Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

I don't know about holidays but there is plenty here for the adventurous @shiney. Les Sables d'Olonne is the Vendée equivalent of Bournemouth for the number of "oldies" retiring there to enjoy the sunshine. Some are natives returning to their origins but many are incomers or have had holiday homes there when they worked.

They tend not to be short of funds or energy. It has a huge "Vie associative" organisation supported by the local council with clubs and interest groups run for and by oldies with everything from cerebral to sociable to the physical and sporting. The council gives financial and admin support to groups for children and retirees on the grounds that they're better off in active groups that keep the engaged than running around being delinquent or depressed and lonely and costing more money to sort out.

 

Sounds good @Obelix-Vendée, pity we don't see much of that support over here.

 

I'm quite sure it keeps people off the streets and out of trouble @lizzie27 . Eg there are several women in the patchwork club who have just that one social outing a week and/or have OH's in care homes with dementia and need a few hours to follow their own interests and decompress. Newer members include newly retired and sometimes newly divorced women looking for some structure and friendship. The club is invaluable.

The council gives us our meeting room rent free as we're all 64+ and a subsidy of 200€ a year. We can even borrow a minivan if we organise an outing.

So much cheaper than finding carers, homes, medical support and/or counselling hat they'd need if left to stew alone. We have some great characters and it's lovely to see new friendships and networks forming.

Can't tell you how many childrens and teens sports and activities clubs there are doing the same thing at the other end of life.

 

Just Stop Oil is at it again.

This time two old ladies trying to smash up the Magna Carta.

I actually agree with what JSO are trying to achieve. I just hate the way they choose to go about it. They're not doing anyone any favours.

 

I've lost patience with JSO I long since got fed up of the way they're going about their cause...Yes they're getting attention but it's the wrong kind of attention .

 

I self identify as a miserable old git. This is my right.

 

I'm gonna start a Just stop, Just Stop Oil campaign.
Would it de ok if we all used gas.

 

If only we could use hot air … there’s enough of it about

 

They should just take the hammers etc off them and leave them there - glued on for a few days. Maybe they'd find a different method of criminal damage next time...

I've no time for that behaviour. Protesting is one thing, but that's not protesting IMO - it's simply criminal damage.

 

While I agree, the news article is softened slightly and made amusing by the fact it's two ancient old ladies, and one of them is a vicar or something.

 

It I were an oil or gas executive, I'd be thrilled at how they are alienating the public. I might even channel some funding discreetly their way.

Stranger things have happened and the energy business is not above large-scale corruption.