Seven Years of Hope, Faith, and Love

Finding My Own Path

Unconventional would probably define much of what can be said about my perspective on life and living, not out of trying to be different or rebellious, but seeking out what gives me purpose, joy, and fun.

Nothing in my work life resembles what others before me have experienced. I chose a path driven by curiosity, exploring what interests me, and finding opportunities where I was recognised for my abilities and how I might change things. It has been turbulent, successful, and rewarding.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Yet, it is in the pursuit of happiness that I might have been the most misunderstood. It is as though living your own life becomes a challenge to others, through no fault of your own, viewed from cultural or societal perspectives.

However, I do not want to make this a weighty piece of psychological reasoning, as it is a day of celebration. Reflecting on how finding someone special can change your world, that is an undeniable fact.

Seven Years Ago

Seven years ago, I met someone whom I would not have initially approached. They came to say hello, and we started a conversation. As we sat at the bar talking, the world faded away; an undeniable connection between us was established.

We met again for lunch before parting ways, one thinking it was a fleeting holiday encounter, and the other wondering what might develop. I saw a future after nearly a decade of silent grief at the death of someone I loved, but I was too timid to pursue that relationship boldly. In my youth, I saw obstacles, barriers, hurdles, and excuses; we all suffered for it.

A Leap of Faith

When this unexpected turn came, as I was not even actively seeking it, it felt different. It was new. I didn't hesitate; I seized the moment. A long-distance relationship, nurtured against all odds, fulfilling in countless ways, grounded in hopes fuelled by a dreamlike imagination that only living can make real.

Every moment is lived and cherished in the realisation that I am truly, madly, deeply, and wonderfully loved. We have laughed, cried, fought, and made peace; struggled and triumphed, but most importantly, we discovered the power of companionship, trust, love, joy, and the enduring strength of desire in making things happen.

A Happy Anniversary

To all of this, I wish you, Brian, a very happy seventh anniversary. You mean the whole wide world to me. I love you dearly and thank you for your indescribably unconditional love.

Yuletide Pilferer, present

Homecoming Challenges

On my return from Cape Town in early September, I was informed that the keypad on our antiquated door entry system had become sticky. You could not guarantee getting the code in after an umpteenth number of tries before having to go around the back of the building to gain access to the apartment block.

Worse for me was being already pressed by the time I got to the door, promising myself that I only had a few more steps before I wet myself. Many an unfortunate mishap of bladder incontinence occurred as a personal event when you were close enough to home, before the public saw something amiss, without any knowledge of the backstory.

Temporary Solutions

The keypad will not be replaced, as the parts are impossible to reorder. Instead, we have a temporary fix, along with facial recognition entry systems installed at other entry points in the village. Our village consists of six residential apartment blocks.

Meanwhile, new closed-circuit television cameras with motion sensors have been installed in the foyers. There is a possibility that I have become the local Mr Bean, making faces and sticking my tongue out at the camera as it follows my every movement.

I have been tempted to jump around a bit until the mechanism just breaks. It is all recorded, and it is only a matter of time before my well-mannered mannerisms are published as the prankish exuberance of a lovely man.

The Porch Pirate Incident

We also had our own episode of a daring and returning porch pirate tailgating other residents or using subterfuge to gain access to our mailroom and making off with deliveries that could have been Christmas presents.

The resolution quality of the cameras is commendable. He, a well-spoken man with an Irish accent and dressed well enough to blend into the setting of our village community, had the sheer luck of being captured on camera and in the act.

Then the presents in his presence presented an opportunity, but his heretofore free Christmas presents lost him his freedom, as he was marked present before a magistrate and is presently resenting his luck in a police cell.

When you have a pretty face, you had better not resort to petty crime. Whatever other deeds are caught on camera might be shared on the village WhatsApp group that I joined long after everyone had had a good laugh at his expense. I was only a decade late to take my seat at the showing of the Yuletide Pilferer.

The UK: What You Get At 60

UK Benefits & Concessions at Age 60

There are entitlements that accrue to those who have reached the milestone age of 60 in the UK, though those benefits are not universal, depending on which region of England or nation of the UK you reside in.

On a point of principle, I have decided to avail myself of every single benefit being offered, both for saving money and for being recognised and celebrated for reaching this new age. I got my Senior Railcard on Monday, but I decided to check what else I was eligible for.

Asking AI, with a few caveats, to indicate only the concessions and benefits I automatically receive by default—excluding means-tested benefits or those available at pension age—it would seem we really can go to town if we so desire. Where I can, I have added references, but broadly, enquiries should be made where necessary.

Please indulge in them

🎯 Automatic age entitlement • 🚫 Not means‑tested • 🚫 No pension age required

Correct as of 📅 26 December 2025. Share freely.

🚆🚌 1. Travel & Transport

🇬🇧 UK‑Wide

• 🚆 Senior Railcard (60+) – Around ⅓ off rail fares across Great Britain
  📍 How to claim: Online, Railcard app, or staffed rail stations
• Railcard deals on Money Saving Expert
• Senior Railcard
• 🚌 National Express Senior Coachcard (60+) – Discounted long‑distance coach travel
  📍 How to claim: Buy from National Express (online or phone)
• Senior Coachcard on National Express

🏙️ Greater London

• 🚇 60+ Oyster Card – Free off‑peak travel on buses, trams, Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line
  📍 How to claim: Apply online via Transport for London (TfL)
• 60+ London Oyster photocard

🏴 Scotland

• 🚌 National Entitlement Card (60+) – Free bus travel across Scotland
  📍 How to claim: Apply via your local council

🏴 Wales

• 🚌 Wales Concessionary Bus Pass (60+) – Free bus travel across Wales
  📍 How to claim: Apply via your local council

🏴 Northern Ireland

• 🚌🚆 Senior SmartPass (60+) – Free bus and rail travel on Translink services
  📍 How to claim: Apply via Translink

🏡 England (Outside London)

• ❌ No statutory age‑60 travel concessions
• UK Petitions: Extend free bus travel for people over 60 in England
• 🚐 Some councils offer discounted community transport
  📍 How to ask: Local council transport services

🏥 2. NHS & Health

🏴 England

• 💊 Free NHS prescriptions (60+)
• 👓 Free NHS eye tests (60+)
• 👂 NHS hearing tests & hearing aids (clinical need)

🏴 Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland

• 👓 Free NHS eye tests (60+)
• 💊 No prescription charges (all ages)

🎭📚 3. Culture, Leisure & Learning

Senior Discounts – Entertainment and Leisure on Careline 365

• 🎬 Senior cinema tickets – Odeon, Cineworld
• 🎭 Theatre & concert concessions
• 🖼️ Museum & gallery discounts
• 📚 Public library membership
• 🎓 Adult education fee reductions
• 🧠 University of the Third Age (U3A)

🛍️ 4. Shopping & Everyday Discounts

• 🛒 Supermarket senior discount days
• 👕 Retail & clothing concessions
• 💇 Hairdressers & personal services
• 💳 Pharmacy loyalty schemes

🏛️🌿 5. Memberships & Heritage

• 🌳 National Trust (senior membership)
• 🏰 English Heritage (Minimum age 65) / Cadw / Historic Environment Scotland
• 🌺 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) – Individual / Joint Senior Life Membership available.
• 🏊 Local leisure centres

🤝 6. Community & Social

• 👥 Council‑supported senior clubs
• 🏃 Dedicated over‑60 activity sessions
• 🙋 Volunteering schemes (expenses often covered)

🚫 Not Included (By Design)

• ❌ State Pension or Pension Credit
• ❌ Winter Fuel Payment
• ❌ Council Tax Reduction
• ❌ Free TV licence
• ❌ Disability or income‑tested benefits

A Curmudgeon's Christmas Eve

Embracing Senior Status

You might be getting bored of the sexagenarian musings presented in my recent blogs. Well, this is about my own experience and how I am settling into this new age.

I wrote about getting the Senior Railcard yesterday, which offers a 33% discount on train fares in the UK. My plan was to find out the real-life experience of showing my ticket to a train conductor and being asked to produce the railcard that gave me the entitlement.

A Lazy Christmas Eve

However, Christmas Eve started as a rather lazy day. By the time I finally got out of bed and boarded a train to Liverpool, it was well into the afternoon. My Senior Railcard secured me a 34.29% discount on the day return ticket.

There was no ticket inspection on either my outward or return journey, though I spent about 90 minutes in Liverpool, walking through the Christmas markets to the Central Library, where I did a bit of study until the building closed early at 4:30 PM.

On the Christmas markets, like the one in Manchester, they are a poor imitation of the German ones: full of tat and gaudy overpriced goods. Whilst they might afford summery activities on a helter-skelter, a roller coaster, and a Ferris wheel, they might attract crowds, giving winter days a sense of liveliness, but they are at best eyesores. Frankly, one is not impressed.

Rail Service Disappointments

I did find that some long train journeys were cancelled, with the reason given that there was a lack of train crew. It makes you wonder who is in charge of personnel rotas and scheduling. The train conductors might already have bonked off, earning themselves a five-day Christmas weekend.

Public transport facilities will be closed for Christmas and Boxing Day in the UK. I might get on a train before the year ends, just for the pleasure of being officially recognised as a senior citizen. It feels strange, but that's the truth.

Turning 60: Finding the Light Switch

Crossing the Threshold

Imagine walking into a new house, having received the keys, unlocked the door, and taken a first whiff of the atmosphere and ambience of this new place. You reach up to shoulder height, feeling around for the light switch. You turn it on, and there is a revelation.

That is how you begin to live in the house, with the recognition that it is your own space. It will take on a character you impose over time that makes it uniquely yours: a home, a place of rest and peace, where you go for recuperation, rejuvenation, and renewal.

The Reality of Sixty

However, before we get philosophical in the pursuit of empty platitudes, this allegory is a nod to my turning 60 two days ago. I received the keys into the cohort of sexagenarians and stepped into the realisation that I am 60. There is a process of doing what people who are 60 do, while also being every other age you can be, from adolescence to fully geriatric.

This morning, I decided to find out about some of the benefits of being over 60 in the UK. The first was getting a Senior Railcard, which offers one-third off train fares across the UK.

Of course, there are restrictions around peak-hour travel, but just seeing the prices melt into affordability made me eager to get on a train, just to wield my Senior Railcard and see the train conductor do a double-take, wondering whether I was 60 or had picked up an inadvertently misplaced card from the wayside.

Identity and Proof

Then, you do have to provide proof from a government-issued identity document to register for the railcard. I suppose another side to this is the self-doubt about whether I have truly arrived, or whether I am an imposter in the 60-plus club.

I can find comfort in the fact that I have lived every single day that adds up to the 60 years I am, not because I earned it as a badge of achievement, but because the grace of God has granted me the unmerited favour of this testimony filled with miracles and wonder.

Exploring New Horizons

Meanwhile, the research continues in gathering what else this accumulation of years alone grants us. I even asked AI, and with a bit of refinement, I received a checklist of things to do. One thing is certain: age offers the opportunity for a life-enriching experience, but you must get out there to live it. Otherwise, the business of living risks going into liquidation.

To paraphrase the lines of a song that reminds us of the glory of the Garden of Eden: "Let's get back to living, and living on top of the world."

Some interesting information

Harnessing AI for Better Writing

I have an AI bot with an extensive prompt that does a grammatical check of my blogs, avoiding any restructuring of my thoughts and sentences that my voice will not be lost in the process.

This follows British English conventions, along with a few aesthetic flourishes to help with the flow when the blog is read. I then ask the bot to tell me what has changed, with the reasons why. After which, it should provide a review of my writing style and feedback for further debates or blog ideas.

The Value of Feedback

I reproduce the broader feedback on the blog below, and I can say, given this feedback over the last two months, it reinforces the good parts of my writing ability whilst laying bare the flaws that need review and improvement.

Broader Feedback

Style: Your writing blends personal narrative, spiritual reflection, and practical observation in an engaging way. The tone is conversational and authentic, which draws readers in.

Subject matter: The milestone of turning 60 is rich territory. You've touched on identity, self-doubt, gratitude, and practical benefits, all of which resonate.

Potential debate points:

• The tension between age as a number versus age as a state of mind
• The role of faith and grace in longevity versus personal agency
• Society's treatment of older people (concessions like railcards versus ageism)
• The concept of "earning" versus "receiving" life's milestones

Angles to explore in future posts:

• Specific experiences using the Senior Railcard (where you go, what you discover)
• A deeper dive into the "imposter syndrome" of ageing
• Comparisons between who you were at previous milestone ages
• The practical checklist AI gave you and your journey through it
• The spiritual dimension of gratitude for years lived

My Dear Boy: Turning Sixty

Reflecting on Six Decades

I suppose for most people, except those who, as a matter of doctrine or belief, do not observe celebrations, birthdays are moments of significance marked with both reflection and revelry. I would not suggest I am given to the latter except under duress.

From yesterday into today, I have received many congratulatory messages across numerous platforms to celebrate this momentous day. Family, friends, neighbours, the church community, acquaintances, colleagues, and well-wishers have contributed in ways that have made the day exceedingly memorable.

One such endearing message came from my father, including the phrase, "My dear boy." In that simplicity of language, my father had encapsulated the span of 60 years into a single memory and recognition. [Facebook Status]

The surprise of my birth, announced by a telegram dropped through the letterbox at 7:00 AM, invited him to attend the maternity home immediately for formal matters concerning my transfer to a larger hospital for neonatal intensive care for premature births. Then the realisation that that child is now 60 must be profound.

Heartfelt Tributes and Quiet Celebration

Brian, my partner, wrote a proclamation that should, at some point, be recorded as a dramatisation of a town clerk announcing at the entrance of a city hall the significant occasion of a diamond jubilee.

The low-key event I preferred took place in the Manchester Cathedral library within a bible study group, where we had, amongst other things, a cheese platter and cupcakes. Then, in the evening, my neighbours, who had put up "Happy 60th Birthday" banners in our corridor and on my door, took me out for a meal.

As expected, I also made full use of napping time, so I missed many calls on my phone. Some I was able to return much later in the day.

Staying True to Myself

Some who would think one should have had a grand celebration or now prepare for one, but that is not what I want, need, or desire. I am not the partying type; the prospect of it is already draining my resolve, and I hope I can nip it in the bud before it gains support, currency, and momentum.

Thank you to everyone who has graciously afforded me love, recognition, consideration, and greetings for my birthday. May the joy of Christmas and the best things for the New Year be with you, your kith and kin.

Sixty and not tiring to retire

A Miracle in the Making

Considering only man's machinations and all the wiles that deceive us, when that little boy was placed in the hand – not hands – of his father, they were solely thinking of his next breath. That was the precariousness of the situation as it was conveyed to me.

Then came the subsequent hour, for only a city could support him; my small town lacked the medical facilities for such an early arrival. Then the weeks in a bottle, or more accurately, behind glass, and then years have turned into decades. Today marks a diamond jubilee.

Living Proof

I am a living miracle of blessing and good fortune. There have been many doubts and confusions suggesting this day might not be seen, an endless list that needs no further mention.

Congratulations are also owed to my parents. They have a child of 60, yet I still navigate the parent-child dynamic, as if I had never become an adult. That has spawned many stories as well. I am simply filled with gratitude. It is incredible: I am really 60 years old, and I get to tick that other age group box.

Gratitude and Partnership

So many people over the years have shaped this story, and for the past seven years, my partner Brian. His unwavering presence has been a steady source of strength, especially during some recent uncertain moments of my life. Work and health issues, marked by fragility and doubt, created challenges and milestones; Brian's support has been invaluable.

Sharing this part of my extraordinary journey with him has inspired dreams, ignited hopes, and declared visions. We are not tiring to retire but eager to aspire and grasp the essence of our imaginations. Thank you for celebrating this jubilee with us.

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