Sixty Not Out!

 

Well I've finally got to an age where I don't have to pay for prescriptions any more and subsidised train travel beckons as this Monday saw the old frame get to sixty not out.

So far so good, I've still got all my own teeth and I do know who the prime minister is, so all in all I can't complain.

This Monday we were blessed locally with fantastic sunny weather and I enjoyed a very nice day socialising with a small group of friends and family, in line with current guidance, and was totally knackered from all the fun when I woke up the next morning, so I guess I must be that bit older!

Additionally I was given some lovely birthday presents, some of which are now up and adorning my games room and I thought you might like to see them in their new home.

I have been featuring a lot of the work of one of my favourite marine artists, Geoff Hunt, with my posts about the current modelling project, 'All at Sea' and it was a real thrill to get two pictures of his as presents, the larger one, 'The Heavyweight Punch' depicting HMS Victory, Temeraire and Neptune bearing down on the Allied line at Trafalgar and now centre stage between the book cases.

https://www.artmarine.co.uk/ShopSection/geoffhunt/2/

In addition to that I was also given his rendition of HMS Captain, Nelson's 74 that he commanded at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797 as a newly minted Commodore and aboard which he captured the two Spanish warships San Josef and San Nicolas.

The picture adorns the wall close to my writing desk and fits the space there perfectly.

Finally, last but by no means least, I have a keen interest in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and I received a glorious rendition of the Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins poem about Aragorn, that Gandalf referred to in his letter to Frodo Baggins, introducing 'Strider' to him at the Prancing Pony, with the inclusion of the lines 'All that is gold does not glitter .....'

This fabulous poem has been rendered for me by a family friend and talented artist Eloise Levien, complete with the Elvish text around the border and set in a frame created by my eldest son Tom.

Thank you Eloise and as you will see your work has pride of place on the wall in my room as well.

Eloise's work and blog can be found in the link below.

Eloise Levien

I have always thought of age as just a number and that family and friends are the most important things in life, for which I am forever grateful together with the time to indulge in a hobby which creates a lot of fun and enjoyment.

It has certainly been an interesting year to reach sixty in and I can only hope that things will have changed for the better, this time next year.

My regards to one and all and looking forward to good times ahead.

JJ