Singing Wires

Today we were bowling along our local bit of the moteway and the air passing over the roof rack of our car reminded me of the noise one used to hear in telegraph wires. A soft moaning whine that rose and fell with the wind passing though the banks of wires. Today there are no more than two or three wires and mostly just one. But the old telegraph posts held multi wires.

I particularly remember them during the war when, with my mother, we were sent to Devon for a rest from the bombing. There was nothing to do in the daytime except go for walks. Many lanes had telegraph wires running beside them and in that very cold winter the wind howled enlessly.  I loved the singing wires although I was only four years old I can still remember and hear them.

Red Buttons

“I’m going to watch Red Button” said my husband as I disappeared upstairs to have a rest and write this blog  first. ‘Red Buttons’ the thought of an American comedian flashed through my elderly mind and I failed to see what he was going to watch that would amuse him. A funny man with red hair that appeared in every film at one time, not my husband’s sort of thing at all.


“What?” I asked stopping for a moment on the stairs.

“Red Button.” He replied to his non comprehending wife whose mind had regressed 30, 40 or more years.

“Grand Prix on the red button channel.”

“Ah!”  Comprehension dawned and I came back to the present.

I went to the internet on my notebook and looked up Red Buttons. Yes I was right, there had been such a comedian but I am not sure if it is the one I remember. He wore loud silly clothes and acted sort of clownish. This one had been an actor in many things quite serious. He died fairly recently. Something seems to stick in my mind that he did some film or show with Lucille Ball – another one now gone.

It is quite frightening to hear of all these names one knew in younger days passing on but I generally find they were some ten or more years older than me. When I was young people found fame usually passed their flush of youth and had to pretend to be younger in their films. Now the young get fame so early in life they are quite often forgotten before they are thirty. They turn up as ‘Grumpy Old men – or women’ and you think ‘my God, you’ve aged quickly’. I am so glad I am known by no one. Where the young crave ‘Fame’ I crave anonymity. Hence I write a blog that no one reads, not even my friends or probably my own relations.
Hey Ho!

The eggs in the microwave day

A few days ago I had what is now referred to as a ‘senior moment’. Not at all surprising as last May I turned 75. I hard boiled four eggs for our lunch, put them under the cold tap, tapped them to let the air out, they shell more easily then, and put them in a dish in the fridge. Come lunch time I go for the eggs and they just are not there. I looked everywhere, silly places as well as sensible ones. No eggs. Really thought I was losing my marbles. Half an hour later I opened the microwave – yes that’s right, there were my four eggs. I had a good laugh because you have to. Its frightening, very frightening.

Try as you might to put it down to ‘senior moments’ and everyone says ‘oh everybody has those moments, when you clock up over 70 and constantly hear on the news of famous people passing on who are your age, or much younger, you get worried. Is this the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease? Is anybody else noticing your increasing lapses or silly doings? My husband certainly regards me sometimes as if he does. Then the next moment you know you are as completely in control as you have ever been, or at least you seem to be.

Within the last couple of days a new report has come out that we older ones are lacking vitamin D and this can lead to Alzheimers. Get me two packets I cried. Yet I get plenty of sun but apparently our skin does not work properly to make the vitamin. To be honest nothing in my body seems to work properly these days from my digestive system (gall stones is the latest thing I am told I have) my bladder, my knees, shoulder and foot (arthritis) and now my eyes – cataracts coming and a the start of a detached retina. To say I am fed up with this getting old bit is an understatement. But………

I love all this modern stuff, this digital age, just love it. I want to stay around and be compos mentis enough to see all the latest things. All my art is now done on computer see http://www.flickr.com/photos/philipjulie , I Tweet see maybug 74 I have a touch screen mobile phone and use it to go on line, and a notebook. I love the Gadget Show and use the internet on my big computer all the time, be lost without it. Can’t understand how people get on without the internet. Have to be very careful how I talk to people my own age, and a lot younger, who say ‘Can’t be bothered with it’. I feel in touch with the whole world. I have exchanged emails etc. with all kinds of people in many countries and even met one of them when they came to UK from Canada. I have to admit I am not very good at keeping up with them all and rather let them fall into abeyance.

That takes me back to my rant about old age – you see although I am very spry for my age I find I get tired easily these days and the day goes by without me finishing all that I want to do. To often I need a sleep in the afternoon yet I don’t feel granny age inside. Or great granny seeing how young they become grannies these days. I hear it again and again and it is true – you still feel 25 inside – until you can’t find the boiled eggs you put in the microwave instead of the fridge!

My 75th Birthday - Three Quarters of a Century

Well here it is – three quarters of a century – 75 today. Except for arthritis pain and a dickey tummy and getting tired easily I don’t really feel any different to 25. How strange. I have heard people saying that and it is true, inside my mind I don’t feel any different. I do have one exception. I suffer from what is now politely referred to a ‘Senior Moments’. I go to say something and it goes clear out of my head, A word usually. I describe it as – I know its yellow, I know its curved, I know I can eat it but can I say Banana – no I can’t.

Anyway – I have had a day free from being on a perpetual diet. I know, it is supposed to be called an eating plan or at least a healthy way of eating but it isn’t – it’s a diet! Today I had all the things I shouldn’t and I ENJOYED THEM ALL. Tomorrow I will go back to the plan – all except for the little bit of birthday cake left over. Worst of all I have promised myself to not have chocolate which I have allowed myself. Just four bits a day. Then its six and then its more so as usual I will have to give it up all together.

Kim brought me a lovely bunch of flowers and a card, so nice of her.

A Day out on Dartmoor

I was so tired last night I couldn’t have written anything. I had a lovely day being taken out by Sheila in her little car. First we went up onto Dartmoor to a farm shop and café to have lunch. Not much of a farm, just a few animals for people to see, two mini goats who thought I was the cats whiskers, a little cat who’s job it was to welcome everybody, two horses in a field – who were very friendly – and a litter of spotted pigs asleep in a far corner. Not a lamb in site. No not proper farm at all.

But the café and shop were lovely and the food too good. Had a cheese and ham pannini and a home made brownie with coffee served in a cafftia, Afterwards we went up to Haytor and looked around a visitors centre where I bought a little book of walks for P. We walked Sheila’s dog half way up to the Tor but having no stick with me we didn’t climb to the top, too steep. Then we went further up into the moor to Widdicome - yes the one famous for the song – and went to a craft fair then I ate the best home baked scone with cream and jam I have ever had, so light. Another little walk round the village and then a mystery tour for me on some of the back roads of the moor to Mortonhampstead.

On he way back we turned off to Lustleigh and walked down what looked like a foot path which led to some very old cottages and barns. Sheila had been to an art show in one of them and as I tried to see a very old barn closer a lady came out of the cottages who owned it and allowed us in to look. It was 13th century with the lower floor having open bar windows of the original barn for the cattle. Oddly she was American and had been in this country for 30 years. It was too dark by then to get a good photo but she said they were having another art show soon so we might go back and I could get one then.

After that we came home and looked at the pictures we had taken over a cup of tea and I showed Sheila my new art work on computer which she loved and P showed her his new camera. I haven’t had a day like that for years! Lovely.

Just Updateing

I haven't writen anything here for ages but I am still around..

Been keeping a very weather eye on the doings at Westminster. I just wish it could be sorted. I don't remember being as interested in anything like this before. Must be my age.

No Vapour Trails!

Today has been an unusual and strange experience – there have been no vapour trails in the sky which has been absolutely cloudless and blue, blue, blue, blue.… from horizon to horizon. The sea here in Devon was equally blue beneath in this azure day: like something on the south Mediterranean coast. I usually see vapour trails rising above one particular tree, they come one after the other and turn slightly in direction at a certain point. I think they come from Spain. The sky on a clear day is always criss crossed with long streaks of cloud. Sometimes in high pressure they disappear in a few minutes. On other days they widen out and gradually drift away with the wind.
But today was different. No Con trails, that is what we called them in the war time. I remember seeing the trails left in the sky after the famous few fought their battles. In my life there have always been vapour trails in the heavens but not today and maybe, just maybe, not tomorrow either.