By: Marilyn
well-being, , , ,

Three score years, and ten

Yesterday I celebrated my 70th. And I mean ‘celebrated’!

So much has happened over the past few years that I’m grabbing my 8th decade with all the strength and guts I have. As Bette Davis famously said, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies.”

Monday – received wonderful, and surprising, news. Back in July I had entered one of my artworks into a competition for lockdown responses from those with voices ‘not often heard’. There is to be an exhibition and my artwork has been chosen to be included. I am thrilled. And very surprised. The work I entered is similar to one I posted on my blog back in April.

Tuesday – we drove to the Early Music Shop at Salts Mill in Yorkshire and my husband bought me a Celtic harp. I can hardly read music, and have poor co-ordination, but it is a beautiful instrument with a therapeutic sound and feel. My aim is not to become ‘proficient’ at playing known pieces but I was pleased for picking out the first few bars of Ode to Joy (following the music book) well enough for my husband to say ‘so you decided to start with Beethoven’. 😊🎶

Getting to grips with my harp – and loving it

Wednesday – my birthday treat: a trip on the Ffestiniog railway complete with picnic and bubbly. It was a gorgeous day, perfect in every way. Those of you with any invisible illness / disability / sensory issues / neuro-diversity will known how precious such times are.
I, like many others of you, actually prefer the social distancing dictated by coronavirus. We had a section of the compartment to ourselves, and each section had hardboard panels to segregate it from the next group. No-one encroached on my personal space, and I never felt that I needed to resort to grabbing my ear defenders.

Views of the Vale of Ffestiniog
View from the carriage window
Passing a Welsh Chapel at Penrhyn
Minffordd Station Platform
The Glaslyn Estuary, seen from The Cob
Engine No 5, soon to have its name plate “Welsh Pony”
Wonderful views of Snowdonia from the Ffestiniog Railway; steam at its best

It has been a lovely few days and I have felt in control of myself and my surroundings.
That is a wonder in itself.

Today was spent outside with some hard graft – cutting back willow, pruning trees, and generally tidying. As Summer draws to a close these things need to be done. May as well enjoy it.

To any fellow Virgos – Happy Day!
To any fellow humans – Happy Day!
Enjoy these days as best you can. Reach out to loved ones. Celebrate the lives of those who may have been lost. Love yourself and cherish your uniqueness.

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Thank you for reading.
Marilyn X