A Catch Up With Auntie Gladys


The wind can roar up the valley from the West with terrific force.Our little group of five houses are located at perhaps the lowest and most sheltered part of Trelawnyd whereas the dwellings up High Street and beyond face the full force of the elements.
This morning the only person out in the gales was Auntie Glad. I caught her battling her way to church and managed to stop her along London Road to remind her that the service was in Dyserth today. She was annoyed that she had forgotten.
I have not seen Gladys for several weeks, so after taking the dogs home I called around with a few mince pies wrapped in foil and she reminded me as soon as I arrived that I was late booking a Flower Show Committee meeting . " We need to crack on" she chided me gently.

We  can all learn a great deal from people like Gladys. She is a woman who takes joy from simple things. The table around which we sat was spotlessly clean as was every small red tile on the kitchen floor. A pork chop , roast potatos and veg smelled lovely from the aga's warming oven and although she probably couldn't see them clearly, a small bunch of flowers sat cheerfully on the windowsill.
It is a kitchen I remember from my early childhood. It is a grandmother's kitchen.

We chatted for a while.
We booked the committee meeting and she told me of her forthcoming holiday to Llandudno for a five day " turkey and tinsel " break.
She complemented The Prof on his powerful readings in Church and she told me about her grandson's new home " somewhere near London" but most of the conversation was centred about our news and our lives.
It's that "interested"  nature that keeps her so vital.

She posed for an official Flower Show Committee photo which will take centre place in the publicity posters of Next Year's Show whilst telling me of some friend's invitation to have her visit over Christmas.
" They insisted that I go" she laughed, " They really want me to be there" and as she smiled and clapped her hands at the prospect, I didn't doubt that fact for an instant.



53 comments:

  1. Treasure the people, and the times like this.

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  2. Such a beautiful lady, from your lovely word portraits of her it seems that she radiates joy and kindness from every pore.

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  3. Please send best wishes from France. She's a real trooper!

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  4. Anonymous1:21 pm

    Oh, to have had a nan like Auntie Glad, instead I got one who was always made up, dressed impeccably, and in the main, ignoring her family! That my mum and her siblings grew up to be 'normal' loving adults was purely my grandad's doing!

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  5. She is a real treasure.

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  6. I'm glad she's doing well. Everyone should consider themselves lucky to have the privilege and honor of knowing someone like Auntie Glad. Like my 90 year old Aunts, they are rare, true gems and treasures!

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  7. You are both generous with your time, kindness and spirit. x

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  8. Aunt Gladys is both a treasure and a marvellous advertisement for old age. Over the years you have frequently alluded to her dignity, her independence, her decency and her feisty spirit. It is such a pity that her eyesight is now failing. Next time you see her please give her a big Yorkshire hug from me.

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  9. A light and precious person, to be loved and cherished. there arent many left like Aunty Glad.

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  10. She sounds a remarkable lady John. Most villages have an Aunt Gladys if they are lucky.

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  11. I love hearing about Aunty Glad! Please tell her she has a fan 3000 miles away who would love to sit in her cozy kitchen and chat with her. And then give her a big hug for me, too. ♡

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  12. Does she have family close by John? How lovely she is......my grandmother was nothing at all like her.

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  13. Anonymous2:57 pm

    What a lovely lady she is. Life is richer for folks like that.

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  14. She seems to be sharper than I am ... and there are a few years difference ..

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  15. You are so fortunate to know Aunty Gladys. I love reading about her because it gives me hope that not all elderly people succumb to dementia or alzheimers, two things that I have had quite enough of lately. Thank you so much for writing a post about her. It really is exactly what I needed. -Jenn

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  16. I truly fell in love with your blog when I read your descriptions and accounts of this beautiful lady.
    Thank you for sharing her with so many.

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  17. Aunty Gladys is a remarkable lady and serves as an inspiration to us all!

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  18. May the Goddess bless Auntie Glad!

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  19. Aunty Gladys is more beautiful every time I see her. I know her heart is good.

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  20. What a marvelous lady. I hope I can age half as well as she has. Your visits are a gift to both of you.

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  21. THANK YOU for posting this visit! I wish I could meet auntie glad in person; she is an inspiration for us all! please give her a hug from the blogisphere next time you meet.

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  22. I so want to be an old woman like that (apart from the spotless floor bit, that ain't happening). I've been practising looking on the bright side for years, in the hope that I'll remember that when I've forgotten everything else.

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  23. Gorgeous Aunty Glad I think we can all learn a lot from her fantastic attitude to life x

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  24. People like her are the jewels of our society. Walks to church in a gale, makes an effort to cook a proper meal on Sunday even though its just the one, everything spic and span. I bet she never goes to bed feeling like shes wasted away the day. You paint such an insightful picture of her and her way of life.

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  25. Auntie Gladys has that inner beauty that is timeless.

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  26. Aunty Glad is one classy lady.
    Her love for life is contagious, she reminds me of my gran too they were cut from a different cloth than our generation, more earthy and 'keep calm and carry-on' mentality.
    Wouldn't it be grand if we could all be like aunty Glad.
    Bless her.
    ~Jo

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  27. Thank you for looking out for Aunty Gladys xxx

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  28. The world needs more Auntie Gladys.

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  29. It's clear to see whenever you write about Aunty Gladys, how fond you are of her. It's so wonderful to have someone of that generation in your life - people who remember a simpler time and don't now bother with all the commotion of these hectic and sometimes confusing times. She keeps us all "centered" as they say.

    She reminds me very, very much of my own Grandma who I would give precious to have her back for a little chat. Thanks for sharing Aunty Gladys with all of us.

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  30. I think she's lovely.

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  31. I wish I had an Auntie Glad ......

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  32. From someone who is quickly approaching Auntie Gladys' age, may I say 'thank you' for your visit to her. It's a blessing, all way 'round, when folks check on each other, making sure all is well, catching up. My Mother's name is Gladys so every time you write about 'your' Gladys, I think of all the likenesses. There are a bundle of Grans and Aunties left but not everyone makes the decision to slow down and appreciate them.

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  33. When I'm as old as that, I hope I'll still be energetic enough to be saying "we need to crack on" rather than collapsing exhausted on the sofa.

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    1. that makes me worry - I am already collapsing on the sofa ..

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  34. Thank you for sharing your Auntie Gladys. An amazing, gentle soul.

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  35. Auntie Glad is a treasure. How lucky you are to have her as your friend and what a lucky village to have her in it....

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  36. Does Auntie Gladys know how popular she is? I don't have any aunties anymore so I would like to be one of Auntie Gladys' "web" family x

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  37. I'm glad to hear she is keeping well, well enough to be lighting a fire under the "youngsters" to get things done :)

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  38. Lovely, inside and out. I also admire her beautifully coiffed hair. I tell friends I refuse to go gray, I choose to go silver instead. Ladies like Auntie Glad are my inspiration.

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  39. I think Auntie Glad said it best with the statement, "We need to crack on." Don't we all?

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  40. Auntie Gladys, good to see a post on how she is. She is marvelous for sure! I think I could sit and chat with her for hours. :O)

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  41. What a lovely "Look in" on the goings on in the village and visit with Auntie Glad!

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  42. Bless her dear, dear heart...

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  43. Oh John, I just loved this post. It was like a warm day in January.

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  44. Greetings, Auntie Glad.

    Love,
    Janie

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  45. and a stupid spammer finds the way here

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  46. She's a lovely lady, every village should have at least one Auntie Gladys.

    I'm glad you stopped her before she battled all the way to an empty church, she's a brave soul being out in this weather that's for sure.

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  47. everyone should have an aunt gladys.

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  48. Such an inspiration (and a joy). I didn't have grandparents like that. And my mother is sadly losing that "interested" nature.

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  49. Oh I want to adopt Auntie Gladys. You two have a warm bond. I do visit a 93 year old lady who still lives in her home, and she thinks I am young, bless her heart.

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