Eightieth birthday

 

Eightieth birthday

I can scarcely believe I have recently celebrated my 80^th birthday. When I was young 80 seemed a very advanced age but I can genuinely say that although I have poor stamina, poor balance and deafness I don’t feel hugely old. Through the circumstance that so many of the youngsters have examinations just after my birthday I had an official birthday in July. This enabled Alex and Rajiv to attend. Unfortunately it clashed with the final cadet meeting for Ronnie so he didn’t attend although he has finished his A level exams. It is with great pride that I can report that step grandson Rajiv got a first class degree at Cambridge in his recent finals.

My official birthday was marked by a family gathering. All except Ronnie as mentioned above met here at Beechcroft. This has been our family home for 35 years but we are about to move out so there was also nostalgia for the place alongside the celebration. There were no major events just an evening BBQ although we remembered gatherings here in the past when we hired  a bouncy castle. With Martin and family in N Yorkshire and Alison and family in Surrey family get togethers have become more difficult. Frances in Birmingham is both relatively nearby and in more contact than the others.

The days when we could by squeezing accommodate everyone are long gone. Fortunately Frances has a largish house and Alison’s family were accommodated there. This enabled them to travel up by car and then not leave us until late to travel just to Birmingham. Rajiv has started work at the Home Office in London ( on an unestablished basis ), is living in London and travelled separately by train.

This very pleasant event was marred for me by deafness. On a one to one basis when nearby I’m OK but in general group conversation I find it difficult to hear everything that is said. Some of the family have naturally soft voices and the young people don’t seem to speak at all clearly.

Such an occasion is naturally also a time for reflection. I am very satisfied and fortunate with my family. Children didn’t arrive until after several years of marriage and medical intervention was required. Once safely delivered they have been a great source of interest and enjoyment. This has extended to their children so that I now have eight including two step grandsons. Generally academic standards have been very high with my two daughters both winning first class degrees.

More generally I was fortunate in Annette, my life partner. We met fairly young and in hundred per cent hindsight I spent too much time pursuing her when I should have been exploiting my opportunities in higher education. When I was young the inequitable 11 plus system enabled me to go to grammar school and then on to higher education. At precisely the time that I was following an undistinguished school career there was a national recognition of technological education. This I was able to follow.

I graduated at a time of full employment and indeed as a science graduate I had multiple opportunities. In choosing to join Unilever I made a lucky decision as it offered me scope to progress into a lifetime career in product development and also the opportunity to obtain secondment to study for a higher degree

Financially I was fortunate to step onto the housing ladder just as the tremendous wave of house price inflation was beginning. Also I had benefited from free higher education so I started without debts. I can honestly say I don’t know how young people today manage. Home ownership was very much an affordable goal when we were starting out. It was a goal almost all my contemporaries aspired and achieved.

My career was to have its ups and downs when I was made redundant twice within a year. Luckily the right job came along with Castrol where I had two stints totalling about 11 years in all.

The major setback I suffered was a mild stroke in my fifties. Thanks to strong support from Annette I was able to make a decent recovery. Although I did return to full time work for a couple of years I was able to take early retirement and then work part time with a local company for a further 10 years until a normal retirement age of 65.

I did become involved with local affairs ( parish council, school governor, investment club ) until deafness required these be given up. I have a strong interest in reading and literature and I will be extremely sorry to leave the two book clubs which have been important to me over past years. I’m rather surprised to find I have just over 10 years with one and just under 10 with the second.

Pre Covid we could afford to travel quite a bit but I now think this will be curtailed although to an extent we must wait and see. Annette suffers from arthritis and deafness but I would say these are not too limiting for her. Like me her stamina is much less and daytime naps and early nights feature in both our lives.