Being 60+

Today is the day I have my get together to celebrate the reaching of 60 years old. A couple of people who I wished to be there cannot make it due to illness which is very prevalent at the moment. I had to stretch my budget to get a new pair of trousers and a top as recently affording such luxuries has been out of the question. Affordability is a word I shall cover in future posts as it is a word thrown around like it has some statistical measure and allows people to understand the whole of the economy and it's effect on the population. I was reading this year's in memorium list of famous people and stars that have passed away this year. According to The Office Of National Statistics (ONS) the average lifespan of a male is 78.6 years of age. I hope to have longer than that but let's be honest it could be less than that. One has to be truthful and realistic; plus the crap I often eat, the lack of exercise and a few cheap ales here and there are not helping my longevity. One t...

Time rolls on and on, nothing gets in its way. No storms, no earthquakes, no wars or anything that seems to make a mockery of our frail, imperfect existence. I am sitting in the gastronomical experience known as Greggs, where all your food desires are met with criticism, distaste and verbal vitriol . My own personal tipple is tea with soya milk, front seat near the shelves of diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome X sustenance items that are on display. My enjoyment here is with the massive amount of theft that takes place as people walk in and steal a sandwich, some wedges and a couple of drinks. Occasionally you get the weekly stealer who comes in and takes everything they can get their hands on and thrown into a bag of some sort. The staff are all high and mighty with their very forcefull "stop that", or "don't steal the food". The thieves must be quaking in their Nike trainers as they walk away grinning and swearing with their bag of swag. The seconda...

This will be my last birthday where I am in my 50's. Six days to go and a new decade will begin for me; I am still waiting for the life begins at 40 promise, maybe I was living in the wrong postcode.  At 60 in England one is entitled to free prescriptions, free eye test (just the test) but not dental treatment. However in Wales and Scotland over 60's get free dental treatment, a move might be the order of the day.  This does not seem like a lot but it's important to delve deeper into the free prescriptions on offer. Not only are you getting the medication for a specific condition, you are getting a chance of experiencing some or all of the side effects that are associated with that particular drug. The average number of possible side effects that current medications have is 68.8 according to a general AI Google search. According to the National Council Of Aging 95% of people in their 60's will have a chronic condition and 80% will have two or more.The chart below, taken...

Hitting this age was like waking up in your 30's, blinking, and then realising you are 59 and 358 days old. It happens so quickly with most of your hopes, dreams and desires all stuffed under the stairs along with the exercise bike and bread maker. The intentions were always there and some things do come to fruition like running a few marathons, purchasing a brand new car, working in a foreign country, getting a first class degree and running a vegan catering project to support animal sanctuaries.  I am one week away from the big 60, that is 7 whole days, or 168 hours, 10,080 minutes. I won't go into seconds as that will be labouring the point. This time will fizzle away like the clock on Countdown and when I look down at my paper I will have nothing to show for it.  But I have been proactive, I am looking forward to free travel in London with a 60+ Oyster card. I must prove my age by providing evidence with an in-date passport or a driver's license, or a  birth certifica...

 A lot later this month I will hit the grand old age of 60, it's taken a long time to get here. To be honest I am not sure if I am happy to be at this point in my life or not, either way the fact still remains. Meandering through 2024 I had no intentions of celebrating or even acknowledging my 60th with any type of gathering or party. Not until someone a bit wiser than me thought it should be noticed as it is an important age in terms of one's life. According to statistics I will be part of the 24.4% of people in the UK to be 60+ in years. Therefore, out of a population of approximately 69 million people, I will be in a tiny, special group of around 17 million people. So far this achievement, if reached, is not looking too special or even noteworthy. But I will bow down to his better judgement and acknowledge this new chapter on my path to eternal rest. It does not end there, the same person even suggested I write a blog about this. A blog about being 60 and the pros and cons o...