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Golden Voices - 25 April 2008

Josie Loftus
25/ 4/2008

LAST Friday the news was full of the story about the east wind blowing across Europe and carrying the smell of natural fertiliser (manure) upon it, where it seemed to target us Brits.

On top of everything else we’re already suffering like: bad weather and PPC’s (People with Problems wanting to be Celebrities). But it seems not everyone was aware of the euro wind and like my grandson tried to blame the pong onto someone around them having a flatulence problem.

Together with my daughter-in-law and my grandson, Dominic, we all set off in the car on our way to celebrate my eldest grandson Sebastian’s ninth birthday. ‘Er … has someone pumped’ asked Dominic with that accusatory tone of voice that shames and blames. ‘It’s probably you’ I said as his mum opened the window. ‘Phew, it’s worse with the window open’ which prompted me to mention the story about euro wind which was news to them because they hadn’t heard about it.

So, I relayed the items there had been about the pong and how people south of the border were particularly bothered by it and how we’ve got to wait until the wind changes direction. Dominic, listened intently and then interrupted the flow of the story; ‘You mean someone in Europe has pumped and it’s blowing all the way over here’ … Aah! kids.

For me, there’s nothing worse than clock watching and waiting for the hours and minutes to pass so that I can get a morning paper and read about what’s going on in the world around us.

Whilst 6am might seem a little early for the majority of people, for insomniacs like me it’s like middle morning and I’m contemplating what to have for lunch at 9am. This morning, after being up most of the night (again), I wrapped myself up against the early morning elements and made my way around the Krypton Factor of dog poo and uneven pavements to the newsagents only to get there and find it closed. A bit miffed to say the least, I get into my car and make my way down towards Moston Lane where I know the newsagent there will be open. I start to recall how early the newsagents used to open years ago when there was a full workforce making their way to their employment and indeed an army of nightshift workers making their way home, all with morning newspapers bought and tucked under their arm, ready to read.

I notice the news shop on Lightbown Road at the Gardener’s is open and I pull up outside glad that I’ve saved myself a bit of a journey. Max the beautiful German Shepherd dog is at the door wagging his tail in anticipation of me patting and stroking his well kept fur coat and I tell him what a lovely gentle nature he has. I pick up my paper and hand Steve the 20p, say bye, bye to Max and go to open the door. ‘Er … Josie, its 95p today’. I didn’t have a clue about what he meant and looked back at him puzzled - '95p!' I said in shock at how much a newspaper had gone up in price overnight. ‘Yeah … it’s always more at weekends’. I was stunned when he told me it was Sunday. I really thought it was Monday morning. For a few hours afterwards I felt as though I’d gained an extra day in my life.

Do you remember when I wrote a few weeks ago how I intended to vote for the least likely candidate in the coming local election to show how dissatisfied I am about the lack of interest by the city fathers in New Moston? Well I read a letter in the Postbag section of Manchester Evening News about the importance of voting and how to ‘spoil’ the ballot paper by writing ‘Spoiled Ballot’ across it. The writer of the letter rightly says that by actually turning up and deliberately spoiling the paper shows that the electorate is there but feels there is no one worth the vote. By abstaining you are, by default, electing the very candidates you don’t want. I checked this out with the Election Office at the Town Hall and they say this is correct. Thank you, Rob France from Westhoughton for the enlightenment.

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than to read and hear about the premature dying and eventual death of a young parent who is/has, had/to prepare their child/ren for the worst case scenario anyone can imagine. This sort of occurrence seems to be happening at an alarming rate but there has always been orphans like myself whose parents died when they were very young and have no recollection with which to identify or relate to during those specific times when there’s a need to have a special person around you, for you.

It’s like being part of an incomplete jigsaw. Other people have their memories but don’t consider how important even the insignificant details are which help provide a badly needed image. Just recently a cousin of mine who is coming up to her 70th birthday mentioned her ‘Aunty Frances’. It took me some time to realise that she was in fact speaking about my mother. I’d never heard my mother being referred to in such a familiar way. When I mentioned this to her she looked at me as though she was seeing me for the first time. It was a sort of learning curve for us both and she has since dredged up from the depths of her memory, every little thing that can provide me with to add to the blueprint.

I am telling you this because I came across some information about a charity that specifically helps children and young people to come to terms with the death of a parent or someone who has meant a lot to them. It is called ‘Winston’s Wish’ and they particularly encourage the putting together, in a special box, mementos, photos, information, about what the deceased's favourite choice of music was, the kind of perfumes they liked, their favourite flowers and anything else that made that person unique.

What I wouldn’t give now to know about my mother's likes and dislikes. I wonder if she gagged at the thought of milk like I do. Did she tolerate fools better than I do? Did she have a sense of humour? I do have her wedding ‘photo with my father but she didn’t always wear a wedding dress and I wonder what her sense of fashion was. What was her favourite colour?

I clicked on the Winston’s Wish website (www.winstonswish.org.uk) and was surprised by how many various windows there are, of information concerning the bereavement of a parent. Anything that helps children of all ages come to terms with their great loss has to be a stepping stone towards healing. Their helpline number is 08452-03-04-05.

Very best wishes to the people and the businesses who have pulled out all the stops to buy the ‘Tin Hut’ (Conservative Club) on Hollinwood Avenue. Oh! to have some landscape instead of waste ground, at last. Well done.