granny Archives - My New Old Self

Grandparents as parents – again 1

Jul

28

2017

A grandmother in a hut in rural South Africa and a granny in a house in a US suburb may have more in common than just their ages. Increasing numbers of grandparents are parenting again. This is because their own children have passed away. AIDS has been a top killer in Africa. In the West, ...

In Praise of Fidgeting

Oct

22

2015

I have often sung the praises of taking advice from our elders. Eat your vegetables – that turned out to be a good tip, proven by scientific studies to make you live longer. Get some fresh air. Go for a walk, preferably amongst greenery. Those are other oft-heard suggestions from parents and grandparents. Now this ...

Still in the CD past – like a stuck record 1

Apr

10

2015

I remember a day in the 80s when a friend proudly unveiled his new music system. We were still listening to cassettes but he had switched to the latest format. You had to buy new equipment to play those shiny disks, but prices came down and soon we were all listening to CDs. I don’t ...

It’s Hard Out Here for a Gogo! 3

Mar

25

2015

My New Old Self decided to find out what it’s like to get old in the countryside. I visited the bucolic Ofafa Valley in South Africa’s province of KwaZulu Natal, described by author Alan Paton in his famous novel. “There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, ...

Staying Spry at 60-plus

Oct

26

2013

See Granny Run. That’s my first response to sports competitions for seniors. Because there’s always a super-sporty over-achieving grandmother. The South African version of elder-sport is the Golden Games and a southern African granny is a gogo. So 81-year-old Katie Barendse was dubbed the Golden Games Gogo. I am in awe of the Golden Games ...

Da Granny Who Rocked Da Show (for her age) 3

Oct

1

2013

That granny was da best she rocked da show for her age lol That’s a Facebook comment from a fan of Ann Wilson, who despite – or perhaps because of – her advanced age, stole the SA’s Got Talent show. The Got Talent reality TV show bills itself as the “World’s Biggest Talent Show… Any Act, ...