Wednesday 2 June 2010

On the scrapheap


Do we all have the occasional negative thought that, once we reach a certain age, we are only good for the scrapheap?  I guess super-beings who are constantly positive don't.  

I admit I've had them from time to time.  Thankfully not often, I always manage to remember a couple of things I can still do as well as ever I could. 

But this evening as I swept the last of the muffin crumbs off the floor (all over the house I might add, including under my bed, after I'd told them to sit at the table and eat) I reminded myself I'm not ready for the scrap heap just yet.  I'd successfully entertained four youngsters, two grandchildren and two little friends, helped them bake muffins and played Nanny McFee with them.  I think Nanny McFee is the Nanny on one of those shows where Super Nanny comes into a home to tame out of control children.  I can tell you, Nanny McFee had her work cut out when four of them were doing a wonderful imitation of the worst kids they have ever seen on TV.  They love it!

I wonder if they take as much notice of well behaved children they see on TV.  Or maybe they don't see enough of them.  I'll keep my opinion to myself about most of the shows I've seen, I suspect they are supposed to be comedies, depicting smart arsed, mouthy youngsters.

This afternoon I called in to meet up with the man I am going to be house-sitting for from mid-July to mid-October.  There is a lovely stream at the bottom of the garden with a waterfall which you can hear from the house.  Can't wait to explore the stream and have fresh pastures for taking photos.  Oh, and fifteen minutes less to drive to work each day.

Life is good.  Not ready for the scrapheap yet, by jove.

PS  By jove is a very British expression, of you aren't familiar with it, just look it up here.

5 comments:

  1. Oh yes. I know that scrapheap feeling. Have to put up quite fight with it sometimes. As for Nanny MacPhee, isn't that a movie with a nanny who in fact turns out to have supernatural powers (sort of a modern Mary Poppins)? Don't think I saw it, only read/heard about it. Anyway if you managed to play her part, you must be very far from ready for the scrapheap! -LOL-
    Sounds like a lovely place you're going to be staying at.

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  2. You, Pauline, are very far from scrap heap material. You are fun to be with as well as being a very capable and clever lady.

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  3. Yep...a long way from the scrap heap. But even then, some of my favorite treasures have been found rummaging around scrap heaps.

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  4. If you can take care of and entertain four children for the day you are not even close to the "scrap heap". But, I hear your pain.
    I just had my two grandkids for the weekend and they had their parents with them....but by the time they went home I was exhausted. I mean EXHAUSTED. I was in a state of collapse yesterday. I took TWO naps.
    It's more about discipline that our ability to outplay them. Kids these days seem to need so much monitoring and they have no boundaries. Everything is up for grabs. Time outs and "1,2,3" means nothing if there are no consequences.It's exhausting because they have nothing to control their inner sense of what is right and wrong. They wait, every time , to let someone else monitor their behavior.
    Have a nice vacation. You deserve it.

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  5. Thanks for the explanation about who Nanny McPhee is, Dawn Treader. No wonder the kids enjoy my take on her so much and probably why they magically change into good children when I put them on the "naughty chair". I'll give some thought to how I can utilise the expected magical powers next time we play that game.

    Farmlady, I'm very fortunate to have had almost daily contact with these grandchildren since the twins were two years old (they are now 11), so they know the boundaries and what the consequences are if they overstep them when they are at my house.

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