Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: floo on November 22, 2017, 09:13:10 AM
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deleted
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OK, Floo. Here goes.
I was born during WW2 into a working class Roman Catholic family in Nottingham. After the war we moved to Lincolnshire. I was named after a footballer who had ceased playing before my father was born. I have no interest in football and have always resented my name (which has - on occasion -been used to mock me).
In contrast to my family I was a bookish child who loved music of all genres. I was not given an early opportunity to develop musical skills. When I did start piano lessons I was already at the grammar school and pressures on my time meant that the music lessons had to stop. I did, however, sing in choirs.
The cultural consequences of puberty caused me problems. Apart from my mother, we were an all male family (I had younger brothers) and I knew nothing about sex. I learned the “facts of life” in discussions in the patrol tent after lights out whilst at a scout camp in Cheshire. Nothing untoward occurred but there was a large pond nearby where an angler spent (what seemed to be) many hours playing with his exposed erection (much to the fascination of my fellow scouts and I). About a year later I was befriended by an adult man who eventually took a hebephilic interest in me.
He went to prison.
My relationship with my father deteriorated – my lack of interest in sport, my love of music and my adolescent experience had convinced him that I was “not normal”. This, my lack of close female relatives, the fact that I went to a boys’ grammar school and the rantings from the pulpit about “purity” meant that I knew nothing about girls. My early attempts at close friendships were disastrous.
I left school after O-level. It was expected that I contributed to family income, but I didn’t like school anyway. Eventually I left my home town for London and employment with the Ford Motor Company, which was not particularly enjoyable.
After a while (and some study) I found employment with a very well known international transportation company. I was thrilled to get this job. What I was not aware of, however, was that this company was being torn apart by managerial incompetence and would, in a few years, collapse.
I met a young woman, two weeks later asked her to be my bride, and nine months later married her. Our children were born some years later.
She supported me when I went to university. I expected that I would struggle against school leavers with A-levels (recalling the awe in which departing students had been held when I had been at school). I couldn’t have been more wrong. They were the ones who found the experience difficult whereas I had acquired a number of social and life skills which enabled me to thrive in an environment where, for the first time, I was valued for who and what I was.
I remained in academia for the rest of my working life, teaching in an institution which progressed (with no help from me) from FE college to HE college to university. As well as living in the West Midlands my wife and had a home in France.
I retired from a career I loved to be with my wonderful wife who had been diagnosed with cancer. Some years after her death, I had a lovely relationship with another woman. She, too, died from cancer.
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HH
thanks for sharing, your last sentence floored me
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HH
thanks for sharing, your last sentence floored me
Seconded.
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Me too. :(
<man hug> HH
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Me too. :(
<man hug> HH
not many takers on this thread.
I'd rather read other peoples' stories than for them to read mine.
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I am sure your life experience would be interesting.
Floo, you're not going to tempt me with that subtle piece of flattery ;)
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I'm with you, Walter. We do give information about our lives in bits and pieces, here and there. That's sufficient for me.
However, floo (sorry), you do have an interesting background. I'd picked up on some of it from things you said before but didn't know about your nursing and, more interesting to me, your art! Something we have in common becauseI too am something of an amateur artist, have painted and drawn since I was a young child - less so recently because I'm busy with other things but it's still there in my mind and I will pick it up again. It's part of who I am and probably the same with you.
HH, your synopsis of your life was extremely interesting and you've been very successful but the ending, in common with others, floored me. I'm so sorry.
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Floo was once kind enough to create a picture for me. I can vouch for her talent. :)
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Floo was once kind enough to create a picture for me. I can vouch for her talent. :)
She did one for me as well to cheer me up. Very kind of her.
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I aim to please. :)
Floo would I be able to find any of your work ont'net , I'd love to see it ?
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I haven't displayed any on the Net for years having had some taken without my permission. My artwork finds favour by word of mouth, although I am doing less these days due to the fact my arthritis has misshapen my fingers quite badly. :o
oh dear, you have my sympathy
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I am a digital artist. Funnily enough I was never artistic until I was given a colour printer for my 50th birthday in 2000. It came with a digital art package, which my children encouraged me to try out. With some reluctance I did, and had an exhibition of my work three months later. People are kind enough to say they like it and have bought my pictures. I have also been commissioned to produce artwork for various people and churches. However, I get more pleasure from creating a picture, for free, just to make someone happy. :) I believe my work is displayed in a number of countries including Australia and the US.
Wonderful! It sounds quite therapeutic too, something you can lose yourself in. Even if you can't do so much now I hope you are able to do it sometimes.
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Thanks, I am now finding there are quite a few things with which I am having difficulty like tying shoelaces.
One word.
Velcro!
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One word.
Velcro!
don't bother, its a rip off!
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don't bother, its a rip off!
That was so funny, I think I will stick around for your next one!
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It is my husband's laces I tie for him, as he finds them difficult. He does have shoes with velcro straps too, but insists on shoes with laces with his suit.
Burn the suit!
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What’s wrong with some decent loafers?
I’m your personal shopper.
https://www.clarks.co.uk/c/Glement-Slip/p/26127193
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Burn the suit!
some solutions are so obvious ! ;D ;D ;D
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What’s wrong with some decent loafers?
I’m your personal shopper.
https://www.clarks.co.uk/c/Glement-Slip/p/26127193
omg , that would help me too, I cant bend down far enough yet to tie my boot laces :o
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Yeh and I would end up on the bonfire too! ;D
Either or both solutions would solve the shoelace problem though!
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I remember seeing some of floo's artwork somewhere on some website, very good. I expect she's got rid of the link!
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What’s wrong with some decent loafers?
I’m your personal shopper.
https://www.clarks.co.uk/c/Glement-Slip/p/26127193
omg , I've now got Clarkes loafers coming up on my Facebook page , nothing is secret!!!
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On another forum yesterday someone commented that they had never come across some like me who has had so many different experiences in their life. In the past, on yet another forum, on which I no longer post or look in on, I have been wrongly accused of making it all up. ::) I realise that some of the things that have happened to me beggar belief, but it is all true.
you may be experiencing "little pond syndrome " there Floo.
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On another forum yesterday someone commented that they had never come across some like me who has had so many different experiences in their life. In the past, on yet another forum, on which I no longer post or look in on, I have been wrongly accused of making it all up. ::) I realise that some of the things that have happened to me beggar belief, but it is all true.
From your op, I don't understand why anyone would think you are making any of it up, it all seems reasonable to me and most of is quite fun. Maybe they're jealous ;D. Or they could have been being sarcastic I suppose.
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I won't ask what floo :).
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Like what, Floo?
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I remember you said you had had an injury - shoulder?
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What about your life now, say, over the last twenty years? Have you had weird experiences during that time? I ask this because many people experience things earlier on that cannot be explained and seem odd, even odder when looking back at them after time has passed. Then there is a plateau and experiences become of the more 'usual' kind. They are part of our journey through life and make it interesting if not unpleasant - if they are unpleasant they tend to linger in our minds and 'haunt' us. Those who are incredulous when recount them really need to delve into their lives because they're bound to have had some weird happenings.
Sorry you are still having a bit of pain in your arm floo. I hope it will go eventually & presume you're now properly back in action.