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[Dulciana]

Just increasing signs of old age, CLKD.  Slowing down a lot, "elderly" hand-writing, memory going, much less energy, that sort of thing.  His university students knew him for charging up the stairs like a mountain goat!   And we have a photo of him in his early concert days looking really dashing (words of our daughter's friend who transferred this pic professionally on to Dad's 90th birthday cake!).  Time waits for no man........

[CLKD]

90 and still active although slowing down?  Do you have lots of small chats about the past, does he sing?

[Dulciana]

Yes, CLKD.   He loves chatting about the past, which I don't mind even though we've had these chats lots of times before.   Does he sing?  No, not my Dad!   Piano's his thing - he's been a professional musician all his life - so he plays a lot still, sometimes even in public.  But it's the ordinary things that I see a big difference in, and that's sad.

[CLKD]

The vitality goes somehow doesn't it.  I noted my Mum's hand writing has altered like it's got older ……...

[Pennyfarthing]

The vitality goes somehow doesn't it.  I noted my Mum's hand writing has altered like it's got older ……...

My mums handwriting has altered too in the last year or so. She always had beautiful, neat handwriting but I look at her shopping lists now and a lot of it is in capital letters. She also makes spelling mistakes and she was always a very good speller.

[Dulciana]

I know, Sparkle!  His hand stretch has shrunk quite a bit so he can't play the bigger stuff that he used to, but he picks things that he can get his hands round - Mozart, "smaller" Chopin pieces, that sort of thing - and he adores playing for people.   It's ironic that he can do this and yet find hand-writing a challenge.   Life's funny..............

[limpy]

Dulciana your Dad is pretty much 90, he can still get his brain around playing Mozart and Chopin. Ok his memory isn't what it was, mine hasn't been good since I was 40. Somebody very close to me has found his memory to be increasingly fragile and he's 70 with a Phd, your Dad isn't doing badly at all.

[Dulciana]

Dulciana your Dad is pretty much 90, he can still get his brain around playing Mozart and Chopin. Ok his memory isn't what it was, mine hasn't been good since I was 40. Somebody very close to me has found his memory to be increasingly fragile and he's 70 with a Phd, your Dad isn't doing badly at all.

I appreciate what you're saying, Limpy.  It's just watching the little downhill steps, as they start to affect my lovely Dad, that's hard.      

[CLKD]

Does it bother your Dad or is he accepting: if so, then make the most of the little moments.  Does he go out to play for OA Clubs ?

I learned S/T but my hand writing is lovely - can't you tell   

[Taz2]

The change of handwriting in elderly people has been researched quite a lot. I became interested in it when my mum, who wrote lots of poems and magazine articles by hand, found it increasingly difficult to organise her handwriting. Letters began to be larger or smaller within a word. She found this frustrating. There is interesting info here about the brain and handwriting if anyone is interested http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39304. 

Taz x

[Ju Ju]

Had some good news yesterday.

Mum and Dad live in a nice road, with some lovely neighbours around. They have lived there since 1958. However, on one side they have the neighbours from hell. The house is divided into bed sits, despite the fact there are only 2 bedrooms and a box room. The occupants come and go and the behaviour is anti social; shouting, swearing, arguing, loud music, rubbish strewn around and people regularly visiting allegedly buying drugs. Dad can't park his car in the drive as they block him in. This all goes on night and day. Mum and Dad consider their loss of hearing a blessing under the circumstances. Police are regular visitors and earlier this year, there was a police raid and several arrests were made and evidence removed. ( Mum didn't need to watch tv that day!) The police went round to all the neighbours gathering any info. But still the problems continue. There was a meeting with the police and council and they were told little could be done, but that any complaints should be forwarded to them so they could build a case.

 Some of  the neighbours went to see the local MP and now the landlord has been given a court order to sell up, evict the tenants within 2 months. Hooray!

Why is it so difficult to do anything about situations like this, when the behaviour of a few makes such a negative impact on so many? But at long last something is being done and a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Maybe Mum and Dad can sit outside in their garden next summer! The house will be cheap as it is poor condition.

[Taz2]

That's really good news for your mum and dad Ju Ju.  We had similar here with the house opposite us. The same thing happened although it wasn't possible for the court to force the landlord to sell the house. It took two years to get to court though. The judge ruled that it was not within human rights to force him to sell but that he could be made to only rent to responsible tenants. He has learnt from this and the family who are there now are lovely. The whole house had to be restored though - new kitchen and bathrooms, carpets, window frames. It was a right mess. They had been dealing from the house and also pimping out their fifteen year old daughter. Daughter now in care and mum and dad in prison for a while. It was a horrible few years. People think that nothing happens in sleepy villages!

Here's to a wonderful summer for your mum and dad!

Taz x

[Ju Ju]

Mmm! I wonder whether the judge would feel differently if he lived next door. Sadly the odds are in favour of the offenders rights, not that of other people's rights. It had occurred to me if we had to sell the house, so Mum and Dad had better care in the future, that it would have an impact on the price. The house next door is in very poor condition. For a long time, there was a huge pile of earth at the front, which had to be removed on environmental grounds, when rats moved in. I would love to know why they had been digging when there has been no building work!

[CLKD]

Cannabis farm? It happened in our village about 10 years ago ……………

[Taz2]

We had a cannabis farm just up the road from us. The whole house was gutted to allow for the hydroponic system. The owners were really upset that their house had been turned into a factory. They sued the letting agent successfully.

Yes Ju Ju maybe the judge should have to live with neighbours like that for a while. We had frequent police raids, a stabbing and a pushing out of a window episode. Like you there were rats in the garden. All of the fences fell down too. It's looking much better now.

Taz x