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Friends we might never have met ...

DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 65,499
in The potting shed
Reading this made me think of the importance of some of the relationships we have on here ...

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-51672643


“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







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  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 16,777
    Oh yes, I agree with that Dove.
     Hostafan and his OH,  you and yours, Philippa and hers,   And someone who I have never met but write to by email every few days and have done for about 6 years now.  

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 22,845
    edited February 2020
    Apart from daily exchanges of news, fun and info with folk on here I also have daily email exchanges with a group of friends from the old GW boards.  There are 2 I've never met but 2 more I've at Chelsea, Tatton, Harlow Carr and Malvern and we've all been nattering for 13 or 14 years now.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 17,823
    Indeed.

    I still feel the absence of Joyce on the Resurrected thread.

    Still, life is a finite phenomenon. I liken it to one of those push penny machines. Newborns go in at the top and we all in the end drop out at the bottom.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKfTNhS0jA

    Sorry if that offends anyone, it’s just how I see things.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 65,499
    edited February 2020
    Not offended at all @pansyface ... being pragmatic doesn’t make friendships any less important 🤗  it’s not the quantity of life that’s most important ... it’s the quality. 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 9,653
    That's a sad link @Dovefromabove - I imagine it happens more than we would like to think.
    "virtual " friendships can be surprisingly long term - I have an email friend in the US to whom I have been writing for 25 years - we do books, gardening, politics and everything in between.  Another friend from Canada - same length of time - met her once but our email friendship goes on - a little erratic by now but when she is in trouble, we yap every day.
    This particular forum proved a godsend to me not so long ago - Lyn offered me and my OH a home when we were stuck - we'd never met and I could have been a Vampire  - it's all about a feeling/trust but not everyone is prepared to open up their home to a virtual stranger.
    Not just virtual stuff tho - here in this village we have an elderly lady who looks after the local cemetary.  Apart from her little dog, it's her life.  I first met her soon after I moved here from France........didn't know who she was but I was on my way to the local shop.  She stopped me to have a word ( well, several words actually ) and introduced herself and then went on to explain about her role in the village.  Fidgeting from one foot to another ( getting close to shop closing ), several neighbours passed us and a lot of "eye rolling" but then the lady said "thank you for talking to me ".  That made me think.  How dreadful to have to thank someone for stopping for a chat.  
    Having now moved closer to the Church and Cemetary, I see this lady more often - all she wants is a chat and a good moan about the Vicar, the Funeral Director, etc. etc.  I think I have learned quite a bit more about funerals, burial sites etc. than I really wanted to know.
    There are other examples of lonely people even in a relatively rural village situation -if you have 10 mins to listen, it could help.
  • andybfc5andybfc5 Posts: 6
    I'm a postman and sometimes we are the only person Granny Smith sees all day. I always take the time when I can, despite the time constraints we are under now.

    One thing is for sure, we all get old! We should really respect our senior members of "society" a bit more.

    On another note I love how she saved the lady that £200. Postal scams are terrible, and that was from the water company. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 65,499
    Good for you @andybfc5 😊 ... another reason why we should write letters or even just send a brief newsy note on a picture postcard. 😊 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 16,777
    The only person I see is the postman, except Wednesday when Tesco brings my delivery.

    When my dad had his dog, he wouldn’t let him even wee in the garden so took him out several times a day, the dog died and after 2 years someone knocked on the door and asked if the old boy was ok as they hadn’t seen him with the dog for while! 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 26,249
    An old friend from school was found dead in his flat in his 30s. They reckoned he'd died 3 months earlier and it was only the smell which made folk suspicious. 
    Devon.
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 22,845
    We have widowed and divorced ladies in the patch club.  For one or two of them whose families live elsewhere we are the only people they see all week so we check up on any absentees and we help out when people are sick or need operations.   The local council recognises the value of clubs like ours with an almost entirely retired membership so we get to have our weekly meeting room for no rent.   Youth activities are also encouraged and supported.   It's all about social cohesion.


    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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