It's all work...but plenty of play too in this week's Heyday Friday newsletter
Pivoting (that's the work bit), pirouetting (that's a bit of the play), hats (you'll see) and handy tips (you're welcome) all make an appearance. Enjoy!
It’s rare for me, with my Heydays hat on, to comment on something that’s happening in the news, but the conversations that have been going on about older workers in the past week have struck too much of a cord, and prompted me reflect too keenly on my own career and the huge pivot I was forced to make in my working life in my late fifties, not to write something about them.
And to wonder how much my experiences and thoughts chime with yours.
So that’s what this week’s blog is all about. And you can read it by CLICKING HERE. I’d love to know your view.
One of the biggest work changes - and challenges - that has happened to me recently is becoming the Editorial Director of Noon, a fabulously vibrant and inspiring website and community started by the equally fabulous Eleanor Mills. You can read more about it, and her, in THE BLOG and by checking out her terrific newsletter which she calls The Queenager
Some of Eleanor’s most often referred to
WORDS OF WISDOM
are these from former US President, Barak Obama. I find them as inspiring and motivating as she does, so I hope you do too.
The work that I reckon would have made me the happiest in another life would be the what marvellously stylish Heydayer Keith does
You can find out what that is by CLICKING HERE, but I will tell you that Keith has a hat collection that rivals mine, and that’s saying something. The day I met him, I very nearly added this one to my selection. I’m more than a bit sad now that I didn’t.
SMART SAVE TIP OF THE WEEK
this week comes from an Instagram account I’m more than a teeny bit obsessed with. Brunch with Babs, stars the eponymous and self-described ‘internet mom / grandma you didn’t know you needed’, sharing her tips, recipes and home/family advice. I’ve passed on some of her tips in the past, now here are a couple more:
How to re-use or dispose of used cooking oil.
If it’s just a small amount, press some tin foil into the drain/plug hole of your sink, pour the oil in, fold the tin foil around it and put it in the bin.
If you want to re-use your oil, put a coffee filter over a jar - either secured with a rubber band, or sitting in a strainer - and pour in the cooled oil. The food particles and grime will be trapped in the filter and the cleaned oil can be stored in the fridge until you need it.
Alternatively, you can pour your cleaned oil into an ice cube tray and take out just one at a time when you need to lightly grease a pan.
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN…..WATCHING
If you don’t happen to be a fan of Strictly Come Dancing (in which case, I’m afraid we might not be able to be friends) then you won’t know that Anton du Beke and Giovanni Pernice are two of the professional dancers on the show, or that Anton is now one of the panel of judges.
Now we’ve got that out of the way, I can reassure you that being unaware of their professional connection, or, as even the most ardent Strictly enthusiasts (puts up her hand) might not have realised, just what good friends the two men are (Giovanni describes Anton and his wife and twin children as his “family away from home”), won’t affect your enjoyment of this charming, entertaining, funny and revealing three-part series, which follows the pair as Giovanni introduces Anton to the sights and delights of Sicily, the island where he grew up and where his family still live.
It’s impossible to resist either the gorgeously filmed landscapes, towns and cities of the impossibly beautiful island, or the infectiously engaging relationship between the two friends as they explore, adventure, chat and eat their way around Giovanni’s childhood home.
The dancers find themselves in more than their fair share of ‘out of their comfort zone’ experiences, not least when Giovanni is subjected to a super-fast zip wire ride, and Anton is ‘persuaded’ to try paddle boarding, after a disastrous first attempt several decades before which led him to swear never to go near a board again. They provide just some of the laugh out loud moments that pepper the programmes, and that, along with a good deal of gently revealing conversation between the two, and the heartwarming family reunion in the third episode make this a buddy-travel programme like no other you’ll have seen.
That and the dancing. Because there’s quite a bit of that too.
You can watch all three episodes of Anton & Giovanni’s adventures in Sicily on BBC iPlayer
FRIDAY FUNNY
One of the things I write about in THIS WEEK’S BLOG is how much status matters to older workers, if at all. Obviously you’ll have to read it to find out what my view is and whether you agree with it, but it did make me think of this typically sharp-witted quote from actress Lily Tomlin
If you’re reading this in the UK, don’t forget the clocks go forward on Saturday night/Sunday morning. And yes, that means hour less sleep….or a longer lie in on Sunday to make up for it (I know which my choice would be).
There’ll be no lie in for me this time though, because I’m off to a black tie wedding on Sunday. The work on making myself look presentable has already begun (with a pedicure and manicure earlier) and I fully expect it to take the best part of the day (the wedding starts at 4pm) to get the rest of me up to scratch. There’s just so much more repair work to do these days!
Have a lovely week, whatever you’re up to.
Diane x