An Old Crone Of Ninety!
Most of us have foot in mouth moments, and I had a spectacular one the other day. We were visiting a friend's mother, a wonderful old lady of ninety, who recently moved into a care home, just down the road from our flat in Eastbourne. We hadn't seen Mrs F for 25 years, so weren't quite sure what to expect, but as she had insisted on riding in the furniture van, much to her son’s incredulity, we realised that she must be a little out of the ordinary! Sure enough, although she has a pace maker and severe arthritis, her sense of humour soon had us laughing until it hurt, as she regaled us with amusing anecdotes! I responded in kind, and the punch line of one of mine was, "I felt like an old crone of ninety", WHOOPS!!!! Don't you just feel like sinking through the floor when you say something that embarrassing? Fortunately Mrs F thought it was hilarious, and roared with laughter.
Mrs F is the widow of a Methodist minister, and is herself a lay preacher. She is still happy to act as a locum if a church requires someone to fill in for their regular minister. Mrs F is a shining example of her faith, the love of Christ radiates out from within her. On meeting this lovely lady you feel that you want a part of what makes her tick! The combination of a strong faith, love of life and a wicked sense of humour, make this senior citizen a remarkable person. Mrs F will not let the mileage on her clock deter her from trying out new things. I am now signed up to giving her a computer lesson each week! When I told Mrs F of my purple hair episode of a few weeks ago, her eyes lit up. I rather think that she would like to experiment with a startling new hair colour too! Mrs F asked me to accompany her on a walk along the prom; she was fascinated by the teenagers showing off their prowess with roller skates and skateboards, I could see the wistful look in her eye and I begged her not to even think about having a go herself! However, it might be fun to photograph her with a skateboard, and send the picture to her son as a wind up! I rather fear he will think we are leading each other astray!
This dear lady is a lively addition to the Eastbourne scene, she might be old enough to be my granny, but I am proud to call her my friend!