It's all in the mind

[Dickyticker26]

Yesterday I awoke feeling down as usual

To do with being 80, waiting, waiting, waiting for a quadruple bypass (the preop was on 29 March) and unwanted side effects from medication

At 7.15 am I received a phone call from the language school where from time to time I teach English to visiting foreign students

They asked if I were free to teach for 3 hours that morning to 10 French teenage girls and a boy

At 8.50 am I was bounding up the steps to the Centre forgetting that stairs are now something of a killer

One of the girls was from Montpellier and knew Maugio where one of my brothers used to live and where I have visited and knew the beach at Palavas-the original French Riviera

The two "lookers" in the class were both anxious to be my Rachel Riley for the flip chart games

It was their last day and they had been on the London Eye and knew the Gherkin, the Shard, the Walkie Talkie and the Cheesegrater and had done a lot of walking in Town

We discussed the Tour de France but not the Test Cricket

I helped present the attendance certificates to the whole group about 70 in all-I asked their teacher whether we were supposed to kiss them but they said that it wasn't necessary

The students all look so ordinary standing in the corridors or waiting to board their enormous coach but really come to life in the class room

The groups usually come by ferry rather than by the Tunnel or by air and they can see the White Cliffs of Dover but it takes 24 hours door to door

I asked one of the English teachers (who showed me her bypass scar) how long she had been teaching and she said "5 years too long!"

But once in a way it makes all the difference to one's day

[Maisie2014]

It’s amazing how age never comes into the equation when you’re busy and enjoying what you’re doing. I love meeting other nationalities and practising my language skills. Enjoy and keep well.

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Maisie2014]

Many thanks that's a nice encouraging response

And this morning I got another assignment with French students on 26 July-but it will be another group

The students do not come from the same school or even the same part of France-but they soon seem to develop a community spirit as they share their expereinces

[Hidden]

What a great Post. You're 80 and you're doing all that. It's obviously giving you a sense of purpose though so I, for one, think that is fantastic and good on you X 😊😊

[Dickyticker26 in reply to Hidden]

So thanks for the sympathetic and encouraging response I will do the same for you!

[Hidden in reply to Dickyticker26]

Aww thankyou.

[Hidden]

Agree. I'm getting to that Stage already lol!!

[Dickyticker26]

Thanks for that!

It's just that sometimes the stimulus needs to come from outside and not from within