The truth will set you free…

I am a 64 year old woman with Parkinson’s, married to my third husband and very happily so. My first husband was the father of my three children and we separated and ultimately divorced when they were all quite young. We had some challenging years ahead of us, some ill feeling on both sides whichContinue reading “The truth will set you free…”

What makes a family?

At the moment we are staying in Wellington with my son, daughter-in-law and their three beautiful boys. We have been staying for a couple of days and it has been lovely catching up with them all. This morning, we went to an indoor play place – I don’t know quite what to call it –Continue reading “What makes a family?”

Moving to the beat of my own drum…

I have never really felt that I fully conformed to the image of me that others had. As the youngest child in the family and the only girl with three big brothers, I started out as the odd one out I suppose. I remember being a teenager and my Mum saying to me one dayContinue reading “Moving to the beat of my own drum…”

Grandchildren are a gift

Recently I have been enjoying spending some one-on-one time with each of my three granddaughters. It has been lovely having that individual time to talk to them about how things are going for them and opening the door for them if they want to talk. There have been some significant changes in their family structureContinue reading “Grandchildren are a gift”

It’s the little things that matter… we are a team!

Today has been a bit of a lazy day. It is hot – for Christchurch – as our first taste of Summer begins to be felt. Yesterday, I was out reasonably early and went and played bowls with two of my club members in an interclub game. It was my first experience and was reallyContinue reading “It’s the little things that matter… we are a team!”

Being older, but am I elderly?

It’s an interesting question I think, ascertaining how the world sees us and how we view ourselves. The two viewpoints may be poles apart. Am I seen as elderly because I have grey hair? Is age or being elderly based on a number? Is 70 years of age elderly or is it 60 or 80?Continue reading “Being older, but am I elderly?”

Life, love and loss…

Today’s post is not a happy post, it is a somber post about “Life, Love and Loss”. Today is the day we think about my oldest son Adam, who left us suddenly, but hopefully peacefully on 04/10/2020. He passed away in his sleep from an undiagnosed heart condition. At least we think it was undiagnosed.Continue reading “Life, love and loss…”

Billy (or Betty) no mates…

Today I came home from bowls feeling a little bit dejected because I felt I didn’t play very well at all. Like a lot of people, I hate doing something if I can’t do it well and I certainly didn’t do well today. The problem for me at the moment, is that I have hadContinue reading “Billy (or Betty) no mates…”

The voices in my head and avoiding ‘catastrophizing’

Well, that’s a big word for so early in the day. I am sitting here at 5.38am reflecting on recent events in my life. A lot seems to have happened in a short timeframe. I have used the word ‘catastrophizing’ several times recently and I will try to explain what it means to me. IContinue reading “The voices in my head and avoiding ‘catastrophizing’”

In my day …

How often have we seen on the telly, someone saying “In my day…” and then regaling whoever was near with stories from their earlier lives. The person telling the tales often completely immersed in their own narrative and perhaps not even beginning to notice when eyes glaze over! I do find, however, these days asContinue reading “In my day …”