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NorfolkBroad's bio
A child bride of the 1960's who married (first) into the RAF. After living an eventful life and enjoying a good career once my children reached teenage years I am now a retired widow blessed with three children, five grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. I am a member of my local U3A and group leader to 3 differing groups of activity: theatre trips, creative writing and poetry appreciation. -
NorfolkBroad's latest comments
ViewDate:
15th Jan 2019
NorfolkBroad commented on:
Will you be stocking up on provisions for post-Brexit?There are 7 continents in the world - not only 1 called Europe; and even Europe has countries not tied to the EU Bloc. Any supplies we can get from EU countries we can also get elsewhere; and hopefully after March we will see the end of fruit and vegetables rotting because supermarkets and shoppers have CHOSEN foreign over home grown.ViewDate:
15th Jan 2019 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Will you be stocking up on provisions for post-Brexit?IF there is a shortage of anything it will be because of the stock-pilers and nothing to do with leaving the EU.ViewDate:
26th Nov 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Does the future look brighter?It's a difficult one - because everybody voted Leave or Remain for their own reasons which were totally different from somebody else's. I don't think ANYBODY could have come up with a solution that made everyone happy and content. Regardless of who was at the helm, and regardless of which Party, half the population would not have been satisfied. There is no easy way out but if we all work together, like we have done in the past, and put Country before politics, religion or personal wants then we can succeed. The easiest thing in the world is to snipe at someone else's ideas - but we don't have to actually put them into practice.ViewDate:
23rd Nov 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Has the public lost interest in Christmas adverts?I think it's more about not knowing whether that special present bought all those years ago just might lead to a successful future - they could just as easily have shown Brian Cox getting a telescope or a chemistry set as a child. John Lewis just happened to choose Elton John because that is the fame that the young yearn for most.ViewDate:
23rd Nov 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Has the public lost interest in Christmas adverts?The adverts this year seem to emphasise the nostalgia of Christmas which I am enjoying. They also seem to have an important message; whether that is about conservation or whether a specific gift bought years ago just might lead to a successful future. Whilst Christmas is not meant to be about how many presents you get I realise that it is a very important time for our High Street shops and we should support them - or lose them.ViewDate:
17th Jul 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?I'm sorry to see that you have fallen for the scaremongering and false news. Employment has never been higher; I live in the country and can assure you that crops are not rotting in the fields - and surely if the Eastern Europeans go home then our own people on Job Seekers could take their place? As for the Irish Border, if the EU insist on it then let them put one up and face the consequences; although movement in and out of Switzerland (which isn't in the EU) is free flowing.ViewDate:
17th Jul 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Totally agree Pauline. It would also open the floodgates for Scotland to insist on another Independence Referendum and all losing Party's in a General Election to want another go! Ludicrous. We all knew it was a once and once only vote and that Leave meant exactly that.ViewDate:
17th Jul 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?What a wonderfully succinct comment. You have scythed through the 'false news' and 'scaremongers bible' with reality on your side.ViewDate:
17th Jul 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should we have a second EU referendum?Those wanting another Referendum are muddying the waters by saying that people voted Leave for all different reasons and some didn't know what they were voting for meant. The latter comment is either insulting to those who knew exactly why they voted to Leave or it's their own fault for not reading the very expensive leaflet that landed on every doormat throughout the land. But that is irrelevant. Every time I vote in a General Election and 'my Party' doesn't win I do not protest and call for another Election. The people in Scotland have been told that they cannot have another Referendum on Independence because they were told at the beginning that there would only be one Referendum and the result would be final. The same applies here. It doesn't matter if some people voted because they wanted to stop mass immigration whilst other voted because their relatives had fought in WW2 so we wouldn't be governed by someone else - or indeed some probably voted because they didn't like how the Common Market had evolved into the EU. We had a vote. Everyone over the age of 18 had the opportunity to vote. Those who voted 'Leave' won by a majority; the amount of the majority is as irrelevant in this vote as it is in an Election. What we do need to vote on is whether MP's who go against what the majority of the nation want should be allowed to remain as an MP,ViewDate:
14th Jul 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
You had to be born in the 50s if you remember …We understood the message, 'no, we can't afford it' and never asked twice. Parents 'parented' instead of trying to be our best friends - which they could never be until we were well into adulthood ourselves. We realised that if we wanted to get ahead in life we had to earn the privilege by both studying and working hard. Presents were only bought at Christmas; for birthdays we got what we needed as against what we wanted! No such thing, unless you were an only child, as a bedroom to yourself - and bedrooms were only for sleeping in. Innocent games in the street with nobody telling us to 'clear off down our own end'. So many simple pleasuresViewDate:
26th Jun 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
How to know when you're ready to begin dating againI thought I was all those things and was not even looking for someone else a decade after my husband died - but then one day I turned around and looked into a pair of smiling eyes. If you had asked me the day before - and even the day after - whether I was ready or even wanted to love again I would have said 'no'. Sometimes life has a way of deciding for you; although in this particular instance he stayed for a year then without any warning just left. Has it put me off - no. Has it left me more frustrated than I was before I met him - yes. Do I still hope to find that special someone who is looking for the same things as I am - you bet.ViewDate:
17th Jun 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Father's Day PlaylistOh Mein Papa by Eddie Calvert is the song that always makes me think of my dear late father. It was really mum who brought us up as dad was out working all the time - but I was a daddy's girl and still miss talking with him.ViewDate:
9th May 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Do Millennials deserve £10K for doing nothing?Couldn't have worded it better Dawn! The only way we managed to buy a house was to save, save, save every penny we could - and not go for the 'perfect 4-bedder detached' from the get go!ViewDate:
1st Mar 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Do you use an open fire or wood burning stove?So no mention of the harm that breathing in gas and carbon monoxide can do? How do these scientists explain the existence of man since they first learned how to make fire, through to the industrial revolution with chimneys belching out smoke, via the route of smokeless coal whereby over recent years there have been radical developments within the manufacturing process to improve the CO2 emissions. You can't electrocute yourself with an open fire! Over the past few years, many researchers/scientists have analysed the potential environmental impact of a more widespread transition to natural gas from coal, but conclusions have been mixed. Natural gas produces less carbon dioxide per unit energy than coal does, making it appear at first glance as a cleaner fuel. But natural gas is predominantly composed of methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and it is thought that leaks at drilling fields could outweigh its potential benefit. My conclusion is that different scientists are telling us different things!ViewDate:
21st Feb 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Do you think university tuition fees should be scrapped?Going to university has never been free. If your parents were wealthy enough they paid; if you were poorer then State paid tuition fees and maintenance grants along with local authority sponsorship came into play . . . but was granted only for those academically clever enough to warrant a university place. Blair, in trying to cook the books to show fewer unemployed, got rid of technical colleges and called them universities for the majority - even if they had no intention of using what they learnt when they left. We have now had the rule of paying for university since 1998. Long enough for British families to do what other countries do - start a university fund savings plan from birth. Grandparents could pay into it each and every birthday and Christmas instead of buying yet more toys and gadgets. If, when the child reached university age, they had no interest or aptitude in going on for further education the money saved could go towards the deposit on a home or something similarly worthwhile. It's not rocket science. We all complain about council tax and what our hard earned taxes go on - and they include the current tuition 'loans' that in many cases will never be paid back.ViewDate:
6th Feb 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Do you think 'grid girls' should be banned in F1?Today is Suffragette Day; 100 years since women got the vote and started the campaign for women's rights and equality. Along the way they have had to face losing their children if they left an abusive husband; not being allowed to work and be married; not getting a degree even if they went to university - and until 1991 still legally allowed to be raped by their husbands. To overcome all of these truly awful things women fought long and hard. I find it such a shame that today all the feminist groups are interested in is banning pretty girls and, despite saying they want equality, are also saying they are victims? It is as stupid to ban grid girls as it is to ban linesmen and referees at a football match for wearing shorts!ViewDate:
29th Jan 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
How often do you wash your bed sheets?I live alone and change my whole bedding - bottom fitted sheet, top sheet, duvet cover, four pillowcases - every 2 weeks. As I shower daily I feel that is quite sufficient.ViewDate:
12th Jan 2018 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should the government take a firmer stance on obesity?It is time that parents/families/individuals took back responsibility for themselves - instead of always relying/assuming the problem belongs to some one else. The role of parents is not to overindulge but to teach the difference between an occasional treat and a wrong lifestyle choice. Schools and the Government have enough to do without being responsible for taking on a parental role as well.ViewDate:
9th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
The best of Donny & Marie OsmondLovely harmonic sound, innocent lyrics - refreshingly easy to listen to. Those were the days!ViewDate:
6th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Would you buy products after their best before date?I never look at the date. If it looks good and smells good it is good enough to eat. As for things like cheese it's ridiculous to have any dates on them - Cheddar Cheese, for example, matures for a minimum of 6 months before it is even packaged and then sits in a depot warehouse for a further few months before being shipped to a store near you (and can mature for years if you like your cheese stronger!). Unfortunately the younger generation aren't being taught to use anything other than their eyes (to read the label); the majority no longer have cookery classes at school and parents are no longer passing on the wisdom they were taught - and so they throw everything away that is 'out of date' and then plead poverty and say they can't afford to feed their family. I don't think though that we can totally blame supermarkets and greed; they are complying with silly 'health and safety rules' and don't want to be sued.ViewDate:
5th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Oh My Aching FeetOh how my aching plates of meat agree with you. 4" stilettos are now a distant memory. If I thought I could get away with it I'd even wear my comfy slippers to the shops! Great poem. Good luck with the book.ViewDate:
5th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?I meant to add that the biggest cost as far as I am concerned is the price of the cards themselves - especially if you buy specific Daughter, Son, Grandchildren cards. Even the packs of Charity Cards aren't cheap for something that gets put up for only a matter of days before being consigned to the bin. The postage in comparison is not an issue.ViewDate:
5th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Will you be sending Christmas cards this year?Those who I will see will be handed their Christmas Cards. Those who live far away will be sent theirs. It's how I've always played it so nothing really has changed.ViewDate:
4th Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Are you a fan of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!?I love seeing the mix of people who normally would never spend time with each other. I love to see the person - and not the persona we assumed they were. This year I am loving it because of how strong the women are showing themselves to be; and how wimpish some of the men are. I am so enjoying seeing the younger generation showing an interest in what Stanley has to say - and them guiding him into the 21st century. A really good show made even better with the interaction of Ant and Dec.ViewDate:
2nd Dec 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
MojoHaHa! Fantastically funny poem. So descriptive it was as if I were in the bedroom with you!ViewDate:
24th Nov 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Is 'affluenza' eroding our happiness?One of the (few) advantages of being old is that I remember the days when nobody but the very few had a lot of anything and the words 'my rights' weren't uppermost in our minds. We knew if we wanted something we had to first have a job to earn money, then save from that money, and finally have the patience to wait until we could afford to buy it. We knew that Christmas wasn't about having everything we wanted; but was about once a year getting a new toy, book or puzzle. We were taught by parents that if you couldn't afford it you went without. Unfortunately today with so much being given for 'free' - downloading music instead of having to buy it for example - youngsters feel they shouldn't have to wait for anything. And don't even get me started on how they turn their noses up at the very thought of something 'second hand'!ViewDate:
19th Nov 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Where have the funny men gone?So true Islandboy. We used to love the clowns and they always made us feel good and happy. Why has one film turned them into monsters? So sad that today's generation has so much that they have no need for simple pleasures any more. Keep writing!ViewDate:
16th Nov 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Are you offended by the Greggs Christmas Advert?I'm not 'offended' by this advert - but would agree that it is in poor taste. We are seeing less and less of the religious side of Christmas, both in cards and in anything advertising it, so it is sad that the one time someone thinks to use a religious context in an advertisement they do it in such poor taste. Save the sausage roll plug for holly, ivy and reindeer!ViewDate:
8th Nov 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Do we view the past with rose tinted glasses?With a lot of childhood memories we do view the past through rose tinted glasses. We remember playing in the street and all the funny sayings our mother's used to use but we forget how cold we were in a bedroom devoid of any heat and that it used to rain during the 6-weeks summer holiday from school. Of course we would not view genuine hardships and pain lightly; but even with these time has a way of softening the edges. Maybe viewing anything with rose tinted glasses is a self-preservation instinct? After all, if we really believed that our schooldays were the 'best days of our life' we would give up trying to improve our lot because there would be no point.ViewDate:
7th Nov 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Hair and fashion trends from the 60sHot pants! Definitely the real reason why tights came into fashion instead of stockings. I married in the early 1960's just as the mini came into fashion - showing your kneecap first!. My new husband was quite adamant; "no bloke is looking at my wife's knees!" he said quite indignantly. A few years later and I'm wiggling down the street in hot pants and white knee-length boots!ViewDate:
22nd Oct 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Which Fad Diet Plans have you tried?The Cambridge Diet. Developed by a British doctor who specialised in obesity and cardiac problems. If used properly - which means drinking enough water - then it's very effective. But there are NO diets that ensure weight stays off if you go back to old eating habits as soon as you reach your target weight!ViewDate:
21st Oct 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Win An E-Bike Worth £999 From Edge.Bike!As I'm no longer allowed to drive a car this will be a great way to get about without having to rely on public transport!ViewDate:
10th Oct 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should the NHS provide better mental health treatment options for depression?Before any changes take place we need to get back to the realities of clinical depression and just having a bad day or not liking our job any more. There is a vast difference between the two. Almost everyone has dark thoughts when his or her mood is bad. With actual depression, though, the thoughts can be extremely negative. They can also take over and distort your view of reality. Clinical depression is the mental health bit and is currently giving patients the option of 'this pill or that one'; no cognitive therapies and no looking at the bigger picture to the time when pills might no longer be needed. There is a lot of sense in the saying that 'the devil makes use of idle hands'! You can take the 'sanest' person and sit them in a room with nothing to do but think about themselves - how they feel and what they would like instead. Eventually that person will start to feel dissatisfied with their lot and will feel gloomy. That is not clinical depression. I have been there so am allowed to say that mental illness is one of the most selfish illnesses to have because your life revolves around 'me, and how does me feel?' The NHS has closed down the majority of special facilities for the mentally ill and admittance appears to be based around whether you are a threat to yourself or others? Too little to late. Treatment at an earlier stage - not automatically pills - would curb the numbers going further down the road of depression etc.ViewDate:
9th Aug 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should the NHS stop funding IVF treatment?Nobody has a 'right' to a child; they are a gift and parents are part of life's lottery - some can conceive and some can't. Maybe it is Mother Nature's way of controlling the population? Women who put off having children until they have satisfied their career pattern or completed a bucket list of exotic holidays first and then discover they have left it too late should just accept that fact or pay to go privately for IVF. Too many 'second time round' couples where the man has had a vasectomy before they got together . . . same principal applies. Even with the proposed changes to an already strapped-for-cash NHS which suggests only treating women between the age of 30 and 35 should have a proviso that treatment is free once only. We all have the right to make certain choices in our life and in our lifestyle - but all choices have consequences.ViewDate:
8th Aug 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Weather warning as UK braced for summer downpoursBetween rain at the moment but I live smack bang in the middle of the downpours forecast for tomorrow! Brolly up!ViewDate:
7th Aug 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Have you encountered casual ageism?Funnily enough mine was because I was young. I married at 16 and had my family of three children by the time I was 21. People, and in particular professionals, assumed I didn't know how to be either a wife or a mother at so tender an age and would ignore what I said and be patronising. Fortunately I was stubborn! I knew I knew what I wanted to do and what was the right thing - regardless of their opinions - and just did it. Those 3 children turned out to be independent, self-sufficient, ready-for-the-real-world adults!ViewDate:
22nd Jul 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
A breeze in the willowsI love this poem. Going on a narrow boat holiday in a few weeks time - for the second time. Like you I love the peace and the pace as well as discovering great places to stop and dine.ViewDate:
19th Jul 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Is the constant quest for equality eroding the archetypal gender differences?The ideal of equality is about getting paid the same money for doing the same job (not a variation of it); not being penalised in the workplace because of your gender; and the right to vote. As with most ideals if you give an inch they want a mile and now the word 'equality' is being used to erode the FACT that there are and always will be differences between the sexes. Men will never be able to get pregnant naturally and give birth; women will never be applauded for the hair on their chest! This argument has nothing to do with holding doors open for someone - that is just good manners - but it has been hijacked by certain women and is now considered 'sexist' (I will continue to practice the good manners however!).ViewDate:
14th Jul 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Is the greeting 'Ladies and Gentlemen' out of date?This 'fear of upsetting anyone' is getting ridiculously out of hand. I don't care what gender people are or want to be but surely there are only 2 options available to the human race - male or female? We are not robots, dogs, trees, genderless . . . so what on earth is wrong with 'ladies and gentlemen'? What next? Can we no longer call children 'children' when they become sexually active?!ViewDate:
6th Jul 2017 NorfolkBroad commented on:
Should male and female Wimbledon tennis winners get the same amount of prize money?The difference in the pay scales was decided when the men played five sets to decide on a winner and the women only had to play three sets. If equal pay is on the agenda then so should equal play be also. Either both genders play 3 sets or both genders play 5 sets; but if the unequal status of play continues then so should the unequal status of pay. -
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Approved0 Comments05/11/2017 19:01:49poems: The Wonder of AutumnThe Wonder of Autumn Like a kaleidoscope Nature heralds in the Autumn, Bright shouts of... -
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