Re: Roberts Poems (part 3)
From my Diary
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Yesterday was one of my better days. I was awake and dressed by
9.00 am, much earlier than the usual 11.00 am or later that has been the case this year.
Did you get the brouhaha rampaging through the press in recent months over the 10 items or less scheme in supermarkets. I have to say that the niceties of this apparently grammatically incorrect expression elude me. My gripe , as a manager, would have been along the lines of…….
No way am I going to give priority to customers spending the least .
Drat, I have lost my train of thought.
Ah yes, I was up and moving about early. Deleted ten files or less from my computer and became motivated enough to ring up a few people.
First , my octogenarian aunt Ivy, dear aunt Ivy, and yes, she had received my long typed letter and photographs about the old days .
My cousin Sylvia ,long since retired ,took the call, and after we had a most enjoyable yarn or two, replaced the hand set before I had a chance to talk to my favourite aunt( actually my only living aunt) & her mother.
Aunt Ivy rang back after Sylvia had gone to chat to me. Such tact.
Second call, my favourite uncle and oldest living relative Arthur.
Arthur gave me the number of his chiropodist the unfortunately named Mr Joseph Lockyer. Arthur couldn’t remember the great singer of the same name, and hours later as I type this now, I am inclined to think I was wrong. Arthur made the marvellous discovery of a former shipmate from the war years actually living in Shirley.
Third call, my dear friend and also an octogenarian, Hilda who was momentarily indisposed and I left a message of good cheer and concern that I hadn’t seen her lately. When she returned the call, Gill had a nice chat to her.
Fourth call, my old chums , brothers Gerald and Arthur, fast approaching their 80s too. Gerald said Arthur was too frail to do much these days and their beloved garden was fast being taken over by weeds. I listened to their plight with concern , it would have been churlish to share my recent woes, heart attract, double pneumonia and shingles with them. Never mind, they were pleased that someone cared enough to ring them.
The post arrived, mid afternoon, with the second of my new magazine subscriptions and I put it The Oldie with yesterdays arrival Saga . An article about my boyhood hero Terry Thomas reminded me to start sending of a few letters starring with my monologue “ I have Parkinson’s” which contains a tribute to him.
Helen rang.
BT rang hoping to entice me into another expensive contract. No way. Its Virgin for me. £30 total, and less than half BT’s offer.
Mum rang.
I meant to do more.