still recognisable. We walked what had been my daily dry weather route to school across the allotments. It was only about 400 metres. It seemed such a long way aged 6 or 7.
We played all the time in and around the spring which bubbled under the willow tree. That tree was surrounded, now as then, by brambles and stinging nettles - that was where I landed when I fell!
I saw again the ditch I tried to jump - dared by the big boys. The village is, as it was then beautiful, but not nearly so rural. It has grown to accommodate commuters to the nearby city.
It was fun revisiting the past, but I am truly happy in my life now. I can see though, that nostalgia could be a very dangerous emotion if one was dis-satisfied at a later moment in life.
We looked at my first home - I have dim memories of my sister's birth. I remember sitting grizzling on the back doorstep as my Mother left us in the care of the sharp tongued 'Auntie Joan' next door.
Utterly amazingly - my second home, built by my parents had not changed at ALL. The metal window frames were still there. The tree I fell out of was a stump, but still recognisable. We walked what had been my daily dry weather route to school across the allotments. It was only about 400 metres. It seemed such a long way aged 6 or 7.
We played all the time in and around the spring which bubbled under the willow tree. That tree was surrounded, now as then, by brambles and stinging nettles - that was where I landed when I fell!
I saw again the ditch I tried to jump - dared by the big boys. The village is, as it was then beautiful, but not nearly so rural. It has grown to accommodate commuters to the nearby city.
It was fun revisiting the past, but I am truly happy in my life now. I can see though, that nostalgia could be a very dangerous emotion if one was dis-satisfied at a later moment in life.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Life's rich tapestry...
A very sad but not unexpected event happened this week. My dearly beloved friend Felicity lost her fight against Ovarian Cancer. I had spent much time with her during her diagnosis almost five years ago. It took weeks for the hospital to find out what was the matter and she nearly died then. She bravely fought on, only having more treatment when as she put it 'it started to hurt'. I spoke to her on the phone a few weeks ago and we said goodbye then - I hoped her wait would not be too long.
The day I heard about her death also brought a big surprise.
My husband sat me down and said he had something to tell me. My heart missed a beat...He continued 'I have a daughter I did not know I had, she's 19 and called Ellie'. You could have knocked me down with a feather!
Today, we went to meet Ellie on her 20th birthday. She's charming, definitely her Father's daughter and I'm really pleased to have her in my life.
What a week! A sad, sad loss of an old friend and a wonderful new step-daughter.
Life is full of ups and downs. This reminds me to actively live life NOW. We never know what is going to come along. I will strive to greet every day with an open heart and mind - to honour Felicity and welcome my lovely new stepdaughter.
The day I heard about her death also brought a big surprise.
My husband sat me down and said he had something to tell me. My heart missed a beat...He continued 'I have a daughter I did not know I had, she's 19 and called Ellie'. You could have knocked me down with a feather!
Today, we went to meet Ellie on her 20th birthday. She's charming, definitely her Father's daughter and I'm really pleased to have her in my life.
What a week! A sad, sad loss of an old friend and a wonderful new step-daughter.
Life is full of ups and downs. This reminds me to actively live life NOW. We never know what is going to come along. I will strive to greet every day with an open heart and mind - to honour Felicity and welcome my lovely new stepdaughter.
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