Wonderdad - aka my father - has been sick. This came as
a shock to him. He is never ill, and wears his 80 years very lightly
indeed.
But it all got a bit scary a few weeks ago. I
was on standby to drop everything and dash over to Wales. Lists were
prepared, options considered, friends contacted, and asked very nicely
if they could help. I even checked the airline websites, but of course
you'd need a bank loan to get a last minute fare ... and who can get a
bank loan these days?
Anyway, after talking to my Dad
and brother, I felt that something wasn't right. Having special needs
kids and fighting for services gives you an acute
sense of when you're being fobbed off..... I just knew that someone
somewhere wasn't bothering to do their job. It was time to kick up a
fuss and say "THIS IS NOT ON" . To be fair it was my brother in Wales who did most of the kicking. And with a
few investigations and a change of medication, my Dad is much more
like his usual self. I know this because he decided to visit me!
And yes there was another 'Go' Tournament involved. My Dad first attended the Dublin Go tournament 11 years ago and shook up the Go establishment in Britain and Ireland
by winning. Apparently
this raised its profile so much that more than 60 people attended this
year, from Ireland and all over Europe. My Dad did not win this time!
 |
| By jarrodtrainque |
I've never played 'Go' and I was always fascinated that my Dad
would choose to play a complex game of strategy to 'relax' after the working
day. Vegetating in front of the telly used to be my
preferred option. But now I notice that many of the older people I find interesting do a lot more than watch telly. From crosswords, to literature, to toastmasters, to volunteering, they make a real effort to keep their minds active.
Do you?
(I'm hoping that blogging will work for me...)
Glad your dad is on the mend. My mum is in hospital at the moment and finally after about 4 years of her diabetes running rampant they may finally be getting it under control!! It's just a shame that it's taken this long and a hospitalization to get the 'powers that be' to stop fobbing and take notice.
ReplyDeleteI try to play chess but about half an hour is the limit for my airy fairy right sided brain to cope with. Am hoping that this will hold me in good stead!!
Glad to hear he is a bit better, and it just goes to show you that you can teach an old dog new tricks ;)
ReplyDeleteAud xx
Oh, your dad is ALWAYS a winner :-)
ReplyDeleteHe's amazing and good for him... always on the Go! Activity like that is always good for you, especially as you get older. And yes, I think blogging/writing will keep our minds sharp.
Glad he's feeling much better and well done. Always trust those instincts Blue Sky. Always.
xx Jazzy
Over from Blog Gems, and couldn't find the post you were linking, so thought I'd comment here. Good to see that your dad is feeling better. You've piqued my interest in this Go game, so I will have to google it. I've never heard of it here in the U.S.
ReplyDelete@Helen - I play chess with CD sometimes, but I'd so not interested!
ReplyDelete@Aud - thanks for dropping by again and especially for commenting xx
@Jazzy - thank goodness for instincts xx
@theconnorchronicles - sorry you couldn't find my Banoffee post, but glad you've found something else of interest. Go is apparently a fantastic game, if you like that kind of thing. It's a professional game in Japan.
Glad to hear that your Dad is on the mend. My grandparents are just the same age as him and they do crosswords, that weird counting/picture/dot thing in the paper, sudoku and as a joint 80th birthday present they've bought themselves a Kindle so that they can turn the font size up on any book. My Granddad is very active and they're both doing great for their age - I think keeping an active mind helps so much.
ReplyDelete@Kirsty - thanks so much for your comment and glad your grandparents are doing so well :)
ReplyDelete