Pick the car!

Anyone old enough to remember the late 70's, early 80's will remember at some stage sitting around the telly watching '3, 2, 1' or 'Bullseye' or some other such travesty of childhood entertainment with their family.

The climax of the program came at the end when the contestant usually walked away with a brand new bin or a stack of used fivers. But sometimes, sometimes, on those magical-not-to-be-missed shows they actually won the grand prize.

The audience would hold it's breath whilst the brown cardboard studio was twirled around to reveal the prize - a car! a boat! a holiday!

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Sometimes they even got to choose. 'So what will it be Marjorie? A brand new Ford Escort or a family trip to sunny Florida?!' It was at those moments that it got tricky for me. I would clench my eyes shut and repeat a whispered chant 'pick the car, pick the car, pick the car...'

'Ooo I'll take the holiday Bob' Marjorie would gaily declare as if she thought she was actually making the right decision.

'No, no, no! Not the holiday you crazy lady! The holiday will be gone after 2 weeks - but you could have the car - FOR-EV-ER. You're making one big mistake there sister'.

You see I honestly couldn't see why someone would do that. Why choose 2 weeks of pleasure instead of the long term, sensible option?

It's only recently I've come to understand. Taught partly by my 'short-term-pleasure-is-happiness' sister who values memory making experience way over and above any physical 'thing' that can be bought.

As I clutch on to what remains of my thirties with aging fingertips I can finally see that she's right. Experience wins over 'stuff' any day. Maybe it's an age thing and I've suddenly caught up with her thinking, but somehow I don't think so....I'm pretty sure that all those years ago she was probably on the other side of the sitting room with screwed up eyes willing Marjorie to pick that holiday.

A slap in the face from the 1990's

I was chatting with friends on Facebook a few weeks ago about songs and albums that reminded us of each other. It's funny how a particular tune can take you back to a particular moment - quite often a seemingly inconsequential one, but one that forever since has stuck with you.

One such song for me was Dee-lite's Groove is in the heart which I distinctly remember blaring out of my friend Emma's parents house as we messed around in the sunshine outside. Every time I hear that tune since that day I think of my friend Emma and that perfect summer day.



Coincidentally about a week after this Facebook chat that song came on the radio. Not being a recent release you don't hear it too often so I was smiling to myself driving along and reminiscing.


However my reminiscing soon turned to furious grimacing when the DJ announced chirpily 'Yep, hard to believe that song is twenty two years old now'.

WHAT????

Idiot. He had clearly made an error.

'That's right. First came out in 1990. Twenty two years old. Hard to believe...' And off he went into his next track whilst I was left hyperventilating at the side of the road.

On first calculation (in my old and clearly senile brain) I had thought that 1990 was actually twelve years ago - until I realised that I'd missed out the entire decade of the 'noughties'.

It really was twenty two years ago. Twenty two years. Older than I was when I was actually listening to the song outside Emma's house.

Twenty two years. A whole grown up person ago for fucks sake.

It took me a while to recover from that one. But that's the problem with hitting middle age - these little curve balls keep coming at you. Harder and faster and with more frequency each passing year. Whacking you on the back of the head as you walk down the street or knocking you sideways as you read the paper.

I'm not sure what I can do to soften the blow of the next one, but I've sure as hell stopped listening to that stupid bloody radio station.

Age is just a number - right?

Having faced a 20 year school reunion, Christmas clothes bought in M&S, and a night out with my younger sisters very beautiful and fresh faced friends I have been feeling old and tired during this year's festive period.

So when we were driving back from the shops the other day the following conversation, as you can imagine, didn't go down too well.

5 year old: 'Mum how old are you?'

Me: pause for breath...

5 year old: '58?'

Me: 'No'

5 year old: '68?'

Me: 'No'

7 year old: 'Oo I know I know!'

'78?'

Me: NO!

5 year old: '88?'

Silence

'98'

Silence

5 year old to 7 year old 'Is she 108?'

Me: 'I am not 108 I am 38'

Silence from the back again. I imagine them thinking that I am, after all, not that old at all.

5 year old 'Is that older or younger than granny?'

The Future is Grey

So, I woke up this morning pretty pleased with myself. I had finally pulled my finger out and done it. New ideas kept popping into my head and I was getting pretty excited about this blogging business. Then I looked in the mirror.
The horror! Three wiry white, (WHITE!) hairs were sticking up prominently at the top of my forehead. Not good.
Now there's no denying that I've been pulling out the odd grey hair for a year or so now, but they've been few and far between and certainly not visible the second I looked in the mirror. So that's it then. Time to start dying (in every sense of the word...). The problem is I'm just not very good at the high maintenance stuff, and to me this spells commitment. What I really wanted was to put it off as long as possible, but can I cope with people looking at my grey hairs while they're talking to me? It's not that I'm particularly vain, but, well, I'm only 37.... I'm just not ready to be old yet. Think I'll just have to sleep on it for now (the idea that is, not my grey hair).

In the meantime here are my Top 5 anti-aging foods (not that they've done me any good, sniff).
1. Red Wine. Yep, you read that right. A glass a day apparently - I'll let you decide on size yourself.
2. Dried Oregano. Surprising, but so easy to add to almost anything.
3. Turmeric. Ditto. Loads of spices have major antioxidant properties so get those curries ordered.
4. Berries. Strawberries, Blue berries, Black berries (in season now).
5. Dark Chocolate. I know!! So it's not all bad then - maybe I'm just not eating enough of it...