Ask a 97 year old Mumsnet fan

[Pebbles16]

My 97 year old great aunt is a fan of Mumsnet and has asked me to post. Warning: she will likely be in bed by 9.30
Me: should we do this in the am?
GA: No, if people ask ?s overnight, it will give us something to do...

Hey ho
So, some background to my GA: she was born in Shanghai; was interned in WW2; lived in the Far East until 1970 when she was widowed. Moved to the UK and HAS NEVER adjusted to the weather; this summer is the only time she's mentioned "it's a bit warm".
She has learned multiple languages over the years.
Did not have children (likely as a result of the prison camp conditions).
Spent most of her life advocating for children affected by war.
Cheats at most board games.
Mocks my tolerance to chillies.

So, ask us anything!

What an interesting thread! And wow, what changes your aunt must have seen over her lifetime! The world is a very different place now.

My question: I always think it’s really important that everyone has something to look forward to, whatever age, whatever circumstances, however big or small the thing. What is your aunt looking forward to at the moment?

I had one of those, think Princess Margaret as opposed to the Queen! GA was much more fun.

What is her most treasured physical possession and why?

💐tell your great aunt that she is brilliant

I ♥️ your GA! This is such an interesting AMA.

Great thread.. I’d like to ask if she thinks it was her lifestyle and diet that got her to the great age of 97 and what does she eat ❤️

Hi, GA!
What a fab and interesting life.
I'm sorry for your loss of lovely Ben. 56 years is a long time without him. I wish I could go back in time and give him back to you somehow.

My questions are
Is there anything you wish you hadn't bothered wasting your time thinking about, worrying about , or doing? Like spending money or time learning to use a technology that quickly became defunct, or big fears that never came true (yet) like Russia pressing the button in the Cold War, or worrying about how she would be perceived by other people or mundane things like ironing socks cos in the end nobody could be arsed ironing socks any more anyway.

What things have happened in your life (on a personal, nationwide and global scale) that you predicted would happen, and what sorts of things surprised you? Who was underrated (music/art/politics/whatever) at various points in your past and unjustly forgotten, or judged too harshly now? Conversely, who got away with being crappy or horrible and it annoys you that they never faced justice, or that everyone generally thinks they were brilliant when they weren't all that/ or were actually a baddie.

Apart from Ben, who of your friends do you miss? What were some of their names and what were they like?

I think at that age I would purposely talk to very young people to prolong living memory of me for as long as possible, although that's probably really main character syndrome of me, what do you reckon?

If I could go on holiday for a fortnight using a space/time machine, when and where should I go?

Oh, I forgot to ask- have you ever been beaten at board games by somebody who was a better or more audacious cheater than you?

What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you?

My grandmothers were also born in 1929!

Does she have any beauty or wellness tips that she thinks actually work?

I woke up checked my phone and came on here just to check her answer! What an incredible life you’re so lucky to have her and I hope you cherish her as I’m sure you do xx

Wonderful thread.

how does she feel the world has changed for women?

In her words:
It took a long time but I realised that holding on to the hatred was doing me harm and the people I hated weren't even aware.
Japan now is a very different place with different sensibilities, it's like Germany.

Tai chi helps to calm my brain.

OP's addition: GA will prescribe tai chi for every ailment and practises every morning, preferably outside.

What a wonderful thread. Thank you @Pebbles16 and thank you to your GA for sharing some bits of her life with us.

My question would be what technological leap was the most awesome / startling / wow moment for her?

Awesome thread! Thank you very much to @Pebbles16 and GA for doing this.

What a great thread.

Such an amazing woman

My father's health was very badly affected by his time in a Japanese POW camp. He never talked about it and my mother was very anti Japanese.But in the 1980s she got to know and like a young Japanese woman studying in the UK and realised that she was of a completely different generation, who had never been told the whole truth about their WW2 history.

Oooh, she likes this one and we were chatting about the answers at lunch.

• What would she tell her younger self if she could?

Don't start smoking, it will do you no good and will be very hard to give up.

• What were the happiest and saddest times of her life?

The happiest time was being with Ben (her husband) and so the saddest time was when he died. OP: her face lights up at any mention of her husband, sadly I never met him.

• What does she consider important in life?

Fighting for justice - the big things and the small.

• Does she feel 97?

Not unless I look in the mirror!

• Is she at peace with dying and what are her beliefs about an afterlife?

I am not religious but have been influenced by Buddhism throughout my life, so I am at peace with whatever happens next.

• What advice would she give younger people?

Be involved. Be involved with society, your neighbourhood, your friends and family. Look for opportunities to make a positive difference and don't just expect other people to do anything you wouldn't do. Oh, and don't start smoking.

• Tell us some memories about when she did something audacious, something brave, and something she was proud of.

My mother always used to call me audacious! Usually when I refused to do something like go to Sunday School. The bravest action was going back to Asia after my husband died. I risked my relationship with my family because they were dead set on me staying in England and said they wouldn't speak to me again. I didn't go back there to live, I just needed to be somewhere familiar. Obviously they did speak to me again, but I didn't know that at the time. I don't really do pride but I am pleased with the work I have done to help children who have been affected by war. I would love to still be doing it, but my "hopping on a plane" days are behind me.

• If she could be reincarnated, would she want to be?

Yes, ideally as a cat as they seem to have a lovely time.

• What are the biggest differences between the world she grew up in to now?

I think formality and social position. Ambition was seen as a negative: people getting above their station and so on. Now it is encouraged, and that's a good thing - well apart from people with absolutely no talent wanting to be famous. That sort of ambition should not be encouraged.

• Who does she admire?

I think Malala Yousafzai is a wonderful young woman.

• Who was the love of her life?

My husband.

• What’s her life motto?

They have changed over the years but I usually return to "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem"

As you may have noticed, GA and I are back!
We seem to have missed a lot of questions so we are going to try to answer those this afternoon but then I have to leave as I am due back in work tomorrow.

Thank you for all your interest.

No, this is a bone of contention because they have it on in the home where she lives so she is sometimes forced to listen to it if she is in the communal lounge.

The Second World War for entirely personal reasons because I wouldn't have been interned and my parents wouldn't have died so young.

(Although she does point out that this would have changed her whole life and she would likely be a very different person. This actually turned into a very long and interesting conversation this morning, so thanks for the question).

I think I answered that one - about ambition.

I don't consider myself to be a representative of my generation because everyone is an individual, but I suppose I do represent a generation that is dwindling and soon all the people who lived through the war will have gone.

A bit of a random one & I apologise if a painful one; if AGA ever watched Tenko and if she did, did it accurately portray internment?