31 October 2016 Natter

How are you?  It’s probably just me but I feel as though I’m now galloping at high speed towards the end of the year.  Perhaps it’s a variety of things like trying to cram a pint into a half pint pot which is often how friends and family describe my life.  Still, it does mean I don’t have time to think more than I must about the onset of aches and pains.  I’m visiting a friend in hospital at the moment.  Jean is struggling with quite a few problems and I know she would be happy to exchange her health for mine.  I suppose it’s: ‘Is the glass half empty or half full’?

So, on to my news.

On 5^th, I was back at the Medical School of Birmingham University.  This had been the venue for the annual Age Well conference at the beginning of September which I wrote about last month.  I had been invited to do a follow up to the interview I had done to camera on that occasion.  This time it was something new for me.  I was working to a script and narrating for the film which had been produced following the conference.  Its objective is to promote the healthy ageing research which is being carried out at Birmingham University and encourage people to become Birmingham Thousand Elders to support the work.  Angie Slater (Angela really but only her Mum uses that!!) who is Digital Marketing and Communications Officer for the College of Medical and Dental Sciences is leading this initiative.  Even though she has such a responsible and challenging role, she was happy and charming and managed my time with her patiently.  I hope that my time on the day helped – it’s such important work so thanks to Angie for the experience, the Danish pastry and not least of all the information re gel nails!!!

12^th October was a really interesting day – a photoshoot if you please!!  As you might guess, Julie was at the controls for this, along with Beth who is her right-hand now.  It was arranged with military precision.  I drove to one of the other ‘student’s’ houses, where we were met at 12.25 by a minibus who collected other ladies and six of us were taken to Birmingham where another fourteen participants (including one man!!) were waiting.  Based in a dance studio, after soup and rolls, the photographer worked with various groups doing various keep fit activities. With six instructors to lead us, the objective was to promote Move It or Lose It to doubters, surgeries, websites and demonstrate energy and vitality through still photography and video showing real people truly exercising and having fun, hopefully defying the image of how ‘older’ people are viewed by so many folk. It was also an opportunity to meet Ruth, a new recruit to the team.  She is Head of Digital Marketing, presenting the Move It message on social media, Facebook, providing information to trainers and generally letting the world know what we disciples have known for some time.  She was lovely, enthusiastic and another attractive feather in Julie’s cap. As usual, it was an uplifting experience – meeting new folk and seeing Movers from past work with Julie.

For Awareness Days in November, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the 10^th which is Remembrance Sunday – so important to so many of us.  I’d like to add the 14^th which is World Diabetes Day.  This is the birthday of Frederick Banting who researched the theory in 1921 that has led to the important use of insulin in treating this disease.  When you think that’s not so long ago, it’s a comforting thought that cures for other serious illnesses may be very near with the speed at which research is carried out.

Autumn has been seriously confirmed now with the country roads in my part of the world busy with tractors going to and from harvesting work.  I like to think that Mother Nature is organising good weather and looking out for us.

My daughter is in the midst of moving house.  Having sold her own house, she has been living with me for 3 months and moved into her lovely new home on the 24^th.  It’s been a real pleasure to have her here.  Ok, so I’m biased but she truly is a lovely person.  She will only be 5 miles away so she won’t have escaped my clutches entirely!! And what a move it was; 7 car loads on the Monday including a bed and a table.  I have absolutely no idea how the plan worked but even my little car managed two huge loads and so the week continued.  Saturday saw the second phase of this operation with my son and the men doing the heavy work with a van but we even had fun that day.  I provided man-size portions of sandwiches and all the other junk food appropriate for such a task.  I have to confess that we had large portions of chips on the Monday night when fatigue grabbed us by the legs.

So October ends with a bang as usual – courtesy of Halloween which, like all our old traditions, has become overly commercialised with the price tags nudging the fun to the side-lines. We also have to give up that lovely bit of daylight with the clocks going back but it’s lovely to have that snug cosy feeling that the autumn brings and don’t forget all the exercise you’ll get sweeping up those leaves!

Now where did I put that Christmas card list……..