Tore at my heart strings ...

[soldlisa04]

Just returned from a glorious weekend at Cirencester Club site - superb. Was a bit dubious as so large but it was fab, as was the weather and to be able to work through the park into Cirencester both Sat and Sun was a bonus. OH now looks as if we've been to Tenerife for a week, not Gloucestershire for a weekend! However, on the Sat morning, we were just walking past a van and I glanced around and saw a very elderly gentleman had fallen backwards after tripping over his guy rope. I ran over and checked him out, apart from a tear on his wrist (his skin very thin), he seemed fine and we sat him up and then helped him onto his mobility scooter. Got chatting and bless him, he was 83 and had been widowed 4 years and his children very kindly towed him to places and set him up and he was at this site for 20 days. He had a lovely van and all the right equipment but I couldn't help worrying about him, so we checked on him until we left and took him some Birthday cake. It just tore at my heart strings to think he was alone, but obviously happy, but we were wondering about who collected his water and took away his waste? Would he do it? Would the children have asked the Wardens to keep an eye on him? Does anyone know if there are special circumstances for elderly single caravanners? Just got me thinking that's all!
Also, learnt not to leave real wax candles in the window on a hot sunny day of 80 degrees plus ... lovely pool of melted wax all over the table in the van and £30 worth of flameless vanilla scented candles ruined lol

 

[Smith21]

How nice of you to look after the old gentleman and give him some cake. Surly his children must pop and see him during the 20 plus days he's at the site ?

 

[ValA.]

I think if he was confident enough to be there on his own, that he would have sorted out waste and water, etc, and be managing perfectly well. We've met caravanners in their nineties, who managed everything themselves. They drove themselves from site to site, never doing more than fifty miles a day, and spent the whole summer on campsites! My mum in law was 94 recently, and until December 2011 was living a completely independent life, doing her own shopping, washing, cleaning, and cooking, refusing any help from friends or family - and that's with two new hips and 'three' new knees (one replaced twice, last time at the age of 90). She also had thirty-six steps to climb to her front door and managed that every day!
These oldies are toughies - and more capable than we youngsters (I'm 63!!!) think!

 

[Martin24]

I must say that we have a family friend who is still doing long trips on his own at 87 and a very independent aunt who similarly is totally independent and celebrating her 96th birthday today!!

Well done to them all, I think I'll finish when we can't cope be that in 40 years time at 80 or longer if health and mental agility allows!! Swmbo reckons she'll be doing all the towing by the time we reach 60 so I'll only be going another 20 years then!

 

[soldlisa04]

He didn't mention seeing his family at all during his 20 days .... I think he's been a caravanner for many, many years, but I just couldn't bear to think of him waking up the next day all bruised and sore but have no-one to tell! Me, I'm just a softie and I'd like to think that my OH and I will be the same in years to come ...