This week we have a ‘readers evening’. The theme is ‘Decades of man’. I have chosen our 60’s; there are not enough adjectives to describe those years. New country, new language, new customs, enormous challenges, serious historical research, the mysteries of book publishing, becoming part of the community. Being ill and experiencing French health care. And travel! This is India, in a refuge run by Catholic nuns. We went on a tourist visit and to meet our sponsored ‘daughter’. But we were sussed out, and tourism played a minor part. At the beginning of the year of Catechism instruction children (French) had cut out hands, put their names on them and laid them on the altar steps. We captured them, and together with soft toys given by the children of our town we presented them on Christmas day. The giggles when a girl got a boy’s name! We had hoped to start a form of twinning, but it was too ambitious. The nuns spoke English (most of them) children hardly at all, and, of course, the owners of the hands were French. There is another picture, a four year old is trying to teach me how to put on a saree on a Barbie doll. We have, of course, had marvellous Christmases with friends and family, but nothing can match this with children who have nothing. Back to my everyday life.

I was very upset that my cleaning girl said my flat was dirty, she had no right to address me directly, complaints about residents should go the housekeeping organiser. I  saw her, she was shocked, and will change for another girl. This one was very rude, apparently she is rude to everybody. Then I began to notice – the cleaning ‘barrow; was outside a flat, if the resident was not there the girls were on their phones. It seems pretty evident that they spend part of their designated hour on the phone, then say the flats are in such a state an hour is not enough.

I have very old friends, a couple slightly younger than me. They have always been horrendously racist. BUT. She has had falls, serious Parkinsons. He has been awaiting a knee replacement for months. She needs care morning and evening. What a change of views! Many carers are African, she says hers have excellent English, know their job and really CARE. She is now reading about Africa, and their history.

On my studies of longevity I got some stats from United Nations. By 2080 people aged 65 and over will outnumber those under 18, The increase in population growth and longevity will ‘peak’ at the end of the century. Does that mean that my great-grandchildren, currently four 5 years and under, will be relatively young people, 80 at the end of the century? Projection two billion more people on the earth, how will they be housed, fed. Shortage of water is already causing alarm, with climate change a major factor. What scares or comforts you? 

The Gardener

A Moodscope member