'Youth is full of pleasance while age is full of care'

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Wise words from the Bard 

Shakespeare wrote a poem about youth (allegedly) called "Crabbed Age and Youth" which is about the sharp contrast between the young and the old. In it he says "Youth is full of pleasance while age is full of care". Now as we all know Shakespeare only lived until he was 52 (pretty old for those days) so he did not totally reach the grumpy old man stage.

Senior adults are often heard saying " I wouldn't want to be young in this day and age" my Grandfather included. This was brought home to me last week when my daughter Ellie and niece Lauren came to visit, they are both in their mid twenties and are a pure joy to be around. 

And Gladys!

As Gladys Knight  says in her rendition of The Way We Were /try to remember"

"Hey, you know, everybody's talkin' about the good old days, right
Everybody, the good old days, the good old days
Well, let's talk about the good old days
Come to think of it as, as bad as we think they are
these will become the good old days for our children"

Have a listen it is pure joy and she sings it so beautifully. She'll have you in tears.

Gladys Knight "The Way We Were" (1974) - YouTube

Admittedly Ellie and Lauren are not having to cope with working and being a parent (not for a while I hope) but I found their general outlook on life so positive, they did not complain once about what is going on in the world and they just accept things as they are.  I think one of the main differences is that they are not glued to the news and newspapers (back to sensationalism again).

The weather was very cold but they were content to watch lots of cheesy films and played lots of games. Tim was over the moon as he had people to play games with. It's not that I dislike games but I just get fed up with losing all the time. How can you keep losing at Yahtzee - you just throw a dice??!!

Tim and I went out one day and when we returned we found them sitting in the dark playing cards as there had been a power cut!- see, they are adaptable too!

According to Shakespeare, young people are always looking for fun, So I was looking for fun things to do- I admit I did struggle as Normandy in January is quiet with many restaurants and most museums are closed. However I did find a few gems - firstly the Casino in Bagnoles (JOA) which has a very good restaurant, a huge bar, a cinema and lots of fun ways to lose money. It seems to busy in there all day long and has a lively atmosphere.

Casino JOA de Bagnoles de l'Orne | JOA

We then went on a tour of a biscuit factory (Lonlay l'Abbaye near Domfront) we were shown round by a lovely lady called Florence who has worked there for over 20 years. The highlight though had to be the free biscuits and the silly PPE caps that we had to wear (see, they laugh at anything!).  I did however expect Richard Gere to walk in at any moment in his white uniform and sweep someone off their feet- not me obviously as he would have needed a winch!.

Biscuiterie de l'Abbaye ‎• Biscuitier en Normandie depuis 1909 ‎• Boutique en ligne (biscuiterie-abbaye.com)

Shopping in Caen is always good fun, especially when the sales are on. We ended up in a bar in the rue du soif (so called as it's where all the students go to drink) and played darts on the worst dart board we have ever seen. 

So, what do I miss in the UK?, well I miss them, their youth and their ability to be silly. " and as Gladys says "it's the laughter we will remember" and not all the other stuff. 




How comes She didn't have to wear a PPE cap?


         


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