How the hell did I get here so quickly?

Once upon a time – or as my grandson Hamish used to say ‘uponce a time’…. I was young, totally unaware of life, enjoying my young innocent childhood – like most people and it was GREAT.

Teenage years – well… not my best memories but I did a lot of things – I played a couple of Concerto’s in the local Eisteddfod, finished twelve years of Ballet and Tap, played competition Hockey, Tennis and Softball. Played piano in a 50/50 dance band, part owned a house with my brother, purchased my first car and got my drivers licence at five to three on my eighteenth birthday.

Fast forward to my twenties when I marry, leave home for the first time, build a house and have three children… embark on all the ‘extra’ jobs such as dressmaking, knitting, crocheting, wallpapering, babysitting, house cleaning, piano teaching, making curtains and ironing to name a few. My new sports becomes ten-pin bowling and squash.

Now advance into my thirties, the loss of my Father, return to work then have a surprise addition to the family and later on a move overseas during the Great Recession. I also wrote three books, two poems and had one published.

On into my Forties and discovering I could draw, finally returning back to Australia after three years where I have my first Art Exhibition and also open my first of three businesses. Eventually having to return to a regular job and work for the ‘boss’.

Now I get to my Fifties and have an amicable split with my husband of 27 years, still working for the Boss but eventually having to move to Melbourne when the Company was sold and the Staff went as a ‘job lot’ to the new Company based in Melbourne. So I moved into the City to work. I also joined a darts team.

And here I am now in my Sixties – and it seems just as quick as reading the above to have reached this time in my life. Three grandsons, two weddings, three funerals of family members and the loss of many friends makes you really start thinking of the future and how to approach this ‘future’. One thing I’ve done is take up golf which has been the best thing I’ve done EVER.

First overseas holiday ‘solo’ in 2005, next big holiday 2012, another in 2015, 2017 and next one this year commencing on 31st August 2019.

One thing I know is that I have only JUST started to do my real living. It feels like my life has been in ‘sections’ – 1-25 childhood/teenage years/early twenties, 25-50 raising four children, 50+ return to 25 to recommence my own life but of course no longer 25!

Never mind I still feel fantastic and I’m raring to get cracking on the next venture where I’m hoping to discover the ‘real me’.

Being single and older does present the occasional challenge, one of them being the cost of travel. Single supplements very often being almost the cost of simply paying for two people. So this trip is even more special to me as I’m being joined by a fellow single traveller (now friend) who lives in Northern Ireland but is happy to meet me halfway and coming on the cruise with me.

Now stay tuned for the next chapter…….