Senior Moments

The answer to one of my crossword clues this week was throve - that is, the past participle of thrive [ie to prosper or flourish] When I mentioned the word to Bob, he suggested that maybe members of Thrive who are retired should be in a subset called Throve. 

Thrive is the wonderful support group for spouses of Baptists involved in ministry and mission. I mentioned this to the group - and one member immediately responded 'but we want you to go on thriving, even in retirement, Angela' Which was a very kind reply, I thought. I hope to thrive in retirement!

But I am having a few 'senior moments'. I was concerned that I'd not received any pension payments. The gov.uk website didn't help, and telephoning involved being put on perpetual hold [without IKEA's happy Abba music - just an irritating little repetitive jingle] I needed to change my address with them - which was useful. During the pandemic, telephone calls are only acceptable for change of address, bereavement or something about UK pensioners living in the EU and Switzerland. So on Wednesday I rang, and carried the phone round with me for 30 minutes whilst I did household tasks [it was a free call] - I was pegging the washing when the jingle stopped and a cheery Welsh voice said I was through to the pension site, and speaking to Paul. 

He asked a few security questions- including my house number back in Kirby Muxloe. I had a complete mental block. Was it 9? I had to go and ask Bob [it was 11]. Paul was very patient and said I was clearly me, as I knew all my postcodes etc even if I'd forgotten my house number from 6 years ago. Then he changed my address on the database. He checked my records. Yes, 8th January 2021, my claim for a pension had gone through as my letter stated. It was all done online and automated...but when my first payment was due, the computer flagged up an error in my bank details. I'd mis-typed my sort code, so they couldn't make a payment. An email had been sent last week [not received] and also a proper letter "But of course, that has gone to Dorset, Mrs Almond" We agreed it would probably arrive eventually, via the redirection service! Anyway Paul has sorted everything out, corrected my error, and my pension will arrive in the correct bank account soon. I said I felt a bit daft - and said it was an easy mistake- and the problem was that everything else was fine, and for 4 months, they, and I, thought it was all sorted, it just stumbled at the last fence. He's too polite - it was definitely a dotty granny mistake

Here is my favourite OAP joke. Three old ladies are sitting on a bench. One says "Isn't it windy?" The next says "No, it's Thursday" and the third says "So am I, let's have a cup of tea!"

I am definitely the third one in the group...