God save our gracious….
 
I had lunch with a good friend of mine the other day and I am so blessed to have such a diverse collection of people who love me or as I like to say `my own unique universe of precious `pebbles’ who happen to like being around this old rock’.  Because I love pebbles.  I love how they are all so different in shape, colour, texture and size and yet collectively they lay harmonious with each other and altogether they create the beautiful beach that I walk on, which then creates the beautiful landscape that belongs uniquely to my country of birth, the United Kingdom.  My friend is English and no coffee latte can be complete without the tentative words of “Did you watch the Coronation?’
 
Before I elaborate on the answer, I must also explain that my friend is some 20 years younger than me, a yoga teacher and occupational therapist… and vegan.  A staunch crusader of why we need to save the planet and he’s not my King!  I so admire her deep passion of love and commitment to her belief that it reminds me of how much we as humans can react to what we feel in our hearts.  However, my beliefs differ from hers for I absolutely love bacon butties with an egg oozing on top and really can’t resist the mouth-watering Christmas dinner with Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets and then a sausage roll buffet with ham on Boxing Day…with no downward dog in sight!  But that is the beauty of being individual and having choices in life.
Our opposing view on food is an easy solution as we merrily slurp on our preferred beverage and our vegan carrot cake and chocolate fresh cream donut - but not so it seems with our views on the Coronation.
“It’s abhorrent how can we have spent so much money on this event when there are thousands of people needing food banks?” ... “It’s an occasion for the rich” …why are we still subsidising this privileged family?
These were such relevant questions and with a complete honest open-heart I tried my best to reply.
“Err…no actually” I gulped before I proceeded “I think differently”
I think I heard the word “what!!” (or it could have been a much stronger vocal answer)… but, to be fair, it was really difficult to decipher what was being said along with the spit and carrot cake that accidently exploded my way, so I wasn’t sure. 
“The thing is” I said “Is this”.
“Since 2019 there has rarely been a good news story but plenty of bad stuff.  Covid, (the biggest pandemic in our lifetime) dominating every headline, Deaths (1000’s either through Covid, war or shootings) and then there has been the Ukraine and Russia war (seeing fuel and energy prices plummet us into further debt and hardship), Injustice (the constant barrage of political views from every party in every area of our Country) and can I dare mention the ongoing strikes?
I am so in need of a good news stories!  Along with restoring my sense of English pride.
If there is one thing that we do well in the UK it is pomp and ceremony.  Whether that is in the form of a wedding in a church with organ, bells and choir or Remembrance Sunday with the various brass bands and street parades or Christmas Eve Mass with its regimental and predictable programme.  I love all that because it reminds me that I am part of history, I am a privileged person lucky enough to have been brought up in England… and a part of me loves that”.
 
And I am not alone it would seem.  So many people were also struck by Coronation fever and flags were seen waving, bunting flying and smiles appeared once again.
 
Ironically, I recently watched a film called `Dad’s Army’ and ironically, I am going to visit Auschwitz next year.
It makes me wonder what those who lived and died during WW2 would make of the values of today.  What would they say to us?  Those 1000’s who gave or lost their lives.  How they would have wished that they had lived in a time when being vegan was an actual affordable option instead of surviving on dripping sandwiches and tripe and onions.
But the future is with the younger generation and their values will carry us through the turbulence of the years to come. 
I feel thankful that I am old enough to appreciate the sacrifices made for me and young enough to go out and enjoy every minute of my vegan free life and yes enjoy every minute of the pomp and ceremony that our royal heritage gives me.
Yes, the planet is fragile…and so is human love – especially to each other - and that’s why we must value and treasure our wonderful friends, with all our differences, now more than ever!  

59 – Rolling along
 
I seem to be wasting an absurd amount of time recently looking for things.  Keys, mobile phone, purse…but mostly keys.  And car keys in particular…why are they never in the spot where I swear I always put them?… why do they always have the innate ability to go missing with such precision timing when I am just about to go out?  It’s like there is some demon superpower somewhere who is absolutely pissing themselves laughing at my misfortune. Adding to my misery is often the problem that I am already running 10 minutes late.  The frantic search will involve removing the lining from coats (or at least clearing out the million tissues and receipts from pockets), spilling the contents of handbags across the bed and propelling every shoe into orbit (don’t ask…but a friend once told me that choosing a favourite shoe to keep keys in was always a `safe place’ to hide them)…but strange things keep happening to me lately…and I promise you that they WEREN’T there when I first looked!!!  But with a bizarreness which is uncomfortably close to madness there they were…in their rightful place all the time!  “See, you didn’t look properly” my husband bravely muttered before another shoe was torpedoed in his direction!
 
There’s nothing better than a evening of self-indulgence and mine started with an early shower, complete with the rare regime of shaving, exfoliation and buffing…every woman magazine I read excels the benefits of self love and body appreciation…to talk to your curves with affection, gaze with wonderment upon the stretch marks, gleefully jiggle the flabby bits (as if!!), to let the water flow over you to wash away all the built-up stress of the day…and all was fine until, totally lost in the moment, I tipped my head back just a tiny fraction too far to savour this delight and let a glut of water land straight into my ears!  I then spent the next 20 minutes in the kitchen trying to get my hearing back!  I eventually rescued the situation with a glass of chilled wine from the fridge and a bar of chocolate (also in fridge) and decided a movie on the TV was the ultimate relaxation tool.  Curled up of the sofa I clicked on the icon and the film burst onto the screen.  But no…for the next 10 minutes I waited…and I waited…oh how I waited for it to start.  But I found that in order to enjoy the delights of actually watching something I had to sit through the following blurb for 10 minutes…`film in association with unreal pictures, surreal film company presents in association with total slush entertainment, a Michael f@#ked up production, a film by missed the plot and keep the reel of titles coming!  A second glass of wine came to my rescue!
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I hate the terminology used sometimes to describe us women in our late fifties…and in particular the descriptions such as `middle aged’ and `mature’.  It makes me sound like a ripe cheese!  I know it’s far better than using words like `ripe’ or ‘over the hill’ but nevertheless it still hits a raw nerve.  Let’s look at the words `middle aged’…it sounds too much like `middle of the road’ which basically means moderate, and believe me, women in their 50’s are far from that!  And the word `mature’ which the dictionary states as `having reached the most advanced stage in a process’!  Oh boy!…I’ve got years then before I become mature.  Yes, 59 can definitely be described as `perfectly complex and full bodied…just like my favourite wine!