General Chat

A link with friends, conveyors of good news etc. So far this year, one card has told of a good friend having had a stroke some time ago (friends we are in yearly contact with). And one today has told of the recent death of a second cousin. I shall start to dread opening cards now. :-(

I've just discovered that my cousin's son was chosen to carry the Olympic torch through his home town; my cousin has had an op on her feet and is much happier and her grandson is loving university.

Sometimes it's good news, Ann, although we usually dread opening them as well.

Yes Gwynne, I have actually had about 20 not bearing bad news, not all have letters or notes in but at least having received them I know they are still with us :-D

It is very strange because the cousin who has died, last year I didn't get a card from her so was worried, but it turned out she had got confused with her list - She wrote to me in August to tell me after I contacted her a couple of times to find out. She was 79, lived alone, suffered badly from osteoarthritis and was getting a bit forgetful. Then apparently after she wrote, she had a fall, went to hospital and died from complications after an op. Her daughter didn't know to let me know until she found the Christmas letter from me last week.

She only 'found' me in the 80s when we were both working on our tree. Her Grandfather was my Grandfather's brother. She helped a lot with that branch of the tree.

It's sad when Christmas brings a new loss. As I get older it happens more often.

Yes, I have lost two of the cousins who were older than me, just one older one left now and he is 90. They were all on my Mum's side, those on my father's side (5 of them) are all younger than me. Still one elderly aunt alive in her late 80s early 90s.

Each year my card list both for birthdays/christmas becomes smaller.

Me too I should be careful what I wish for when bemoaning the number of stamps I need!! :-(

Just received a card from an old work colleague with sad news of the deaths of two of our work mates in the last year.

So sad