Sunday, August 17, 2008

Watching the Olympics is exhausting!

Like the rest of the world, every waking moment seems to be taken up with watching the Olympics here. Did you SEE the 100m???? That man was jogging! And the rowing is great. Team GB is actually doing rather well, even if, as a friend said, we seem to win everything where you are required to sit. Cycling, rowing, sailing....Then there was the swimming, and forget the magic of Michael Phelps for a second, a British woman won 2 Gold medals and she is just 19!

I looked at son #2 and asked why he was not in Beijing swimming up and down and winning medals, as he was 19 too. He told me he was a little busy on the qualification day, so couldn't make it. Hmmm.

There is something magical about the Olympics, isn't there....

Yesterday, I gave in and had a friend drive me to Tesco to get a kettle. I had had enough of the pouring of water everywhere when I boiled it in a pot. The counter, the breadboard, the floor.... We will skim over the torment of actually having to ask someone to take me to the shops. I hate this - HATE it. At this point can I suggest that going to any supermarket with a man is not good. I had forgotten. Expensive kettles which sing and dance and do fancy things are good apparently. I slapped the cheap one in the trolley and ignored the advice. But at least I got my kettle. And having a chauffeur was great. I appreciate it. I really do.

Yesterday afternoon, I had a visit from a young friend, Kelly. She and my daughter grew up together here, and her Mum is my dear friend in Scotland. And as we sprawled on the couches and chatted about all and sundry, while watching the Olympics, it struck me that she (and my daughter) are roughly the same age as some of you. And age doesn't matter. We never ran out of things to talk about, and I never tire of hearing of all the exploits the young ones get up to either.

I am incredibly lucky, you know. I have some wonderful young people who love to pop in and visit me. Kate and her wonder dog pop in whenever she is home in the village too. They are some of my "chicks" and I love it when they are around at home. And I don't think they see me as the wizened old Granny sitting in her rocking chair. Yet. I think. Kate????

I miss my daughter. I wish she was sprawled on the other couch watching the Olympics with me, dancing about when we win Gold. Eating the chocolate cake Jean made for David to celebrate his uni place. Screaming at the tv screen as young athletes strain every muscle in their bodies to win.

The Olympics. They bring back memories. They are great. And I am exhausted. I have just rowed to a Silver medal while sitting on the couch. I expected Gold. It must have been the coffee......

12 comments:

Diana Langdon said...

Dear mother darling,
I would love to be there reclining on the couch with you, but I am currently in Beijing where I am limbering up for my syncronised swimming exploits. The pink frilly caps and nose pegs were packed and I'm on fine form. Lunges and star jumps await, and a gold is more than likely. Go team GB!
Love
Diana

Vee said...

I am following a fellow blogger's suit (BumbleVee) in synchronized sitting. I see that you are, too! :D

Hope that your cheap teakettle lasts a good long while.

Crystal said...

We are obsessed with watching here in Canada too! I stayed up until 3 a.m. to see the Canadian woman win our first gold medal in wrestling the other night/morning. Sorry about the rowing today! GB did a great job of pushing our men but they were on a mission, after missing out in Athens.

I think it's very cool that young people come to visit you. IT tells me a great deal about your friendship and the respect others have for you. Enjoy the visitors!

Good luck with your next event - chocolate eating, perhaps?! Love D's comments on this thread :))

At A Hen's Pace said...

That 19 y.o British swimmer is cute as a button too!

Sorry your daughter can't be with you on the couch (so busy in Beijing, it sounds like!). I love how the Olympics pulls families together. Our kids were choosing the phone and the computer over the Olympics on the first night or two, till Dad kicked them off and MADE them watch with us! Now they're hooked. :)

Jeanne

Dawn said...

I can't quite figure out why I haven't gotten into it this year. I think because it's on so late at night - DC has been catching as much as possible. My favorite part of all is when they do the personal stories about the athletes.

Crystal said...

Hey, Linds! Can you tear yourself away from the TV long enough to email me and I'll be glad to forward the Spicy Peach Chutney recipe. Thanks!

Needled Mom said...

I wish that they did award you the medal for sitting on that couch. I'm sure you've earned the gold by now.

How lovely to have your daughter's friend pop in on you for a visit. I always enjoy the kid's friends stopping by as they have so much news to tell.

Continue to enjoy the Olympics. I have been catching them on and off. I tend to doze off and awaken to the cheers when someone has DONE well. :)

Dawn said...

As I was coming over here today to catch up, I was thinking that for the time being, maybe you should change the name of your site from Rocking Chair Reflections to something like Couch Conversations - what do you think??

Barbara said...

looks like I may be one of the only ones who have not watched a single minute of the Olympics.
Can't get enthuised at all with spectator sport on screen or in the flesh.

I do feel for you Linds with the continued absence of your daughter.

Margaret Cloud said...

I like the olympics they are fun to watch, I am glad you have pop in friends, you are blessed to have them.

Barb said...

The Olympics are completely addicting. It's going to take me a solid month to recover from all the late nights. I never ever stay up this late, and certainly not for fourteen nights in a row. LOL

When I was young, a lot of my friends were older married women. By older I mean twenty something. Now that I'm older, I so, so love my daughters' friends feeling like I'm a friend.

I don't feel old at all - these wonderful young people keep ME young.

Michelle (wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, and striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman) said...

I have been so long out of the blogging world, and all day I've sat in front of the computer getting caught up. Both maddening (and guilt-filling) but also glorious. I have so missed your posts.
I regretably am the only one in my family who watches the Olympics. My family will have nothing to do with it. Oh, except one time I was watching beach volleyball. So, maybe that is why it's an Olympic sport...to get 13 and 16 year old boys to watch.
Oh, and I just bought my youngest a Mac*Book for school, and it's working great :) I'm sorry...I didn't mean that to be crass. I completely relate and would have responded the same way about the Dell!!
Blessings,
Michelle