Bee in your Bonnet?

Same here, Wilma!

Realgranddad I think you'll find once you get going on other threads, I doubt if you'll be able to tell if a poster is male or female.

Do you have any male friends you could persuade to join? Despite the name of the site, you don't have to be a grandparent to join. I've not mentioned this before, but I'm not a grandparent, I'm not even a parent. I just wanted to chat with people around my own age about current affairs, etc., (and women's stuff!)

Possibly not, James
As the new half-term starts again next week perhaps you will be too busy.

Thanks mcem before I used the words lovely ladies I read some of the comments on GN about what people like to be called and what they don't like being called. I laughted at the concerns about children being called kids.

I gained the impression that there is a lot of sensitive feelings on GN and say lovely ladies it would be received as showing morerespect than disrespect sorry if I got it so wrong. I am learning, but beginning to understand why so many granddads have given up trying to be socialable. I wonder if I shall be still on GN this time next week.

James

Why don't you just join in on the threads Realgranddad . And stop making such odd posts.

As a newbie you'd fit in more easily if you dropped the 'lovely ladies' and 'enjoying your chats' approach as that sets you apart from other posters. Maybe less emphasis on being a bloke who's crusading to bring in more blokes and more on being just another grandparent who'll contribute to threads that interest you while ignoring the threads that don't.

I think when I joined in ? 2013 there were several Grandads on here, though never as many as Grans.
Where have they gone? Only a few left.

Thanks Jalima, my granddad perspective has already ruffle feathers, so I shall try to take a parliamentary type of approach, more waffle little context. Might help to keep me out of trouble.

James

Unless it's half-term when we sometimes get newcomers who could be male

Gransnet is open to all. There aren't that many grandads on here probably because online chatting is more a woman thing.

"re-vamping the Home page"?!!!

I asked about the possibility of having a non gender forum, which seemed to upset quite a few

But, as we said, there are a lot of non-gender specific forums (or fora), I am sure that posts from a male perspective would be most welcome. And, if other posters disagree with your views, it will be because they disagree with your viewpoint not because you are male.

Jalima,

not sure about Bond more "Hardy" , with a friend Laurel

Hi you lovely Ladies, any chance of encouraging more granddads on here?.

When I considered joining in on the discussions, I kept coming back to GN site but found the Home page off putting, mainly because there rarely seemed to be a subject on the page of interest to a male.

Which is why when I did join you after months of should if's and but's, I asked about the possibility of having a non gender forum, which seemed to upset quite a few.

It was never my intention to infer that granddads should try to change the ethos of GN or the lovely chats you ladies enjoy.

We are all aware that loneliness is horrible and needs tackling. There are 1,000's of lonely males who need a good push and will need considerable encouragement to get them on this site.

I believe you ladies do have the charm and great ability to help them to overcome that loneliness, in fact you can achieve it for both our genders.
Can I therefore request you to consider inviting suggestions encourging more granddads to join GN, perhaps, starting by revamping the Home page, hopefully, to attract more Grans and Graddads without upsetting established view?

Love to all.

James

Bond - James Bond?

I like DoTMH1901 suggestion of communities being built specifically for older people, with something along the lines of the Tiny Homes design, and including a GP/local general shop + Post Office and on a bus route!

Two years ago, I nearly blew my top when a Councillor in Cotswolds opposed the Anchor Homes similar to the Tiny Homes design, saying he did not want older peoples getto's in the Cotswolds.

Such Nimby's do make me sick.

James

You can express affection to me all you like Realgranddad. I lap it up.

Are there many Grandads on here? Don't see many posts at all from our male counterparts ? As to Care Home costs - it is a sad (I think) reflection of life today that so many elderly people end up in a Care Home. The owners of these homes are not (as a rule) a Charity and want to make a profit out of their businesses. The Government (doesn't matter which Party as they have all done the same) would rather pay towards private care charges than do something themselves to ensure care in the community. Many elderly people could remain at home if the care services were there for them and not being restricted to just 15 minutes per day per 'client'.

I would like to see communities being built specifically for older people, with something along the lines of the Tiny Homes design, and including a GP/local general shop + Post Office and on a bus route! I see so many posts about elderly people being lonely and cut off - if these communities existed it could well give them a new lease of life. Provision could be made for additional housing to be available for family visits etc.

Your losing the plot, then no wonder new comers like this old codger gets lost in all these threads, I need a darning needle to draw them all together. Never mind I will get the thread in time. Otherwise I shall continue making that big hole bigger instead of repairing it. Good job I learnt to darn in the RAF.

Love to all, ( or should I have not expressed any affection?)

I am new to these chats, but slowly learning.

James

No, I am losing the plot because one thread sounded like another.

Is it just me who is ?

I thought my post above was on another thread or am I losing the plot?

Ana, thank you for your inspiring welcome comments to a new member, not sure what it will do to encourage more males to to contribute. In anycase you got it completely wrong. I in my heavy boots intended to seek a non gender thread that encouraged both males and females to contribute. I thought " Bee in my Bonnet (or Cap) would do just that.

I will try to offer an occasional subject for the day, that might encourage others to suggest more constuctive subjects: The one that caught my eye this morning was the CAB research.Was the overnight type of inceases in Care.

Typical care home fees for elderly people surged by an average of £900 last year alone – and more than twice that for those needing more intensive nursing, new research has disclosed.
Meanwhile as many as 22,000 older people receiving residential care in England – or almost one in 10 – were given just a week’s notice before seeing hefty increases on their bills,
it found.
Most of the others were given less than a month to adjust to significant increases in their care bills, the investigation by the charity Citizens Advice concluded.

Hope the party goes well! I don't think it really matters where a popular thread lives because it will always be near the top of posts with recent replies. If this thread takes off, we can always ask GNHQ to move it.

Thank goodness it is not just me that drops clangers, we are busy today preparing for a party for local Chinese New Year celebrations. Hope these strong winds die down soon.

Catch up later I hope if there is no Monkey business at the party.