Nangle Natters

Surprises in new places

Ask an ‘old person’ for a story. Whatever your own personal version of what constitutes at ‘old person’ is, you can bet if you actually listen there’ll be a tale you didn’t expect to hear lurking not far from the surface. I think I ought to qualify this by saying that if you ask your parents, the anecdote you receive may be more ‘child-friendly’ than if you – say – asked someone looking sly in the corner of a retirement home. But that’s not to say that family members won’t serve up a healthy dollop of risqué given half a chance.

I have a lovely memory of being about 13 and thinking I knew everything and nothing at the same time, and my grandmother rounding on me with: “Each generation thinks they’re the first ones to discover sex, drugs and rock’n’roll!” My tiny brain exploded at ‘sex’, never mind the rest! Surely her youth was all filled up with singing ‘Roll Out The Barrel’ and fixing Jeeps! Suffice to say, never underestimate another’s life story. The telling is better than the book, which is better than the movie.

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