The Granny Who Stands on Her Head is not a book about being a granny, nor is it a book about yoga postures. It IS a book about being an older woman, liking that fact and enjoying life to the full, including doing headstands.  I wrote it and I am two months short of turning 80.

I decided to write this book because somewhere in the middle of my seventies, I realised that I liked being old.  Before that, I probably didn’t really think of myself as being old. Many of us don’t.

This made me stop and question why I liked being old.

There are plenty of things to be said against it and i write about them in the book. There is the failing health, the diminished energy and the frightful memory.

We need to think about giving up certain things, like a well-loved house or apartment that is too large, and driving as much as we used to – if at all.

Moreover, friends are dying and we begin to think about dying ourselves.

Yet the surprising thing about being old is how much continues as before. We continue to do most the things we always liked to do. This may be singing, as in my case, or it may be sewing or making pottery. If we cooked before, we cook now. And many of us have just as much sex as ever.

And the equivalent downside is that many of the things we have always disliked continue much as before as well.  I happen to have hated shopping all my life and I still do. I have worried much too much all my life and I still do. And I get particularly cranky when my computer is down.

BUT all this having been said, there are real plusses to becoming old. Many of us have the very real pleasures of grandchildren, who light up our lives. Our friendships – and often our marriages – are stronger than ever.

And most of all, being old means you have had a lot of experience of life and you know who you are – both your strengths and your weaknesses. You tend to have become comfortable in your own skin. As a result, you tend to feel much more free to do what you want – and not what you don’t want. How wonderful is that!

I hope that the title conjures up all these thoughts.  I am old, I am a granny, but I love yoga and I love standing on my head. It brings a freedom and it just feels good.

You will find The Granny Who Stands on Her Head as a paperback or an e-book on Amazon or other e-readers, such as Apple or Kobo.  It will make a wonderful present for any reflective older woman.