Another year to look forward to. Herbie moves north, new places to see. We have just under three months left to do any boating in our current area. Hopefully another week in London and maybe a short outing or two up the GU, then it’s off we jolly well go. Weather permitting we’ll move up to Crick via the Thames and the South Oxford, a great trip in itself.
Meanwhile it’s time for a personal checkup that I’ve been looking forward to for many years. Very soon I’ll pass the McCartney milestone. My 64th birthday. So I thought I’d see if life was turning out according to his rather splendid song. Here goes.
When I get older losing my hair, (well thinning bit, but I’m still fully covered up top.)
Many years from now, (ten days actually)
Will you still be sending me a valentine (yes, thanks Kath)
Birthday greetings bottle of wine? (a single malt even!)
If I'd been out till quarter to three ( at my age?)
Would you lock the door, (Never, but I have my own key thank you)
Will you still need me, ( I like to think so) will you still feed me, (actually I do half the cooking)
When I'm sixty-four?
oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo ( sounds like my stiff legs in the morning)
You'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah) (and my stiff shoulder)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you. (where else would I go?)
I could be handy mending a fuse (just about)
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside ( Naah, too busy doing embroidery)
Sunday mornings go for a ride. (Any day really, the joys of early retirement)
Doing the garden, digging the weeds, (Hmm, here we meet our first failure, apart from an annual border bash and a bit of mowing)
Who could ask for more? (I could)
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, (see above)
When I'm sixty-four?
Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear (failure number 2. I don’t have fond memories of the IoW, on our only holiday there the wind blew our tent down – and it is too dear, so we go camping in Shropshire)
We shall scrimp and save ( we need to, to keep Herbie going)
Grandchildren on your knee (YES! our best achievement, although Jacob is getting too big for knee sitting)
Vera, Chuck, and Dave (well that would have been something of a coincidence!)
Send me a postcard, drop me a line, ( email or text these days)
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say (Failure number 3, verbal precision isn’t Kath’s strong point)
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away. (failure number 4, I could do with wasting away at least another stone)
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?
------------------------------------
Many years from now, (ten days actually)
Will you still be sending me a valentine (yes, thanks Kath)
Birthday greetings bottle of wine? (a single malt even!)
If I'd been out till quarter to three ( at my age?)
Would you lock the door, (Never, but I have my own key thank you)
Will you still need me, ( I like to think so) will you still feed me, (actually I do half the cooking)
When I'm sixty-four?
oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo ( sounds like my stiff legs in the morning)
You'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah) (and my stiff shoulder)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you. (where else would I go?)
I could be handy mending a fuse (just about)
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside ( Naah, too busy doing embroidery)
Sunday mornings go for a ride. (Any day really, the joys of early retirement)
Doing the garden, digging the weeds, (Hmm, here we meet our first failure, apart from an annual border bash and a bit of mowing)
Who could ask for more? (I could)
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, (see above)
When I'm sixty-four?
Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear (failure number 2. I don’t have fond memories of the IoW, on our only holiday there the wind blew our tent down – and it is too dear, so we go camping in Shropshire)
We shall scrimp and save ( we need to, to keep Herbie going)
Grandchildren on your knee (YES! our best achievement, although Jacob is getting too big for knee sitting)
Vera, Chuck, and Dave (well that would have been something of a coincidence!)
Send me a postcard, drop me a line, ( email or text these days)
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say (Failure number 3, verbal precision isn’t Kath’s strong point)
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away. (failure number 4, I could do with wasting away at least another stone)
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?
------------------------------------
Have I passed? 4 failures doesn't look too good does it? But like a lot of tests the questions are wrong!
Instead of the gardening test we could have Doing the engine, changing the oil
and then perhaps
Every summer we could take a boat
On the old canal, if the water's clear
At a steady pace
Grandchildren on our knee
Jacob first then Grace
I would have liked Jacob to have been called Chuck though.
4 comments:
This sounds rather a lot like a game on "I'm Sorry, I haven't a Clue" with one team member singing and the other interjecting comments!
Happy New Year to you and Kath, hope 2011 brings some enjoyable cruising.
Nice one, Neil!
Fun, Neil! Enjou your last few weeks in your old spot! I expect you'll be missed there! Happy New Year to you and Cath, though and may Herbie have many many more days cruising with you two as steersmen.
I just happened upon your nbherbie site - I haven't a clue where the trail began but I'm enjoying my wander through your archives.
Happy New Year, and good luck in dealing with the winter weather.
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