Instagram ‘s a funny thing. As I scrolled and liked my way through the day’s posts I came across Retiring_Not_Shy and smiled. Clever. Funny. A woman who models my kind of clothes. Months pass and I post a shout-out for people to be interviewed for my book 50 Faces: 50…

This week I met a remarkable man. Let me set the scene. It’s my first interview in over a year for my Ageing Well book. For the past year a Covid world made meeting people a risky business. So today I’m as excited as a kid at Christmas as I…

I published this article after an interview with Petrus Spronk in November 2019..it seems like light years ago! It was one of the highlights of the research for my book and I’ll never forget encountering the creative mind in all its purity and the outstanding talent of this great artist….

The perfect film for the holiday season has just hit the big screen.  House of Gucci directed by Ridley Scott is delightful, beautiful to look at and with a story that is gently intriguing. It’s a film that demands little emotional  energy from the viewer. Just sit back, relax and…

Ok….. Some questions for you…… What are the books you read this year that you enjoyed? What are the memorable TV programs, films or streamed programming?  What music/ podcasts/ courses did you enjoy in 2021 Summer is my favourite time to catch up on ” distractions.” As the mid-day heat…

I do like a great photo! Cartier- Bresson, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Annie Liebowitz, Diane Arbus….wonderful! Art exhibitions have been severely affected by the restrictions of this Covid year but in the midst of the chaos, Ballarat Art Gallery in regional Victoria managed to open its doors to…

Let me set the scene. Lesley and I returned from a L_O_N_G  5 – day trip through the Scottish Highlands late last night. The days started early and the schedule was strenuous, so we agreed to have a couple of days to ourselves before leaving for Inverness. And it’s raining…..

” What will my ventures entail, as I begin on this unknown trail, even through the rain and clouds, nature’s beauty still shines proud. The vivid greens and ice-cold streams is what true beauty means.”  (The Yorkshire Dales by Gemma Alexander) My obsession with TV programs like All Creatures Great…

” Great things never come from comfort zones.” is one of those quotes that drop out of the air when I want to justify spending a lot of money or doing something wild! Well in London, solo travelling at the age of 72, the wild may have toned down a…

How are those New Year’s resolutions going? A Forbes magazine article from 2019 reports that after one week 25% of people have given up their resolutions and after 6 months only 46% of people are keeping their resolutions. And guess what?……. 80% of new year resolutions were about losing weight…

Dear Viva70 Readers It’s been nearly 3 years since a glimmer in my eye and a half – baked idea about a magazine for the over 50’s bounced into my consciousness. ” What if…..?” are two of the most powerful words in our language.  When imagination and passion meet, they…

What have you learned about life over the last two years of our Covid normal world? The Black Dog Institute, cautions…” The world might be a very different place when we get out of this. The fact that we’ve had a pandemic in our life-time, for a lot of people…