Middle-aged, Free and Single

58 and Counting

‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where am I going with my life?’ and ‘What the hell happens next?’ – nothing forces you to answer those questions quite like a husband walking out on you when you’re 58. It’s 4 months ago today since he told me he was leaving, and it also happens to be our…

My Hysterectomy Anniversary

It’s six years today since I had my hysterectomy. I really really didn’t want one. Well, I didn’t want one until all the other options had been explored. And to begin with I thought I had a good chance of getting away with not having to have one. I was diagnosed with fibroids – benign…

Sofa-snoozing

I seem to get my best sleep on the sofa while I’m watching a TV programme that I really want to watch. Why is that? Why is it that I can fall asleep sitting on the sofa, with the TV on, the lights on, and sometimes a mug of tea in my hand – but…

Handbags and Gladrags

I haven’t bought any clothes AT ALL for eight months. I’m not a big clothes shopper at the best of times – but even for me, that’s a long time. I’ve been Husbanding My Resources like billy-o since my husband left the marriage in February. I’ve cut back my food bills, my energy bills, my…

It’s Still OK to be Happy

Today is World Mental Health Awareness Day. Here’s something I posted a few months ago – It’s OK to be Happy. Even if you don’t have a mental health problem yourself, you are very likely to be affected by the mental ill health of someone close to you – 1 in 4 people suffer some…

A Quiet Celebration

Yesterday I celebrated eight months since my husband told me he was leaving. Whoa there. Celebrate?? WTF?? I didn’t think that would ever be a sentence I would say. But now – well, somehow ‘celebrate’ feels like the right word. It wasn’t a champagne and party popper sort of celebration – just a quiet acknowledgement…

People All Over the World

37 – my blog has been read in 37 different countries. Isn’t that just amazing?? Mostly it’s read by people in English-speaking countries – the UK of course, followed by the US, Australia, Canada and South Africa. But also Spain, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Brazil, India. And lots more. I’m seriously chuffed…

Autumn Days

When I was at sea with my first husband, I missed the British seasons. Tropical sunshine is all very well… It was autumn that I missed the most. The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Autumn days when the grass is jewelled and there’s silk inside a chestnut shell. With the nights drawing in, and…

Supernumerary in the South Pacific – more islands

After Fiji there were more islands. And cockroaches. I love all things great and small, I’ve even turned my garden into a haven for insects. But cockroaches are just nasty. They don’t bite, they don’t sting, they don’t fly – they just exist, and that’s enough. The only sure way of killing them is to…

HOW old??

A little late with this today. It’s Mum’s birthday, so a-visiting I did go, and I’ve only just got back home. My parents are getting old. At the risk of stating the obvious, with every year that passes they’re another year older. They still travel, they still have a car, they still have opinions. They…

Don’t be that person

Sometimes, things go wrong. We don’t get what we wanted. There’s a cock up. Sometimes it’s someone’s fault. Sometimes it really isn’t. So, what can you do about it? Let me tell you what not to do about it. Don’t be a dick. Don’t shout or scream or swear at the person who happens to…

Bah

It’s the middle of the night, and I can’t sleep so I’ve put the BBC News on. This is not helping me to get to sleep. Johnson has had to return to the UK from the UN because of the Court judgement ruling that his prorogation of Parliament was unlawful. Let’s just stop a moment…