Sadness and Happiness

I resolved to write more frequently in my last Blog entry, and that didn't happen. Recently, it seems, life has been quite busy.

My grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago, which was very distressing. The level of upset this caused surprised me. I'm not saying that the death of a loved one isn't always distressing, but, in my grandfather's case, his death was more of an imminent possibility than a vague inevitability. It wasn't as though it wasn't expected - he was suffering from advance stages of dementia, had given up eating, and had just come out of a prolonged stay in hospital. Nevertheless, the speed at which he declined and then passed away surprised us all as, physically at least, he seemed in good health.

What upset me most was the figurative drawing of a line under that generation. He was the sole remaining survivor of 7 brothers and sisters, all of whom are now gone, along with their spouses. And his passing also represents the end of my living grandparents, which is sad and scary as the people who now take place at the head of the line are much closer to home. Still, death doesn't necessarily happen in any chronological order or set pattern, but you get my drift.

One happy thing, however, is that after this period of sadness, P and I are heading off to the Caribbean on Saturday for a week long cruise. I'm sliiightly nervous that we will be the youngest couple on board, but I am assured that we won't be. We are really excited about it, and can't wait to be there. As a result of our impending trip, I am eye-deep in washing and ironing. I've also looked long and hard at my case, wondering how on earth I am going to fit everything in it, for a cruise brings with it such fashion dilemmas as 'formal evenings,' requiring cocktail dresses and ballgowns - very 'Titanic.' I can't help feeling that that side of things is a little bit, if not very, pretentious, but we'll give it a go in order to get an informed opinion about it. I don't think P has thought much further than the nine hour plane journey, as he has a phobia of flying, and a trans atlantic flight represents something from which his worst nightmares are formed. Still, with the lure of a once in a lifetime holiday and the opportunity for a bit of coral reef snorkelling, the carrot on this particular stick is enticing enough to get him aboard the flight.

I hope, once we return, that I will report back on our adventures, but you never know. I am not as much of a committed Blogger as I once was. These days I find it much easier to get into my writing, which is a good thing, but not so great on the Blog maintenance front.