Living alone my friends are very important to me. I have various kinds:
Dear, special friends who live near, who visit regularly, who sit and chat and make the days go by, often at a cracking pace if two or three call on the same day. Because I have had carers morning and evening for the past four years I count my carers in this category. J, the one who has been coming the longest, is very dear to me - almost like the daughter I never had. W, an evening carer who live very near, is in hospital at present having a very major operation. The morning after she had it she texted me at 6am (she knows I get up then) to say the op had gone well and she was out of 'recovery' and back on the ward. She knew I would be worrying about her.
Telephone friends - one an old infant school friend - phones every couple of weeks and we have a long chat. Others who visit when they can but live too far away to see every week or fortnight.
And of course there are all of you. One or two I have met - Sue in Suffolk, Margaret (who no long blogs but we communicate on facebook - me from North Yorkshire, Margaret from the San Juan Islands off the coast by Seattle,) Elizabeth who also no longer blogs but uses Facebook - we met in New York when she kindly showed us round for the morning. Others who live fairly near but we have never got to meet - folk like Thelma who lived on the North York Moors, Gerry who lives on the edge of the Lakes. It certainly stimulates the imagination chatting all over the world doesn't it? Talk about widening one's horizons.
I wonder if we were to meet whether we would be like we are 'in the flesh' so to speak or whether we would all get a shock when we met face to face!
Now I have a new virtual friend. I was hoping to show him to you by copying and pasting him. With that in mind my son took photographs of him yesterday but sadly my copying and pasting is saying 'no'. So I shall have to tell you about him.
I only have his head and it sits in a little box 11cms by 16cms and he is made of wood mainly. He is made by the London artist Natalie d'Arbeloff. He is now on my wall alongside the two pencil drawings of heads I have had for many years. He has a 'bubble' coming out of his mouth saying 'ASK ME SOMETHING. ANYTHING.'
Already - since I received him by post on Saturday morning - it feels like an extra person in the house. I know that sounds daft but those of you who live alone will see things in a different light. No - I am not going daft but he is a real personality, I suppose a similar feeling to having a pet (although they are much more 'in your face' and a very much more real presence.) But I am happy to add him to my list of friends - virtual and real. I don't intend to hold a conversation with him, but I shall certainly throw any thoughts I wish to ponder on his way. You never know - perhaps he will throw a few thoughts back my way. I am calling him Diego after Diego Revera, the husband of Frida Khalo, the Mexican artist. 'My' Diego sends his regards by the way.
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23 comments:
I met Rivera's mistress Marevna when I worked in London. We got on very well together and she invited me to Mexico. I didn't go!
It is lovely to meet blogfriends in person, and I'm glad you have lots of "pop-in" friends. Say hi to Diego for me!!
There is a lot of Frida Khalo prints round this house, her dark eyes follow you everywhere!
Rivera is one of my favourite artists and Mexico City one of my favourite cities. I have been there many times.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/latin-america-modernism/mexican/v/rivera-sugar-cane
Have you read The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver? It is about Rivera, Kahlo, Trotsky and the man who mixed the plaster for Rivera. Great book.
How did you discover Natalie Arbeloff? I am intrigued. I like her work.
You definitely are a "people person" and have a lovely group of friends. Friends are important. I've always believed people need people. Does Diego have some built-om AI capabilities allowing him to converse? I understand these are the new and upcoming toys.
Friends and family really keep us going. I'm glad you have so many. I always refer to the bloggers I read as my "blog friends" because that is how I feel about all of you.
Pat, I am intrigued at your frequent long chats on the phone. From what I understood in previous posts of yours, you said that because of your hearing aids, it is difficult to hold a conversation on the phone. Do you adopt any special measures when you get ready for the regular chats with your friend?
Again, like in my comment to your previous post, I must say that you are so like my Mum in that way. She, too, is herself a very good friend, and her friends return the friendship. Some of her friendships go back to her own kindergarden days.
She does not have daily visits by carers, but a good friend lives downstairs in the same house (it is a large house with 12 flats, not a high rise but large-ish).
This friend has been of immense help when my Dad was still alive.
What no doubt you notice in your circle of friends, too, is that they are all getting on in years, and many are not as mobile and fit as they used to be, and therefore get to see each other less often.
Diego sounds like quite the addition to your home. Good to hear that you are not planning on having conversations with him, but it you were to, who would be the wiser? Looks as though you have hundreds of blogger friends throughout the world to keep up on as well!
Just as a side note, did you know that Natalie d'arbeloff is a blogger too? She seems a merry soul, not too different from you!
Newnatalie.blogspot.com
Friends near and far are the sprinkles on the cookie of life!
Happily, Diego doesn't need food or going outside for a wee. :)
Hugs!
You are so perceptive and you are certainly one of my friends although I don’t expect I’ll get to meet you as I don’t travel now and I’m otherside of the pond. Yes, we who live alone will always see life from a little different perspective. Have a beautiful day with your friends.
Best wishes to Diego, I hope he is settling in happily. I don't get as many callers as you do, so as I go about my daily chores I tend to speak to my flat mates: a teddy bear my husband bought me years ago, a toy rabbit (a gift from my daughter-in-law) and a soft toy St.Bernard puppy, another gift. These live in my bedroom. I also have the most lifelike ginger kitten ornament which sits on a cushion in the living room, so I have plenty of company until the real visitors have time to pop in. I remember seeing the kitten at a garden centre and told myself firmly not to be silly when I thought of buying it. However, ten minutes before we were due to leave I gave in and it came home with me. Several visitors have been caught out by it's realistic appearance.
You and I share the same outlook on so many topics, but I have a feeling that you are more sensible than I am, especially reading through this comment!!
You have to be a friend to have friends. You certainly fit the category of being friendly. Some people need to be with others.
Librarian - I hear very much better on my mobile - holding a conversation on my landline is no good as I struggle to hear.
Susan - no. He is the silent listener to every conversation but he is a thinker.
Rachel - she is a friend of my son.
Cro - wonder hw your life would have turned out had you gone.
I am still trying to find a way to put Diego on to my post to introduce him to you all.
Thank you everyone.
So happy you have a new 'friend' in your home, WoG. I hope your copy and paste feature cooperates soon so we can all enjoy a pic of Diego. I am not an artist myself, but I love art and have a satisfying collection of original pieces that I have acquired over a number of years. Equally satisfying is becoming friends with many of the artists. Only yesterday I visited my talented framer friend (who is also an artist) with a new piece from an artist I stumbled across online who lives in New Hampshire. It's a beautiful etching of a snow scene at night, the focal point of which is a large tree backlit by a full moon, casting shadows of every branch on the new-fallen snow. The piece is then hand-tinted. You feel you are really there, in the scene--without setting a foot outdoors. It feels magical, and my framer friend will now work her magic matting and framing the piece to perfection. I love being part of that process: she and I work together to choose the perfect mats and frame while (whilst!) chatting and catching up. Now the anticipation of the finished piece finding its rightful place of honor in our little cottage... Such fun!
JacquNie - the waiting just increases the excitement doesn't it.
Thank you all for your contributions.
How intriguing! I expect if we met in person we would be quite strangers to each other, as our ways of life are very different, and my casual American ways might not meet your approval! Even though my mother was English, I found that i was not as comfortable in England as i thought i would be. For one thing, I often talk to strangers and enjoy conversations with them, something that seemed to surprise my cousins. But I happily follow and enjoy your blog.
And friends, yes, I am fortunate to have many, both near to home and scattered over the world. Since most of my family is over 5 hours away, it is good to have good friends close by.
Pat, I'm so happy that we are now virtual friends, thanks to your son Dominic (who is also my Facebook friend) and now 'Diego' my little wooden creation is happily hanging in your home! I'll try to post a photo of him here so that your friends can see him. I'm looking forward to reading your blog regularly, I love your attention to details of everyday life and the header photo of your surroundings is stunning. Very best wishes.
/Users/nataliedarbeloff_1/Desktop/ask-me-1-NdA.jpg
ask-me-1-NdA.jpg
I haven't yet succeeded in copy-pasting a photo of 'Diego' here but maybe that's because I haven't looked after my own blogspot blog for quite a while. I've just posted the photo there now, maybe you'll be able to copy it from there?
newnatalie.blogspot.com
I don't know why but I haven't yet been able to copy/paste the photo of 'Diego' here. The title of the little construction I made is actually 'Ask Me Something' but has become Diego since entering Pat's home. A photo of him is currently on my own blogspot blog, here is the link, in case you can manage to copy the photo in a comment over here:
https://newnatalie.blogspot.com/
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