Thoughts from an Oldie

As age catches up with me I find my memory letting me down and one of the reasons I no longer write articles in case I mix up facts. There is also the problem of appearing un-PC as people are getting so touchy about the use of words and phrases. Then there is Artificial Intelligence! I find this scary – the development is so fast and the consequences huge in respect to so many aspects of life as it is. The effect on jobs, freedoms, cheating, spying….. the list is endless. Yes there will be many positives but it looks to me that the world population will become even more divided between rich and poor. I just hope that my grand and great grand children’s lives are not so changed I would not recognise them if I were to check them out in another 40 years.

written by Hilary Finch

grow, seeing the colours as they change and the birds flitting about, the local cats stalking them – and the occasional foxes visiting too! Most recently one has been digging under the apple tree, but has, I hope, decided that my garden with it’s high walls is not the place for pups who would not be able to jump up and get away.

Since my exhibition in May when I sold quite a lot of my art, I have done no painting but got wrapped up in the garden and am now about to change it more with the acquisition of a new and smaller garden shed leaving me to create another ‘garden room’. The new area could well be great as it becomes shady by midday when I don’t always want to be that crazy Brit out in the midday sun! This will involve a lot of sorting out and getting rid of stuff! My current shed is 6’x6’ and the new one only 5’x3’… so some stuff has to go. Yes, sheds seem to be sold in old measurements so I am out measuring with my sewing tape measure as it has inches where as my more carpentry tape is metric.

No doubt when winter returns the brushes will be out again as it's colour that keeps me going during those gloomier days – maybe even before. Why don’t I paint pictures of my garden you ask? Well, I have but I actually prefer messing around with it than capturing it in paint, but who knows what the future holds!

I think of myself as a relatively modern woman but keeping up with the digital changes, banking, shopping, scams and the like is becoming harder and who knows what it will be like in another 10 years when my brain is likely to be even less effective at 86 years old! I’m so lucky to have a garden where I can keep in touch with an earthly reality. The scents, watering and watching plants