Lifelong ambitions

I stopped playing the piano when I started a family thirty six years ago! I had expected to make it a career,seems like the family became the career , but a few years ago I bought a piano and started playing again..and just this week learnt to play Dawn, the theme music to the film Pride and Prejudice. And I'm feeling... ,I Can still do it, despite arthritic hands.Magic!!

I learnt to Hoola-Hoop last year. Ariadne, that beat getting a PhD at 58!Otherwise, I'd still love to decide what I want to be when I grow up.

At the grand old age of 64 I had my tattoo! I had threatened to do it for years and gave in on the spur of the moment while on holiday in Palm Bay Florida. I have a small flower on my left shoulder blade. Delicate and discreet! Didn't hurt at all - but it did shock my son and daughter when I got home!

Watching David Dimbleby, last night, I wasn't envious at all of his tattoo but I would really love to learn to sail..when the weather gets warmer maybe

I know it's not the 'loss' Of the big dreams that hurts We all probably knew a knight in shining armour wasn't coming our way, or a lottery win. It's the loss of the small ones. The ones that probably would have been achievable If we done them sooner or planned better. I'd have liked to live in one of those high ceiling Victorian houses, learnt to ride a bike, walked the samara gorge. Arthritis has put paid to all these little dreams. Still i'v done things I could never have dreamed of doing when I was a child. Learnt to drive a car, flown in an airplane, been to Rome (a childhood dream) so I'm not complaining but if only..........

I can suggest the Harmonica as a starter musical instrument - I'm tone deaf but nobody has left home since I started to play! (Not yet, anyway ...)
I bought a Hohner 'Big River Harp' for about a fiver on Amazon. I don't know if there is a'small' model - this one is about 5" long.
It's portable, it's cheap and it's, erm, harmonious ...

Don't give up hope! After I posted my moan about sky-high insurance for geriatric bikers several folk kindly suggested ebikes, which I googled. In the course of my researches I came across tricycles for adults, some of which have added electric motors. I spoke to one retailer who assured me that being able to ride a two-wheeler was a disadvantage - the best trikers had never ridded a bike!

I would love to be able to sing but my voice would empty the Albert Hall.

Waaahhhh! I STILL can't think of one! .

I would love to take a journey on the Orient Express. It must be a special experience. I doubt that I shall ever do so. Must say...I'm very contented with my life. I've a kind and loving husband, a well-grounded family, loyal friends, a cosy home with a view of the sea and a big, black cat.

I would like a view of the sea, soop, but can't share yours as I freeze every time I come into your extension! (Not that it's cold in there, just the tablet)

I'd like to go backpacking wherever but perhaps first class and guided tours would be nicer at my age. If only.

Oh, and I'd love to be able to sing, charley, but it's more of a croak than a beautiful sound. DD2 can sing, she doesn't take after me.

To go to India. Impracticable for me as a solo traveller.

I used to think that Galen but a friend who'd been there said he thought I'd be upset by the poverty I would see there [and I'm sure he's right].

I did have a school-girl dream come true - the secretary at our secondary school was lovely, always beautifully turned out and kind (not that we saw that much of her, but the headmistress obviously treasured her) and way back then I thought 'that's the job I want'. I had to wait until my children were just reaching their teens before the dream became a reality, and I had twelve years of enjoyment working! Nothing extreme there, but I look back with pleasure on those years. I don't think I was always impeccably turned out, but I do know I was kind and always had time.

Friends of ours visited India last year, Galen. It was a short visit (5 days) enroute back from a Far East tour, but the extreme poverty upset him very much, particularly in contrast to the extreme wealth he observed.

rose so sorry that your tablet causes you problems. Why is that? Any idea?

Have emailed GN and it was OK briefly (long enough to post last evening), but it just seems to be the longer threads which come up on one page then freeze, such as yours, soop. Shorter threads are fine.
PC may be up and running again soon, I hear DH drilling away in there as we speak! Didn't think decorating and re-vamping one small room could take so long. My ambition at the moment is to have a tidy house.
I think my main ambition is to have style both in my dress and furnishing the house. Failed so far.

India is the most amazing, magical place ever, yes much poverty but small amounts of money can make huge differences to individuals. Lucky enough to have visited twice once with daughter and then with DH. I would go again tomorrow - but there are other places I want to see too - now I have new knees am planning a trip to Burma - hopefully before too many other people have the same idea!

As a little girl I always wanted to live on a boat. I used to fit out the Woolwich Ferry ( in my head) I travelled on these boats a lot.
In 1979 my dream came true. I lived on board for 20 years.

On board the Woolwich Ferry, petra?

I always envied those cool surf dudes (dudettes?) who rode the waves in beautiful places.
Now, at nearly 65, guess what!!-yes,I can swim a width!

Good for you, joannapiano. Once you can swim a width, you can do any distance! Or that's what I always told my DSs.

Unfortunately I will be limited to a width for evermore, as I'm petrified of the deep end and have never,ever been there. For a long while I hopped along the shallow end with one foot on the bottom and my arms doing breast stroke, pretending I could swim.

The health club I used to frequent has the same depth all over the pool. Deters show-offs from jumping in with a great splosh!