This morning me and Chase (my youngest) had the pleasure of talking to the lovely residents of Marton court at the community centre in Whitby. I wanted to ask them for some tips and recipes for the blog and wasn't sure if I would get what I needed, but I came away with so much more! On arrival I was handed a Baileys, unfortunately I had to refuse as I was driving, it had been Nora's 87th birthday last week. What a happy woman with a radiant smile. There was Bob, Margaret, Margaret and Emily who was 95 and looking amazing.
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| From left to right Nora, Margaret and Bob. |
They all so kindly offered up plenty of stories, tips and recipes. I will try before posting, but I'm sure they'll taste yummy and they cost very little. It felt really good to sit and listen to them telling me tales of their childhoods and how they never had a lot but were always happy, never hungry or overweight. Telling me how they used to knit and make their own clothes from a very young age. How they could make soups and stews from boiled bones and very cheap cuts of meat. So why are children so different today? Imagine giving a child these days a sack of marbles or a spinning top and telling them to have hours of fun with it? Telling them they have to knit their own clothes, or that for Christmas they would receive an orange and a little toy and some nuts in a stocking? Can you imagine the reaction? Their faces? So what has changed? Why do a lot of children these days have a sense of entitlement, that they should get everything they want, but never seem happier for it when they have it. The one thing that everyone I spoke to had in common was, they all grew up with very little, but all said they were happy nonetheless. So what does it cost to be happy?...Nothing, or as Bob would say nowt!. In an age where technology has impacted severely on everyday life, children are becoming more isolated from their families sitting in front of screens rather than spending time with their siblings or friends. All the time becoming addicted to an on-line world where most games involve the same thing, tapping on a screen (and they would find marbles boring?!). A world where friends are on a screen and not outside. Children's speech has even been affected, due to lack of conversation. I'm not saying the internet is a bad thing, after all it helps people connect from far and wide and has the answers to most questions you could ask. How many of us prefer to sit typing to someone, instead of ringing them for a chat? How many face to face, not Facebook, conversations have you had recently? I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to these lovely people today and I will be doing it more frequently as there is so much we can learn from the older generation. Not only are they teaching me new things but they loved speaking to me and Chase so everybody was happy! I challenge you to a technology free day and see how much fun you can have together. I'm going to do the same and I will post how we get on I have to admit the thought of an internet free day does fill me with panic but I'm almost positive it will result in lots of fun!
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| From left to right Margaret, Emily and Nora |
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