My Interview on national radio !

Just before I escaped to soak up the visual beauty of the northern Italian lakes and mountains, I took time out to shoot down to Pimlico ! What's in Pimlico ? Amongst other things ,the studios of Premier Radio. I was there by invitation to talk to Maria Toth, presenter of their daily women's programme WOMAN TO WOMAN about my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE. It was a good experience. You can see the twinkle in her eyes here, and she was able to chat to me, check any emails coming in on the subject of the morning - being older- and make it so entertaining  ! Maria certainly has my admiration.

Yes, and the book is on Amazon both paperback and kindle, and you can also get it from the publishers, onwardsand upwards.org

I haven't any oil paintings to show you just now. On holiday I did pen and ink sketches of villas and palm trees, and turtles sun-bathing, but nothing really to show.

Elspeth

It's Talks Time !

Hi there,
Holidays will soon be over and then I get on my own band waggon to encourage the " not quite so young" that they are special, different, and in their prime !  Miss Jean Brodie, you were 40 years too early !
I've got quite a few sessions lined up when I'm invited to talk about my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE . The curious thing is that most of them are on Thursdays, either afternoons or evenings.  Is Thursday invisibly labelled as the day for the MORE MATURE ?
Where shall I start ? Oh a little about me, now a widow for 11 years, and then chatty stories about my minor escapades, and what I'm doing now, and then how they can actually be really useful to God as they are. This is an exercise to build up esteem.
Of course I hope a few might buy my book. I shall have some with me at a special discount as pensions don't always go far enough. For everyone else it's available at the publishers Onwardsand Upwards.org and  Amazon. Apparently the kindle books are selling better than the paperbacks.
I might take a few of my paintings. The other day I actually painted outside in the garden. See below. It's not meant to be an exact likeness. I had fun with it and the shape of the leaves and painted it over blocks of colour.
Hope you are enjoying life, whether earlier, middle or later.
Elspeth

Memorable Sunday 8th July

Sunday 8th July 2012 Presenting an outside broadcast on Hatfield Road St.Albans for Radio Verulam, I not only  had a grand-stand view of the Olympic torch passing by, interviewed both passers by and other Radio Verulam presenters, but even managed to give away several copies of my own book ENJOYING LATER LIFE ( which you can get on Amazon both in kindle form and paper-back)  You see Radio Verulam was celebrating their 5th birthday on FM, so we had cake, we had balloons and I thought I'd throw in the birthday present element as well.
Were you in the crowds that day ?
Elspeth

Party and Book Launch

It was great fun  - a birthday party plus a book launch all in one, hosted and organised by my lovely daughter. You might have guessed that the colours of my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE, warm orange, and bright red, were the colours chosen for the decorations for the barn dance and buffet supper.
And do you know ! one of my friends actually brought a unicycle ! See below. Not that I can ride one !

ENJOYING LATER LIFE  is a book to encourage the over 55's to live know that they are special, wonderful and not on the downward slope to the end of life.  It's available at Waterstones St.Albans, at Amazon both paperback and kindle; from the publisher, Onwardsand upwards.org, and if you are local to St.Albans, from me !

Have fun !  Elspeth

Colour,a party and a launch of the book

Hi there,
This is a painting of my back garden with its two old apple trees, the sundance choisir, and the juniper creeping across. However, as you see, I decided to have a lot of fun with colour, after the style of David Hockney !
I find it difficult to get away from an orangey-red.  I wear clothes that colour, and the cover of my new book ENJOYING LATER LIFE, is shockingly bright !
Talking of my new book, I have a big friends and family launch of it tomorrow at my birthday party !. I have even invited one of my friends, who is a Christian mime artist, story teller and clown, to bring his unicycle, like the cartoon on the front cover of the book !  I can see we're going to have fun.
Other colourful aspects of my life continue. Radio Verulam is at the heart of St.;Albans festival, and even I will be presenting an hour of Faith Alive, LIVE on Sunday 17th at  2.00pm. so if you're local , come and have a chat !
Enjoy the day, despite the rain !
Elspeth

Signing at St.Peter's Spring Fair

SUNSHINE AND SIGNING

It was time to get out ! The sun shone !. Passers by bought my book 

ENJOYING LATER LIFE, and my cards and paintings.This was St.Peter's Spring Fair a week ago.
I've also just got the good news that WATERSTONES, St.Albans, will be stocking my book.  So look out for it. It's shockingly obvious in its brilliant orange and red !
Elspeth Jackman

Half way up the stairs

"Half way up the stairs is the stair where I sit.
There isn't any other stair quite like it.
I'm not at the bottom. I'm not at the top........."
I was helping with a local school assembly the other day. We showed a video of Robin singing this song. We asked the 180 year 8's why Robin didn't want to go up a step. Was he too comfortable just being in the middle or was he unsure what it would be like at the top ?
Apply that to belief in God ! What step are these teenagers on ? On the bottom step, not bothered whether God was real on not, or on the next step, occasionally wondering about God ?  Maybe some were higher up, really interested but noy quite there.
I volunteer in the school through STEP, St.Albans Educational Project, an organisation offering to go into schools are share what the Christian faith means in a relevant fashion.
We would never tell teenagers what they had to believe. We'd give options, and and sometimes a challenge.
Moving a step up is sometimes a big challenge.

My own challenges are promoting my new book, Enjoying Later Life, and what I thought would be a new challenge, my new piece of garden equipment, a cordless hedge cutter, but its brilliant ! No more hours of shears for me!

Elspeth