Autumn

Saturday 10am

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I do not know if is because I was born in the Autumn but I love the slight chill in the air, the quietly dripping dampness, and the smell of woodsmoke in the evening. You could have a good conversation with Autumn. Spring would be full of ideas and plans, but Autumn has been there, done that, and you can see it in its face. And in my life ? . . . late summer I think. At the risk of sounding like an investment commercial ( you know, the ones with happy retired folk on a cruise because they saved their pennies wisely ), I still have plans and things to do but I notice I am not as fit or flexible as I used to be ( must exercise more ! ) and my eyes are slowly giving out. But it is a good time of life. Having spent most of my early days worrying about what other people think and mentally chastising myself over something I may have said or done or not done or thinking I was somehow not as good as other people, in my thirties I realised that it did not really matter at all. I have nothing to prove to anybody except myself. We are all just people with the same fears inside, but afraid to admit it.

My favourite song ? - One by U2, - " we are one but we're not the same,"

And another beautiful photo by Nicola, who may say she cannot draw, but can certainly see.

Getting old

Sunday 10pm

It occured to me today that growing old is a process of becoming more and more isolated. Old people seem to withdraw into themselves. Children can become totally absorbed in a game but it is not the same as the elderly person in the street who does not seem to notice the rest of us. I suppose that as we age everything wears out - eyesight, hearing, even taste and smell disappear. So you are bound to lose touch if there is no input. And routine becomes increasingly more important, doing the same thing in the same way, always at the same time of day. Is all this natural ? probably. Should we worry about it or try to change it ? my initial reaction is no, instead recognise it and work with it, but I'll have to return to this subject.