oldtimers dying off
Entry posted by ling_dtua_khaao ·
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Sheesh, what's happening at TF?
tammy_kawaii, paulcollins, seamistblue, csxxxxxx (sorry Craig I forget the digits)... all gone. The girls probably tired of so many wankers pointlessly hitting on them, instead of actually trying to be friends and nothing more.
Or maybe everyone got sick of all the creationist bullshit filling the forums.
Or maybe they ran off to join Scientology.
Everyone undoubtedly sick of backstabbing bitchery and evil rumours started up by losers, both male and female, with nothing better to do. Weird, it's just a website, but some people take it oh-so-seriously. Jealousy, nastiness.
Anyway, the four people I've mentioned, who no longer have profiles here (at least for the moment), were all good, sensible people in their own ways, and most importantly, contributed positively to TF as an online community. So they will be missed. And there must be something wrong if all of them left within a short period of time.
I was just in Scotland, in Aberdeen, since Aug. 19, back very early this morning. My uncle died. I was sad at first, I wanted to see him again, and possibly bring my son to meet him next summer. But, after a little reflection, I was not sad anymore. My uncle Jimmy lived a long healthy and interesting life. He was 91, and had always been in pretty good health, except for a little high blood pressure and hardening of arteries which is pretty much standard among elderly Scots. Even the day he died he had been out for a good lunch at his favourite pub, done his usual walking and chatting with neighbours, spent his usual 30 minutes pedalling his old exercise bike, talked to his niece in England, and then -- click -- he just died of a heart attack that night, like switching off a light.
He would have hated having to go into an old folks' home or living out the end of his days in a hospital. This was the best way to meet the inevitable, for him, and for pretty much anyone.
The funeral was packed. The man had had such an active life, and loved being with people. He and his wife, my aunt, ran the Newton Arms pub in Newtonhill (just outside Aberdeen) for 20 years, from 1957 to 1977. Many folks who remembered their publican from back then came to the funeral. He started up karate in his 50s and became 3rd Dan in 1986, at the age of 72. Several people from the karate club were at the funeral too.
There were plenty of neighbours and family. There were even a couple of guys who had been in the Merchant Navy with my uncle, who sailed for many years before, during and after World War II, on ships all over the world. He sailed for a long time on ships owned by the New Zealand Steamship line, and loved New Zealand, but Scotland was always his home.
Finally there was a court official, and a fellow court watcher, from Aberdeen's courts, where Jimmy would often pass the time once he was retired, watching interesting cases.
Jimmy had been retired ever since 1977 when he and Ann, my aunt, sold the pub. They bought a place very centrally in Aberdeen, on Osborne Place, and that's where I first met them in 1991, when my uncle was 77. I arrived with my bicycle at the end of an 18 month trip in Asia and Europe, partly by bicycle. He was very active, walking all over the city with me, down to the seashore and Fittee, every place. He developed some trouble with circulation in his leg as he got older, but it would never stop him. His leg would cramp up as he was walking, but he'd just pause for a rest to let it pass, and then he'd be off again. He'd tell me a lot of old sea stories, very interesting. He took a quick liking to me, as someone who had also done a lot of travelling, rough travel, all around the world. He'd always ask me how my bicycle was doing.
Ann died in 1999, and that was very sad for all of us, though she also passed quietly, quickly and without ill health. It was a big adjustment for Jimmy, they had been married for 40 years. You could see how much they loved one another. But Jimmy just kept on going, and we all pitched in to teach him how to cook! He ate very healthily, good solid Scottish food but not too greasy, not too much fried and not full of fast food and junk food.
He kept his mind sharp until the end.
I hope I can be as active and healthy, mentally and physically, at his age as he was.
I will sorely miss my uncle Jimmy, who together with Ann was so hospitable, down-to-earth, never pretentious and altogether very likable. The attendance at his funeral shows I'm not the only one who felt that way.
Cheers Jimmy, and thanks for thinking of me.
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