THIS 90 YEAR OLD LOLLIPOP LADY ROCKS!

75yr old pledges to work for 15 years and she does! 

Our oldest lollipop lady retires at 90 years of age.  Beryl took the job on at the age of 75 and pledged to keep going for 15 years, which she did come rain or shine.  When journalists asked her what she plans to do now, she said she wanted to concentrate on the Women’s Institute and work in the local charity shop.

Beryl is an incredible lady, but I think I may be the only person who witnessed something Beryl did that totally blew me away.

As like many other drivers in the area, we all used to stop dutifully and wait as Beryl helped school children cross the road.  No one ever became irritated, we just sat there smiling and waving as we drove off. 

One particular morning I drove up to Beryl’s zebra crossing as she was just finishing her shift, it was quiet, the school traffic had dispersed.  She began to walk up the hill to go home when a child caught her eye. 

GRANNY LEAVE

Could ‘Granny Leave’ Feed Discrimination?

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has recognised the plight of working women over the age of 50 years who are looking after elderly parents.  This is admirable and not a moment too soon.  The job of looking after children and elderly parents invariably falls on the shoulders of women, even in today’s enlightened society.  This is a tough call and many women are at the end of their tether trying to juggle family responsibilities and work.

One proposal suggested is Granny Leave, whereby women in particular can take up to 6 months off work to look after an elderly parent and have the statutory right to return to work after that period.

Great idea, but can employers afford such a luxury?  It is hard enough for them to finance maternity and in some cases paternity leave. 

Could this not feed age and gender discrimination?

Superb CV, Fit As A Flea, But No Job For You, You’re 63!

Ageism Is Alive and Kicking In More Ways Than One

Actually the chap I’m thinking about is 60yrs, but it didn’t rhyme!

This however, is no joke.  The equation is this:

We are all living longer + we have to stay healthy by being active +

pensions are not enough + more and more need to keep working =

older people need jobs

The problem is someone forgot to tell the employers!

85 YEAR OLD REFEREE DOESN'T BLOW THE WHISTLE!

When should the clock stop?

I heard a great story the other day.  It was all about a university women’s football team.  They were playing as usual, the teams were well matched so they were working hard to get ahead.  It was coming to the end of the game and fatigue was setting in.  They kept playing, giving it their all, but something didn’t seem right.  Why were they so tired?  It wasn’t unusual for one or two of the players to feel depleted, but this time both teams were struggling.

What was going on?

INFORMATION OVERLOAD? NOT FOR THE IMPORTANT STUFF

Help for your loved ones

In our so called ‘information overload age’, it’s surreal that we can’t find the information we need.

What I mean by need is when a loved one (young or not so young) needs to find out what they are entitled to from the government, or what services and gadgets are available to make disability easier, or even what latest drug has come on the market that could make a difference.

Where is the most common place to find this information? .........

ACROSS THE GENERATIONS

Let's Have a Mix Up

Recently I went to a funeral of a very dear friend.  He was a man in his sixties with three grown up children and young grandchildren.  The large church was standing room only, there must have been 100s of people there.  Our friend was well respected at work, highly active on many committees and an integral part of his community.  The number of mourners was of no surprise.

As I looked around I felt there was something wrong, I couldn't put my finger on it.  The service continued, I glanced to my left, right and behind on several more occasions and still I was puzzled. Then it dawned on me.