Strangers on a train

Before I ventured to Bodnant Gardens 
Mary and I visited the Horizon Cafe on Colwyn Bay’s Promenade.
You still cannot sit on the outside tables there, but the cafe does the best brewed coffee and so I treated myself to a grande and Mary to a single sausage .
We sat on the raised flower beds and watched the sea.
The woman with the Welsh Terrier stopped. 
I had met her before several times and she commented how neat Mary looked.
Her Bertie looked scruffy and unkept and remained uninterested in Mary as he always seemed to be
The woman stopped intent on talking.
She wore a straw hat and dungarees and looked around sixty
I wasn’t bothered one way or another .
The conversation flowed immediately to lockdown. 
The woman asked if I was furloughed and I told her where I worked.
She had lost her job in a solicitors office last year, she told me but didn’t miss it
She also asked if there were many men working as nurses at the hospice as she presumed it was more a mature woman’s role.
Back to the nun’s perception of palliative care I thought and said so
But she was right , like primary school teaching ,palliative care seems less populated by male workers.
She asked a lot of questions and instead of fending them off, I found that I was answering them
How long had I been working at the hospice?
What made me pick it?
Why had I gone back to work after retiring?
She was relentless
But I answered her questions as if she was working for the gestapo 
There is something very flattering about someone being interested in you and when I said I was divorced 
She shared the fact that she had left her husband the day after she lost her job.

“I think you and I are like Anne Elliot from Persuasion” she said with a laugh before she moved on with the scruffy Bertie in tow
We are late To Bloom,” 


78 comments:

  1. You obviously have a friendly face, which is why she stopped to chat. I'm sure she benefited from the encounter. A bit of human contact. What many are missing. xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I came here to say the same thing as hooker. Yes. We all are craving human contact. It seems as if she asked her questions out of a genuine curiosity. Your answers must have given her something to consider as she and Bertie walked on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s very flattering when someone is genuine guy interested in you. I was flattered too

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11:42 am

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, that was a curious interaction. I loved how you described her as wearing a straw hat and dungarees. Funny how words get me sometimes. And it's fun sometimes to talk about ourselves. After all, that's one of the reasons we blog...

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course you are right
      There is a bit of meme ( mimi) in all of us bloggers x

      Delete
  5. Interesting that she left her husband after losing her job. I guess she started thinking of her future and thought "You know what, I don't need this guy any more".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The lockdown like wartime changed a lot of minds about a lot of things me thinks

      Delete
  6. In normal times, people only seem to be interested in talking about themselves, but things have changed through lack of contact. We need to get out of ourselves now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s a lesson that maybe needed to be learned
      I suspect we will look back on the past year with some affection in the years to come

      Delete
  7. Like ships passing in the night and then a brief interlude. A pleasant interaction although a bit intense with the 3rd degree questioning...we are all out of practice. A cup of well brewed coffee is always enjoyed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can do with the intensity , usually it’s me asking the questions

      Delete
  8. I've only knows you post divorce but I suspect she was correct. Over those few years I have definitely seen you blossom on what can have seemed by you at times as poor infertile ground. Late to bloom, but what a show x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that, Mavis!

      Delete
    2. Thank you mave...that was very sweet of you

      Delete
  9. It's amazing how much two people can learn about each other in just a few minutes sometimes. I sort of love that type of encounter. I ponder them for days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’ve had to look up Anne Elliot
      She was considered a later bloomer at 27

      Delete
  10. Barbara Anne1:59 pm

    A delicious coffee, the sea, and Mary! What a perfect way to start a day moves on to the lovely Bognant Gardens. Interesting that your acquaintance with the scruffy Welsh Terrier had so many questions for you. Don't you wonder if those questions have been whirling about in her head since your last meeting?
    I agree with hooker that you have a kind face and you also have smiling eyes.

    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny , the. Very few times I’ve been chatted up over the years a common theme is how kind my eyes are ....
      I guess that’s better than nothing

      Delete
    2. Barbara Anne5:01 pm

      As eye are often said to be windows of the soul, you obviously have a kind soul, too. You're a treasure inside and out!

      Hugs!

      Delete
  11. Yeah, she gave you the Third Degree!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think the lady thought she had found a like minded soul and needed to just tick a few more boxes out of curiosity-I think she decided she was fond of you-and wishes you well x

    ReplyDelete
  13. Visiting with others has become more special since we have been stuck home alone for so long! Glad you got along with her!

    ReplyDelete
  14. John I have always secretly thought that your Bloom is yet to come - now my thoughts are out in the open.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh pat , you are and always have been my biggest supporter thank you

      Delete
  15. If you just said you are "divorced" she is probably after you as her possible new husband mate. Still, never say never eh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No I have all the gay vibes , including the word my. Husband lol

      Delete
    2. Never say never, late bloomer...

      Delete
  16. I don't know you outside of your blog, but from my perspective, you seem to be more YOURSELF, warts and all, post divorce. I've been there and done that myself. In a relationship we tend to bend and mold to our partners. Hey, sounds like you have made a new friend for walkies...just that, nothing more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I’m true to myself . Yesterday’s conflict was a bit about that standing up for oneself

      Delete
  17. If the time was right, maybe Bertie might be interested in Mary...and his haircut would be irrelevant to any future puppies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I already asked, he’s had the snip

      Delete
  18. What does she think she will flower into at 60? The lockdown probably gave her a reality check she should had thirty years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps you are right

      Delete
    2. I know people who are blooming more brightly at 80 than some 40 year olds.

      Delete
  19. Welsh Terriers are a rare sight down here in Herts. I suspect they are more popular (and quite rightly) across the border. I once enlarged a very ancient photo of my Welsh g-g-grandmother and underneath her chair there was the familiar form of a Welshie. I felt a connection across the years.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a conversation! It's funny how some people are so easy about asking questions. Maybe she was a reporter in a previous life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or...maybe she was... "Anonymous"?! I feel an intriguing novel stirring in me...

      Delete
    2. Oh lord have I just met my troll?

      Delete
    3. She sounds too nice to be your troll. Also, she was interested in you, whereas the troll is only interested in him/herself! xx

      Delete
    4. That is how many trolls work - nice as ninepence initially, then the darkness gradually begins, and deepens...

      Delete
    5. I am an expert in trolls x

      Delete
  21. This has nothing to do with this post, but just wanted to leave this link, I think you will enjoy listening to this guy in Iowa tell his stories, he loves dogs, and growing things. https://www.youtube.com/user/Praxxus55712/playlists

    -- Kathy in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
  22. What if the tables had been turned and you ... John ... were the one asking the Dungaree Lady a bunch of questions? Would you be accused of giving her the 3rd Degree or simply just curious and asking questions because it's just great to be able to have an open chat with someone ... even a stranger with a scruffy pup!!
    Not knowing anything ... I think she just wanted someone to chat with for a bit! No ulterior motive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm very.nosey Marcia
      I.generally.ask A LOT of questions

      Delete
    2. I'm.sure u are rigjy

      Delete
    3. You been overdosing on the gin John. Am I "rigiy"?

      Delete
    4. "Rigjy" ... sorry, I don't understand Welsh! LOL

      Delete
  23. Sometimes it can be easier to talk with strangers. It sounds like a lovely conversation as long as she wasn't pushy about things. And there is nothing wrong with being a late bloomer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course you are right .....you can open your heart to a stranger....
      And I did about my marriage

      Delete
  24. I spoke to'the captain'dog walking today who told me his charlie hadn't been too chipper but since Spring he was much brighter x

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a lovey post, having a dog is an easy conversation starter usually about the dog and seeing if it flows from there. Being a late bloomer is a complement I think being able to move on and shed unwanted baggage that drags you down and finding what makes you happy is a good thing I think a lot of people during Covid have found other other ways to entertain themselves and be more creative with their time a wake up call I think for many.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Covid has taught us all to value a conversation out of the blue x

      Delete
  26. Someone a bit lonely and wanted a chat. Not much unusual in that. I do it all the time, Covid or no Covid

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Covid means we all do it more xx come to wales x

      Delete
  27. Some of us talk too much about our self, other ask lots of questions of the other person, someday I will learn to balance the two. You are blooming brightly,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good manners means gentle questions

      Delete
  28. I think people just want to visit and talk with another person. What better person than you and sweet Mary ! When I was waiting for my 15 minutes to be over and 2 ladies and I were were talking like old friends and had a lovely chat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I left out after my 2nd shot....

      Delete
    2. That contact is so important x

      Delete
  29. I can't tell iif you enjoyed the exchange with the nosy woman or if you felt uncomfortable w her intrusiveness? I think many of us will need to brush up our social skills after being isolated for so long. Maybe next time give her your [Mary's] groomer's number?

    ReplyDelete
  30. My 95-year-old auntie said she started living for herself after she was widowed at 70, and had some of the best years of her life after that.
    Here's hoping... !

    ReplyDelete
  31. That was a particularly lovely post. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I like people who instinctively chat. If I enter a restaurant and see one person alone at a table, I will always ask them if they'd mind if I joined them. One meets some interesting people that way. I'm sure that's how your dungaree-wearing lady felt about you.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Easter Greetings to you and yours John, hope you have a happy day on Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  34. People are needing to talk and interact. I'm glad you spent time with the woman. I walked back to the village when nearly home with a neighbour who wanted to post a letter and asked me to join her walking there. I was glad to.
    Sometimes questions can sound like interrogation but it's just a way of prolonging the conversation. X

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'll have to read Persuasion now!

    ReplyDelete
  36. That conversation probably done her (and you) the World of good! It is nice to be relevant. x

    ReplyDelete
  37. That is what I'm going to call myself from now on: late to bloom! Nice to talk w/someone. So, so lonely when you're on your own. (At least for me.)

    ReplyDelete
  38. I thought it was nice that the lady wanted to strike up a conversation. Maybe it has been so long that she has had a chance to speak to anyone in person that she was a bit awkward with asking so many questions. She probably just wanted the pleasant conversation to continue. You probably made her week.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I just experience the wonders of Dr. Twaha herbs. God will continue to bless you Dr. Twah more abundantly for the good work you are doing in peoples life by curing them from different type of diseases. I will keep on testifying about your good work. I was living with Herpes 6 months ago and my doctor told me that there is no cure. I did not believe him and i keep my faith up hoping that one day i will be cured from this horrible disease. One day i saw a post on diabetes forum about a herbal doctor called Dr. Twaha on how he cure people from diseases with his root and herbs and i quickly contact Dr. Twaha  on his email and explain my problem to him and he told me not to worry that he is going to cure me and truly he prepared the herbal medicine and send it to me through UPS courier  delivery service and gave me instructions on how to take it. After 14 days of taking  the herbal medicine , i went to my doctor for checkup and my herpes result show Negative and my doctor told me that there is no trace of herpes  in my body and the herpes  is completely gone You can also be cured from any type of diseases by contacting Dr. Twaha on his email: drlregbeyen10000@gmail.com or WhatsApp him on +2349038518881 God bless you

    ReplyDelete

I love all comments Except abusive ones from arseholes