February

I have had another birthday, oh my... I should be feeling old but I do not! When I was young (pre-teen) twenty was the age to aspire to. In my teens thirty was old!!. When I arrived at the age of forty I felt that I was at 'my age' ..... I have passed the menopause (Pause of men I ask myself!) and am feeling fine. In myself I am me - in my body I am 63... so what? I was talking to a dear friend of the telephone the other day - she is 10 years older than me - she is still working in London, three days a week, and what did she say "Oh Pat, I don't believe that I am nearly 73!". Age is all in the press - not in the mind!!

So, I am feeling fine and well....but

Today I learned that an acquaintance (I won't say she is a friend but I do know her) has an incurable cancer, I don't know what but it started as a lump on her neck. The prognosis is that she only has 3 - 6 months, no more can be done for her. The cancer was discovered last year. What can one do or say - she is only mid 50's and should have many years ahead. We were together at a mutual friends who had an open day for their mill - and it was her 50th birthday - must have been about 4/5 years ago, last time I saw her must have been around 18 months ago. I feel for her and her husband.

Weather is absolute 'crap' at the moment. We went to friends on Saturday night for a meal (in my honour) we left around 1.30am - the car was frozen solid! Eventually we 'defrosted' the locks of the doors and got the engine going to defrost the interior. It was so very, very cold. We got home around 2.00am and the thermometer showed -7c. One of our friends confirmed on Sunday morning that the temperature, when he got home from an event at 3.00am, was still -7c.

Jensen went to our friends with us, he was introduced to their collie Ben and they got on like house on fire. He is becoming a very social animal and all that he has met, human and canine, get on with him. Hoo rah!

Things are looking up! have got apartment bookings for the year - even for this month. I am so pleased.