Grumpy Old Men!

Editing my photos this morning reminded me of why I take so many ... seeing the one I took of the Kingfisher reminded me why it’s rained again today!! ... according to John's rationale that is.


Every time I look at my photos though, I’m reminded of why I ramble each morning .... they remind me of the awesomeness of the world around me .... they remind me of the simple pleasures in life that are within reach of all of us should we choose to look for them.  

Early morning sun trying to find me!

They remind me too that yes, there are ugly-mannered people in this world of ours - grumpy old men specifically .... who try to seize the sunshine from my day!  Ladies Bay needs a sign posted “GRUMPY OLD MEN NOT WELCOME!!”

Julia and I had a run-in with one of these “grumpy old men”  this morning .... what is it with certain  people at the moment .... oddly enough, they’ve both been of the masculine persuasion!  He didn’t like having his early morning swim disrupted by our hounds.  We were already on the beach when he arrived ...

Chocolat in the waves chasing her ball and Indy doing his usual hoovering of the beach.
This man stood for ages watching us and then disrobed to take his swim but not before yelling at us that our hounds should be on lead and should not be on the beach.  

I wasn’t close enough to hear what he said but Julia was ... she said his words weren’t pleasant and he had a strong guttural accent ... I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t the same individual that accosted me on St. Heliers Beach a while ago.  He’s not a frequent visitor to Ladies Bay .... thank goodness!!

It did put a damper on our ramble though ... he was a mean ill-spirited individual ... tolerance is something we can all practice and our hounds were in no way interfering with his swim.


I struggle sometimes to see the relevance of people like him ..... I’m reminded of a good friend in SA who

advocated “extermination” of individuals who raped, murdered, committed extreme violence .... or had extreme points of view that were hazardous to others.  Her solution might be a bit “over the top” but she has a point ..... there are so many individuals in this world with so many different opinions but, at the end of the day, we all have to co-exist with one another. 

Co-existence MEANS learning to live together .... learning to accept diversity .... living in peace WITH one another DESPITE differences of opinion ..... learning to respect the opinions of others.  I have no problem with grumpy old men who want to swim naked in my bay if that is their wont .... but the beach is a public space and as such, all beach goers have the right to be there .... including our hounds .... and especially at that time in the morning!

It brings me back to those 50 questions again and the difference between that man and Julia and I!!! Question No. 43 asked “What is the difference between being alive and truly living?”


Pick me ... pick me ..... I know the answer to this one!  Julia and I are “truly living” .... we’re doing the things we love and finding joy and fulfillment in them ... it’s SO much more than just being “alive”.

I hope that man finds some sunshine in his life ..... the kind of sunshine I find every day even when it’s raining.  He tried to take our sunshine away today ... but he didn’t succeed.  It’s still shining brightly inside me ... it’s still radiating out to those around me and I’m still going to be heading to Ladies Bay in the morning for my hound’s date with the waves .....  watch out you Grumpy Old Man!
Note to self, courtesy of "Positive Outlooks" on FB ~