HS050

HS050

I’m a widow in my early 70’s, retired Civil Servant, mother of 2 sons, grandmother of 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter having lived in Hastings for the last 48 years.

The alarm on my ipad woke me; I turned it off and lay there listening to the birds in the front garden. The street outside is normally quiet, not much through traffic this is a bungalow estate and most of the residents are like me older and retired, people are either indoors or getting into their cars and driving away. I moved here 3 years ago from a busy noisy part of town where there were always people around, it felt friendlier you saw parents taking children to school, older noisy children going to school with friends and people popping around the corner to the local shops. I even preferred my quirky old terraced house where things were always going wrong and needing to be fixed.

 I had decided on a lazy day, my grandchildren call it a pyjama day, though I eventually get out of my pyjamas, but first I took my breakfast back to bed with me and enjoyed coffee and cereals. I stayed in bed checking and answering emails, ordering shoes on line, my feet are an awkward shape and its’ impossible to find shoes that fit me in Hastings.

Finally out of bed, shower and dress, put washing in machine and went for a short walk to wake myself up. I walked for half an hour and saw just 1 person; walks are so much more enjoyable when there are people around.

Put the washing in the drier and had my very boring lunch, still trying to lose weight and I find it a constant struggle. Had a cup of tea and read for a while listening to music then decided that I ought to do something useful. I tackled my paperwork, filing, and emailing, managed to make a bit of a hole in it.

Then to the kitchen to prepare a Moroccan stew, first I put on some really loud music and made a start on chopping the vegetables I will really enjoy eating this. Funny my son likes cooking and he always plays very loud music whilst doing so, his family insist that he keeps the kitchen door shut but as I now live alone I can leave the door open, some advantages to living on my own.   

In front of me was an evening of watching some TV and reading, this is fine but its’ at times like this that I really miss my husband, I have friends to do things with but having people to do nothing with are harder to find so I really value close family and good friends.

Tomorrow I shall catch up with friends and have a busy full day and that will be fun.