Seven at 70.....

This blog was always intended to be a 12-month account of my quest to complete the Sixtyat60 Challenge. However as the years have passed - and much to my surprise - a steady stream of people have continued to visit my site. From time to time I've felt a wave of guilt about my failure to produce any new posts for potential readers. After all, there's nothing more disappointing than a well out of date blog. During the pandemic a potent mix of fear and boredom did nudge me into posting a one-off super-long account of lockdown life, but that was over five years ago. Finally though, I feel I have a decent reason for reviving the blog. Ten years on from my first Sixtyat60 post, I've just celebrated my 70th birthday. Time to sit at my laptop once again for some gentle blogging action. 

Some updating context first. I have to be honest, it's been a rollercoaster few years. If you've read my sixtyat60 blog in the past, you'll know that my husband Andrew featured heavily in my posts. He supported my Sixtyat60 Challenge with gusto from start to finish and indeed took part in many of the tasks. He celebrated my successes, helped me deal with the setbacks, and read every single post before I published it (a very important ritual even if I didn't always follow through with his feedback!) Not long after I wrapped up the Challenge, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a tough illness to deal with, but one that he refused to be defined by. He carried on his work as a computer software developer. He continued to play a decent round of golf. And he climbed to the summit of Kilimanjaro with our older son Michael, a lifetime achievement that quite rightly he was very chuffed about. 

Then four years ago Andrew started to show signs of dementia alongside his Parkinson's symptoms and life become an uphill struggle. We decided to relocate from our house in the Wealden countryside to the lovely town of Lewes, where there were shops and services at our fingertips. With the amazing support of family, friends, neighbours and healthcare professionals, we carved out a more relaxed way of life for ourselves. Well I say 'more relaxed', but that didn't stop Andrew walking 5k round the base of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research UK in August 2023. He never stopped loving a challenge and we all loved him for it.

However Andrew's health continued to deteriorate, and very sadly he died in February this year, just two weeks after being moved to a local nursing home for respite care. My family and I were glad for him that he made his exit relatively swiftly with dignity intact. And he definitely knew that he was due to become a grandpa for the first time, even if he didn't live long enough to meet his little granddaughter.

So here I am now, seven months bereaved and four months a new nanna, doing my best to navigate the emotional currents of these two opposing life forces. Since I've just hit 70, I've decided to set myself a very modest list of 7 tasks to complete (you didn't really think I'd take on 70 did you dear reader?) as a means of easing my way forward in life. And it's my plan to write a post for each of the tasks, just as I did ten years ago. 

Here, in no particular order, are the seven tasks:

1.  Make a lasagne from scratch using the untouched pasta machine given to me 3 years ago by younger son Jonathan

2.  Do open-air swimming sessions in Isle of Skye and in my hometown of Lewes

3. Babysit granddaughter Freya for a weekend

4. Locate the house in Hof Bei Salzburg, Austria where I worked as an au pair aged 18

5. Go to the cinema by myself

6. Attend a ballet class for silver swans

7.  Erect a bench on the Ashdown Forest, East Sussex in memory of Andrew.

I already sense a growing sense of purpose as I cast my eye over the list. The blog on Task 1 will follow very soon, promise!