Embracing Old Age

redamanthas

Great name, btw.

Yes,
I fully support Redamanthas, well said, I feel exactly the same. Did any of you see the Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary 2 weeks ago called "Fantastic Fashionistas"? It was about six women with an average age of 80 yrs, and how amazing were they? They had style and verve.
I went to see one of them who works in a boutique near me, to tell her how uplifting she made me feel. Apparently she was in London for the day having afternoon tea with the other ladies including Baroness Trumpington, as a treat from the Baroness' son.
I bet she never thought she would be doing that a few years ago when she lost her husband and thought her life was over. She got out there and grabbed life by both hands, good for her.
I thoroughly recommend you negative people watch it and I defy you not to be inspired.

Im finding it a bit boring, been trying to find things to do such as local clubs for friendship, exercise classes, just anything to fill the time and yes I have heard of bingo but anything else please, especially if they are in Bridgwater, not really expecting to get any replies but you never know do you?

Hi Worlie,
Check out the local activities at you local library, ours has a huge book with flyers and posters covering just about everything that is going on in our area, plus the library staff are usually pretty knowledgeable about local events. Check the notice boards in churches and supermarkets as well. Have you considered volunteering; either in a charity shop, local schools or check on the internet for voluntary work. There is a web site called. www.do-it.org.uk where you just put in your post code to search for any thing in your area.
I was new to this area 4 years ago and only knew one person, now I am involved in numerous activities and haven't looked back, book group, creative writing group, walking, charity shop, excercise group and gransnet, what more do I need.

Redamanthus - you clearly have not read the right threads! I have a wonderful life, spending all my days exploring the beautiful Alps and taking very long walks up very steep mountain paths. Obviously, I enjoy excellent health in order to be able to do this at 73. Every Winter I spend six or seven weeks with my daughter and her family in New Zealand. I also take at least two weeks a year to go snorkelling on coral in tropical waters. This year, I have enjoyed visits from Anno and WhenIm64 and had the pleasure of showing them this wonderful part of France. I also took my sister on a cruise on the River Moselle in Germany.
My problem is fitting in all the lovely things I want to do in a day - I am usually out walking from 9 a.m. to 1 pm. then I read/watch UK TV/listen to music or Radio 4/send and receive messages from my very large family/make myself delicious meals.
Negative - are you kidding?

On a positive note - we live in a relatively affluent country, mostly we keep warm, dry, well-fed - there is no war raging making us homeless and robbing us of our loved ones. I tell myself in comparison to others in this world we are so very lucky.

Greatnan
I actually did not read all the threads either, but am very impressed with all the things you are able to do and that you are one of the "positives"
Long may you continue to be so!!

Actually gracesmum is one of the least negative people I have ever known; it's just that last Monday she was having a bad day .

And to be fair, most of the posts on this thread were sympathising with gracesmum and taking the opportunity to air their own views on some of the disadvantages of ageing. It wasn't really meant to be an upbeat, 'look on the bright side come what may' thread.

If this is the only thread you read before you posted, redamanthus, you could be forgiven for your opinion of us, but as has been pointed out, there are many other threads which are extremely positive!

I my 'gloomy place' I'm always really positive about how fed up I am. I wallow in it, like a hippopotamus in mud .

..missed out th 'n'....

To recap, didn't anybody see the "Fabulous Fashionistas?" on Channel 4 two weeks ago? It was so uplifting I can't stop raving about it!!

There was a thread about it on here, cazthebookworm. Perhaps someone will post a link.

www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/a1200836-Fabulous-Fashionistas

You're so lazy Ana

CBA, Jane, that's all....

worlie, I know I'm playing an old tune and forgive me if you've heard it before, but it's worth trying the U3A which has a multitude of activities. I am a member of our creative writing group and a hilarious French conversation group (should perhaps be renamed 'Franglais'); and enjoy visits to the theatre in Manchester. Click here for information about U3A s in your area.

Id just like to say that this was a thread started by gm when she was having a bad day. She's entitled, as we all are. It's not a thread for telling anyone to count their blessings.

Melancholy - the pleasure of being miserable!

I didn't interpret the OP as melancholic, Greatnan. Melancholia was a chronic condition in Victorian times, wasn't it?
I thought she was just temporarily p*ssed off

Melancholia literally means 'black bile'.
Let's not go there

Cazthebookworm. So glad you mentioned the fashionista programme. Just caught it on demand. Fabulous women. Brilliant attitude. We all have rough days. Sometimes I don't want to get up in the morning but am always glad I did. Don't let life get you down embrace it as lots of the people on this blog are doing. When it knocks you down knock back - harder!!

I'm 68 and not enjoying the aches and pains, but otherwise I'm OK. True, at size 16 I hate having a thick waist, and I hate those surface veins on my legs, but as long as my mind is working I guess I'll survive. I'm in the writers' group and performance group at our local U3A and have been asked to do some slam poetry for our 2014 start-up meeting (a sort of open day for new and existing members). I might have posted this before, but this is what I'll use:

Beware the Baby Boomers

Don’t call us elderly
Don’t call us old
Don’t think for a minute we’re sweet.
We’re still the same people
Still feisty and bold
Who rocked to the Merseyside beat.

Don’t think for a minute
We’re shocked at your deeds
Or your radical ways are so new.
We might have looked sweet
In our sandals and beads
But our ways turned the atmosphere blue.

Our parents were sure
We’d be so pure and good
As we started to grow up and date
But we smashed all the barriers
Fought and withstood
While our ways won the freedom debate.

But new generations
Have no damn idea
That their absolute right to be free
Did not come from God
And did not just appear
It was fought for by people like me.

And that spirit remains
Though we might appear strange
And you find there’s no easy connection.
But the grey power we hold
Has the power to change
The result of just any election!

Right on Joan