I'm now into my 3rd month of visiting my two Age UK ladies – Jo, who is in her mid seventies and Maureen, who is a decade older.
I can't really put a huge amount of detail on here, but suffice it to say I have so far replaced a broken fridge bulb, mended a dishwasher, turned shelves back up the right way, helped with emails, gone through junk mail and post, chatted about wills and funerals, tried to decipher AGM and EGM minutes, walked round multiple blocks and to the shops, been to the park and had tea, driven to the golf club to meet old chums, sorted out a stash of squash and fizzy drink bottles, discussed employing cleaners and had too many small slices of cake! As well as just chatting about life, plans, jabs and general being…
I also call a lady called Felicity a couple of times a month, to tide her over with a bit of a chat.
One of this week's jobs was trying to work out if a bag of pre-decimal coins (including one going back to 1847!) might possibly have any value. Cue me googling the British Numismatics (Coins) Society to find some hopefully reputable specialists to see if any of the pile might be worth a bob or two.. Could have done with a magnifying glass as some are so old the dates have rubbed off! So far, two 'no thanks' and one 'maybe £75', but hoping for at least one other offer to check for best value. Quite nice to be fondling old penny coins again – I remember Mum having these in her bedside drawer, and me as a small child finding them and thinking they were huge and surely very valuable – if only!
Anyway – enjoying the volunteering and it's amazing how quickly you can build a relationship with a total stranger. It's been quite a few years now since I used to visit lovely Olga in Putney, so is good to be back in the saddle and hopefully making a small difference to people who 'need a Scotty' (as Olga used to say..) x