Ladies of a certain age.............. Grey Expectations

ticky wrote:

You think you're grumpy now.... wait till you hit menopause!

Oh bloody hell!

al wrote:

bluejayway wrote:

My mates say I'm the female equivalent to Dylan Moran, grumpy but hilarious. I wouldn't say I'm that funny, but grumpy...? Yeah!

Ain't nothing wrong with that, as long as you've got the Manny to your Bernard Black

That would be my friend Soph. Crazy hair, hyper and always picking up the pieces. She a huuuggggeee fan of Black Books too!

Wonderful thread. Another member here ! I will be 50 in August this year.

I don't have a boyfriend, manfriend, partner or husband (never had one of the latter). Stopped looking a long time ago. Last boyfriend was 5 years ago and I'm quite happy on my own. If I met someone now then he would have to fit in with my life as I'm getting a bit too selfish in my old age to bother to compromise (unless it was Johnny Depp )

I go snowboarding - absolutely love it. Been boarding for about 6 or 7 years now and actually managed this year to get my daughter (she's 25) on a snowboard. I used to go mountain boarding aswell but haven't been for about 18 months (lack of time). That was something I got my daughter into as well.
We go to gigs and festivals together and it's great as there is no one else I would want to go with. I took her to see Elbow in Llandudno and she loved them.

I have never really felt my age until about 12 months ago - but I think it's my job that has brought all this on - or maybe the menopause. I can feel a mid-life crisis coming on Unfortunately the mortgage I have to pay stops me from doing anything drastic like chucking my job in and buggering off to work in a snow resort!

So, we've got:

Annie Lennox
Susan Sarandon
Chrissie Hynde
Kate Bush
Stevie Nicks
Joanna Lumley
Twiggy

How about Patti Smith? Yeah, she's a bit rough around the edges but still mighty cool. Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon are also pretty amazing women.

TL, unfortunately, I don't think there are very many Guy Garvey's out there. I think you could look, and look....and look, and not find a Guy Garvey. I mean c'mon, he's intelligent, adorable, funny, humble, musically gifted...that's a fairly nice package and I'm sure there are more good qualities I've not mentioned. I've not seen many the likes of Mr. Garvey.

Your guy is out there though. And hopefully he'll be an Elbow fan.

Oops I've just found this thread (ta, Ticky) - I won't make the obvious comment...

I'm loving my 40s - well I was 39 when I went to my first Elbow gig (which got me back into gig-going in general) but hey, what's a year between friends? It was also around then I started writing, and well, I'm just finding it a wonderful age. Never having been particularly cool at any age I don't have to worry about losing it, and I'm still achieving my ambition of not wanting to grow up (just ask the kids!)

I wish there'd been a thread like this a few years ago when I brought along a friend who's a few years older than me to an Elbow gig and she suddenly started panicking - before, during and after - about being "the oldest person in the room" and although she enjoyed the gig still can't forget that. Wtf, personally I think I'd love to be 2x or 3x older than the average age in the room if it means I'm still discovering new music and getting out there at whatever age - 80s? 90s?

Patti Smith should 100% definitely be on that list - she's amazing. Can I also add Kristin Hersh?

Yep. I go to gigs on my own if I can't find anyone else who is interested. I wouldn't have done that in my twenties or thirties, and as a result, I missed out on so many great experiences. I had a chance to see Queen at Wembley in '86 and didn't go because I couldn't really afford it, and I've regretted it ever since.

I really enjoy going to gigs on my own (I'm going to see PJ Harvey on Wednesday) but obviously enjoy company as well - provided they're into it - I'd rather go on my own and lose myself in it than drag someone along who isn't interested. My other half (another suggestion ) always says "You go - I'd only cramp your style!" though we are gong to see Christy Moore together in June.

TamedLamia wrote:

My optical age was mid-twenty but I am getting 41 in August. And I'm still single, no kids and as it seems the best I can make is to get a good man who's not afraid of chronic ill wives. Kids are passé not only because the chemo threw me into the menopause and at the moment it even seems that my hair grows back in grey!
I'm afraid I won't make it to get a good man, because the ones I like are wether happily married or uninterested in women older than 40 (because they are under 40) or interested in "more attractive" women. And those who might be interested in me are just not my taste. And at the moment my taste isn't that naive anymore...he does not have to look like Johnny Depp or like young Peter Gabriel anymore. But the "big teddybears" that are still free are in Germany mostly not only looking like brickies. I had a chubby bloke 10 years ago but he was just too much a redneck. I'm afraid Guy Garvey is the only angel in a bear's body...
I better stop ranting, or I get the blues...

Every granny says: "Every Jack finds his Jill"

Angel in a bear's body-what a great description of Guy!

Wow, we've picked up some new members here...nice!

Still having issues deciding on a patron saint, I see...and there are new nominees since I last checked in...AND I even thought of a bunch more (Emmylou Harris, Joan Jett, Bjork and Marianne Faithfull are all Ladies of a Certain Age whom I admire a lot). In fact, I even thought of Susan Boyle! Talk about not discovering yourself until your 40's...gotta give her respect for how she managed to overcome her lack of self-confidence and go on telly to sing and shake her arse in front of Simon Cowell and the rest of the world!

Right, then...we've certainly got enough nominees. Do we have enough members to put up a poll? Maybe we can find a winner at long last!

I still can't decide. I must admit some of the women I admire the most are not musicians - Aung San Suu Kyi, Germaine Greer...... or am I getting too political?

Tell me to shut it and stick to musicians!

Debbie Harry? No one's suggested her.

bluejayway wrote:

Debbie Harry? No one's suggested her.

How could we forget Debbie Harry - but I'm still going for Annie Lennox

WOBLEwoble wrote:

bluejayway wrote:

Debbie Harry? No one's suggested her.

How could we forget Debbie Harry - but I'm still going for Annie Lennox

Annie defiantly, she's just fab!

Annie Lennox has my vote, as far as musicians go.

Well, I have created a poll in a seperate thread where we can vote for our patron saint! Hope that's OK with everyone, and let's see who comes out on top!

EDIT: Whoops, maybe I should've put in a link to the poll, just to make it a tad easier to get to - just click here to vote!

Wow, we have 10 votes in the poll so far! Not sure if that's everybody or not, but I'd set it up for 4 days so I guess I'll leave it up a bit yet, to give anyone else who might still need to vote a chance.

Had to share this...not good quality on the video, but it cracked me up! It's mostly funny because women really can be this bitchy! Of course the catty "younger" women do get their come-uppance...and they all lived happily ever after!

Oops, late as usual! Room for one more?

Another woman of a certain age; to misquote Harry Chapin, feeling all of 41 going on 15. Best thing I found as a forty-something is the being less bothered - 'Bovverred? Face?" etc - and taking things less seriously. The worst thing is the seemingly-sudden body borkage, whether its yer bits starting to fall apart, wear out or just weird biological glitches popping up out of nowhere. How insidiously this sneaks up on you hit me a couple of years ago on a night out, after being unable to pogo me socks off to the entire two-minutes of The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' any more. I might as well have just run out to buy a twin-set and pearls, topped off by a cauliflower blue rinse...

Right, better vote!

mrswoman wrote:

The worst thing is the seemingly-sudden body borkage, whether its yer bits starting to fall apart, wear out or just weird biological glitches popping up out of nowhere. How insidiously this sneaks up on you hit me a couple of years ago on a night out, after being unable to pogo me socks off to the entire two-minutes of The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' any more. I might as well have just run out to buy a twin-set and pearls, topped off by a cauliflower blue rinse...

I can relate, unfortunately! The old equipment's not in spanking-new shape anymore, and I do notice it when I'm at a concert. Used to be able to jump and dance through a few hours and still have energy to go out with friends after. Now, I get through it fine, but I feel like I need a nice, long nap afterward! So sad...

Maybe it should cheer myself up a bit that I was never one who was able to pogo through a whole song. So it's amazing enough that I am still able to stand through a good concert even if I am under chemotherapy...

Ahhhhhh ..... naps - that reminds me







ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

Can't say I'm too impressed with the middle age spread but I got the shock of my life a couple of months ago when I noticed a really long hair growing on my big toe! I've never had hairy toes and now I have to pluck them as well
What's that all about?

Hair does seem to turn up in the strangest places doesn't it! I agree with you Lesley, what the hell is going on???

Good grief! We really sound an attractive bunch - hirsute and grey, with a penchant for napping in the afternoons AND middle aged spread!

Sod it - who cares!

agree - what a bunch we are

I spend more time plucking, waxing, shaving, concealing ........... than putting on makeup these days!

Memory - or lack of - is my biggest problem. It really is starting to cause me grief

Errrmm, forgotten what else I was going to write !!