My mother is 60 and my father is 70 and I've come to stay for a few days. They live in some unbearably quaint old town. My mother is probably going to stay here 5 more years to make sure she gets the best pension package which I can't blame her for.
But we spent most our lives in working class, lively places full of life. And now they're living in some awful, dank, safe quiet town that's almost always under a cloud. It's in a valley. They're becoming risk averse. When I arrived my mother was frighteningly happy to see me. It's all too much. I broke down and cried for a minute which at least made me feel a little better.
The good news is eventually they'll retire in Southport which has a good climate and is by the sea and flat. Where they are in the middle of Wales is too hilly, my dad has heart problems and often gets out of breath. The people in the town are too middle class and rural, too stuffy. They're going to get so bored here. I can tell being here is making them less interesting, they're losing many social skills and becoming too uptight.
Anyway, there's always hope. And I just wanted some other people to know about this. A few comforting words wouldn't go amiss.
20 Feb 2009, 2:16 pm
