In my case, getting to 70 years old calls for a glass of champagne!

Apparently, people like me are keeping the UK economy going. More of which later. First, last Thursday, Jane and I enjoyed a champagne afternoon, thanks to Sue, my best friend and longtime co-writer, who had gifted me the champagne for my birthday. Jane’s birthday gift to me was a week cruising the Calder & Hebble Navigation in a wonderful narrowboat. Drinking champagne, whilst relaxing on our little red boat, turned out to be a great birthday treat. Last Thursday was my 70th birthday, and as we sat in the sunshine, with the boat gently rocking, sipping our bubbly, it was a chance to talk, laugh and share seven decades of memories.  

Childhood memories were, for me, the hardest to recall. However, I did remember some of the TV programmes. Andy Pandy and The Magic Roundabout, and through my children’s and grandchildren’s eyes, the Wombles, Telletubbies, Pingu and In the Night Garden. Watching television as a child was strictly limited, and always a family event. The television was black and white and had just three channels. Compare that with what is available today. We have four giant flat screen TVs in our house but rarely watch any television these days. The choice of what to watch can be almost overwhelming.

The same is true of music. I first started listening to music via Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station broadcasting from way out at sea. It was the precursor to Radio One, Top of the Pops, MTV and all that followed. Now via my phone or Alexa, I have instant access to thousands of different music tracks. YouTube means I can also see my favourite groups, as well as hear them, and again, completely on demand whenever I want.

However, I have always preferred live music. I’ve seen many famous artists and bands play live; some of them more than once, including Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Leonard Cohen, Coldplay Led Zeppelin, U2, Coldplay and Pink Floyd. Sadly, I have never been to Glastonbury, nor the Last Night of the Proms, and I missed going to Woodstock due to being a couple of years too young. I also like to play music and have been collecting guitars for many years. Last year I was able to purchase a Gibson Les Paul (Studio) - if you know you know.

Over the years, I have had some great jobs too. I was a Sainsbury’s management trainee, living above the store, later a window dresser for a large tobacconist, as well as a healthcare assistant, Student nurse, Staff nurse, Charge nurse, Nursing Officer, Corporate NHS director, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Professor, Head of School, Dean, Pro-Vice Chancellor. I’m not sure which of these roles I enjoyed the most. I loved being a nurse, and the building of therapeutic relationships. But my time spent in academia was probably one of the most rewarding. It was (is) a real privilege to have my research and opinions published and then to see others making use of my work to further their own exploration of the world.

Keeping the UK economy going? Well, it appears that ‘70 is the new 50’. The International Monetary Fund in its recent publication The Rise of the Silver Economy noted that many folk in their seventies are fitter, sharper and healthier than previous generations. They found that people in their seventies today generally had the same cognitive and physical capability, as people in their fifties had over a decade ago. These folk who choose to continue to work, fill the skill gaps across many sectors. For some, continuing to work past the normal retirement age is a financial necessity. Others, and I include myself here, choose to work past retirement because it is a pleasure, and very fulfilling. That said, I won’t keep working indefinitely. I have other interests to nurture these days.

Ironically perhaps, while much of my research was based around ‘relationships’, I’ve not always been very good at these in my personal and family life. However, that is a topic for another blog maybe. I have, however, found my soul mate in Jane, my wife. We share a very happy life. It is a love story that is nurtured by taking time to make memories together. Last week, as we travelled slowly along the canal and river, we made many more.

Back in January, following Jane’s brain injury, I wrote a blog that considered the importance of a healthy life-work balance. We really do only have one life. We should never get so busy making a living that we forget to make a life. And occasionally, why not try and have a glass of champagne. It is good for your heart physically, and it’s good for your heart emotionally too.