I mentioned some medical nonsense earlier in the year. Everything has settled down, I am healthy and I continue to do good stuff which will maintain or even improve that state. However, the episode caused not only existential panic but some existential soul-searching: I am in my mid-60s and it feels as if since the start of the year Husband and I have seen far too many people around us having their lives absolutely turned upside down by unexpected health issues and accidents which they could not have foreseen. This week the horrendous murders in Southport shook me to the core - the daughter of a friend works part-time in Hart Street, the same road as the children's dance centre.
It really is true that brushes with one's own mortality are a damn good wake-up call and for husband and I they have been the trigger to decide to do a couple of lovely things which we had not previously felt able to justify to ourselves.
Au revoir Blue Bus. You were a good Bus, a very beautiful Bus, the most comfortable vehicle and most lovely to drive I think I have ever owned. You were the Bus whom I patted gently every time I walked past on the way to the dustbin, the Bus who made me smile every time I saw you outside the house, or in your parking space when I returned to wherever I had left you.
I shall miss you desperately, but you are the Bus I should have had 20 years ago when I was younger, stronger and far more flexible.
Goodbye my sweet Bus, I will never forget you.
And before anyone starts speculating, we are not moving house, divorcing or getting another dog. We are, however, embarking on some new adventures and I am feeling more excited, more hopeful, more positive than I have done for many years.
However the jury is still out on whether I will share those new adventures. If I choose to do so then something new will pop up here, but if I decide not to then I will still be around visiting my favourite blogs and commenting whenever the technology permits me to sign in 😊
I am more than ready for some changes and feeling very excited about what happens next.
You're such an inspiring woman, grasping life by the horns, not being afraid of change and constantly re-evaluating and taking stock. Its sad about Blue Bus but as long as you're still planning to have adventure,s her departure just marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
ReplyDeleteI like the feisty lady photo and absolutely love the one below it!
Wishing you all the very best and hope you stay in touch. xxx
Aw, thank you darling. That is high praise and much valued coming from you.
DeleteDon’t worry, there are plenty more adventures to come and I will definitely stay in touch (you cannot get rid of me that easily 🤣)
You will be missed so I do hope you pop up with stories of new adventures sometime
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue. Don’t worry, I will still be around :-)
DeleteI just love your blue VW bus. What a wonderful van. I'm sure you will miss it but it sounds like you have new adventures waiting. I agree that health scares do 'wake' us up to our mortality. Right now my husband(73) is facing a cancer diagnosis with not a very good prognosis. It's a bit of a shock and we don't know the way forward yet. So go out there and do all the things you want to do, now is the time.
ReplyDeletethank you Christina, so thoughtful of you to leave your comment when you have so much going on in your life right now. Hope B. receives some sensible test results soon, x
DeleteI'm sad to read this, Jayne. And I think it was a brave decision to say goodbye to your Blue Bus. I will miss your posts (quietly hoping that there may be some more in the future), but I wish you well in your planned adventures. Go seize that day and have a ruddy great time in doing so. Xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Jules, your comment is so very kind, x. Carpe Diem indeed 🥰
DeleteThere may well be the odd post in future, but saying I am moving on prevents the behind-the-scenes ‘guilt’ which whispers “you haven’t blogged about that . . .”
I have stopped before, as you know, and yet I keep popping up again 😆.
On to new adventures, enjoy your new horizons. I hope we do hear something of those exploits. Josie
ReplyDeleteThank you Josie. I have learned “never say never”. 😁 😁 😁
DeleteWishing you both well on your new path. I hope you'll share something of your adventures with us. Blessings, Barbara x
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara, xx
DeleteYes, there are times when we must stop a d evaluate where we are, and where we want to be. I do hope you share your new adventures, but understand if you don't.
ReplyDeleteCheers Sue. Whilst the last few months have been unsettled the opportunity to re-evaluate and pivot is a privilege which not everyone can enjoy. I am rather looking forward to whatever trouble I can get into next!!
DeleteI too will miss your post, I love your garden, we had our van for just a couple of years, the ideal and the reality did not match for us. Please let me know if you create a new blog.
ReplyDeleteMarlene, thank you so much. If I blog again it will either be on here, or I will post a link.
DeleteI know exactly how you feel about parting with Blue Bus - after a lifetime of tent camping, caravanning and finally converting my Berlingo into a mini mobile home, I was forced to part with her and give up my freedom and my very active outdoor life. It brings tears to my eyes when I look out at the empty drive where my red Berlingo stood for many years. Now I hobble across to the little cafe in the Millennium Centre where I meet up with a friend for coffee and a catch-up every Friday . . . . and that's it, apart from hospital appointments. (My daughter-in-law collects me, takes me to Plymouth Eye Infirmary and brings me back home after regular scans.) Oh the joys of getting old and falling to pieces.
ReplyDeleteOh Rosie, I feel for you, and for the loss of Benji too 😢. But you have the wonderful memories of all your trips in the little red ‘Wendy House on Wheels’ and I hope that sometimes looking back gives you some pleasure and comfort.
DeleteRe-evaluation can only ever be a good thing, who wants to stay in a rut, living one life and doing few things. You know how many lifestyle changes, careers and homes I have had ... and there are more still to come. I hope you can enjoy everything you set out to do, and don't forget to leave gaps in those plans for the unexpected. Some of the best moments creep up and surprise you, and send you off down a new path if you are open to it.
ReplyDeleteProfitez de l'avenir, il est à nous de le saisir.
Très certainement, ma chérie Sue, tu as raison comme toujours.
DeleteYou are a shining example of the ability to pivot, to re-evaluate, to change and then to grow. Looking forward here to the new things I have planned and to the unexpected things which I do not yet know about, xx
Oh my goodness!! The Google Gatekeeper has finally let me in!! (I think!) Just in time to catch you on your way out the door....lol. I can only say "huzzah!!" to the change, the pivot, the realignment....though it's sad to see your Blue Bus depart. Still, as said above, it's the end of one chapter but the beginning of the next. Life really is too da*mn short to arse about doing, or not-doing, things that don't light you up. Sending love!! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI was wondering this morning what had happened to you. Because I'm not in Blogland as much as I used to be (although I'm hoping to remedy that) I had to go searching. My only wish for you and yours is that you are happy. I hope, however, that you one day conquer your dislike of the sea.
ReplyDelete