It's 6am [Tuesday 21 April]. I'm just home from driving my last visitor to the morning ferry for her journey home to Glasgow.
For the last month and more I have had visitors. It's been wonderful. Fraser of my New Zealand family and his partner came and stayed for a while and for the last week, Sue, one of my oldest friends has been staying.
John and Sue came to the Island, as I did, in 1974 but they arrived a few months earlier. We became close friends almost immediately and we have been close friends ever since then although, sadly, John died in 2019. When John retired they moved to Glasgow to be nearer their children. My surviving son, on the other hand, is an Islander through and through and still lives here (although he's away at sea a lot - he's a chief engineer on super-yachts). Working at sea was - and to some extent is - typical of Islanders from here.
The first thing I discovered when I tried to blog this morning was that my absence from Blogland (I assume that was the reason) meant that I had to jump through hoops to get back into my blog. I even had to find my password which was rather frightening for a while.
Apart from having just become Treasurer of the Bowling Club almost my commitments are easing off. I have discovered that I'm not as young as I was although I am, I confess, surprised at how much energy I have lost now I'm in my 80s.
My parents were still walking up Blencathra in the English Lake District when they were in their late 80s and early 90s. In my early 80s I still frequently walk the three miles rounds the Castle Grounds but it's fairly flat and the 'usual' walk is just 3 miles.
I wrote the above on the date at the start of the post and then went out and when I came back I couldn't get into my blog. I've no idea what happened but it was a bit scary. All those years of blogging and all of a sudden......nothing. Until this evening when I tried a different platform and in I got: but I had to use my password. Thank heaven it was stored away somewhere.
So I shall post this whilst all is going well. Hopefully a more interesting post will follow soon.
It's good to see you back!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kylie.
DeleteAfter much blogging it can sometimes be a challenge to keep going. I do enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Red. That is very encouraging..
DeleteIt is good to hear that you have had friends stay. socialising is good for us oldies. Like you after 80 the energy is hard to maintain. Glad you could get back into your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane. It was a bit scary for a short while.
DeleteWelcome back Graham. We don't have too many visitors here, but we are already arranging visits in France for this Summer. People seem to be coming from all corners. Keep walking !
ReplyDeleteCro, I love having visitors and people do regard this as a holiday destination - particularly those from cities.
DeleteNo multi-tasking for you. Blog shut, tea on the go, meals, company, chatting. Why sign out of the blog? No need to. I haven't a clue what my password is, haven't signed out in years. Rachel
ReplyDeleteRachel, I didn't sign out of the blog. The platform shut down and basically just closed everything. I keep all my passwords in a 1Password, Passwords and, of course, the keychain but it was still a bit scary when it didn't open automatically. Perhaps I over emphasised the moment.
DeleteGood to hear from you again, Graham ... and to discover that your absence was due to pleasant circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI find that I can only access my blog if I am using Chrome. Any other browser won't let me in.
JayCee, I've long since given up wondering why these things happen and just hope I find solutions.
DeleteYou've had a pleasant time with friends - there's nothing better.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Jabblog, indeed!
DeleteI am glad to see a post from you, Graham. I was worried you were having medical issues but having visitors is much more fun! Hopefully, your blog will cooperate with you and let you keep posting as I do enjoy your posts! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen. Fortunately my medical issues are not impinging on my blogging yet.
DeleteGlad to know you've been having a good time with old friends! The experience of finding oneself seemingly locked out of one's blog is scary - I seem to recall it's happened to me a couple of times in connection with major browser updates, or buying new devices etc. (Even more scary that now I can't quite remember neither exactly what caused it or how I solved it. I think I had to add an extra email account but exactly how or where I'm not sure!)
ReplyDeleteMonica, you've mad me realise that I must make a separate note of my passwords. At the moment they are stored inan app called 1Password which I have used since it started as a tiny app many moons ago and has now grown into a huge operation.
DeleteGood to see you back- I have been going through a few things lately and enjoying all your lovely cards from them;ast few years that I have saved … happy memories! As my retirement seems likely here soon, I’m aware that I have potentially missed the go-go years but lots still to do and your post NZ lifestyle reminds me of this.
ReplyDeleteFi, I think of you and my visits to Christchurch, quite often. Good times. It would be brilliant if you came to the Hebrides!
DeleteWelcome back to the blogosphere, Graham! You were absent for the best of reasons. As for your trouble in accessing your blog, it sometimes happens to me too although like Rachel I never actively sign out. I mosrly access my blog from three different devices and it mostly happens with only one of them; sometimes it may be down to the browser settings on that device, but sometimes I guess it‘s the platform itself that makes things difficult for us, perhaps after an update.
ReplyDeleteMeike, thank you. As I said above, I didn't actively sign out; the platform closed down and all the apps with it. Anyway hopefully it won't happen again. My little brain is getting too old to cope with such things these days.
DeleteWelcome back! I saw a joke that hit awfully close to home: a hacker contacted me to say he had all my passwords. I messaged back to say 'OMG! Great! What are they?'
ReplyDeleteThat gave me a good laugh - despite the fact that I'd be crying if it was really applicable to me.
Delete