Your rather different Heyday Friday newsletter

I'm trying something new in this week's newsletter. See if you like it. There's familiar stuff too including a truly delicious vegan recipe and a tardy but enthusiastic viewing recommendation.

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Hello!

I’m back from my marvellously memorable road trip, but my travels aren’t the subject of the new blog because something happened this week that I wanted to write about whilst it’s current. So you’ll have to wait another week to find out where I went and why, whilst I’d love it to stay the somewhat under-the-radar part of Britain it is, I also want everyone to go and experience its fabulous beauty and history. Oooh, the suspense….

As for the thing that happened, well I could just direct you straight to the blog to find that out, but I wanted to try something a little different. So instead of the usual brilliantly engineered teaser, this week I’m going to share some of the blog here, and encourage you to finish reading it on the website. Let me know what you think - about the subject of the blog and this way of sharing it. Here it is:

I muse over, and write a good deal about the business of ageing here at Heydays. Specifically ageing into older age - because obviously ageing is something all of us who are lucky enough to, are experiencing at every age. Indeed I started These Are The Heydays after I left my job as Editor of Woman’s Weekly, precisely because I wanted to create a resource and a community where we could share the journey into older age in the most positive, rewarding and enjoyable way possible.

I’m aware that at 64 (I wrote HERE how I feel about reaching my Beatles birthday) I’m in the foothills of older age, and that ageing in my generation doesn’t look - or feel? - the same as it did in my mother’s or grandmother’s, but I am also acutely more aware of the fact that I’m absolutely no longer middle aged and of the incremental proximity of what is considered old, rather than just older, age.

Interesting new study

I was therefore intrigued to read this week, about a new study done in Germany which suggests that as life expectancy has increased, so has our perception of when exactly it is that old age starts. Using data collected from more than 14,000 Germans born between 1911 and 1974, who were asked - amongst many other questions in eight surveys over the course of 25 years - “At what age would you describe someone as old?”, the study found that those born more recently felt that old age kicked in later. So when participants born in 1911 were 65 (in 1976), they thought old age set in at 71. Whilst participants who were 65 in 2021 reckoned the shift began at 74. And that as people get older their perception of the onset of old age pushes back. So whilst at 64 the average participant said that old age started at 74, participants who were 74 generally felt it began at 76.

I posted about this on the Heydays Facebook group (if you’re not already a member, do join us. It’s a lovely, entertaining, supportive place where I guarantee you’ll find lots to enjoy and chat about) and it prompted a lively response, much of it reflecting on the impact that our health and personal circumstances have on both our perception and our experience of being older and old. Unsurprisingly, the survey analysis concurred, finding that people who reported being more lonely, or in worse health, thought old age began earlier than those who were more connected and in better health.

A brilliant book

The impact of our lifestyle and health on ageing are expertly and though-provokingly explored by Camilla Cunningham in her seminal book Extra Time, 10 Lessons For An Ageing World, which I wrote about in THIS BLOG and which I would really recommend you read if you haven’t already. As increasing numbers of people around the world are living longer lives, Camilla writes about the need to challenge our notions of ageing and find ways for individuals and society to make the most of the ‘Extra Time’ we have. (Read in the blog about two fantastic age-positive initiatives she discovered, one in Japan, one in Africa).

With so much division and debate on so many issues, it’s heartening to discover that experts in ageing - Camilla included - are in vigorous agreement about the key principles and practices for aging well and living life - however long it lasts, but especially in older age - to the full.

That’s as much of the blog as I’m going to post here. To find out what the principles and practices are that the experts recommend you’ll have to head over to the Heydays website. Which you can do at the click of a link HERE

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WORDS OF WISDOM

These come from a song by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet called Barefoot Children, and perfectly sum up the first of the expert recommendations in THIS WEEK’S BLOG

As a WoW bonus, you can hear them - and the whole song, obviously - being sung by the man himself HERE

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THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN…..WATCHING

I guess it’s sort of appropriate that I’ve been so slow (boom, boom) to follow up on the multiple recommendations to watch Slow Horses that I’ve been bombarded with. Now on its third season (I’m half way through series 2 and doing my best to catch up), if you’ve been as inundated with endorsements of its brilliance as I was, and if you have Apple+ TV, then I’m afraid you’re going to have to add mine to the list.

Goodness but it’s good!

Which is something you might not immediately imagine when you know that it follows the fortunes, and misfortunes, of a group of British Intelligence agents who, owing to various mistakes they’ve made during - or in one case at the start of - their careers, have ended up demoted to a deadbeat unit known as Slough House, headed by revoltingly obnoxious, lank-haired Jackson Lamb, an agent with a past that’s as murky as it has been lengthy, played with indecent relish by the impeccable Gary Oldman.

That Jackson - whose favoured management style is to heap his resentful team with, often darkly witty, insults and contempt - turns out to still very much have his spying chops about him, as do most of the rest of the disgraced gang, is the meat on the bones of this delectably enjoyable, believably realistic (mistakes are made, people get hurt jumping off things), wildly entertaining show.

Oldman is well matched in his sparring partner/professional nemesis Kristin Scott- Thomas as Head of MI5, Jack Lowden as unlikely named River Cartwright ,the misfortune-prone young spy burning to get back in the game, and the rest of the uniformly excellent cast including the ever-reliable Jonathan Pryce, as River’s former-senior spy grandfather.

You can watch SLOW HORSES on Apple+ TV

And see the trailer for series one HERE

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I’m always happy to share the Mindful Chef recipes I specially enjoy with you, and the one I had this week might just be my favourite yet. Better still, it’s not just vegetarian but vegan, so it’s a treat for pretty much any eating preference.

CHICKPEA RAINBOW SALAD WITH MAPLE MUSTARD DRESSING

(sorry about the grainy quality of the image. I wolfed this down before remembering I should have taken a picture of it first, so this is from the Mindful Chef booklet)

This will make enough for two generous servings.

Drain and rinse one 230g tin of chickpeas. Trim 180g tenderstem broccoli.

Heat a large frying pan with 2tsp oil on a medium high heat then add the chickpeas, 2tsp garlic paste and chilli flakes to taste. Cook for two minutes then add the broccoli. Cook until it starts to soften and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile make the dressing: halve a lemon and in a large mixing bowl combine the juice from half the lemon with 2tsp wholegrain mustard, 1tbsp maple syrup and 1tbsp nutritional yeast (you can substitute this with soy sauce, or a vegetable stock cube thoroughly crumbled up).

Coarsely grate 1 carrot. Halve 110g small tomatoes and drain a 140g can of sweetcorn. Put all the veg in the dressing bowl, add the chickpeas and broccoli and mix everything together with 2 tbsp olive oil and season to taste.

Serve topped with one avocado, diced, and crushed hazelnuts.

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WHAT’S MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK

It was the London marathon last weekend. Just over 53,000 runners took part, making it the biggest event since it first started in 1981. Amongst those 53,000 runners was 19 year old Lloyd Martin who became the youngest person with Down syndrome to complete the course. I’ve wept happy tears each time I’ve watched this (which would be far more times than I’m prepared to admit), not just in admiration of Lloyd’s fantastic achievement, but at the reaction of his tearfully proud mum who ran alongside him.

I dare you to stay dry-eyed when you watch it.

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FRIDAY FUNNY

I don’t share any of the many fabulously hilarious posts that are put up on the These Are The Heydays Facebook page by our lovely Heydayers, but I decided to this week for three reasons:

First, it’s just too good not to.

Second, it gives you a flavour of the fun that’s to be had if you join the gang there. HERE’S the link again to do that.

And third, it has a particular connection to the winner of the Friday Funny caption competition from the last newsletter (see below)

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That’s the lot for this week. Before I go though, I’m delighted to announce the winner of the caption competition from the last newsletter - here’s the picture in case you needed reminding

It was Jan R, who made me laugh out loud with the hilariously relatable

“Dear God Gerald. Is it too much to ask that you empty the dishwasher once in a while!!!”

Jan also happens to be one of our most loyal and wonderful contributors to the Facebook group (not why I chose her suggestion, I promise), so you’ll be able to enjoy more of her clever humour if - make that when - you join us there.

A bar of lip-smacking Montezuma*s chocolate will be winging its way to Jan shortly (or it will when she emails me her address please). Hope you enjoy it Jan!

Let me know what you think about reading a chunk of the blog here.

See you next time

Diane x