Answering Your Questions - Part One

 

Glad you liked our new bird feeder yesterday. What a change in the weather today, from hot and sunny to gloomy, chilly and a strong wind.  You just never know what Mother Nature has in store.

Well, it is time to start answering your questions.  I cannot do it all in one entry otherwise it would end up as long as "War and Peace".  I am enjoying them, so thank you.  Here we go then:

Lisa asks : Do you think your health care system is better than here in America and do you think you would have a better standard of living here in America?

This is difficult. Our health care systems are totally different. Ours, of course, is “free” but that can mean long waiting lists for consultations and operations. However, everyone is entitled to free treatment under our National Health Service. In America you have to take out health insurance which can be costly. On the plus side that probably means you can be seen very quickly but it also means that those on low incomes cannot afford the insurance which must be a terrible worry.

So I suppose, it is swings and roundabouts. We are used to our system and it would be hard to change but whether American health care is actually better, I cannot say. As to the standard of living, I have no idea how American salaries compare with British ones. I know that housing is cheaper in the States, or rather you can get more for your money and food is also cheaper. I can only imagine that if you had a reasonably good job, yes the standard of living would be better in the U.S.

Mary asks: What American City would you like to visit and on a deeper level how do you deal with hurts and bitterness?

Had I been able to come to America, there are so many cities I would love to have visited. New York, of course -that would be a must. Also to go to Memphis and see Graceland. I always had a strong desire to go to New Orleans, so badly devastated by Katrina. New Orleans appealed to me for the music, the buildings, the food and all the hauntings. But I truly cannot pick one city. Mike and I always had a dream and that was to hire a camper and travel across America stopping wherever we wanted and taking in as much as we could, including cowboy country. The US is an amazing pace with so many different things to see. So, I truly cannot pick just one city.

As for hurt and bitterness, I am a person who gets hurt very easily and have suffered a lot of it during my lifetime. However, I have always tried not to be bitter. Bitterness does not solve anything, it just eats away at you. I cannot change my personality and I have always been ultra-sensitive. However, now I think if people hurt me or destroy our relationship, the loss is theirs. I also believe that, as my mother used to say, “God pays debts without money” and that if people do bad or spiteful things it only comes back to them in the end. To actually deal with hurt I usually have a very long, hard cry and then try and let it go and forget about it.

Brodietrish asks: If you could live anywhere you wanted where would it be?

Well, I am proud to be British and so I would not want to reside outside the UK. However, I would like to live somewhere with much more countryside, somewhere I could look out of my windows and see hills or woodland, maybe a river - that would be nice. So I think my choice would be either Wales or the Exmoor region of Somerset. Or my other choice would be somewhere looking over the sea.

Joyce asks: what is your all-time favourite romantic movie?

This is easy. For me no romantic film has ever compared with “Wuthering Heights” starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. I have watched that film countless times. I always cry although I know it so well. Superb.

Jan asks: When IS your birthday and what is your earliest memory?

My birthday is the 9th September, Jan. The ninth day of the ninth month so, not long to go now. My earliest memory is being in my pram and hurtling down a hill out of control. My “dear” brother who never wanted another baby in the house decided to let the brakes off my pram and see it roll. It gathered great speed on its downhill flight but luckily a person grabbed the pram before it came to the bottom and overturned.

Laura asks: What do you really think of the Royal family, especially Diana?

I have no particularly strong views on the Royal family although I wish the Queen had smiled a lot more throughout her reign like the Queen Mother used to. I like the fact that we are a monarchy and we have lots of tradition and ceremonial. It does cost a deal of money but also brings a lot of tourists into the country. It has also prevented Tony Blair from becoming the president I feel he would loved to have been! As for Diana, I loved her. She was not without her faults but I feel she was very badly used by the Royal family, particularly Charles who never loved her from the very beginning, I had my doubts right from the start when I saw their engagement interview when he said “love, whatever that means”.  He obviously had no love for her. She was purely breeding stock and nothing else. Charles should have realized what a treasure he had in her and what a wonderful Queen she would have made, popular, beautiful, caring and doing good works.

Jae asks: If you had one entire day, just for yourself, to do anything you wanted, what would you do?

I found this one hard because now Mike is retired we can do what we like everyday within reason. But I think it would be having a facial, nails done, legs waxed, pedicure, then go shopping for absolutely anything that I wanted followed by a lovely lunch in somewhere posh in London like the Ritz or the Savoy. That would be followed by a drive out to the coast and a long walk along a quiet beach, paddling in the water, investigating rock pools, throwing toys for the dogs and then finishing the day up with a lovely dinner in a very old country pub followed by a couple of drinks and a romantic drive home. That would be luxury and pampering to me. My other choice would be a day spent with my Grandsons.

Caff asks: Is being a granny/grandma/nanny better than being a mum?

Well, being a granny - Nanjay in my case, means that you can hand them back when you are tired and you have had enough. It means no sleepless nights with them crying or sitting up with them when they are sick. On the other hand being a nanny means that you are a lot older, have aches and pains and quite often other health issues and, at times, it does make you feel old. Sometimes you long to be young again, sometimes you wish they were YOUR children. You wonder where the years have flown. But on the whole being either is equally wonderful. So, being a Grandmother only brings another dimension to your life, it is yet another phase on  life's journey and it does bring great happiness.

Mandy asks: What does being happy mean to you and how do you cope with everyday living and the stress?

Being happy to me means having no really bad health issues, having no pressing money worries, having a roof over my head and food in my stomach, having my wonderful family around me. As for everyday living and stress - well, I just get on with it, we all have to. I am not good at handling stress but I have Mike and my family to support me and I count myself blessed because not everyone is lucky enough to have family around them. I turn to music often when I am really stressed, usually light classical in that instance and I lie on my bed and listen to it and whilst listening I count my blessings and make mental notes to myself that stress does nothing but make you ill, and so I try and programme positive thoughts instead.  I often fall asleep during these times and then awake feeling more able to cope.

Cindy asks:  If you were given one chance to wish for anything you wanted, what would it be?

Perfect health and to live to 100 years so that I could see my Grandsons married with families of their own.

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This week I have had two lovely postcards, one from Linda showing Skagway, Alaska and one from Lisa with a beautiful red Cardinal on the front.  Thank you both so much.

I shall answer the rest of your questions in my next posting.  I hope I will not leave anyone out, if I do please remind me. Take care everyone.