Day 85 – Today I celebrate 2 weeks of caring for my skin! Yes I know, most women do this as a daily routine but I have spent all my years not giving it too much attention, so although it wont make much difference to its aged look, it is in serious need of some nourishment and pampering. I have always been a natural person and many years ago, not having money to spare for expensive products, I had decided that not using anything was probably the best policy. This seemed to work, I used soaps only where I needed to keep fresh, important as a Massage Therapist! and the rest just received water. My thought pattern was that my own body oils would keep me moisturised as long as I didn’t wash them away with soaps. I was lectured for many years from friends of the importance of using moisturisers to prevent ageing, of course I ignored it thinking we age anyway, creams or no creams we just age at different rates. This I saw in my mother in law bless her, she moisturised every day but had looked older since she was 30, by 50 she looked like she could be some of her friends mum, but she was a bright cheery lady at that age and lived a good life. A friends mum at 70 looked like she was 50 and used minimum products, the owner of a beauty school where I taught massage looked so old and frail at 70 with a life time of all the best treatments and products and 3 facelifts too under her belt! The moisturising story didn’t sit quite true with me, and like hair dye and makeup I told myself I would use it when I got older and needed it! Up until my mid 50’s I faired well, I loved how my hair was greying it was like having highlights or a lightening of colour without the chemicals but my skin was getting dry, I did half heartily put natural oils on mainly in the summer months when it was exposed but for the most when it was covered up I ignored it.
Of course it has been down hill from there, as a naturally thin person I lost a lot of weight and gravity took over, doing rehabilitation work with people for many years I found the truth of my own experiences, it is so much harder to gain back muscle, strength and fitness the older you are. I had always exercised and been extremely active but here I was struggling to keep my muscles and bones from loosing tone and density. This year however the dryness is getting too much, I drink plenty of water, don’t use chemicals on my skin, I thought maybe I am lacking some vitamins or minerals so here I am 2 weeks into a vitamin, omega oils, exfoliating and daily oiling of my skin routine. At the moment it looks better but the reality is that its still dry as I can feel it, especially in my hands where the oils get washed off so I eagerly await the next 2 week results when the new skin formed will start to surface, with a little luck it will be uphill from there. Of course this regime will not take away the wrinkles and sagging skin or stop me ageing or firm me up, but hopefully it will stop the rough scaly patches that were appearing and, with a bit of luck my body may thank me for the attention and pampering it is receiving after a lifetime of none. Many people have also told me to dye my hair, they said it makes people look younger, will I do it? I doubt it, that will have to wait or maybe never. I am still enjoying my natural look and for now I really don’t mind looking and growing older, I do however keep looking at pastel rainbow hair. If I ever change my mind or don’t like the colour my hair eventually ends up through this process of greying then, if I decide to colour it, that may be my choice!
Day 86 – A couple of days ago I walked home via the beach, I was surprised to see it looking so pristine, even though I was aware that the beaches would be cleaned and receive high maintenance during the re opening under safety and social distancing laws passed. It was very windy and I went through a sand storm heading towards it. Once there I not only saw how postcard perfect it looked but how fine the sand was, almost like powder so no wonder we had a sand storm. All I could think of is where has this sand come from? was it dredged up and placed here? Normally during the summer months the sand is cleaned daily by machine bug are they now grinding it too? It felt so soft as I thought of one of the silliest rules they have brought in under new regulations for these days, no making sand castles on beaches! For the first time along this little strip of beach we have the perfect sand for sand castles instead of our gravelly and often pebbly beach. Poor children, its like putting an ice cream in their hand and saying don’t eat it and as annoying as the fuel prices that went down so much during full Isolation when we couldn’t get out to use it, and now we can, the prices are back up again! Leaving the beach I saw the finished area where workmen had been on my last visit, it hosts grass and trees freshly planted alongside an adult exercise park, this might be fun to use when it cools down after summer.
Update on the recent oil spill that polluted vast stretches of Siberia in the Arctic Circle, Nornickel the company responsible have blamed thawing permafrost which caused the diesel tank’s concrete base to collapse, saying once the leak started a car accident occurred near the fuel spill and caused a fire! Environmental groups say the company should have been aware of the problem as a 2009 report specifically warned how thawing permafrost in the Norilsk region would affect oil and gas infrastructure and say they are using it as an excuse to avoid liability. Will those companies working in the area all use this excuse in the coming years and allow many more disasters to happen whilst cashing in while they can, or will they spend to ensure no more disasters happen? I guess we will wait to see!
Day 87 – There are many more people out and about this week as we moved into phase 3 with no time restrictions, I have been surprised as to how many people have approached me in the town asking where I got my mask or just commenting how nice it is. Today 3 people alone shouted over for the details of where to buy one, I am surprised how many hadn’t heard of the online site Etsy so I now carry a pen around with me to write it down for them! I have also had a few comments of how their daughters would love it as they love shiny things, making me slightly question should I be wearing this, which is what I thought when I bought it! It has cheered me up and given a reason to engage in random chit chat with strangers, they think its sequins but its not, it is just shiny cloth. I’m sure many will have looked on it as weird too, but its become just a mask to me now and I forget its shiny so am oblivious to anybodies odd looks. More weird is that now we see people with sunglasses along with their masks, a few times I have smiled to myself while thinking of what I may look like in my slightly mirrored reflective sunglasses, shiny mask and if I did get my hair dyed in unicorn colour! Its great growing old and not caring, a little like those years when you were a teenager and wanted to shock or be different, its a liberating feeling.
Day 88 – Another windy and cloudy day after last nights light rain but last night there was a change in temperature, Summer is finally here, I needed to take out one of my seasoned quilts to sleep, I had the complete winter set up in June! I imagine keeping the thicker of the 2 in I will have to replace it with the summer quilt in the next days, or maybe go straight to none as it has been known here in June to have a heat wave of 40 degrees! Its hotter outside today too so am pleased I have managed to get all my chores in the town done this week, I feel it will now be too hot for the walking I have been doing, my post menopause body doesn’t fair too well in it. The other reason that I know that summer is now here is my cat, in winter she sits on me not for affection I might add, but for warmth and in the summer she lays close by often on her back cooling off. She will be pleased this year when it does become too hot as we have a cooler, a larger version of the tiny one I bought last year which helped in the extreme temperatures, those days where you feel the air is coming from a hair dryer. Courtesy of my daughter and received with much appreciation, this year may be a little more bearable, living without air conditioning in an East West facing apartment in Souther Spain is always a challenge.
Maybe it is time to now only update weekly, I will see how my feelings flow, although many around the world are now mostly easing out of Lockdown it is still important to stay safe and take precautions to protect yourself and loved ones. Just as important with all the enfolding politics and post Isolation emotions arising, is to take care of your mental health as we adjust to our new freedoms and deal with others, be kind to yourself and others.💜
Growing Old 