Boring the nursing home staff

I hope never to get to the dribbling stage but do have a lifetime of stories, anecdotes and adventures which occurred during my travels around the world.

I am slowly but surely putting pen to paper (or is it fingers to the keyboard?) and writing them down for my family to read at a later stage, hopefully before I pop my clogs.

Have digressed a little since starting by adding a little of our family history from my great great grandfather when he first arrived in New Zealand and will add pics too.

One such family story is of my great grandfather being captured by Maoris in New Zealand along with his cattle herd, held for ransom and released by a Maori woman who fancied him. At a cattle sale some years later he ran into her and they had a laugh about it.

Have not written anything since late last year after the death of my father but will restart soon during winter.

My eldest daughter has always been onto me about writing it all down before the grey matter shrivels up.

^
I like that idea so I'll copy it ... but I'll make up a load of stuff so I sound better and in case a publisher sees it and offers me a barrow load of cash.

Fred wrote:

infirm, dribbling out food as we eat, and we're likely to need a hand when going to the toilet

That is my son when he was a year old!

stumpy wrote:

I hope never to get to the dribbling stage but do have a lifetime of stories, anecdotes and adventures which occurred during my travels around the world.

I am slowly but surely putting pen to paper (or is it fingers to the keyboard?) and writing them down for my family to read at a later stage, hopefully before I pop my clogs.

Have digressed a little since starting by adding a little of our family history from my great great grandfather when he first arrived in New Zealand and will add pics too.

My eldest daughter has always been onto me about writing it all down before the grey matter shrivels up.

Stumpy: By George you've got it! I did that, on a blog that a friend set up for me. Its original purpose was to complement a newspaper column I was writing at the time about local life and politics in our Caribbean island, but then I twigged that it was the ideal place to jot down some recollections of my travelling days back in my 20s. I did that for my grandchildren. Then it seemed logical to branch out into reminiscences about my childhood in the Australian bush, and I wrote a few about that. Then I reckoned my family-history had a few interesting episodes, and jotted them down. Then, some of my thoughts about the world in general, just to stir the pot.

Then I gave up, after 200-odd little 600-word essays, spread over five years. That was two years ago. Every once in a while I think to do some more, but at the advanced age of 78 I really can't be bothered. I've said pretty much all I want to say, and it's not fun any more.

So. You already have a blog, so why not add a section for reminiscences? For your children and grandchildren, sure; but mainly for yourself. I go back and read some of my essays every once in a while, and actually get pleasure from it. Everybody who has ever done some travel, or lived in a foreign place could do the same thing. [This was Fred's idea, this thread, so I'm writing to you too, Fred!]

A good place to start might be to identify the turning point of your life, and write about that. I didn't start there, but it would have been sensible to do so. Here are two samples of life's turning points - mine, and my son's. It's not Pulitzer Prize writing, and I don't think it is; but it's good enough to get by. When you've done yours, post a link here and give us a look!
http://barlowscayman.blogspot.com/2013/ … point.htmlhttps://barlowscayman.blogspot.com/2014 … eston.html