Introduction to Grand Cayman

In 2015 my daughter turned eighteen and, like her brother before her, I gave her a choice of where to go for our annual two week holiday. Having decided that she wanted to go to the Caribbean I short listed three islands for her to choose from and thus we arrived in Grand Cayman for the first time.
I fell in love with the island and hubby and I visited together in 2016 and again in 2018.
Just over 7 years later we are returning for one last time.
Whilst a lot of joy comes from travelling the way that we do, you also have to sometimes make some tough decisions and wave farewell to some favourite haunts in favour of discovering new places. As I’ve said previously we are now in the last quartile of our life and there are still many places on the list to cross off!

Just a little exert from our Very Long List of Cities and countries we still want to visit

Introduction and Origins:
Originally named Las Tortugas in 1503 by Christopher Columbus due to the numerous sea turtles. The Caymans were later called Caimanas for the alligators (caymans) found there but now extinct from the islands.

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and is a British Overseas Territory, with the UK’s King Charles III as head of state. The residents joke about the fact that taxes from the UK pay for their garbage disposal 😊.
The island is roughly 22 miles long and up to 8 miles wide, stretching from West Bay along the coast past Camana Bay and Seven Mile Beach, to the capital George Town then through to the East End and finally to the North End.

Known for its world-class diving and credited with developing scuba diving as a recreational sport in the 1950s, Grand Cayman is situated in the Western Caribbean. Lying approximately 450 miles south of Miami, Florida and only an hour and a quarter flight time from Cuba which sits to the north east with Jamaica to the south east.

The Cayman Islands are the world’s fifth-largest financial centre, hosting around 600 banks and many of the world’s hedge funds. Cayman is well known for being an international tax haven. The island imposes zero direct taxes—no income, corporate, capital gains, or withholding taxes—on individuals or corporations. As a British Overseas Territory, it offers a stable, business-friendly, and secretive legal framework that allows multinational firms and high-net-worth individuals to shield income and assets.
Additionally there are no restrictions on foreign ownership of a single property and there is no property tax levied.
It is perhaps no surprise that Cayman is currently home to 12 billionaires and 102 centi-millionaires – people with more than $100 million in personal wealth.

Cayman has a a tropical climate with a rainy season from mid-May through October and it also sits within the hurricane belt from late August to October.
The worst hurricane to hit the island was back in September 2004 when “Hurricane Ivan” passed about 25 miles southwest of George Town as a Category 5 hurricane. The town reported sustained winds of 150 mph. The storm surge from the hurricane flooded the whole island leaving behind US$2.86 billion in damage.

English is the official language, driving is on the left side of the road and there over 68,000 residents here, the majority being native Caymanians but with people also from over 100 countries!
The Cayman Dollar (KYD) is the local currency roughly 1:1 with the English pound.
100 US dollars currently equates to about 82 KYD.

Visting Grand Cayman:
82% of visitors to the island in 2025 came from the USA with 7% from Canada and just 3% from the UK. With direct flights now coming in from all over the USA with flight times varying from 1.5 to 5.5 hours it’s not really surprising that Americans make up most of the tourist market.

In comparison having woken up with an alarm at 4 a.m. and arrived at Heathrow airport at 6 a.m. our flight is at 9.
Due to runway restrictions in Cayman larger planes cannot land and so a stop in Nassau in the Bahamas to refuel is necessary, making the total flight time around 13 hrs. We disembark at 4.30 p.m. Cayman is 5 hrs behind the UK so for us it’s 9.30 at night. Hitting midlife means that this really feels like a long journey!

Despite the fact that the airport was extended in 2021 the queues at immigration are very long! It’s peak season and there is just one very polite, fairly well organised lady trying to control the chaos as visitors snake their way to the immigration desks.
Interestingly in May 2025, the Cayman Islands government approved a $91 million redevelopment plan for the airport. The project will include building a new terminal, extending the runway, and modernising the air traffic control system.

The East End:
From our very first trip to Cayman we settled on accommodation in the East End away from the crowds who flock to Seven Mile Beach every year and the cruise ships that land in George Town every day.
Leaving the airport behind our first stop was a large supermarket. We were going to need food to make breakfast, alongside some snacks for lunch or evening depending upon when we ate our main meal each day.
We are travellers, don’t forget, not holiday makers and as such we are not here to eat out at fancy restaurants.

Having not been to the island for 8 years, en route to our accommodation, and despite the lateness of the hour, we realise that the road system has changed with a brand new road (“Frank Sound Road” ) now open across the island. We decide to avoid this and maintain our normal route around the coast.
Interestingly our hire car displays the speed in km per hour but the road signage still matches the UK and is, therefore, in miles per hr!
The roads here are smooth, modern and well maintained and as we speed onwards we notice the evolution of far more modern housing taking over from the old Caymanian style homes. Instead of modernising these existing and often beautiful houses it appears that people are just tearing them down to open up the ground space and build brand new homes. This makes me feel a little sad and I wonder if the native Caymanians will one day regret these decisions and wonder why they didn’t protect their heritage.

This fellow was actually outside the supermarket when we visited later in the week!

Chickens and Iguanas:
Luckily as it is nighttime we don’t have to look out for the ever-present chickens or iguanas on the roads.
I love to see chickens during the day pecking away on the side of the road and it’s unusual if you don’t hear a rooster crowing first thing in the morning.
The high number of chickens on the roads in Grand Cayman is primarily due to Hurricane Ivan back in 2004 when coops were blown away and domesticated birds escaped into the wild!
With no natural predators on the island, a warm climate, and an abundance of food, these birds have flourished, becoming a common sight on roadsides, in parking lots, and near restaurants.

Green iguanas are a non-native, invasive species that has proliferated on the island particularly in the East End. These cold blooded reptiles use the hot roads to regulate their body temperature, especially in the early morning. Luckily it’s not breeding season as male iguanas travel significantly at this time of the year in search of a mate, which increases the likelihood of them crossing roads.

Weirdly it is the very presence of these chickens and iguanas that make the roads in the East End of Cayman so special, they just seem to welcome you home. And as we finally arrive in our accommodation for the next 7 days I’m going to bid you good night and leave you with a promise to share with you some of our explorations on my next post………………

A real road sign on Cayman!

I look forward to your comments and hopefully “likes” and if you have any suggestions of how to manage long distance flights so you don’t arrive at your destination completely shattered I’m all ears!😊

Who is Behind The Blog? Adventures and Reflections: A Life Unfolded

I’m sitting in a hotel room at Heathrow airport, with the alarm set for 4 a.m. so we have enough time to shower and grab a free breakfast before heading to the terminal and the start of a new adventure! 
I seriously cannot wait. The run up to this point I often find a bit overwhelming, making sure I’ve packed everything we are likely to need, that all the plans I’ve researched and put in place are ready to rock and roll and we have those three key important ingredients: passports, money and a sense of adventure 😊

I’m sat in bed busily creating this next post, looking forward to receiving comments from readers around the world and hopefully some “likes” without those who give up their time to do this actually knowing a lot about me. So who is behind the blog? 

Well I was born into a hard working family, in a beautiful Cotswold village, living high up on a hill overlooking the fabulous picturesque valleys below. 
My life actually began in a caravan in my father’s field with my parents and my older sister. 
I think I was about 4 or 5 when we moved into our family home on what is now known as a “social housing” estate, but back in my day was “council housing” so called because the local council built the houses and then rented them out. 

At Junior School (in the UK that is aged 4 to 11 years) I excelled and willingly fought to keep my place at the top of the class. 
It was also at this point in my life that I started to learn to ride and then very quickly caught the equine bug and fell in love with horses. 
My Dad rented a farm so a field and stabling came free. He was incredibly supportive which sometimes I don’t think I ever really thanked him for. It was a way of life that allowed me to be alone with my thoughts and negated the need at times to make friends. I was never lonely and became very independent, a characteristic that stood me in good stead many times later in life.

I’ve chosen pictures of flowers for this post taken on my travels

Passing my 11+ exam I then found myself at the Stroud High School for Girls.
Suddenly I was no longer top of the class but surrounded by other “clever girls” and being fed an ethos that “we were the cream of the crop”. 
This was also my first taste of a divided world, surrounded by girls from middle class backgrounds whose fathers were bankers, solicitors, directors and doctors and whose Mums stayed at home to bring up the children and “keep house”. A social stigma that I have already talked about in a previous post.
On a personal level, at 14, my Mum died and life changed overnight. Being without that central figure in my life was incredibly hard and my Dad, bless him, had no real idea of how to support us. He had been brought up in a post war world where you just shrugged it off, picked yourself up and got on with life. Alongside that he was busy working and home suddenly became quite a lonely place.

I left school at 18 with good qualifications but university wasn’t an option for me. 
My Mum had died at 55 when I was only 14 and my home life was emotionally and practically difficult and it was time for me to go out into the big wide world and earn a living.
With four job offers in retail management I chose to start my career with a large well known retailer as a Trainee Manager in Basingstoke, Hampshire. I was moved around the country every six months:- Basingstoke to Swansea where I lived on The Mumbles and then in Llangyfelach. Swansea to Banbury in Oxfordshire. Then Banbury to Clapham, South London as my training and career progressed. It was a nomadic life style and one that I ultimately decided was not for me. 

I left, settling in London and worked initially for a smaller fashion retail chain before joining a gaming and entertainment company. It wasn’t a job I envisaged taking but I desperately wanted to get out of fashion retail and so two days before my twenty second birthday on February 11th I started what turned into a 30 year career!

Apart from the work experience, promotions and sometimes good bonuses this job delivered, it allowed me to come into contact with all aspects of life. From the Mum spending her child allowance betting on the spin of a fruit machine to the thousands that could be bet and won on a roulette wheel along with the demands that were listed on a “rider” for a visiting well known singing group or individual artist. Some of these entertainers were down to earth, speaking to you and treating you like a colleague whilst others were full of their own self importance and happy to lord it over you. 

I loved the fact that I met people from every walk of life, every level of Management and a multitude of nationalities. I listened to true life stories of refugees forced to leave their homes and countries of birth from Sri Lanka to Uganda, Cambodia and beyond. 
People who left behind all that they knew to start again in the UK without even the ability to speak the language. 
I met people who left their countries on ships from the Caribbean or as internet brides from Russia and the Philippines intent on finding a better way of life for their future generations or the family they were forced to leave behind. I saw bravery and unbroken spirits in these characters who did what they had to do to make a better life.
It was a real eye opener and made me far more worldly wise. As a result I also definitely appreciate the country I live in and the freedom we often take for granted.

In February 2002 I began the next stage of my personal life as a single Mum with two mixed race children making hard but rationalised decisions to ensure they had a stable upbringing. It didn’t come without it’s challenges, some from within our family unit and others from the world outside. They were and are still my pride and joy.

2015 was a massive year of change for me. 
Just after my birthday in February I found myself out of work, with an NDA, having given 30 years of blood, sweat and tears to a company who no longer valued experience. A company that seemed to all intents and purposes to be set on culling those who added the most expense to their payroll in favour of a cheaper, younger labour market. 
Despite this I left with so many happy memories, more life lessons than I will ever be able to recall and a wealth of commercial experience and transferable skills.

With a mortgage still to pay I reinvented myself and for three years worked in the funeral industry. Initially alongside my commercial ability I utilised my hospitality skills to run a crematorium and open their first ever hospitality suite. 
A year later I was training to be a funeral celebrant and ultimately used my creative writing ability to write funeral services and eulogies whilst happily standing up and speaking publicly at funerals.

In July 2015 I also met my now hubby. We had known each other previously when we were 19, had dated for about 18 months and then split up amicably. It was just too hard to conduct a relationship when we basically lived at opposite ends of the country! 
30+ years later he decided to come looking for me and having found me on line decided to email me one Sunday night completely out of the blue. His research and ultimate belief that we belonged together turned into marriage and a life long love ❤️

in February 2018, I decided to make another change in my life. With the success of my business clashing with our personal time together and with only two weeks notice I decided to retire early, whilst hubby went on to work for another four years.
No doubt you can see the pattern of how the month of February has dominated every major stage of my life thus far. 
With no real structure or work life I found myself at a complete loss. What was I now going to do with my time? 
It took me until September 2020 to even begin to work it out and I probably didn’t reach the finished retired article until the end of last year, 2025!
There’s been a few curve balls thrown in along the way to test my endurance and to knock me off course but I seem to have an inept ability to brush myself off and find my way back to my own personal yellow brick road and finally a life of happiness, enjoyment, adventure and occasionally rest!

Does all this life experience qualify me to write a blog? I think I’ll allow you to decide that and will look forward to your comments……………….. 
In the meantime I will listen out for that alarm tomorrow morning and get myself to the airport 😊

Life Lessons from Personal Mantras

Based upon the idea that “midlife” brings us a chance to reflect and learn more about ourselves. I’ve realised, looking back on my own life, that having my own personal mantras to live by has really helped me. 
A mantra is defined in the Oxford Language as “a statement or slogan repeated frequently. By repeating your mantra out loud or silently within your own mind, it can help guide your thoughts to the right frame of mind to achieve your goal or task.”
For me it has been more often a silent thought process that has worked.

My First Mantra:
My mantras have come to me naturally over time as I have progressed through life. 
It started when I was just fourteen standing by my Mum’s bedside one Saturday Afternoon. It was January 14th, I remember the date because two days later my Mum died and this was the last moments I would get to spend with her. 
Using money from my Saturday job, I left at lunchtime and travelled alone by bus and train before walking from the railway station to our county hospital.
My Mum had been in and out of hospital many times over the years. She went in and then when she was better she came out. I didn’t for one moment, at the tender age of fourteen, imagine this time was going to be any different. She looked normal, she wasn’t sickly pale or too tired to talk as she had been on other occasions. She was confined to bed but again that was normal. We chatted about every day life, my journey to the hospital, how school was going, how things were at home. Nothing specific, just everyday life. 

Towards the end of visiting hours, she turned to me and fixed me with that motherly stare that was hard to avoid and always meant she had something to say that required my focused attention and said to me  “Make sure you go out of this life with more than you came in”. These were some of the last words she ever spoke to me. 
They stayed with me forever and grew in depth as I matured and began to understand more of the hard and gruelling life she had been born into. It filled me with sadness to realise how much she, herself, had worked to leave her poverty stricken life behind and went on to dedicate her life to creating a stable, safe and loving home for me and my older sister. Those words were my first mantra to live by and drove my ambition to constantly move forward and make more of myself.

“Robins appear when loved ones are near”. 

Onto My Second Mantra:
In my late thirties as my 8 year marriage dissolved around me I sought counselling to deal with the mix of emotions that swelled within me as I came to terms with the fact that the vows I had made on my wedding day were not going to be forever. 
This also meant that my children were going to find themselves in a single parent family, something I never wanted for them, after my own family life had been cut so wickedly short. 
It was during this counselling that I learnt more about personal happiness and how my mixed emotions would ultimately affect my children if I didn’t choose to change anything. Thus I picked up my second mantra “everyone in life deserves to be happy and if you are not happy there is only one person who can do anything about it, You!” 
It was a tough lesson to learn but one that has stood me in great stead ever since.

“I’m happy when I am out exploring and being by water, of any description,
always has a calming effect”

Mantra 3:
During my thirteen years as a single parent I focused all my energy on making as comfortable a life as I could for my children. I committed myself to ensuring that all the hours spent developing my career, which brought in money to keep a roof over our heads food in our tummies and all the bills paid, would also give us the freedom to have holidays. At first this was a two week holiday abroad each summer but grew over time to include the cultural exploration of European cities during February half term and ultimately a whole month off, when we were 16,18 and 50 years old and went to explore different parts of America. 
From these travels I realised that “I didn’t want to be one of those old people who sat on their rocking chair in their 70’s or 80’s looking back on my life thinking I wish I had done this or experienced that”. 
By then it is too late, you need to do the things you want whilst you are healthy enough to do so. My hubby and I now both live by this, although Covid definitely restricted plans for nearly 2 years!

Travelling and adventures make me happy
-the beautiful Quetzal bird photographed when we were in the 
Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica

My all encompassing mantra:
When I found myself retraining in my early 50’s to work in the funeral business it stimulated a lot of thoughts about life.
I knew already that life was not forever but sitting writing eulogies for people, I had never met, in the hope that the service I was planning would bring some comfort to the families left behind, I sometimes found myself pondering life.
Why do some people reach a ripe old age whilst others die so young? It was during this period in my life that I confirmed that Christianity wasn’t for me. 

I was an independent funeral celebrant so not being religious, in the traditional sense, didn’t affect my work. The more I thought about it, particularly the fact that people live their lives according to what was apparently written down in the Bible, based upon stories that had taken place thousands of years ago, the more I found it totally bizarre. 
Project forward another few hundred years and will people be living their lives according to J K Rowling and everything written about the world of Harry Potter? After all sales of her books probably equal if not exceed those of the Bible!
So if I’m not religious then on what is my life based?

As part of my midlife adventure I’ve addressed this question and dabbled in looking on the surface of many religions and beliefs . On the surface Buddhism seems more aligned to my thinking but then again I’ve also had a strong fascination with the beliefs of the North American Indians. 
I also found Covid interesting, in that it seemed to me and I’m sure many others, that nature was taking back control, if only temporarily. While the world was in lockdown people’s strong attachment to materialism was halted in favour of pure survival. Was Covid “sent” to teach us new lessons? Did it happen to effectively wipe out a percentage of the world’s population which after all, if I’ve understood David Attenborough correctly, is a definitive reason for a lot of the issues we now have with climate change and the resulting mass production needed to feed an ever increasing world population.. 

During the three years that I spent in the funeral business I grew to realise that my belief in life is very simplistic and this became an all encompassing mantra that I live by. 
Life is like a yellow brick road, there is always a start and inevitably always an end. The paths we wander, the daisy fields of sunshine we pass through, the dark angry storms we encounter are all part of the great adventure that is life.

Along the yellow brick road we will meet many people, some will be lifelong friends, others just passers by. There will be times we take a wrong turn, other times when we feel like we are going around in circles but this is all part of the path we tread, the lessons we need to learn.
The memories we have of people who we have met en route who loved us but had to pass on from this earthly life leave behind an indelible impression, they were part of that great journey. We will never forget them, they will always be there for us, to talk to, confide in and to shine a light in our heart. Their legacy is in the beautiful memories and the positive experiences we shared and still hold dear. That legacy shines in your heart always and echoes in our memories.

My Mum is with me every day. I don’t speak to her every day but when I do she listens. I know she hears me because when I ask her for help it comes. It might be that in the cold light of day, from a restless night, a solution presents itself to a problem that has been bearing down on me or when I ask her to look after someone I love they are returned to me alive and well. 

It might be that during your earthly adventure if you give it some time and thought your beliefs will show themselves and like me you will find peace in knowing where you sit in this vast universe and on this great journey that is life. 

I’ll finish this piece with a short poem I came across when I was working on a eulogy one day which in its own way answers my previous question about the length of life.

“A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam,
And for a brief moment its glory
And beauty belong to our world
But then it flies again
And though we wish it could have stayed
We feel lucky to have seen it”

Do you live by any key philosophies? Do you have any beliefs that you hold dear?
Why not comment and let me know and if you enjoyed my post today please give it a like 
Thank you for reading 

Our Journey: From Holidays to Authentic Travel Experiences

My hubby and I had often discussed the idea of taking a break from life, experiencing other cultures by actually living as a local rather than just going on holiday, staying in nice hotels/ self catering resorts and eating out every night.
We wanted to wave goodbye to the traditional holiday culture, which was ok when we were both working full time and just needed to relax in the sun for a couple of weeks reading books on sun loungers and going out to discover a bit of culture.

It was obvious that to try “travelling” we needed to commit to being away for an extended period of time. Two weeks wasn’t really going to hack it!
You read about the older generation taking “gap years” replicating what their grandchildren are doing. This was something they never had a chance to do themselves when they were younger. Did we want to pack a rucksack, throw away plans, be impulsive and sleep in hostels? Probably not, to be honest, but was there a middle ground?

I’ve been planning holidays and avoiding travel agents and glossy brochures for 20+ years so planning 3-6 months away didn’t phase me but can you do it reasonably inexpensively?
Well the answer to that question is yes, providing you are willing to make some sacrifices in order to be able to finance such a trip:
Self catering was a must. Eating in our accommodation had to become the norm although going out to lunch or dinner once a week was affordable. 
Hiring a car, unless absolutely necessary was a no, and thus using public transport as much as possible needed to be a priority. 
Utilising every saving scheme, voucher offer and price reduction was important. 

Also would spending every day, 24/7, suit us? I can imagine some couples would be worried or even terrified of that thought but we relished the idea.

Oia in Santorini

Our Background:
Hubby and I had met each other originally when we were nineteen and stayed together for about 18 months. During our relationship, we both had careers. he lived in Essex and I lived in Swansea, Banbury and finally South London. We used to see each other at weekends, I would drive to him one weekend and then he would drive to me the next weekend. 
It was hard, there was no M25 circling London at this time and so when I was living in Swansea it used to take about 6 hours, arriving late on a Friday Evening and then returning again on a Sunday night. 
There was no massive split, we just drifted apart. 

32 years later he found me again through the internet!
By this point I was settled in Gloucestershire, divorced, with two children and he was living in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire. He’d never been married, had no children and had lived alone for 10 years!

We met in Lechlade, roughly halfway between us, and have never looked back. 
After four years we got engaged at Harcourt Arboretum and planned to get married on our 5th anniversary. in 2020. 
We decided on a honeymoon in Chicago and driving East to West across Route 66. Little did we know then that a pandemic was going to take hold in March 2020 and like so many couples Covid delayed the wedding until June 2021. 
With Covid regulations differing from country to country and the USA, at one point, seeming to have no control over the spread of the disease and vaccinations being controlled by State Governors instead of a central government we decided that the USA trip would be put back on hold. 
But “what can we do instead?” he asked me. “Leave it with me” I said and when he returned from work the next day I greeted him with “Well I’ve got good news and bad news! The good news is I have a new honeymoon idea, the bad news is it will take 53 days!”
Basically I had sat down with a list of all the places in England and Scotland that we had ever thought about visiting and created a circular trip by joining all the dots. He was elated and this became our honeymoon for 2021. 

Alas Covid hit again and our wedding was postponed until July 2022. 
With the UK honeymoon already in motion we talked about cancelling it and then thought” Why not? Let’s just do it!” And that was how our first long distance road trip came about!

So when it, eventually, came to our wedding in 2022 we again discussed our honeymoon and to be honest I still wasn’t ready to sit back down and replan the Route 66 trip with a wedding still to finish. So with no real plans at all we went island hopping in Greece instead. 

Church of Saint Irene, at night, on the Island of Ios

Accidentally Starting to Travel Rather Than Holiday:
We had begun our trip by treating the honeymoon as an extended holiday rather than travelling. 
We had loved the simplicity of the Greek lifestyle and although we began by using the kitchen in our accommodation purely for breakfast and lunch rather than cooking dinner, this soon changed.
Whilst on Naxos we started to get bored with nights out, eating in restaurants. We started to question whether we needed to do this or even wanted to do this every night. 
We found ourselves often visiting local bakeries, taking pastries and freshly cooked rolls filled with a lovely range of Greek delicatessen back to our apartment instead. This gave us a great introduction to cutting back on expenditure and a real feel for authentic Greek cooking.

Our First Adventure Is Born:
We arrived home 4 weeks later and the idea of going somewhere to live as a local began to really take a grip of us. 

We started to explore staying in Madrid for a month or flying to Grand Cayman for 6 weeks but then we started to look at our ever growing list of places in the world we wanted to visit and suddenly an idea began to form in our heads. Why not join all the places in Western Europe together and go for an extended visit like we had in the UK? 
Obviously we would be restricted by the 90 day stay in Europe, thanks to Brexit, but what could you cover in 90 days?

So armed with a Google map of Europe, a list of potential travel books I would be using for research, an online planning website and a financial spreadsheet I began to put the trip together. 
Hubby and I have an understanding: – I plan and he turns up at the airport with the passports and carries the baggage! This might sound a little lopsided but it works for us and to be honest it’s easier not to have to consult someone on every minute detail! 
I know what sort of things he likes to do and we tend to visit a mixture of places when we are away that covers both our tastes. 
I do tend to get his thoughts on accommodation once I’ve got myself a short list because after all we both have to stay there and be comfortable.

The Beautiful Fishing Village of Naousa on Paros

And Then The Adventure Grew:
As the trip started to take shape more thoughts started circulating. 
What if we did Western Europe and then finally got across to the USA to drive Route 66 ? Before I quite knew what was happening we added this trip to the itinerary. 
I thought it would be fairly straight forward, given I still had all my notes etc, having previously planned the trip back in 2020. 
Alas Covid had affected a lot of hospitality businesses and I soon found I needed to change some of the plans. Additionally if we were now going to be “travelling” and not “honeymooning” it would require a tighter control on expenditure.

And Grew:
Then we started looking at other extended trips we still wanted to do during our life time and realised there was only currently one other trip in the USA we wanted to do. 
Drive the Eastern Seaboard from Florida to New York excluding all freeways and interstates, sticking to local A roads, as we refer to them in the UK. 
This idea had been born from a discussion with a young waitress in Key West back in 2018 whose family lived there but she was at university in New York and used to load up her car when it was time to return and drive herself back. 
Americans appeared to have no concept of distance or travel time. The roads are pretty much straight and they will drive four hours just for a day trip before driving back again at the end of their day. Everything is on such a larger scale out there. 
Yes, you’ve guessed it we then tagged this trip on and before we knew it we had a 6 month adventure awaiting us. 

I originally wrote this post sat in a hotel room at Gatwick Airport knowing that in the morning we would get up at 5am to fly to Bilbao at 8.30 and the adventure would begin. 
I can, honestly, say we have never looked back. 
We have changed a few things, learnt a great deal and continue to have adventures across the globe. 

I’m interested to hear other travellers’ tips and ideas on their adventures so look forward to reading your comments. And don’t forget if you liked this post please give it a like 🙏

My Midlife Adventure: A Travel Blog Journey

Inspiration comes in many formats and today whilst browsing and reading posts on other blogs I was inspired to research how “A Midlife Adventure” has developed.
I launched my blog on February 18th 2023 so nearly three years ago! Time has definitely flown and it’s hard to believe just how many places we have visited since then and how my readership has grown.

Travelling and exploring was always part of my life, initially with my children and then with my hubby after we rekindled our relationship after a 30+ year gap and eventually got married.
I’m not the most tech savvy person, which I’ll excuse with the fact that I’m a mid-lifer😊, so launching a blog was quite a steep learning curve and a mountain I’m definitely still climbing. Once you leave work you find your skills wane a bit and staying up to date with today’s technology certainly becomes harder. My statistics are maybe, therefore, not as awe inspiring as other blogs that are featured on the WordPress website but I’m still proud of my gentle ascent.

Photos from Spain taken on our travels in 2023:
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (Top Left), The Alcazar in Segovia, (Top Middle)
The Retiro Park in Madrid (Top Right)

My Stats:
Over the last 3 years I’ve posted 153 articles so an average of at least one a week.
Last year I took a break of two months in the Winter when I temporarily lost my mojo and, therefore, produced 42 articles last year.

In 2024 my readership increased by 36% compared to 2023 and last year, in 2025 this grew again by another 110%. I’m currently making plans to try and expand this even more this year. My most popular posts are all travel based so there is an argument that I should steer clear of “Opinion” pieces or those based upon “Mid-life” but I think you also have to stay true to yourself. When I launched my blog I knew I wanted to do a bit of a mixture of all three and I’ve stayed true to that ideology.

I always find it really interesting looking at my visitor figures. Again this has grown over the last three years with an increase of 125% in 2024 compared to 2023 and then another increase in 2025 when visitors trebled year on year; I think that’s really impressive and I’m proud of myself.

More photos from Spain in 2023:
From the top left; Cordoba, Seville, Valencia, Granada, Barcelona, Girona

I find it really mad that people all around the world read my posts.

In 2023 my Top 5 readership by country was:
1. UK
2. USA
3. Spain
4. Malaysia
5. The Netherlands
with 29 countries finding my blog posts

This changed in 2024 to:
1. UK
2. USA
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Greece
with 38 countries finding my articles

and then this year 2025:
1. UK
2. USA
3. Canada
4. China
5. Moldova
with 82 countries finding my blog posts

Yes, Moldova!!! This country sits between the Ukraine and Romania in Eastern Europe and has a population of about 3 million! Thank you! Mulțumesc!

WordPress also monitors how visitors find my blog or “referrals”.
When I started back in 2023 my top three referrers were WordPress itself, Facebook and then way behind this was Google.
In 2024 Facebook took over from WordPress and my referrals from Google grew.
In 2025, however, Google far outstripped anyone else with nearly three times as many compared to Facebook and with WordPress coming in a poor third.

Travel and Experiences:
So where have I been in the last three years? Well here is a quick recap:

Highlights of 2023:
Europe:
This was a really busy year, we spent 3 months travelling across Western Europe by train, visiting four different countries: Spain, France, Belgium, and The Netherlands, stopping at 29 different cities/towns.

Europe in 2023:
Top Row: Versailles, Chantilly and Tours in France
Bottom Rows: Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Brussels in Belgium

USA:
Then we popped home for 2 weeks before flying to the USA where we began our trip with 7 nights in Chicago before heading out on our first of two road trips along the famous “Route 66”. Our drive took 30 nights with 17 different stopping off points.

Ending Route 66 on Santa Monica Pier we then flew down to Florida where we took a break for 7 days before heading out on our second road trip following the Eastern Seaboard all the way up from Fort Lauderdale to Richmond, Virginia. It was important to us not to use any interstates or freeways so we used what we would call “A” roads in the UK or smaller.
Dropping the car in Richmond we boarded a train to Washington. Then it was onto Philadelphia before finally finishing our trip in New York.
38 nights and 11 different cities/towns.
Across both road trips I drove 5250 miles through 18 different states!

Photos from Route 66:
Top Row: Chicago, the start of Route 66, and Pontiac in Illinois,
Bottom Row: Riverton in Kansas and Oklahoma City

The Sunrise over Monument Valley, and the Sunset over the Grand Canyon on July 4th

Highlights of 2024:
Aside from visiting Crete in 2024, due to hubby’s ill health we remained in the UK where we managed a lot of day trips and a couple of overnight adventures, covering 25 different places.

Highlights of 2025:
By the start of the year, we were understandably fed up with being in the UK and so exited winter and started our adventures in February in the Caribbean visiting Barbados and Grenada.
March found us back in The Netherlands visiting Utrecht, Rotterdam, Delfshaven and Gouda.
In April we popped across the pond and revisited Las Vegas.
Then in May we flew to Morocco, (wow what a country!) where we visited Marrakech and Essaouira.
We spent a week in the Brecon Beacons in June before heading to London for our anniversary in July.
September found us in Cornwall and we ended the year by spending Christmas in Wales

Photos from the Caribbean: Barbados and Grenada

2026:
Plans are already in place for two trips in the first half of the year.
I’m also going to be revamping a few of my older posts, relative to the above highlights, which I know a lot of my current readers may not have seen.


If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to my blog and keep reading because there are a lot more adventures to come!!






A Child-Free Christmas Adventure in Wales

For about twenty five years I spent Christmas at home surrounded by my immediate family, revelling in the Christmas traditions we had created together. From new pyjamas on Christmas Eve to opening our stockings on the bed on Christmas morning before scrambling downstairs to open the main presents and much, much more!
Fabulous moments captured in our family history but as most midlifers know children grow up and suddenly you are no longer the centre of their universe. They move away in the pursuit of careers, meet that special someone who also has a family and before you know it you are left at home, just you and hubby, wondering where all that time went.

Having spent the last three Christmas Days on our own hubby and I decided this year to try something different and booked a trip away. We deliberated for some time over where to go but realised fairly quickly that going somewhere hot wasn’t really for us and even flying off to somewhere cold was a little beyond our Christmas comfort zone so as a first step we booked a lovely bungalow in Wales for a week.

We had no idea how we were going to feel and even booked a place big enough that should the children have time they could come and join us at any point. Never say never! There was still that small part of me, deep down that was living in hope that we might once again be able to revisit times of yore!

We really wanted to ensure that, as far as possible, everything went well so it was like a military operation!
Armed with a menu plan for the week, most of our food including our turkey for Christmas Day and kitchen utensils (in case they didn’t provide what we needed), we loaded up our truck.
In went one of our Christmas trees along with decorations (to ensure the interior met my expectations) and, not forgetting of course the stockings and presents, we locked up our house on Saturday morning and set off.

All excited we headed across the English countryside avoiding the boring, grey motorways in favour of lush green fields, country homes and small villages and hamlets. We made an unplanned stop for some lunch at the Ludlow Farm Shop and Kitchen partaking of some home made soup with on site baked, crusty, wholemeal bread and hot drinks. It’s definitely worth a stop if you are passing.
We also took a wander around their gift shop and farm shop and utilised their toilet facilities before rejoining our route.

We arrived at our bungalow early afternoon and were both immediately struck by the wonderful landscape in front of us. Rolling hills in the distance, a nest of pheasants in the field across the lane and several grey squirrels running around the garden collecting food for their winter hibernation.
Eager to see inside we popped the key in the door and went to explore. I love that moment when with the luggage still in the truck you get your first glimpse of your temporary home.
I’m always eager to see behind every door and inwardly keep my fingers crossed that the reality matches the photos we have already seen.

Wow! it was amazing. Everything was immaculately clean with two bedrooms, both with fitted wardrobes and tv’s off the hallway. There was also a spectacular bathroom, with a double shower and the longest bath I’ve ever seen, before we entered the open plan living/dining room/kitchen space.
There was a beautiful, sophisticated Christmas tree sparkling away in the window along with a large woodburner just begging to be lit with a good supply of logs.


On the kitchen island Ruth, the owner, had left us a Christmas card welcoming us to our home for the week alongside the best array of food we have ever been given.
Christmas cupcakes with snowmen and penguins on!
A massive fruit bowl with oranges, apples, melon, bananas and two types of grapes.
A box of chocolates alongside crackers for our Christmas Day table.
Two bottles of quality apple and orange juice, milk and butter in the fridge.
Croissants, a newly baked white cob style loaf, Welsh strawberry preserve and orange marmalade, fresh coffee and cranberry sauce.
And last but not least chilled Prosecco and a bottle of Shiraz wine

Beyond the kitchen was a utility area with another lovely bathroom with a rainfall shower and our bedroom. It was so spacious, again with fitted wardrobes and a TV but best of all a large, picture, bay window looking over the front landscape and large enough for our Christmas tree to stand in.

I was so excited unpacking and putting up our tree in the bedroom window so we could settle in.

Our bedroom Christmas tree, it looked much better lit up at night!

As we discovered when it was time to make dinner, everything you could wish for was there and so all the kitchen equipment we had brought with us remained in the truck. It was wonderful to be able to chop vegetables with sharp knives, to pop the dishwasher on after dinner and not have to worry there wouldn’t be enough dishwasher tablets because there was a whole packet!
I did struggle, initialling, with the bath! I filled it up with hot water and bubbles, stepped in, led back and nearly disappeared under the water. Being quite short my toes couldn’t touch the end of the bath! Hubby solved the problem with the sticky mat provided and so several hours were whiled away that week reading and soaking luxuriously. I think next time I’m going to treat myself to some really expensive bubble bath!
With three large sofas in the living area we had a chose of where to sit every day and when the fire was lit it was still super cosy!

The pheasants and squirrels were regular visitors and whilst we did venture out one day to the local town of Welshpool we didn’t feel under any pressure to go out and explore anymore.

I took these photos whilst in Welshpool visiting a local shop all decked out with Christmas bits and pieces to buy!

Christmas Eve Afternoon was spent as usual in front of a Christmas movie with the fire lit and the big tree in the living area shedding it’s light on the room.

Christmas isn’t Christmas without a movie! And Love Actually is one of our favourites!

On Christmas Day we woke up and opened our stockings on the bed. We bypassed our normal breakfast choosing instead to be a little more indulgent with smoked salmon and scrambled egg in a bagel.
Then it was onto the main event -presents!! Our Santa sacks came out from under the main tree and we spent time savouring all the gifts we had been bought.
We made the effort to peel off our Christmas pyjamas, shower and dress so Christmas dinner, once cooked, could be served at the table which was lovingly dressed with linen that we had brought with us for the occasion.

A traditional Christmas lunch in the UK!

We had an amazing week just chilling out. For the first time ever I really did manage to “stop the world and get off”! I had no guilt about just reading book after book, catching up on magazines and switching off from the outside world.
Read more about it in my previous post.

I even managed to achieve another first of spending a whole day without a clock. I got up when I woke up, ate when I was hungry and slept when I was tired. It was quite an experience.
Imagine! this is how our ancestors lived before the electric light bulb and a vast cornucopia of food was available at any time every day.
I wrote about having this ambition in this post and it is definitely something I’m going to try and repeat in the future.

It was lovely to go to bed at night and lie there with the lights off and just the twinkling of the Christmas tree casting it’s own shadows around the room. Revelling in the knowledge and contentment that we had finally achieved a new child-free style of Christmas.
Bliss!

What did you do this Christmas? Have you found new ways to celebrate now your children are all grown up and have left home? I’d love to hear from you x

Christmas In the Cotswolds

Christmas is such a lovely time of year and since my children have grown up and left home I’ve looked for new ways for hubby and I to ignite the Christmas spirit and for it to still be a special season.
One of our favourite Christmas visits to begin the festivities is to an outdoor “light show”. There are lots to choose from and I’ve attached some other suggestions at the end of this post of previous places we have visited at this time of year.

This year wrapped up in jeans, cosy woolly jumpers, waterproof boots and raincoats we ventured out last week on a wet and windy evening to try a new “light show”. Our destination was a little closer to home as we embarked on exploring “Welcome to Lights Up -The Cotswolds Sculpture Park’s first ever light show.
Our journey wasn’t without drama when halfway there we came across what appeared to be a nasty road accident and had to turn around and find an alternative route. Our new pathway took us through narrow Cotswold lanes interspersed with flood waters but we did eventually arrive at our destination.

The Cotswold Sculpture Park is a beautiful place to visit when they open from April to September with a new exhibition each year. Again I’ve added a link below.

On this cold, dark December evening we needed our phone cameras to light the way from the car park to the entrance and beyond. I guess next time we should bring a torch!

This is not your traditional all singing, all dancing Christmas light show, predominantly created for families, it’s a little more reserved and still aims to highlight some of the current sculptures on display with a night-time, Christmassy feel such as this steel hare cleverly lit up against the dark sky.

or this owl lit from within.

This sculpture made me think about our family walks on Boxing Day.

There was a definite air of “cold, Winter’s night and times of yore” about the trail with only small lanterns on the floor to light your way. Again bring a torch if you are concerned about the uneven ground!
Added excitement came in the shape of light displays such as this.

And aerial lights dancing to panpipe music which I really liked but only managed to record on video and not in a single photo shot. There was also a globe in the sky which rotated and showed a series of Christmas themes on it which you can just see in the background of this shot taken of another piece of sculpture.

The Instagram crowd could pose for photos inside a curated lit display above.

Returning to the actual sculptures I felt this creation entitled “The Hug” by Richard Cresswell was really well lit.

Along with Penny Hardy’s “The Kiss”

And this wonderful head looking like the spirit of the tree is watching over us!

This was my final photo which, in my opinion, looks so much more authentic lit up at night

I felt the availability, two thirds of the way around of marshmallows on sticks to toast over an open fire with hot spiced apple juice or mulled wine was a lovely touch. It added to the nighttime feel of the park and lit a small Christmas glow in my heart x

There were additional hot food and drinks for sale at the end of the walk including wood-fired pizza.
As I said previously this isn’t your traditional Christmas light show but it still has its place as an authentic trail through the woods of the park whilst augmenting the internal Christmas glow.

If you wish to attend other Christmas light shows the Royal Horticultural Society hold annual events at their gardens. We visited Hyde Hall last year:

We have also previously visited Westonbirt Arboretum and Blenheim Palace, both in the Cotswolds as well as Kew Gardens Night Glow in London.
Please let me know if there are other Christmas Light displays I should add to my calendar for next year.

We have also visited The Sculpture Park during the Summer, it is definitely worth adding to your Cotswolds itinerary:


Finding Adventure in Books: A Retiree’s Journey

As a retired person you can quite easily, if you’re not careful, drift into a way of life where each day looks and feels the same. When mealtimes become a central part of each day and I imagine, for some people, life becomes somewhat monotonous and possibly even boring.
Hubby and I have always shared a more refreshing view of retirement and have vehemently swerved away from a life where we are ” sat in God’s waiting room” so to speak.
Life, whatever your age, is definitely for living and admitting we have entered the last quartile of our life means we need to make the most of whatever time we have left.

Between us we have many hobbies but a shared hobby is definitely reading. He can read at will whilst I still, sometimes, get that guilty feeling if I’m sat reading for too long particularly when I have a list of tasks that need my time and other hobbies that should get equal if not some standing.
Even taking into account “my guilt” I have just hit my target of 74 books this year!

It’s worth saying that books have always played an integral role in my life. I’ve been reading since I picked up Enid Blyton as a child and have gone on to share “The Magic Faraway Tree’ for example with my own children.
Reading provided an escape for me in my teenage years when, at times, I just didn’t feel like I fitted in with my peer group. Hiding in the library during lunch break was’t unusual.

Progressing to O’Level English Literature and the magnificent “To Kill a Mocking Bird” which led into “The Colour Purple” and then tomes like “Lord of the Rings” and Jane Austen I soon realised that reading could transport me into “other worlds”. My absolute favourite book and always will be is “The Hobbit”. Tolkien was a fantastic mythical adventure writer!

Romance:
I read a diverse range of books. I have always enjoyed “chick lit” as it used to be termed, now known quite rightly as “Women’s Fiction” or “Contemporary Romance” and have followed Jill Mansell, Carole Matthews, Katie Ffforde, Lucy Diamond, Jenny Colgan etc since they began to write. It’s a form of escapism where you leave your own life behind temporarily and step into someone else’s.
Over the years I’ve found it to be a great stress reliever and never go to sleep at night without reading at least a couple of pages of whatever book I have on the go.

Over the years other authors of this genre have joined my library, which used to be in the form of newly printed hardback books, moved to paperbacks and then eventually to a Kindle. Purely because lugging six books in your suitcase on a two week holiday became too much, particularly when weight limits were introduced.
Paige Toon is my absolute favourite and one of very few writers who I actually make the effort to go and see at signings. I actually discovered her when I picked up a fairly battered paperback called “One Perfect Summer” which was sitting on a shelf in a cottage I hired for me and the children in Mousehole, Cornwall in 2016. Her “Johnny Be Good” series just totally hooked me and I love the fact that she intertwines her main characters into bit parts in future novels. I’ve read everything she has written and always eagerly await her next novel.
This photo was taken at a book signing at Waterstones in Bristol prior to the release of her book “Seven Summer”

I’ve also enjoyed some of the overseas authors within this genre such as Cecilia Ahern. To think she wrote “PS I Love You” at the tender age of 21 is slightly mind boggling. It sold to over 40 countries!
Cathy Kelly also features in this section of my library along with Sheila O’Flanagan and American writer Jane Green who I also love to follow on Instagram. She left the USA and now lives between London and Marrakech bravely but confidently “rewilding” her life following divorce and reaching midlife. This article explains more.

Sexy Romance:
I’m not sure if that’s the actual genre but I’m sure you get what I mean.
Jackie Collins obviously leads the field here and I was an avid reader of her books in my twenties. Since her death in 2015 I’ve actually gone back and started to reread them and only have the last three to go.
Lucky Santangelo is one of my all time favourite characters.

Tasmina Perry and Adele Parkes also fall into this category although both have diversified over the years.
Adele moved into historical romance and then into psychological thrillers, which in itself is a huge achievement for an author.
The three part “Lara Stone” mysteries from Tasmina are really good thrillers based around a newspaper reporter.

I have also read all the Jilly Cooper books, again finding these in my twenties and following her throughout. However I have to speak as I find here and say that writing this type of fiction needs to remain up to date.
Her final book “Tackle” which was loosely based upon our brilliant local football team “Forest Green Rovers” really grated on me. The “sexy” scenes were so antiquated, very stereotypical of an age where the whole premis was for the woman to “please her man” . Life these days is far more equally balanced sexually and to be honest women just don’t behave like that anymore they quite rightly, in my opinion, expect to receive pleasure not just to give it!


Christmas Books:
Once December is upon us, the Christmas tree is up in the living room and my home is sprinkled, rather liberally, with decorations, then I’m on to Christmas literature. This is how I originally found the Welsh writer Jo Thomas. I’ve read all her books now which are always based somewhere specific but different each time and have an element of food and recipes interlaced with them.
I also discovered Jenny Bayliss, Sarah Morgan and Sue Moorcroft through browsing this genre.
This is Jenny’s latest release.

Screenshot

Crime and Thrillers:
I love both Harlan Coben and John Grisham and avidly devour their books.
The films of Grisham’s books are, in my opinion, just amazing. A Time to Kill with Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey is probably my favourite.

Conversely I cannot watch any series made of Harlan Coben’s books.
I’ve tried. but moving them from the USA where they are literally based to the UK just doesn’t work for me and actually deflects from the brilliance of the original writing.

Watching both “The Lincoln Lawyer” on Netflix and “Bosch” on Prime brought me to Michael Connelly and whilst I’ve finished all the Lincoln Lawyer books I’m gradually working my way through his complete Bosch collection plus those associated with it such has the Jack McEvoy and Terry McCaleb books.
I truly have to commend Connelly for the translation from book to TV series. Whilst the series doesn’t totally reflect the books, the essence of Bosch is never lost. I was quite sad when hubby and I finally finished all ten series including Bosch Legacy

Then I came across “Tracker” on Disney+ mainly because I loved all six series of “This Is Us” and Justin Hartley who played Kevin in this programme plays the lead character -Colter Shaw in Tracker. I think his good looks probably had something to do with it too but this led me to the Jeffrey Deaver books which I’m also making my way through.
However I was disappointed that Tracker, the series (there are now three) is only very loosely based upon Deaver’s Colter Shaw books. It is definitely a “made for tv” series but easy watching nonetheless!

I can’t finish this category without a mention of “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins. Wow! It’s gritty, hard to read at times but no doubt based on someone’s reality as a young woman and her child flee their life in Mexico, for genuine reasons, and head for America.

Screenshot

Other Films and TV Series:
Then of course there are other TV series that caught my attention “Sweet Magnolias” and “Chesapeake Shores” based upon the books by Sherryl Woods. I eagerly await Season Five of the former although the latter finished after six series. They are not completely accurate to the fictional books but I’ve still enjoyed them.
I’ve also now read everything she has written that is still in print!

Virgin River is another firm favourite so I’ve also been working my way through the Robyn Carr books. I devoured all three series of “Sullivans Crossing” recently released here in the UK and will no doubt read those as well once I’ve completed all 22 books in the Virgin River series.

I also love the films made from Nicholas Sparkes’ books such as “The Notebook”, “Message in a Bottle” “Dear John” etc. My favourite being “The Longest Ride” so they have also been added to my reading list and I’m gradually working through his books in chronological order.

Reality:
I also intersperse my reading with reality. What do I mean by this? Firstly I definitely don’t mean anything based upon reality tv!
I enjoy reading about actual lives from books that are still somewhat fictional but based upon real life experience such as the books by Deborah Rodriquez.
Her first book “The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul” was based upon her experiences of living and working in Afghanistan. I’ve read all of her books since.

This then leads onto autobiographies. Not the manufactured books that roll off the press when some superstar pop idol makes it and a book of their life to date is just an additional financial benefit with little or often no input from the person themself. I like actual real life truth.

A few of my favourites being Candice Brathwaite “I Am Not Your Baby Mother” where she writes frankly about her life as a black woman and then mother in the UK.

Rylan Clark’s two books which are really surprising. I am not a fan of the TV programme “Big Brother” in the UK although I did watch Rylan, back in the day, when he came to prominence as a contestant on the ninth series of the talent show The X Factor in 2012.
He explains in his books how he basically manufactured the character that is “Rylan” and how outside of this he still lives his life authentically as “Ross”, the name he was given at birth.
I was quite shocked how intelligent he is. His relationship with his Mum also feature quite highly and the books really give you a glimpse as to what goes on behind the scenes of these reality tv shows and how hard it is to then live your life away from the spotlight once you finish work each day.

Gareth Thomas’s book “Proud” is a great real life introduction to how being gay in the sporting world can be beyond difficult and sheds light on why so many male sportsmen never “come out” or do so in later life when their careers have ended and they now have new often journalistic or commentary roles.

Finally in this section I can’t fail to mention Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”. What an amazing woman! I’m currently reading it for a second time in preparation for “The Light We Carry”. Both books are happily on my book shelf!

I have other books in this category lined up to read like Ben Fogle’s “Inspire” and “Woman in the Wilderness” by Miriam Lancewood who featured on one of Ben’s series of “New Life in the Wild” -one of my all time favourite programmes.
Alongside these there is the Journals of Lewis and Clark and a few books I’ve picked up on our travels based around the slave trade and the Gullah people.
I do try and educate myself sometimes as well as taking time for genuine literary escapism!

Hubby and I turned our small bedroom into a “den” and it provides a great place to curl up on a comfy sofa to read or listen to vinyl music on a stand-a-lone stereo. There are a few knick knacks decorating the shelves etc including this lovely reading pillow that I picked up on our travels. We were driving the Eastern Seaboard of the USA and stopped off to explore the Outer Banks whilst in North Carolina and dropped into the Native American Museum there:

My Literary Conclusion:
Reading has brought me so much joy and pleasure. It has been there throughout all the ups and downs of my life.
Whilst I have never joined a “book club” my literary hobby has sparked many a conversation across the years. I cannot imagine a time when there won’t be a book by my side even when I’m old and can no longer travel.
I’d love you to share with me not only your comments but also recommendations of books to read……..

The Factors Influencing Our Ideas on Aging and Old Age

When are you considered old?
Apparently there is no single age when you are considered old, as it depends on context and perception. Officially, 65 is a common benchmark due to its historical association with retirement and social programs, but official definitions can vary, with organisations like the United Nations defining old age as starting at 60.
Public opinion also differs, with many people feeling that “old age” starts in their 60s or 70s, while others feel it is much later. 
Some people consider that the age from 60-75 years are the “autumn” years of life, when people often start to welcome grandchildren.
A recent study in the UK found that 70 is the age where most people believe someone is considered old.

I feel old age follows “midlife” (See my previous post) and my personal view is that the perception of “being old” can be influenced by location, relationship status, and a person’s health and lifestyle. Let me briefly explain why these may influence your interpretation:

Location:  
People living in developing countries, with lower life expectancies, may quite understandably define old age as someone younger purely because they are expecting to die younger.
Some third world nations base old age on a person’s ability to contribute to society rather than a fixed number. The point at which they cease to be able to work and provide for their community is the time at which they reach old age and have to depend upon their “village” to support them.

Relationship Status:
Sexual satisfaction is strongly linked to overall life satisfaction, mental health, and social well-being in older adults. The emotional support and connection derived from intimate relationships contribute to a better quality of life and may protect against feelings of loneliness or isolation, which are often associated with aging.

I read a recent magazine article about Jane Seymour -the actress, now aged 74, where she stated “I honestly never thought I would find a really committed, healthy, lovely, loving relationship at this time of my life but I’m incredibly blessed that I have. 70 is the new 50!”
She goes on to say “Sex is important too. In my parents’ generation and I think a lot of people, they reach a certain age and they go “That’s not part of our life anymore”.
To this she responds by saying” I just think, with maturity you understand your body, you understand what feels good and you have knowledge, so put it down to that”

A Person’s Health and Lifestyle:
The two ages with the largest molecule and microbe changes, scientists have found, occur when a person is in their mid-40s and early 60s.
I think health and lifestyle has the greatest effect on age perception and affects people often more than their actual chronological age. People who maintain good physical and mental health, and lead active, socially engaged lives, tend to feel younger and have more positive self-perceptions of aging. 
Research suggests that physical decline begins in the decade of the 50s and worsens as we age, especially for those who don’t exercise.

Hair and Face:
I’m fairly fortunate that my hair has been shades of blonde most of my life and currently it isn’t going grey or white and I don’t have to dye it.
I don’t look at my face and despair at the wrinkles or “crows feet” because quite honestly if they are there I don’t see them. I wasn’t brought up in a world that was overly concerned about creams and potions and loads of make up except if you did wear it “make sure you take it off before bed’ was what my Aunt taught me!

Smoking:
I’ve never smoked. Smoking creates premature wrinkles and a dull, sallow complexion. It breaks down collagen and elastin, reduces blood flow to the skin, and depletes nutrients like Vitamin C. This leads to a gaunt, aged appearance that can make a smoker in their 40s look like a non-smoker in their 60s. 

Alcohol:
Drinking alcohol can accelerate the aging process by damaging DNA, decreasing collagen production, and worsening age-related health issues
Alcohol contributes to cellular aging by shortening telomeres, and chronic or binge drinking is linked to faster biological aging and an increased risk of diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The effects of alcohol can also be amplified in older adults due to reduced muscle mass and a less efficient liver, leading to stronger effects from the same amount of alcohol. 

I gave up alcohol 21 years ago.

Healthy Lifestyle:
I read this article recently and whilst this study is based in America and I live in the UK I do feel there is some truth in it.
I gave up “takeaways” nine years ago.
I joined Slimming World eight years ago, gave up processed foods and since then have followed their food optimising programme. I will admit I’ve not lost as much weight as I’d like to and am currently focused on losing another fourteen pounds BUT it brought me into a world where fruit and vegetables feature highly in my daily food intake. Hubby and I regularly eat ten portions a day.

I was never the type of person who exercised regularly but the Slimming World Body Magic programme opened up a new world to me which alongside my local leisure centre brought daily/weekly exercise into my life.
Since 2018 I’ve attended aqua aerobics and aqua zumba classes. I did a couple of aerobics classes too before my knees started complaining but I didn’t give up. Instead I took my physiotherapist’s advice and switched to Pilates.
Hubby and I also walk a fair amount particularly when we are away travelling.

Interestingly I also watched the “IMO Podcast” with Michelle Obama which focused upon “Getting Old” and Michelle too said that “health is the key. It is important to have a healthy baseline so you know when something is wrong. Exercise, eat healthy but don’t overdo it” she said.
“It’s not what you look like, its what you feel like”

The Last Quartile:
Some people just cannot face the idea that at 60 they are potentially entering the last quartile of life.
In the UK, post the pandemic between 2021 and 2023, life expectancy was 78.8 years for males, 82.8 years for females so at 60, 75% of your life is already behind you.

Interestingly in the above mentioned IMO podcast Jane Fonda, now aged 87 says “At 60 this is the beginning of my last chapter. Be conscious of how you present yourself to the world. Don’t die with regrets but surrounded by people who love you” and Michelle Obama says “You know how fast time flies so be mindful of what you have left. You need to get to a point where your children can continue without you”.

Some credible thoughts -I’ve certainly started to revert back to more colourful clothes. For some reason I’d let my wardrobe become a bit staid and boring, maybe I was drifting into this idea that as you get older you should be more conscious of what you wear and dress according to your age.
More recently I was in a Marks and Spencer store looking to buy a new jumper and held one up to show my hubby before saying “do you think this is an old fogey’s jumper” meaning is this what old women wear? We both admitted it was and it went straight back on the rack!

I think getting to a place where your children can continue without you is a real blessing. You want to know they can survive and thrive without you. I guess we want them to be confident in their lives and settled, it gives us less to worry about.

Being in the last quartile also brings others factors to the forefront such as “have you made a will?” “Do your family know whether you want to be cremated or buried etc”. Have you, where possible, made provision for your other half so they can still thrive without you? What do you want to happen if you become terminally ill?
Life is definitely finite and once you hit 60 I do think you start to think more about the idea that you are not here forever.
When I was a funeral celebrant I saw first hand how difficult and messy things can be when there is no will or funeral arrangements particularly if you have a large family who might not agree. I also saw how horrible the remaining close relatives can be to one another where money is concerned. My Dad, bless him, taught me many years ago “nothing splits families more than births, marriages and deaths” and it is so true!
You might think you have nothing to leave but I’ve seen children fighting over the most trivial of things.

I also think when you reach this stage of life you should be far more self aware than you’ve ever been. My tolerance levels are definitely diminishing with age and I also find myself getting a little left behind with the rate at which technology, for example, is constantly evolving.
Keeping your brain active is important because otherwise I think it starts to dim like a light bulb going out. Even writing this blog keeps me alert and stretches my literary and research skills.
I read a huge amount, I’ve already hit 70 books this year with a few weeks still to go!
Travelling also helps me stay focused, it takes a lot of planning when you do it all yourself and also keeps me involved in the world around me when I am out and about discovering new places.
Staying at home sitting in God’s waiting room is anathema to me, I cannot think of anything worse.

Conclusion:
As I come to the end of this post I think the key advice I’d like to pass onto those younger than me is “plan your future”.
Make sure you are going to have enough money in your old age so you can still enjoy life. Never give in to old age, persevere, try and stay healthy, keep your brain active, have fun and remember “tomorrow is promised to no man”.

The photos included in this post are completely random and taken on our travels across the globe.