Memories - well a lot of chatter and a couple of maritime memories today

24 days so far and I have to say that I am finding it hard going. Posting on one theme for 31 days is HARD. Not that I am running out of things to say, of course. I have 57 years to draw inspiration from and by no stretch of the imagination have they been boring.

But I want to talk about every day things like I usually do here at RCR and I cannot begin to spend as much time as it would take to post twice a day. Good grief, life would grind to a halt. Not that it is moving at supersonic speed at the best of times.

You know - the stuff I do. Or think. Or things which amuse me. Or dreams. Or stuff. Just stuff. Gee, Linds, your vocabulary could do with a little extension here. Like the fact that New Zealand is in party mode right now after winning the Rugby World Cup. And my daughter has survived 2 weeks of travelling around the country gentling guiding and overseeing Soul Survivor festivals in 3 locations, and is now back in Wellington trying to catch up with the college work she missed while zapping all over the place. She is unbelievable. So much on her plate and she still manages to grin. And the fact that it is impossible to find work here in the UK if you are a recent graduate. Just ask my son and his friends. Hello, world leaders, your stats are way off base and things are far worse than you can possibly imagine.

I want to talk about aqua and the new aqua-zumba classes which will be starting soon. How swimming is strengthening me but the down side is the increased pain. But I can live with that. I have plenty of experience. I am still in search of those illusive core muscles, though. And what about the ever lengthening "to do" list? Am I the only one who can manage to cross of one or two things in a day and yet add 45 more?

Now - has anyone tried the new smaller Kindle yet? If so, what is it like? Good? Or is the older one better?

I have just been to a homeless centre in the nearest town to drop off all the food we have collected over the past month. Oh what a huge need there is. They don't only cater for the homeless, but for people with mental health problems, recovering addicts, the elderly - you name it. They feed them, and they keep them warm while they try to help them get ahead - and that means into housing and shelters, hopefully into work, and teach them basic skills. Lots going on. So the bags I took seemed so small. So inadequate.

Yes, I know that every bit helps, of course. But that little voice in my head saying "feed my people" is developing into a roar. I asked about local supermarkets. Just ONE has responded to their request for help. ONE. They send bread. I asked what the supermarkets do with all the fruit and vegetables? Well, it seems that they send it all to the pig farmers. They get paid for that. Maybe I need to go and visit a few supermarket managers.

Today I go to chat to my GP. Every few months, I make an appointment, at her request, so we can see where I am and what is happening to The Leg and associated bits. Walking into the handle of the wheelbarrow (The Leg did it) was not a stellar move, and she will see the results, even though that was over a week ago. But we plod on.

I remember the days (as in every single day of my life until June 2008) where my visits to the doctor were so random and infrequent that I almost needed ID when I did show up. Hah. Now I need a brass plate on my chair in the waiting room. Ridiculous. How my friends and I used to talk about "older people" and their conversation consisting of medical details and appointments, and how that was NEVER going to be us. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

But at least I have retained my sense of humour. If you are young (as in under 50) and reading this, beware. This could be you too one day. The mind may think it is still in the mid 30s (I liked the mid 30s) but the body has plans of its own. Stupid thing.

Yes, Vee - I think , or rather, I know that there was a huge amount of hurt caught up in that rage yesterday. And what I do not understand is how people cannot think ahead. The inevitable will come, and one of each couple will pre-decease the other, and then what? Will it just be those distanced single friends who will pick up the pieces? Friends. Or acquaintances?

I remember the days when I was young, when the fragility of life was not something I dwelt on at all. Or the changes it would bring with it. However, there were times when Geoff was away at sea in places which were not the most salubrious on earth when I would wonder how he would stay safe. Piracy is still a huge problem,

He was off West Africa once, when pirates boarded the ship. The officers and crew managed to toss most of them into the sea, and sail to safety. However, it could have been so much worse. And the ultimate irony is that a couple of the pirates could not swim, and they drowned. So the west African country decided that the officers and crew were guilty of murder. What? Thankfully, the shipping company decided that none of them or that ship would be returning to that part of the world. Ever. But it could have been very different.

As he criss-crossed the oceans, so many areas became more and more notorious. Dangerous. And then there was South America and drug lords to contend with too. Ships battened down. Armed guards. When I married him, I knew he was a career sailor, and there I was, thinking that it was just storms and tidal waves and sharks and things like that to worry about. What did I know.

Just as well I was so busy raising my 3 children back home. Being married, but a single parent most of the time is definitely not for wimps.