You will not get over it but you will get used to it
George 76 Widowed. Retired chef, cook, & chauffeur.
How are you ?
During the lockdown, I think the isolation affected a lot of people. I hadn't realize but it affected me. I feel much better when I get out of the house. I can feel my health very gradually declining. Until I was 60 I never took anything, now I take nine pills a day. As long as I don't get any side effects, I'm not so bad. If I don't take them, I immediately start to die and that’s that. I’ve not to miss a single pill or it’s the beginning of the end very quickly.
How do you see yourself?
I like to think I'm a half full person. I always look on the bright side. I’ve had a lot to contend with. Luckily time is the greatest healer and you forget. If I have any problems this week, by next week I will have completely forgot what the problem was. I’m literally living in the presence.
What do you think about children?
I would have liked more. My daughter was 7 when she died. She was a very intelligent, sensible girl. What would she have been now? How many more grandchildren would I have had? I used to think about her every minute of everyday then suddenly, after a long time I didn’t think about her. I thought, oh my God, I must be betraying her. The only thing I want to say is that time is the greatest healer. You will not get over it but you will get used to it. After a long, long time it wont hurt.
Where does all your energy go?
I haven't got any at the moment. I could have my breakfast and easily go back to bed. Like most of my friends my age, we have a siesta. I do a lot of writing every day. I love going to graveyards. I find all the military graves and photograph them. I put poppies on about 40 soldiers, sailors and airmen graves in this area. There's a Canadian sailor, I found four years ago. I researched him. He was only 21 years old when he was killed in Holland on a torpedo boat. He was brought back to his auntie's house. That’s why he’s buried round here. I contacted the Royal Canadian Naval services. About two weeks later, I got a message from his nephew's wife. I wrote back and said - as long as I'm alive, every November I will put poppies, maple leaves and a Canadian flags on his grave.
My grandfather was in the first war and was in prisoned for being drunk and violent. His brother had been killed and his son lived just nine months and sadly died, he never saw him. I think I might've had a drink in those circumstance. When he came back from the war, I think he was mentally scarred.