northie
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Everything posted by northie
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I'm an unashamedly English writer, writing using British English.
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Pounds and pence - yes. Shillings - no. Younger people think in metric measures; older ones fluctuate between imperial and metric. Not helped by still having pints, and miles ...
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Really? You sure about that? Really, really sure ...
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I think I would find that enormously frustrating, but a lot of it depends on what you're used to. On-demand streaming is becoming the norm here, apart from those rural areas which are getting left behind. There is digital inequality along with all the other kinds.
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I can't be sure, but I don't think the ambulance tech would allow Eric to leave unless with the person taking responsibility for him. But certainly Brian's horizons have been widened ... Yes and no, I think. Any feelings of happiness are likely to be clouded by regret.
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Thanks, @Will Hawkins. I hope you continue to enjoy Eric's story. I in turn, am moved and intrigued by comments left by my readers.
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Yes, indeed. After a lifetime of being essentially alone, it must be a shock as well as a revelation to him.
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It's nothing Eric's ever experienced before. With his previous isolation came the expectation he would have to cope with whatever life threw at him. Maybe ... Don't forget he's already observed Andy and Adam together and experienced his bitter-sweet thoughts and the sadness that followed.
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It wouldn't really fit into the story so far, would it? And I didn't want it to suddenly change into a hospital drama. More interesting to have Eric in someone else's home ...
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@drsawzall Thank you for sharing this. I have no statistics, just the anecdotal evidence of older people going into the system and not re-emerging. In some cases, I think it was the sheer effort needed to live their lives which kept them going. Remove that, and it's as if their purpose is taken away.
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Thank you! I'm pleased you're enjoying it. How do things turn out? You'll discover ...
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Isn't he just. As you say, if it had happened the winter before, he would've been sucked into the care system. Too many older people never come out the other side. As for the rest, you'll have to wait and see.
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I was hardly going to kill him off ...
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It was hardly much of cliffie ... . And yes, unsurprisingly people guessed what would happen next. @dughlas got the closest, I think. Will Eric be the perfect houseguest? Probably not ...
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Behind the serving counter, Brian Metcalfe's hand froze mid-wipe for a couple of seconds before the adrenalin started to kick in and he found his voice. “Where? What's happened, Mrs Cook?” Every single customer in the café stopped what they were doing and listened in. The woman waved her arm behind her in the general direction of the High Street. “An elderly man's taken a tumble, up past The Black Swan. I recognise him. He comes in here sometimes.” Brian's thoughts immediately turned
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In a way, both of them are out their depth. Eric feels he's been bounced into making the declaration, and the only other time he's done so was on the phone to someone who didn't know him. Maybe part of it is Eric's lack of social skils, social intelligence. They'll both have to reflect on an emotionally bruising encounter and come back to talk.
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I agree - for the moment at least. He'll need to get himself more together when they next meet up.
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It's easy to see them that way. Like Puppi, I see them more as coming from someone who's completely out of his depth. In a way, at least he kept them to himself. When they next meet up, that'll be the time for Brian to have his head in a better place.
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Yeees ... I'm mostly with you, Puppi. But to Eric, it is deflating. Brian's haste to assure him that they're still friends comes across as false, although it's not meant to be. Maybe Eric had an unrealistic expectation of what his friend's reaction would be?
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There does appear to be something of a ripple effect, doesn't there? The changes in one lonely, closeted gay man's life are spreading outwards. And that's good.
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Let's hope so ...
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Yes, I think that's right. In a smallish market town, there's going to be little by way of queer influence or visibility. The wide choice in how to consume news and current affairs means it is easy to 'avoid' those topics you might otherwise be exposed to. Or they're presented in a less than favourable light.
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Doesn't it? Older people can choose the most inopportune times to demonstrate they can manage on their own, when actually they can't. Or, at least in bad weather, they can't.
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@WildcatLes Thank you for your kind words. Yes, Eric being online would be a huge change for him. News, connections, opportunities ... Everything we take for granted.
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Yes ... I suppose the readers' verdict will come when he's had time to reflect. Does he want to learn, or not? How will he react to Eric when they next meet?
