A personal celebration

~ beetleypete

It is not the done thing to congratulate yourself on your own birthday, I know.

But I am going to do it anyway.

As regular readers will recall, the 16th of March is my birthday, and I generally make quite a song-and-dance about it. I start to celebrate a few days before, commencing a ‘birthday week’ of events. These involve shopping for my gifts, a trip to the seaside, and a meal in a restaurant. Nothing fancy, you understand, just keeping up a tradition I started many years ago.

This year is something of a milestone, as I am ‘officially old’. 65 is the age in the UK when you are considered to be a ‘pensioner’. For many, this no longer applies, as recent changes in the law will delay pensions for most people, for up to seven years. But I just crept in under the barrier, so I will be getting my State Pension at the time I was supposed to, starting next week. I will also qualify for things like ‘Pensioner Day Discounts’ at the barber shop. This has its own cruel irony, as I have little hair left to cut. I will get a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’ though, as us oldies need to keep warm.

The downside is that I will also be cast into that great void of the ‘Over 65s’. Look at any survey, most forms, and many special offers, and you will see that the final tick box is usually shown as ’65 Or Over’. Once you hit that magic age, you are destined to be ignored, or at best seen as something of a burden on society. But I am being positive in 2017, so I will not worry about all that stuff.

We will go to the beach with Ollie after I open all my cards and gifts. Then later this evening, we will enjoy a nice meal somewhere, possibly tasty Chinese food. I will drink my red wine, and enjoy the day with Julie and our dog. Then next month, I might just go and get one of those cheap haircuts.

Just because I can.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Staying positive, in 2017.

103 thoughts on “A personal celebration”

  2. I very belated happy birthday! I am so behind these days. My dad turns 70 this year and LOVES his pensioners’ discounts. He looks much younger than his age so he can’t wait to ask if there is one and then have to produce his ID to prove that he meets the requirements!

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    1. Thanks, Abbi. Unfortunately, I was able to get a ‘pensioner ticket’ in the cinema two years ago, with no proof of age! My best wishes to your Dad for his 70th. They say it’s the ‘new 50’! Pete.

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      1. Pete, when I first started going through menopause, early.. my late forties, I called it my tropical heat waves.. Not, Hot flashes.. It helped me to use my own term for what was happening and I retained my smiles through it .. If I said hot flashes I’d probably bit off someones head..

        My knees are bad, but I look at it as time to read blogs, or read my beloved books, or write another story in this allotted time my knees need to rest.. It’s not what we’ve lost, but what we still have.. hugs

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  7. ❤ All the best dear Pete! I like your attitude: birthdays are to be celebrated, it's the fact that we came into this world, that we exist and have consciousness, independently of the harshness of this existence at times…Plus, you share a birthday with my beloved mother!

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  8. Happy belated birthday Pete. It’s only fair you get a discount at the barber since it won’t take as long to cut your hair as will an absolute rug mat. 🙂 People should pay more attention to pensioners. They actually pay for things rather than expect to get it in bulk. Ageism is such a pain. You’re the farthest thing from a burden that I can think and after years of service to the community if that time comes you’re owed mate as far as I’m concerned.

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  10. Sorry, I missed the day itself, Pete, but I hope it was good. And yes, make the best of it! I’m looking forward to petsitting for some friends next week (three dogs), and I hope that should keep me out of trouble.

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    1. Thanks, Olga. It was a good day indeed. Sun and sea, the genteel environs of Southwold, and a tasty Chinese meal in Swaffham later.
      Best wishes, and good luck with the dogs!. Pete.

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      1. Blogging connects people all over the globe who have similar thoughts and habits.

        Compared to my 4 younger siblings born in the spring and summer, my birthdays got the short shrift in childhood, coming between Thanksgiving, my father’s birthday, Christmas and New Years. So as soon as I got out on my own I began to make it up to myself. 🙂

        Party ON Pete!
        xx,
        mgh

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  14. Happy Birthday you young whipper-snapper! So, you’re officially a senior citizen – you get to blame so much on your age now!! (and no one can ague with you about it!! haha). Enjoy!!

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  25. Hi there, old man! I hope you have a swell time celebrating yourself. What gift will you get yourself? A trip to the sea? Please take pictures. I’m in the high desert. I crave water. You deserve all the recreating you can muster.

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      1. One time back in the 90s, I stayed at a mutual friend’s house for the night. They lived in Lowestoft and we traveled north to Yarmouth for the afternoon. Kinda in your neck of the woods. Hope you had a lovely day.

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        1. It is my neck of the woods, 30 miles away. Though Yarmouth is very commercial, and thought to be a little ‘down market’ these days. I was about 40 miles south-east of that, and had a lovely day. I don’t have any snobbish opinions about Yarmouth myself, but that’s the current mood.
          Best wishes, Pete.

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  29. Just learned about you from Arlene in the Philippines. 🎂🎂🎂 Anyone who writes about their dog is tops in my book. I look forward to following you.(auto correct just tried to make that tomfoolery!)

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  31. Happy Birthday and welcome to old age. There are two things one needs to know about getting old. First getting old is easy. Staying old is the trick. And second, getting old is for the brave, OK three things, The older you get the more and more likely people are going to want to help you across the street even if you do not want to cross the damned thing.
    Warmest regards, Theo

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