Denise Says "Hello!"

Hello! My name is Denise and I'm Wallys' Wife.

Hola! Me llamo Denise y soy la esposa de Wally. That is the extent of my Spanish speaking abilities! Yeah that's it! I'm pretty sure I didn't even need to add the "y" or the "soy" seems to be just understood in Spanish as my Spanish for Dummies book says somewhere in it. 

I am writing to introduce myself as the "other half" of the retired in Uruguay experience. One reason I don't know Spanish is that unlike you planners out there, this experience was sprung on me one day with a "Guess what Honey? I'd like to retire early and move to some foreign place to live." So like stoic, loyal wives everywhere I came along for the ride. Wally is napping so I thought I'd seize this opportunity to let you get to know me and in the future some of my feminine insights on this place(Uruguay) & retirement (our style).  This poem, my favorite, is a good place to start to get to know me then on to Uruguay!

WARNING     
by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me,
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and a pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple. 

 An interesting tidbit is that there is a "Red Hat Society"! You have to be 50 years of age or older to join and must be given your red hat as a gift! The members meet together for outings & teas; wearing Purple outfits and donning their Red hats. It's that combination of dress that identifies them. There is a movement for younger members to be able to join that Society( it's that popular) but the under 50's wear Pink hats. To meet together and celebrate the fun of being a bit unconventional & wearing your outfits the only bylaws of the Society. I don't know if Uruguay has a 'Red Hat Society" I'll try & find out as I am uh, hum 50.

 My first order of business is to thank Uruguay Now, a new web based Guide site in English for including our blog on it's Best of the Web page List! There are 6 sites/blogs & 1 reference listed and I must admit ours is the most laid back of the bunch. We're just into "Hey! Here we are, here in Uruguay, cool! This is us just hanging out being retired and coping with foreign stuff(to us) as it comes along. Feel free to have a peek or a lurk or whatever."  Oh yeah! THANK YOU! Uruguay Now.

Thank you Wally blog readers of Retired in Uruguay for allowing me to add my 2 cents worth.

Denise in Uruguay