A Chuckle Was Had.

The joy of living in a small village.

Yesterday afternoon I was busy tidying up a veranda when a neighbour came over to talk to me. Bob was at the car doing his own thing. It was a hot afternoon still and it was a welcome interruption to shoot the breeze with our neighbour. He's about my age but one hopes a bit older as being the oldest is never much fun.

Halfway in our news gathering conversation ( village life has its rewards ) I happened to espy out of the corner of my eye another neighbour of sorts approaching. He is of an age where he assumes that giving critiques and tongue lashings are his god given right and being retired affords him oodles of spare time to find enough cause to apply and practice the above.

Last year Bob got a taste of it and Bob having been brought up with manners, merely stood in respect of an elder and quietly nodded away as he told me afterwards.

Anyway, when I saw this man making a beeline towards us, I inadvertently blurted out to my other neighbour:

" Look, sorry but I'm going back to do the gardening as I don't want to be admonished for something or the other. "

Oops, I thought, I shouldn't have said that out loud...

" Don't worry, I'm also out of here. Don't want to be taken to task. "

If we could have, we would have scattered like bugs when the light turns on, but he was too close already. Of course we were friendly and had a shortish conversation but with aplomb both of us steered it away from any potential pitfalls.

Hopefully when I get to that age I won't be befallen with the same tendencies although, I think I just might be...already I have been known to say:

" When we were young, we would have never done this or that! "

Biggi