A lot of people having been asking me what I’ve really been doing apart from writing and also my Editor and I thought………hmmmm. I never realised that I’d never really said. So let’s start with me.
During lockdown while people did a lot for the NHS I admit I didn’t. Not because that made me a bad and un-caring person. I support my own chosen charities and if I suddenly supported the NHS then it mean’t that I had to turn my back on my own Charities. Firstly I’m what they call a Twiddler. I belong to a small group and we knit squares and make muffs for dementia patients. Then I support a lovely lady called Jane. Jane helps anyone that needs help. She is grateful for anything that comes knitted, crochet, sewn. Hand made toys, The list is endless so I make ‘things’ for Jane and she sends them to people in need, or she might raffle something to raise funds for a Charity such as Help the Hero’s.
The Charity that is closest to my heart and always will be is the Sailors Society or Seaman’s Society formerly known as King Georges Fund for Sailors. I have supported them since I was sixteen years old when I first found out about them. They support the Seamen and now ladies as well on the Container ships. People may think they know about them and their conditions, but they don’t know maybe as well as I do. Not that I’m a know all as someone called me but over the years I’ve gained the trust of a a lot of these Seamen and they are now my friends and talk to me. However, what they tell me stays with me. I don’t betray that trust and gossip behind their backs.
It’s lovely to see them come into Southampton. It’s a pleasure to knit hats, and fingerless gloves for them and know I’m doing my bit for them.
However, please don’t get the impression from this part of my blog that I think I’m full of my own importance and aren’t I wonderful because I’m not. I’m just one of many people who knit for the Seamen. The people who work in the Offices are amazing. In fact everyone concerned is amazing.
The saddest thing that happened recently is that they had to cancel selling their coffee. They had to stop because no one was buying and all funds went to the Society. My son was furious because he loved that coffee!
What I do get cross about is that there seems to be an attitude at the moment out there that Container Ship Crews don’t matter because they’re dirty, and they don’t wear nice pristine Uniforms like other certain services. I’ve seen a lot of really nasty pieces on Social Media recently where jokes have been made about this Container Ship that’s stuck in Suez. Well strange as it seems, I honestly can’t see why you need to make jokes about something like that.
A while ago a Container Ship was involved in an accident where some of the crew died. The wife of one of the missing crew contacted me.
Please Mrs Carol, she said, Please don’t make him dead for me. You wouldn’t make him dead for me. You – a good lady.
That ripped my heart out. To this day I still don’t know if her husband survived, but I will still always support my Seamen.
My Editor is over the moon at things getting back to normal even if it is a little bit. He’s booked himself some time at the golf course. He can get a haircut he can actually have some kind of a normal life and even better he – as in both of us can go and watch our horses race again, although we do own the same, but different ones as well, and for him the best part of all is that he will hopefully be able to go to football as well.
He’s also a London Tour Guide and guiding is starting again. Hopefully from April 4th. One guide and much smaller groups of people, but that part of life is getting back to normal so it looks as though there’s hope for all of us.
Carol Yeomanson Books 