Yesterday was 8th May. A strange day, in many ways.
First of all, of course, it was the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe. Not the end of the war – that didn’t happen until VJ (Victory in Japan) Day on 15th August – but the end of the war in Europe. There should have been huge celebrations, people will have been planning them for years – but of course, none of it could happen. Such a shame.
Both of my grandfathers were in the war – one was in both world wars, first in the Royal Navy and then in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. He was a fisherman in between times – or more precisely an engineer on a fishing boat – and their skills were much sought after. My other grandfather was in the Army – he couldn’t wait to go to war, according to my grandmother. Left his wife and child and went off thinking it was a great lark. Never spoke about it when he came back. Not once.
8th May has other meanings for me – it’s my first husband’s birthday, and this year, if we’d still been together, it would have been the 10th anniversary of my second marriage. Lot’s of stuff going on there.
And finally, exactly one year ago, I started writing this blog. I started it exactly 4 months after my husband told me he was leaving, and on the date that happened to be our wedding anniversary. It seemed fitting somehow.
I started it to try to find the answer to one simple question – what the hell happens next?
Well, lots of things have happened –
- I husbanded my resources (still haven’t needed to drink the advocaat…)
- I changed my car.
- I got a lodger, and then another lodger.
- I got a job and then another job.
- I booked a holiday.
And then the world ground to a halt and here we are.
Writing the blog has helped me to work out how I really feel about things – from Brexit to plastic, from mental health to my memories of the early days of my first marriage.
We’ve shared the good times – when I changed my name, when I got Gold status at the gym, getting a proper job.
And you’ve seen me through the tough times – the time when I, quite literally, couldn’t find my way, the day of THAT interview, the day I lost the lodger and didn’t get the job all within two hours. You were there when I had to give up my beloved volunteering. You were there when I wobbled.
THANK YOU!!
There’s just one question that still needs to be answered, and that’s – what the hell happens next? There’s only one way to find out. Want to come with me?
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