Dear reader
Today started off as a fairly good day, then peaked and then rapidly went downhill. Mornings are not very exciting at the moment as my favourite morning TV show is not on now until September and due to this I find I am sleeping in until about 11 - 11.30 most days. I am not good first thing in the morning, OK I don't suppose you can class 11.30 as being first thing in the morning but I am not good when I first wake up. I blame my Memory foam mattress for being too blooming comfortable! It really is, and there is nothing worse than your bladder telling you to get up and the rest of your body and your brain telling you to stay where you are. I also find it terrifying being woken up suddenly, If I'm woken up with a start its like having a panic attack, I literally shake and my breathing rate increases and I become very anxious - its horrible. Hubby has something similar, when he wakes up suddenly he physically can't move, its a form of night terror I think.
Anyway, having survived a quiet morning I thought I should have a walk this afternoon as it wasn't raining (for a change - and to think only recently I was bemoaning the lack of rain for our grass seed, now it won't stop raining, "Oh to be in England now that.... summers here!" Apologies to Robert Browning!)
Right, back to my walk. I thought I would repeat Sundays route - park in Shanklin and walk along the seafront to Sandown and back. Now the problem with the sunshine (and it being the school hols) is it brings out all the Grockles (Island word for holidaymakers - hark at me living here for all of 10 months!) Now this proved interesting, I could find nowhere to park, not a single space, no-one was leaving and even my Parking Angel seemingly let me down and got a sound talking to for their negligence. Eventually I gave up looking in Shanklin and decided that for some reason I was destined to park in the Lake cliff top car-park and descend the steep slopes down to the seafront. This was reasonably uneventful and quite easy as I had the benefit of gravity on my side.
I walked along the seafront watching the children playing in the sea, no I am not a pervert of any description, but I was a child once! and loved being in the waves, in fact I still would but knowing my current physical state, would probably fall over and be much more like a stranded beached whale than I would like. A group of learners attempting to surf at the Wight Water centre attracted my attention as I sat at the bottom of what I call Lake Everest preparing for the very daunting task of scaling the heights back to the car-park.
As I sat contemplating the trial ahead, a little elderly lady asked if she could sit on the bench beside me, I beckoned that she was welcome, and we began to chat. She was on holiday here from Scotland, having arrived at the weekend on a two stage coach trip. She was walking from Sandown to Shanklin and had intended to go up in the Shanklin cliff lift to walk back along the top path. I told her the cliff top path undulates significantly and is quite difficult to walk. We decided that as she wanted to see the view from the top that she should either get the lift up and down, or ascend by lift, walk back to beach level and back along the promenade to Sandown.
We talked about the Island and she thought that I looked too young to have retired over here (I loved this lady!!) and I told her about my MS and Back injury and that I was looking for work. I told her I was a Nurse and she explained that her daughter is also a Nurse working in SCBU in Scotland and is also 50 next year! She is actually a month older than me which makes diddly squat difference I know. The lady is staying at a hotel in Sandown but as she said a lot of people now prefer to go self catering. Well I couldn't not mention the chalet could I? She then asked if I could let her have some details as her daughter and son in law might be interested in a self catering holiday over here on the Island. This time I was ready, and produced a card from my purse. I was concerned that I might have pressurised her into taking one, but as she explained she actually asked me for details.
What a lovely little lady, she did ask if I wanted to walk with her and go up the Shanklin lift, but I said that I had been out a while and that my hubby would worry if I didn't get home quite soon. So I wished her a happy holiday and hoped she enjoyed her walk and we went our separate ways. I'm sure that I was destined to meet her, as if I had parked at Shanklin car park I wouldn't have sat on the bench at the base of the "mountain!"
I hauled myself up the steep steps and slopes to the cliff -top car park, and the sanctuary of my car. I apologised to my previously chastised Parking Angel and thanked them for my encounter with such a wonderful and interesting stranger.
Once I got home, I of course went straight on Twitter and Facebook to tell of my experience. Some of my friends were talking about their children and planning what they wanted next. This caused me to plummet into the depths of despair, I would have loved even just one child and so many people take their fertility for granted. Even my own sister had an abortion (she doesn't think I know about that though) and would never have offered to be a surrogate for me. If things had been the other way round I would have done anything to help her.
Right enough for now, but if you read this and have children, please cherish them and appreciate them, I shall never be called Mum or Grandma and that really hurts! Even my Angels can't help with that.
