So there I was, at the beginning of another month, wondering what lay in store.  There’s always something, isn’t there?  I was thinking about a bit more walking after all that coffee and cake for Macmillan – such a worthwhile cause.  I wasn’t prepared for an approach from Julie to see if I would accompany Professor Janet Lord down to BBC Broadcasting House on 17^th for Woman’s Hour.  The subject under discussion was to be Healthy Ageing.   Well, you may imagine how pleased I was to say yes.  Of course, by the time you read this, the day will have happened and I’ll complete the story of that day. More electronic wizardry occurred when I went to collect my rail tickets from a machine at the station.  In went the code I’d been given and out came the tickets!  I had a vision of a man sitting inside the machine handing out the tickets to travellers but that can’t be so, or can it?  I’ve never believed in magic but now – I’m not so sure.

The 3^rd was the final of the Women in Tech Award.  We were so hoping that Julie would win but it wasn’t to be on this occasion.  To get into the final was a wonderful achievement so congratulations, Julie.  You’ll always be a winner to us.

The 9^th was the date for my U3A monthly meeting.  The speaker was a representative of MAF, Mission Aviation Fellowship, a charity I hadn’t heard of.  It has 135 light aircraft which fly in the most remote regions of the globe.  For example, in Africa what once was a 3 day walk to reach a doctor becomes an 11 minute flight. He was such a good speaker and that, combined with an excellent film, meant that the hour whizzed by.  It seems that the number of charities all over the world is huge.  The information I’ve researched suggests that there are 400,000 charities in UK alone.  I’m not sure about the accuracy of that figure, but there certainly are large numbers of people giving up their time and money to support those in need.  It’s a comforting thought when watching the news.

And so the 17^th arrived.  The taxi collected me to Birmingham International Station where I met my fellow traveller,  Professor Janet Lord.  She plays an important role into medical research into healthy ageing and is a major authority on the subject, being invited to lecture in various parts of the world.  She and Julie met some 10 years ago when Julie was starting the Move It or Lose it organization.  Janet has all the knowledge in her subject which was just so relevant to Julie’s cause – appropriate exercises for mature people.  Janet also heads up the Thousand Elders research project.  I’m a Thousand Elder and it’s been a wonderful experience to be called to the University of Birmingham to help with various trials, so I was at the BBC with both my hats on; as an ambassador for Move It or Lose It and a Thousand Elder.  It seemed as though our journey was to be fraught with obstacles.  The London trains were subject to delay because of signal problems.  Also, the London underground was to be targeted by protestors.   Still, with some clever maneuvering by Janet, we reached the BBC in good time which was a relief as this programme is live.  Our hostess, Jenni Murray, was charming and asked some very searching questions.  Janet had every answer on the tip of her tongue.  Time flew and all too soon the programme had ended. After some publicity material was dealt with we were back at Euston and on our way home.  Just where that time went, I cannot say.  It was such a wonderful experience all round and a pleasure to have the company of Janet.  I listened to the programme the following Sunday and yes, it was good.  Janet gave so much information and it certainly was food for thought.  I have to thank Julie for putting my name forward as an example of how it’s possible to age healthily (although between you and me I am struggling at the moment for ‘overdoing it’; perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to dig up that turf!)  I think that lifting it into the green bin did the damage but hey ho, that’s how it goes.  My punishment is to be off tap dancing and Move It classes ‘til these chest muscles and ligaments pull themselves together, literally I think.

On the 26^th/27^th, it was time to put the clocks back.  Gone are the days when it was simply a question of moving that hand round the dial but now I feel that a degree in electronics wouldn’t go amiss.  Of course, some of it must be magic.  For instance, how can my kitchen clock alter itself when my oven clock can’t?  I don’t suppose I’ll ever know.

I’ve chosen the 13^th November for my Awareness which is National Kindness Day.  Think I’ve chosen that before so apologies if I’m repeating myself.  There are just so many choices out there but I’m sure folk like us won’t have any problem deciding.  Don’t forget, you can be kind to yourself too!

So here we are.  We’ve made it through another month.  Time to start bracing ourselves for the inevitable rush and tumble of the next two months of various celebrations.  I wish you good luck!