“By the time you’re 80 years old, you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.” – George Burns
I have reached the age of 75. I do not feel 75 but do not know what 75 should feel like! I do find myself more carefully checking the ages of death of the great and good reported in the newspapers. So the death of Paolo Di Paolo at 98 and Lord Creator at 87 are good news – I have plenty of time left. Jane Birkin at 76 less so.
Over a cup of coffee recently I created a mental list of the ailments of my acquaintances. The list was scary! I do not have any of their ailments. Perhaps I do and just do not know yet. As a result I am increasingly drawn towards those ‘healthy old age’ articles and programmes in the Sunday magazines and on the radio.
Apparently, the secret to eternal life is sauerkraut. Now we know why elderly Germans look so chirpy. They are scoffing sauerkraut morning, noon and night. According to Dr Michael Mosely, a tablespoon every day is just the ticket. Not a teaspoon a day but a tablespoon. My better half, always on the lookout for the elixir of life, acquired a jar. I was assured that something Continental had made it through the Brexit barricades. Dr Mosely assures us that white cabbage has a magic ingredient for gut health.
The ever-wise Dr Mosely also recommends keeping a journal. Rising in the morning, eating corn flakes and losing a tooth while cleaning, and then writing about it does not appeal. Dr Mosely assures me that creative writing keeps the mind active. I guess that sorting through the mental dictionary for the right word then constructing meaningful sentences helps keep the mind active.
As a result, my blog is making a comeback. Each week I will write about topics that appeal to me – the Covid Inquiry, the effects of Brexit (clue - none are positive) and the Government’s failings (fertile ground). I will occasional stray off into sport, movies and history. I can now be reassured that it does not matter if nobody reads it. The mere act of creation is doing me good. Thank you, Dr Mosely.
I am reminded of the sad scene in Supernova (2020) when Sam (Colin Firth) realises that his partner Tusker (Stanley Tucci) has been deceiving him and is no longer able to write the book he has long promised as he is now in the grip of dementia. The pages of supposed script are in fact scribble.
Any signs of mental decline have been arrested by the return of University Challenge. The first episode of the new series saw me get the usual four or five questions right. No decline there. I do award myself double points when I get a question right that neither team knows the answer to. Last night’s triumph was knowing that “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956) was the Alfred Hitchcock film in which Doris Day sang a rather famous song. How could a group of 2023 undergraduates not know this?
In the meantime, the unopened, as yet, jar of sauerkraut sits in the fridge.
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