Day 26, Level 1: AGMs, Villages, Malls, and the Isolated Illustrator - at Pym's of Milford

So today I had a contract to do the AGM Minutes for two retirement villages. Actually, one is a lifestyle village. I can attest there really is a difference!

First one is lifestyle - some people didn't look much older than me, and most definitely younger than Brett. They've moved there for camaraderie and everything on tap. It's a very nice village I have to say. If you're hitting 70, it wouldn't be a bad place to live - they had everything going on and I just loved the vibe. Everyone was happy and upbeat, there were no questions or contentious issues. Youthful spirit meets resort accommodation. Everyone just gets on with living and I really did see life in older age going on here. In a delightfully unaffected way.

The second one was definitely a retirement village - much older age group in general. And there were questions, suggestions, comments that had an element of grumpy. That kinda goes with old age. But please, it's not a requirement!

In between the meetings I headed to Albany Mall - god help me, but it was across the road and there really wasn't anywhere else to go. I went to the foodhall to get some lunch - after a good scout around I opted for sushi. It was very good. But oh dear god, the foodhall experience is anything but. It makes you want to lose the will to live. See what I mean ...

Food Hall in a Mall - OMG is there anything more dire? Not bad if in a hurry, but otherwise ...!?!?

Anyway, it was interesting to spend a chunk of time today in these villages - we actually looked at the retirement village one for Muriel 10+ years ago when hunting for suitable places. It was quite new then, but the only villa available at the time was too far away from the hub. Muriel was 90yo - she needed to be near the hub.

The lifestyle village - well, a 90yo would have been just too old. It was average age 75-80 there - and you could feel it. Have traipsed through dozens and dozens of villages when Brett's mum Muriel was moving to Auckland - to be with family, but in a village. She was resistant, but it was the only way we were going to see here. She'd lived in New Plymouth and we'd travelled down a zillion times to visit, taking the grandchildren, engaging, spending Christmases and whatnot. Countless trips. And she made many trips north to see us, mainly for special events. 

When the time came for moving into village life, she could have moved into one in New Plymouth, but how often would/could we have seen her? Not often. So she came to Auckland - reluctantly at first - but then she realised she could see her family regularly. And her friends back in NP were dying. Eventually she came to see that it was a good call - but she never really settled. 

I spent many days with her over the 8 years she lived in Auckland - taking her to doctor's and specialist appointments (many!), hearing appointments (loads), chemist, supermarket, coffee outings etc etc etc. I also took her to the village Happy Hour every week on a Thursday for several years until she died in June 2017 - what an eye-opener to old age that regular outing was! I could write the book, the movie, the theatre-show about it! Truly! And one day I might just write that book. Sadly, most of the people from those Happy Hour days are now dead - I do check in, that's how well I got to know them.

Muriel would come to our place for dinner or the weekend. Etc etc. I was beside her every step of her old-age journey of life in Auckland. She never wanted to move here, but knew she'd see more of us if she did. And that was absolutely the case.

I was the "on-call go-to" person and sorting Muriel became a 3/4 time job for me for several years. I adored Muriel and was happy to do it all - but boy did it compromise my own work (self-employed!) Still, there was never any contest - Muriel always took precedent over a project that could earn me money. She was always conscious of how she took me away from my work and she always felt a burden. Her own children were busy working - I, being self-employed, could juggle things to drop everything and take care of her. I implored her that she should never ever feel that way. We had a great relationship and I loved caring for her right until her dying day. But it didn't do my income stream any favours that's for sure, and many contacts and pipeline work I had fell by the way because every other day was filled with sorting Muriel and sustaining clients and workload alongside that wasn't possible.

Muriel's death was a truly harrowing week - if that scenario was me, or anyone I knew, euthanasia all the way. No brainer. She would have wanted it too. Thank goodness I can choose euthanasia if death is the only outcome and life has no quality. To have my loved ones around me and slip on out without enduring several weeks of hanging on - that's the bliss of Euthanasia. I've been advocating for it for a very long time. Go David Seymour, I've been with you all the way.

So after all that retirement village stuff - I then went to my sister's bar in Milford - Pym's on Milford. Tonight they had Isolation artist Claire Delaney doing her book launch and signing. Claire is a talented artist and illustrator (originally from UK) and she drew a series of daily artworks during Covid. They are quirky and whimsical and colourful and fabulous. She made it into the press here, and she's made all the Covid artwork into a book - and I love it.

Quirky and uplifting

Tonight was a wonderful convivial occasion of creative connection. Loved it. And Pym's burgers are THE BEST! Madame Sass Pinot Noir not bad either!

Claire's daughter Aiko singing - fabulous!

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Grumpy men ...

I've always said "There is only one thing worse than a grumpy old man - and that's a grumpy young man". 

Hang on a moment, it's true - the young man has many more years of grumpiness to impose upon everyone. Spare me! Please!

There seem to be too many people in my world right now with grumpy men in their lives - mostly old ... but also young. 

Grumpy is never good. Get gleeful instead guys!