I’ve been feeling perplexed.
Last week I was having a conversation with a colleague and she slipped in
‘you’re in your 40’s aren’t you?’
As it’s another few years before I even reach 40, let alone settle comfortably ‘in my 40’s’ I fought the urge to thump her and just smiled sweetly, wondering how haggard I’m looking these days. (Not that you look haggard in your 40’s you understand, it’s just a few years away and I am in denial about where in my 30’s I am!)
The next day I had to fill in some official forms with a bored man on the phone so he could then send them to someone I’ve met a couple of times. She emailed me as soon as she received them to tell me there had been a mistake.
‘what mistake?’ I asked
‘it says here you’re 37’
Gritting my teeth a little I said ‘if you say you thought I was in my 40’s, we will fall out’
‘No, no’ she said ‘you’re close to my age aren’t you?’
‘How old would that be?’ I asked as I did a few calculations based on what I knew about her.
‘22’!!!!
I swear, I would have kissed the girl if she’d been standing in front of me!
I was sitting on my back door step with a cup of coffee first thing this morning, pondering how it is that people can see the same thing so differently while I stared into space and I noticed this:
It’s been in my garden for about 5 years and it has always just been a rock. At a push, Norman Cat’s rock. But today I noticed it has a face. (Tell me you see it too, or I really have lost the plot).
I am still as perplexed as I was this morning – more so possibly. But I think I am going to make more of an effort to notice things (and when estimating anyone’s age, I’ll be knocking off a decade, just in case!) :o)
the pog blog 
I swear I looked at the thing and I can’t see it. At best, I see a nose and one eye on the left. Oy. 30-something and losing my imagination over here.
Maybe I have too much imagination! If you squint at it, the shadows form the other eye. Kind of! :o)
You look fantastic, fact. The stone has a face, fact. I sound like my 13 year old daughter, fact! Scarey how we all feel seventeen and think we look older than we are. X
ha ha! I like the found of your daughter if she talks as much sense as you. Fact ;o) x
ps: Thank you for the compliment – my first reply made it sound like I agreed, which I don’t – that would be very narcissistic and very un- British – but thank you! :o)
As I tried to explain, it was only because I remembered having a conversation about turning forty with someone who I thought was you, not that I actually thought you were in your forties. So it’s my memory that’s to blame! Which is a sign that I am definitely old compared to you. If I didn’t think we had already had that conversation there is no way I would have thought you were 40, I promise. Now I feel even more terrible that it made it to the blog…..
All forgiven Frances! Only nice people make it onto the blog :o)
I’ve cunningly started expressing my age on hexadecimal (because I am a massive geek). So my next birthday will be the big 28!
very clever…only I would have no idea how to do that. I did think i could try binary code and add all the ones, but I think that would have the wrong effect. I also wouldnt have a clue where to start! :o)
1=1
2=2 and so on until…
10=A
11=B
12=C
13=D
14=E
15=F
16=10
17=11
18=12
19=13
20=14
40, ahem, is 28. I think I’m looking pretty good, and I’ve already had my mid-life crisis (I decided to get it in early)
I’m glad that you’re enjoying your holiday! It looks fabulous!
oooh, I like it…that makes me 25 so i still have time to fit in all the things i forgot to back then!
Holiday is lovely thankyou..although a walk today in what turned out to be ovet 52 degrees was a bit melty!