MONO MONDAY - THE JOY OF BEING TOGETHER

Mr. HCB and I do enjoy going out for coffee and usually the night before, we decide what we are going to do the next day.  After all his busyness in the garden, I was pleased to hear Mr. HCB say last night that we would go out for coffee this morning to Jack’s, one of our favourite places.  

I forgot to put my selfie stick in my bag, so this shot was taken with me trying to get both of us in the shot and show our coffee cups too and I think I managed it quite well.  We both need a haircut - mine is being done tomorrow, and Mr. HCB’s will be done “as and when” as he politely told me!  I said he looked like a “scruffy Herbert”, whereupon he impolitely told me that he has been working for years to look like that!!  It’s a good job we can still laugh about things like this!

Whilst we were sitting in Jack’s, a lady opposite said to the waitress that her daughter had gone off on her school trip, which made me think of an incident when our older son went on his school trip - on a canal barge.  Then, as if to remind me again, our son’s former headmistress -and that’s what they were called in those days! Mrs. Williams, came in.  I knew she was in her 90s and although she was using a walker, she looked as good as he looked almost 50 years ago!  

I went over to speak to her, and we laughed about the school trip, because on that day, one of the young boys had dropped his jumper over the side of the barge, which had caused quite an upset, because it had to be hooked out.  I remember that when they got back, they had to write about their trip and so many of the children were asking her “How do you spell jumper, Miss?” that Mrs. Williams wrote the word on the blackboard - and that’s what they had then - no whiteboards almost 50 years ago!!  

Mrs. Williams told me that she was 92 years old and still driving - in fact, she said that she still drives to Swansea to visit her sister who is 99 years old!  However, having been chastised by friends for going on her own - she admitted she only goes in the daytime, but she now takes a friend to chat to whilst driving. 

Mrs. Williams, MBE, is a Lay Minister at Christ Church, Swindon -in fact over 40 years ago was the first lady to have this position in the Diocese of Bristol - but said she doesn't preach much now or take many funerals, although she did take one for a friend last week!  What an amazing lady - good for her not just sitting around and being miserable in her retirement - a wonderful example to all of us!

I had a lovely few minutes with her - and yes, it was very joyful -  a Monday morning was transformed from being a bit grey and gloomy into a wonderfully joyous occasion - life is good and I am so grateful I can now go out and chat to people, one of the joys of my life.

Thank you to everyone who has “stuck with me” over the last 6 weeks or more - I am so grateful to you all - and I will get back to commenting very soon, I hope.  M xx