Do you have many friends?

I have two friends of long standing and consider them supremos. However I do have many people I socialise with regularly whom I value considerably. Not friends persay but certainly more than acquaintances. I consider myself privileged to be so 'people fortunate'. I just enjoy people and am fortunate enough to be quite outgoing. I've three lunches this week with different groups and that's life for me. Lovely.

The thing about friends, is usually our really closest friend is someone around our own age, and often someone who was also our best friend at school. And I have seen this happen to other people - you both get old, and then can't get out as much, and then you can't get together easily, and before you know it, xmas cards are all that is left of your friendship. Towards the late stages of our lives unless we are part of something like a church community, we tend to only have our families to rely on for company.

I have just one friend left,and we've been friends for more than 30 years,but never talk about 'difficult'subjects.
Sadly my other friends have died. My betst mate died at 45 and she is irreplaceable,we could share all our thoughts, good and bad,and never managed to upset each other.
I'd like a couple more friends but it just hasn't happened. I have a number of acquantances and belong a couple of groups but that chat is more superficial.

Acquaintances you can have two a penny as my late mom would say. Real friends you can count on one hand. I have 3. One I have known for 27 years and the other 2 we just clicked when we all met at the same time when we met at a group we go too.

I have two very very close good friends who i could ring and they would be there promptly for me. Friends with one for 35 years the other for 20 years
I have another close friend with whom I travel quite a bit with
Also fortunate to have a friend in my husband. Actually he probably the best friend
I dont make /maintain friends easily.
I don't know if I would want loads of other friends ....I like to read...talk to the dog.

I used to have many friends made during my travels but unfortunately I have outlived them all. My sister was also my best friend but she died seven years ago. The nearest I have as a friend now is my help.

I feel very fortunate to have several friends and many acquaintances. They fall into different categories though and each one is unique. To some of them I owe a great deal. I also have two sisters-in-law who have known me (bad and good!) for forty years and I find those bonds very special. I get on very well with my volunteering friends too and we have fun in our “job” and coffee together occasionally.
But like Day6 I love my quiet times and don’t want to be overly sociable.

I’ve never been lucky enough to meet my Mr Right, however, I am so lucky with my close friends. I’ve known 2 from infant school, 3 from Senior school and 3 from college.... so all long term. Recently I’ve also been contacted by 2 more from school days, it feels so lovely to know that they have actually been looking for me for years. My 3 AC I class as my friends and even my 2 teenage granddaughters we share secrets, makeup and boyfriend stuff ! I go on singles holidays as none of my friends have my wanderlust, and out of all the many people I’ve met, I’ve gained 2 more special friends, one of whom I’m going away with on a Sunday for a whole month. So with friends, I am so lucky.

PS - I am NOT a very outgoing person & tend to be on shy side when meeting new people- if can do it- you can!

My best friend died 3 years ago - I miss her every day.
I have another very good friend who I have known since we were babies & have been through all sorts together. She lives locally but we see each other about 4 times a year but chat on phone - she looks after GC & GGC so is very tied up.
I had work friends but that tends to fizzle out when you retire. However there are so many things you can do now to meet people. I belong to 2 WI groups, a yoga class, art class, dance class. None of these cost a fortune & I have met so many lovely people.
You just have to get up the courage to go & find it & turn up. I know it is not easy but in my experience all the others there are in same position & I have made some lovely friends & acquaintances.
DH (who luckily is still working for a good few years yet!) complains I am never in!
Look in your local Freebie papers/mags or library etc for ideas.
Be brave & go out & join something.

I've got sewing friends who I meet at the group but I wouldn't say that we're all that close. I've lost touch with a couple of my best friends or they've moved away. This happens to a lot of us, doesn't it? I wouldn't say that I'm naturally 'clubbable' iyswim which doesn't help. I'm fairly happy with my own company which is just as well as I spend a lot of time alone. I try to say yes to as many invitations as I can.

Hi All Grannies. Why don’t we all have a local coffee morning now and then local to our areas ? As we can see by the posts there are a lot of grans who could do with some new friends.Anyone interested?

No, I have few friends. I have acquaintances, but no real friends. I see people at work who I get on well with, but they are busy with their own family lives after work.

I have kept in touch with two people I was at school with, but haven't seen them for many years due to location.

Moving around the country constantly when I was younger hasn't helped make and keep friendships.

I have a few friends but to be honest I've never felt the need for friends. My sisters are my friends and who I'd rather be with. I'm hopeless with the friends I have. They always contact me, I rarely contact them. They'll stop bothering one of these days.

Grandmain and Silverlining.......so sorry

Salsa my son wouldn't be very happy if I was friendly with his Ex ?

silverliningsorry to hear that. I do hope you have other support

The OTHER is the ex of my eldest son....

I meet up fortnightly with a friend I worked with - we've known each other for about 18 years.

Another 2 friends are ex-girlfriends of my 2 sons. One is 62 (a little bit older than me, she is 27 years older than my son) and we go to exercise classes together 3 evenings a week. The older is the ex of my eldest son, and she's 37. I work with her once a week, and we're in touch almost daily. She's married with a child, and I am on friendly terms with her husband.

Overall, I don't make friends easily - I have lots of acquaintances but don't really like the company of a lot of women.

Oh yes, ozgrandma. true friends. Hmm....I found a couple of very long term friends have dropped below the radar since serious family health problems hit us.

I find I lost all my friends since my son died and I stopped socialising. We used to regularly throw parties and I was in touch by almost daily text with a couple of ladies I was close to and would often see them for coffee.
Now I have only one friend here who understands and keeps in contact.
Didn't help that we emigrated so all my old friends are back in blight and we drifted apart.
I'm very lucky that I am extremely close to my AC, two of whom are daughters and we talk freely.
I also have a very strong marriage and consider my OH to be my best friend. I do miss having girlfriends to laugh with but I learned a lot about true friends after my bereavement!

Agree totally Notanan2 xx

I have a few friends I have coffee or lunch with every couple of months, and some friends that we see together regularly, and others not so often. But I have always longed for the really close friends my daughter has, that she texts and speaks to every day, goes on holiday with several times a year, and in any emergency no matter how minor, would be there for her. I must have gone wrong somewhere!

Those childhood/youth bonds cant be recreated. IMO.

I suppose I will have to learn to be satisfied with "friendly aquaintances" but TBH I find those kind of "friendships" just generate more loneliness than being alone..

About half a dozen very good friends.

I talk about different things with different friends.

Nope. Lots of aquaintances. No good friends.

Not locally.

I have hung on to a few good friends from childhood and my 20s, but havent been able to generate any new friendships in a long time.

The friends from my youth are scattered all over the world now so dont physically see them but we do chat.

I miss having good friends that I can actually meet up with.

I am not short of "company" but am short of friends. I just dont know how to make new good friends.