Towards the end of last year I wrote a post entitled Ageing. In it I mentioned that my ability to concentrate had diminished. I said that I accepted this, and a sense of increased confusion, as a natural part of getting older. I think I might be changing my mind about that.

There are times when I feel that, at 96, I’m on an inevitable decline towards death. There are other times, however, when I feel quite the reverse. I believe I’m coming to the conclusion that whatever remains left of my life on Earth, it doesn’t necessarily need to include decline or diminishment.

In recent days I have begun reading John Buchan’s ‘The Thirty-nine Steps’ aloud to Lorna, a practice I believe is improving my concentration and clarity. The first time I tried it, I made many mistakes, kept losing my place, and had difficulty getting some of the words out. With each day of reading, however, my reading has become more confident and fluent. I feel I’m still making too many mistakes, but Lorna assures me that in only a few days my reading skill has improved dramatically.

Certain areas of interest and appreciation are opening up in my 90s that I had never anticipated, and these seem to be giving me a new zest for life. One of these is a love of colour. Lorna takes responsibility for purchasing my clothing these days, but I very much share her enthusiasm for dressing me in colourful clothes. My wardrobe now contains an array of colours I would never have thought of wearing in my younger years.

Here are some examples of my new-found love of colour, with many thanks to House of Bruar for supplying much of my current wardrobe.

I suspect this appreciation for colour might have started with the purchase of my blue jacket, which was a birthday present made for me by Piob Mhor, and my blue shoes, which were made for me by RED Shoes in Wales. Before the shoes were made, I was sent samples of different colours of leather (for the outers) and suede (for the lining) and I enjoyed making my choice of Lifeboat blue for the outers and Petrol blue for the lining.

Prior to owning these shoes I had been in the habit of wearing off-the-shelf brown shoes for many years, and the new blue shoes put something of a spring in my step. I’ve been wearing, and enjoying, them for several years now.

The most recent addition to my wardrobe is a multicoloured fleece jacket that I got a few days ago. I’ve been enjoying its warmth and vibrancy, and look forward to it brightening up the winter weather.