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Life in the Slow Lane

(129 Posts)
cortina Sun 28-Apr-13 23:39:31

I grew up in a village where everybody knew everyone else. I met my future wife in a nearby town at the age of seventeen and married at nineteen. We bought our first house in the village, a brownstone cottage with spiders as big as small dogs. My new wife, by now a twenty year old childsnatcher, joined me in our new home. She did a two year probationary period where the locals would only speak to her if I was with her but after that she was accepted and respected.

Most of the village social life was in the pubs, one of which had a thatched roof with wet sacks over the beer barrels. The village elders would have their favourite seat. If you happened to be in their seat when they came in you gave up the seat, nothing needed to be said.

The village had a wide range of Characters. One lovely old chap would come into the pub, go up to the bar and order a pint costing 11d, thats 11d not 11p, go to his favourite seat,take a drink of beer and with a lovely smile would always say " You think you're alright when you Ain't ( = are not ). I thought then and still do what wise words they were, I just wish that I knew what they mean. He was by profession a Bookies Runner. This was before the days of Herge's Adventures of Tinternet.

When we started our family, a daughter and a son,we moved to the city.

Last year I lost my darlng wife after 57 years of hardly ever apart.

I now live in the city in an empty house.

How do you spell Cartharsis? - Is it good for you?

Is Nostalgia a thing of the past? ( Or how the Hell do you get through it )

Today my daughter took myself and my Great grandson to a Meet the Animals farm and lunch, laughter all the way.

Nil Desperandum

ps Sun 12-May-13 22:42:14

Cortina Just found this thread, I am touched and if it helps I am a male. I do understand and do hang on to those treasured memories and never be ashamed to shed a tear. Like you I have shed far too many but for other reasons. Your wife will be proud of you and will always be with you.

cortina Sun 12-May-13 23:29:09

Notso

When we had our 50th anniversary party I made a speech, we had lots of photos around the room from the wedding day one of which showed a comb in my suit top pocket.

My niece queried it.

I told her ' In those days it was the Law '

cortina Sun 12-May-13 23:45:35

Tegan

Mothers know best

janerowena Mon 13-May-13 22:41:27

I went to a local Show at the weekend, and there was a Cortina there and I thought of you.

We had the odd trip to Skeggie when I lived near Horncastle. I doubt it's changed much, was the strange concrete boat canal there then? It's a lovely clean little town, everyone paints their houses for the season, it always looks very fresh and tidy, although I like it best in late Spring before it gets too busy. There are still plenty of coach trips, and my daughter went there a couple of times with her 'sweetheart' for days out.

Tegan Mon 13-May-13 22:53:36

We had a holiday there when I was a teenager. I met a gypsy boy who introduced me to his family and we had a photo taken together. Alby I think his name was. Gosh; so long ago. Wish I still had the photo.

Notso Tue 14-May-13 10:16:44

Was it a metal comb cortina?

cortina Tue 14-May-13 17:03:41

Notso

Yes it was aluminium Notso, this was in the days before plastic and the Tinternet were invented.

cortina Wed 15-May-13 00:00:58

Thinking of you

Just got back in after a night at the theatre, my daughter took myself and our beautiful granddaughter to see West Side Story and Blimey that Maria can sing.

Just checking Emails and messages before ByeByes and there's another woman thinking about me. First of all it was Sel and now it's janerowena ( odd trip to Skeggie) . Were you in the pub that night, were you the girl sitting near the bar in the pencil skirt?

Are you lot making plans? If you are I will need a couple of days warning, don't just spring it on me.

What did Jagger say 'This could be the last time, this could be the last time, baby the last time, I don't know o, oh no

janerowena Wed 15-May-13 14:02:35

It sounds like a good night, cortina. I love the song 'Tonight'.

cortina Fri 17-May-13 00:06:13

Supportive and Addictive

nanapug
I have been looking back through the messages of support that have been given to me. You have it just right.

I tend to ramble and drivel but it is just a way of closing out the pain of separation.

I woke up this morning after a good nights sleep, reached over to know that she was there and safe but she wasn't there.

It's killing me but

Onwards and Upwards and

Nil Desperandum

Ref.Addictive -It's almost as if you are waiting for a letter to arrive.

NfkDumpling Fri 17-May-13 06:39:36

flowers

Gorki Fri 17-May-13 06:48:22

Hope you have a reasonable day today "Cortina".

Notso Fri 17-May-13 07:14:30

Have you got any plans for the weekend cortina? I'm setting off soon to Swindon for a couple of days, then up to Newcastle for a few days.

Onwards and Upwards....you are so right, that's just the way to go. Deep breaths and the kettle on. smile (Or depending upon the time of day, deep breaths and where's the corkscrew? grin)

cortina Sun 19-May-13 23:47:13

Memories, in the corner of my mind, misty....

We always loved to visit Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, 'Hello my handsome'

The trusty Cortina had hauled us up the twisty climb to the top of Portland Bill and lay resting and recovering in the shadow of the lighthouse.

We had with us our beautiful daughter, my wife's Mam and Dad on a lovely, warm sunny day.

Everything seemed to slow down, we leaned on a wall, took a seat, looked out to sea.

We stayed there for about half an hour and I don't think anybody spoke.

I've never had a moment like that again.

That evening we went out for a drive and ended up at a pub on a cliff top.

We took a table outside and got our drinks in. A family similar to us took the next table. The husband went into the pub and placed his order and came out with two plates. Up above the seagulls were sculling about overhead, quite low. He went back in to get his own plate. A large seagull, cruising low, came in over the wife's right shoulder, did a vertical landing beside the plate and had the chicken breast halfway down it's throat before the wife re-acted. She wrestled the chicken back from the seagull , who flew off in dismay, and put the chicken back on the plate just as the husband came out with the third plate which he gave to his wife. He knew that something was wrong but everyone kept quiet.

57 years and Boy did we have some fun.

Missing her is breaking my heart.

When does it get better?
When does the pain end?

Sel Mon 20-May-13 23:40:54

A big hug to you Cortina I hope you're sleeping soundly. You write so well and paint lovely pictures of the happy times.

Notso Tue 21-May-13 06:59:57

Loved the seagull story cortina smile

I'm hundreds of miles from home in the great city of Newcastle. Looking forward to a good old rake round the city centre shops later. Have you got anything planned for today?

cortina Tue 21-May-13 11:18:26

Sel
Thank you , its nice to get a hug.

Notso
We had one of our best holidays in that area when the Tall Ships came to Newcastle in 1993. We towed a caravan then and stayed in South Shields near the mouth of the river and could see the masts coming downriver with the sailors right at the tops. We went into Newcastle on the Metro? I think.
Today I'll go to buy a new tv for the motorhome and a weekend away.

j08 Tue 21-May-13 11:41:29

I like the fact that a poster called cortina is on thread entitled 'Life in the slow lane'. smile

j08 Tue 21-May-13 11:45:43

Oh cortina started the thread! Sorry. (Was not ^really being rude about any particular car!)

janerowena Tue 21-May-13 16:56:29

Cortina, I haven't been bereft of my beloved yet, but my sister has. I would say that she started to feel a bit better after about five years, and nine years on is very happy with her life. Of course she still talks about him, but without the look of pain in her eyes that i could see all too clearly.

cortina Thu 23-May-13 23:50:38

'Doctor Doctor'

When I was a kid my mother would say to me 'If you keep doing that you'll stay like it'. I think it may have happened.

I had to go to see the doctor last week. I said 'I need to discuss 2 things with you'. He looked shocked, 'TWO things?'

I said 'For the first I have to take my shirt off. My left arm is perfectly alright but when I raise my right arm it's painful, ( I was tempted to write here that he said 'Don't do it then' but that's an old Tommy Cooper joke and if I did that you wouldn't believe the rest)

He had a poke and a prod and I said 'That's it, that's where it hurts. Have you come across this before?

He said 'No'

I said 'Could it be due to the fact that I used to do a lot of archery and if I did a full day tournament, such as a York, over the course of the day I would shoot 144 arrows, lift the bow with stabilizer and counterweight 144 times and draw the bow, with a draw weight of 42 pounds 144 times which would be equivalent to lifting 1 ton in weight?

He said 'No'
' I could refer you to ....
' Or we could make a cut here ......

I didn't like the sound of that. If they made a cut there I might never be able to raise my arm again or if I did raise it I might not be able to get it down again. Taxis would be stopping that I didn't want, strangers would think that I was waving to them and I would never be able to play snooker again.

I said ' Shall I keep an eye on it and come back if it gets worse'

He said 'That's probably for the best'

Do you remember when doctors were at least 20 years older than yourself.

Galen Fri 24-May-13 00:00:02

No!
Have you spoken to Bags?
She's a barebow toxophilite!

LizG Fri 24-May-13 09:43:53

That rings a lot of bells cortina although now finances are tighter they don't rush for the knife so quickly. Fortunately my doctor is fractionally older than 21 (well, of course I am only 41 wink) but due to the retirement of my wonderful dentist we now have a 10 year old tooth puller. Well that's how old he seems to me.

Love your way of writing, thank you.

annodomini Fri 24-May-13 09:53:12

Most of our GPs are about the age of my sons. However, a police officer came to my door - no, I'd done nothing wrong. A polite young man, tall and good looking and then I realised: he was young enough to be my grandson. Oh well, he might do nicely for my senior GD. grin

cortina Fri 24-May-13 23:43:09

Galen

Archery - I never shot Barebow -always too cold.

LizG - Thank you for thank you. I have a young lady toothpuller, she calls me Sir.

I say to her 'Please don't call me Sir, you frighten me'