Running along a Dorset coastal path this morning – Twixmas fog coaxing me dangerously close to not greeting in the New Year – I find myself ridiculously upbeat considering that I am dragging nearly two weeks’ of over-indulgence up a tricky incline and already regret entering Brighton Marathon 2025 in a rash moment of running…
Author: thedragonflyjar
I'm a sixty something working, single woman, navigating through all the challenges and opportunities of life - hopefully with a little irreverent humour and grace.
Careless whispers
I have decided to share a grumpy senior women vent about a lack of volume control in public places, and I am not just referring to ‘ambient’ music. Before you accuse me of hypocrisy, I freely admit that I shamelessly get some of my writing ideas by earwigging into other people’s conversations – some might…
Mudlarking
I am close to the point of looking back over my shoulder at my sixtieth year. If you remember, I celebrated ‘that’ birthday by encouraging friends to coax me out of my comfort zone and do something with them that they enjoyed but I had not experienced before. I was spoilt with such an embarrassment…
Gluteal amnesia
In the weeks since saying goodbye to mum, I feel both the loss of my parent and the loss of my ally in the adoption of random health and fitness advice – gobbets of information that we accepted without science or reason. Because we were both so accepting of novel and unsubstantiated wellbeing advice, I…
No words
I have blogged about my mother many times; I always confessed to her afterwards and she always seemed chuffed to hear that she had been my muse. Mum never asked to read the published content – preferring paper I guess – but occasionally would say, ‘no doubt you can use this story in a future…
Otherwise engaged
If I have one complaint about grown up ‘kids’, it is that they sometimes take their time providing me with a shameless excuse to giggle hysterically and leak happy mother tears simultaneously. Some may call their approach selfish but because my children are practically perfect in every way I defend them with the excuse that…
Flying backwards
I have just arrived at my chap’s cottage ‘in the shire’. It is a blistering hot day; it has been a long drive and this flying visit comes at the end of a long teaching term and a testing few days at the start of the school holiday. I am a tad grumpy, a tad…
Tour de force
Something weird has been going on with my algorithms; despite being a runner, I find myself incessantly nudged by ads and pop-ups about cycling. First I am insulted – I am age-aware but have no need to be niche-marketed by a company called ‘Granny Gear’ – then I find myself strangely intrigued to discover that…
Late to the party
For the first time ever I have been commissioned to write a follow up blog. Admittedly my patron was a little bit wobbly bob at the time she tasked me with this new project, but I distinctly heard her ask someone to take our photo for her ‘follow up birthday post’ ; far be it…
The Dragonfly Jar 