Siwrne Sharon

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-Before long, I'll be 60.

-Sixty!

-I can't believe it.

-It's a joke, surely?

-When I was growing up,

-40 seemed awfully old.

-As for 60, well!

-Women of a certain age

-are invisible.

-I'm no longer young...

-..but I don't feel old.

-Inside, I feel 18.

-But I've had a long life...

-..with many happy and sad times.

-I've been a winner and a loser.

-I'm an adult,

-quite a responsible one by now.

-A house, a dog and two children.

-I'm supposed to know all the answers.

-Sometimes I feel more insecure...

-..and more fragile than ever before.

-Am I the only woman in Wales

-who feels like this?

-I'm on a nationwide trip

-to meet others of the same age...

-..to research, to discuss

-and to try to find out the truth.

-I like to think of myself

-as a volcano about to erupt.

-For me, it's all about freedom.

-There are no yucky bodily functions.

-What's more, other people

-have children for us - like men.

-I've learnt to do this in photos.

-It'll be fun, don't you think?

-We're in our old folks' homes...

-..fancying a bit of nooky.

-When I reached 60,

-I wore a thong for the first time.

-This decade, from 50 to 60...

-..is an amazing period

-in women's lives.

-It's a time of alteration.

-The "change".

-It's a word that's taboo.

-The menopause.

-In Welsh, it's "darfyddiad".

-Is this the end?

-It's as though I'm "in between".

-It's an age band without a name.

-I'm in between mid-life and old age.

-Between sanity and losing the plot.

-I'm in between being and not being.

-"To be or not to be,

-that is the question."

-But how?

-I wish I felt less mixed-up.

-It's like being a teenager again.

-We all know of teenage problems...

-..and finding oneself.

-Right now,

-I want to find myself again.

-I'm on my way to meet those women...

-..who experienced that

-exciting, turbulent time with me.

-Do they feel the same way?

-I'm from Llandyfaelog,

-between Carmarthen and Llanelli.

-Before moving there, my family

-had lived on the coast in Ferryside.

-I remember this enchanting beach...

-..and a walk with friends

-on my 15th birthday.

-I moaned to them about growing old!

-Am I in essence

-that same 15-year-old girl?

-These friends were my classmates

-during high school in Carmarthen.

-The Queen Elizabeth

-Grammar School for Girls.

-Kathleen still lives in town...

-..but I've not seen

-Sian or Dorothy since schooldays.

-The urge

-to talk about the past is strong.

-The four of us went to high school

-in the early 1960s.

-There's Sharon.

-It was a time of change

-for female expectations.

-A whiff of rebellion was in the air.

-That's me there, and...

-That's me there, and...

-

-Kathleen next to you?

-This was a trip to France.

-I recall feeling

-painfully unattractive.

-My curls and my breasts

-were quite inappropriate...

-..when the Twiggy look was 'in'.

-I always thought I was fat.

-I look a little bit anorexic.

-Those dark glasses!

-This is the only play we performed.

-There's you.

-I remember you walking on stage.

-Being a male character

-in the school play...

-..was really quite a relief!

-What about this one?

-Take a look at yourself there.

-It's an amazing photo.

-The uniform had to be perfect.

-The gymslip had to be

-a certain length above the knee.

-Yes, I remember the posture girdles!

-The clothes we wore then

-were also important to us.

-Fashion influenced

-the way you looked.

-Well, yes, maybe...

-..but it didn't bother me too much!

-You always wore purple,

-trendy clothes and big earrings.

-Well, yes.

-Are we now more self-confident

-about the way we look?

-I don't know.

-Sometimes,

-I change my dress before going out.

-I don't fancy that,

-I'll wear something else.

-Is that just a matter of preference,

-or an age-related decision?

-Oh, no, that's not an issue at all.

-I'll wear what I want!

-Women of our age,

-when we were growing up...

-..looked rather different from us,

-didn't they?

-I remember asking Dorothy

-a question in town once.

-"Do I have to look like my mother

-when I'm 50?"

-You said no!

-That hairstyle, the home perm.

-There was also the question

-of our life pattern.

-Were we just supposed to marry,

-have children and so on.

-Did you have a plan

-about what was going to happen?

-I wanted to leave home, certainly.

-I needed to get away from my village

-and live in a town.

-I wanted to enjoy myself.

-I don't know

-how I ended up teaching.

-Each year, I wanted to leave

-because I didn't like school!

-What about you, Kathleen?

-I'd wanted to be a vet

-since I was about seven years old.

-I taught before I became a vet...

-..but I got there in the end

-and yes, there was a plan of sorts.

-I was disorganized

-and I didn't plan properly.

-I wanted to be a psychotherapist.

-I knew I wanted to do that.

-Having made it your career,

-do women in their 60s visit you?

-No, not many, really.

-I think it's too late

-to do an analysis in your 60s.

-It's a time to forget,

-rather than remember.

-You two are grandmothers now.

-Yes, I have three children,

-and my eldest daughter has two boys.

-They don't call me Mam-gu,

-they can't say that, so Gu Gu.

-I have three grandchildren

-and they call me Mama Gu!

-Once again,

-neither of you resemble the image...

-..of how a grandmother should look.

-You have no children

-but you're happy about that.

-Yes, it wasn't part of the plan

-and it didn't happen.

-There are plenty of children

-in my family.

-I'm quite happy about that.

-Looking back, I don't know

-if I'd have wanted children.

-I don't think I would.

-I don't love animals

-more than people, it's not that.

-It's just how it's happened.

-Are we the same people

-we used to be?

-Are we as we were in our schooldays?

-I don't think any one of us

-has changed dramatically.

-It was so easy to re-connect today.

-We're here together

-and we all look the same.

-Well, within reason!

-Only the exterior changes.

-Time is irrelevant.

-This is a secret

-which older people ought to share.

-Our bodies are different...

-..but it's the same person inside.

-A period of 40 years has passed.

-And it's gone like the wind...

-..in the wink of a pink mouse,

-as Mam would say.

-What struck me

-was the wealth of their experience.

-They'd gained it

-living lives of their own choosing.

-They'd shaped their own destinies.

-They'd lived life

-as they wanted it to be.

-That's what came over very strongly.

-It linked someone

-with something that had been lost.

-As you grow older,

-you like to hold on to that...

-..before it's too late.

-But on with the journey.

-The image we present to the world

-speaks volumes...

-..but which version

-do we wish to project?

-I'm meeting someone whose business

-relies on dealing with images.

-Christine Kinsey is an artist,

-still working in her 60s.

-Our work -

-my autobiographical dramas...

-..and her paintings

-of Valleys' women...

-..have often touched

-on the same themes.

-This time,

-Christine will paint my portrait.

-And I will wear red!

-I like this.

-It makes me look intelligent.

-This one's nice too.

-Why do you take these photographs?

-I want to see the facial details...

-..and the colour of the dress.

-I would like to paint

-a portrait of Sharon...

-..as I've seen her in the theatre...

-..portraying

-many different characters.

-You had a name for this colour -

-madder?

-Madder. More mad. Very appropriate!

-I'd better wear my dress now.

-I'd like to produce a painting...

-..showing Sharon's own character.

-I've always loved clothes.

-Colours, shapes and jewels.

-One of my main delights in acting

-is being able to dress up.

-Actors must be very aware

-of their appearance...

-..for they are the instrument.

-My body, my heart, my head.

-However, along with most actors,

-I hate having my own photo taken.

-Someone is trying to reflect

-the external image back at me.

-But this feels different.

-Chris says she wants the portrait

-to show the inner me.

-Older women

-seldom appear in portraits.

-When they do,

-it's not usually in a positive way.

-Often, they appear

-as women without a voice.

-Their life is over.

-I try to show women...

-..of all ages...

-..as subjects and not objects.

-What's quite frightening

-is how Christine looks at you.

-All artists must do that, I suppose.

-She measures the body's details.

-You get the feeling

-she's gazing through all that.

-It's her quest for the soul

-or the real me inside.

-It's a very strange feeling.

-I've played scores of women

-over the years.

-I always wear a mask when acting

-but this time I felt quite naked.

-It'll be interesting to see

-what becomes of it.

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-I'm on a journey around Wales,

-meeting women like myself.

-We inhabit that no-man's land

-between mid-life and old age.

-In the 1970s, after graduating,

-I came to north Wales

-I'd only been there

-three times previously.

-It was a leap in the dark.

-It was like an exotic faraway land.

-Bangor. Ah, Bangor.

-This is where I launched a career...

-..which has mapped out

-the course of my life.

-I made friends with Marged Esli.

-Like me, she was training

-as an actor with Cwmni Theatr Cymru.

-We've both appeared on stage

-countless times since then...

-..and on television and radio

-stations for well over 40 years.

-We'd need a wheelbarrow

-for all our stories.

-Do you remember this, Blewyn Glas?

-It was a feature programme we did.

-I don't recall it at all.

-Look at our dresses.

-It's all very floral, isn't it?

-We should take better care

-of our photos. Look at this!

-It's all crumpled up.

-Oh!

-That's when we lived up the road.

-Do you remember?

-It shows us full of optimism.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-

-Well, we were!

-We both had confidence,

-but also lacked confidence too.

-We were willing to get stuck in.

-We were willing to get stuck in.

-

-Look at those plucked eyebrows.

-Very neat.

-Or we were scared stiff!

-How about this one?

-Wait now, look!

-That's our house there.

-"Ex-princesses are out of work."

-Oh, so it happened then too!

-It was after we'd done

-the pantomime, Mawredd Mawr.

-It was the first pantomime in Welsh.

-You and I played two princesses.

-You were a cat

-who turned into a princess.

-With a remarkable trick at the end.

-Like you,

-I didn't take the traditional path.

-I didn't get married young

-and have children.

-I didn't follow the logical pattern

-expected of me.

-I've been a little girl all my life.

-Now, I've arrived.

-It's not middle age.

-This is where I've reached.

-I'm 60.

-But for me,

-the adventure begins now.

-I hope that's right.

-In my experience, however...

-..finding work as you get older

-becomes even more difficult.

-There are no parts for older women.

-There aren't that many in Wales

-and you've bagged most of them!

-You worked on Tipyn O Stad.

-I did Tipyn O Stad, yes,

-and I was 55 when I started.

-I was the oldest female in the cast.

-It's not a true reflection

-of society, is it?

-John Ogwen was older -

-he was playing my husband.

-Actors who were my contemporaries

-on screen...

-..were younger, playing older roles.

-Then there was this sheer drop

-until the next generation.

-That's bizarre in a play

-as it's not like that in real life.

-In normal society,

-you'd have people of all ages.

-That's not the case in Pobol Y Cwm.

-The old folks' home has gone.

-I wanted to be one of the residents!

-In The House Of Bernarda Alba,

-I was an octogenarian - Maria Josefa.

-What will I be doing when I'm 80?

-Selina Scott wrote in an article

-that women over 50 on television...

-..tend to be either eccentric

-or in some way funny.

-Mad or eccentric is how she puts it.

-I've played my share of crazy people.

-Let's hope we see more women...

-..who are mad and eccentric,

-but who offer something else too.

-Women of our age

-lead full, energetic lives.

-There's no reason for them

-not to be portrayed on television.

-Why? Are we really so deadly boring?

-Why? Are we really so deadly boring?

-

-Are we invisible?

-If people don't see us, consider

-the image they have of a grandmother.

-We still think of someone that age...

-..although it has changed, I admit...

-..as a little old lady,

-a granny knitting by the fire.

-That's what the audience gets.

-I remember Mam telling me

-something a few years back.

-She's 85 and as fit as a fiddle.

-She still drives.

-She hasn't lost her marbles.

-She remembers a period

-when she became invisible.

-She remembers it happening to her.

-She said it seemed

-as if nobody could actually see you.

-She also gave me a warning.

-You'll find people will speak to you

-through someone else.

-"Does your mother take sugar

-in her tea?" That sort of thing.

-Is that going to happen to us?

-Is that going to happen to us?

-

-I don't know.

-We'll have to shout out loudly.

-How will we develop?

-I see myself as a kind of volcano.

-I've been smouldering...

-..and I'll eventually erupt!

-Will you come back in ten years?

-We'll do this story again

-and see where we are then.

-It was lovely chatting to Magi.

-We keep in touch

-but haven't acted together much.

-There's a dearth of older women

-roles, and certainly two together!

-What's so nice is to know that

-someone else feels the same way...

-..confirming your own feelings...

-..and shares the same feelings

-about the past when reminiscing.

-It makes you feel secure

-and is uplifting.

-What's the word I'm looking for?

-I feel that it's not only me

-who has this outlook.

-Other people feel the same.

-Maybe the person remains the same...

-..but the needs can change.

-What satisfies us in our 20s...

-..is not enough now.

-We're searching

-for more control, more depth.

-We're growing up.

-I'm no longer a little girl.

-I'm nobody's daughter.

-I'm an orphaned adult.

-As we grow older, we all face

-the prospect of losing our parents.

-The experience of losing my mother

-ten years ago was horrific.

-Suddenly,

-the world was an insecure place.

-My mother lived only in my dreams.

-I've come here,

-to Galeri, Caernarfon.

-I'm going to meet Gillian Green

-to talk about her bereavement.

-I couldn't imagine the sun rising

-the next day, to be honest...

-..yet life carried on

-for everybody else.

-I felt as though my world

-had changed completely.

-It was a very weird feeling.

-Nothing in the world of education...

-..had prepared you for this.

-Nothing at all. It was such a shock.

-I happened to be with her

-when she died.

-My father was there too.

-I remember my father removing

-the wedding ring from her finger.

-He gave it to me.

-He said, "Off we go."

-He said that Mam was no longer

-there, it was only her body.

-Her spirit wasn't there.

-How did you cope?

-Well...

-..just by thinking a lot about her.

-I had a very happy childhood

-in Cricieth and Pwllheli.

-Of course, for my father,

-it was also a time of grieving.

-He'd lost his wife of 50 years.

-I had to look after him too.

-Not long after her mother's death,

-Gillian's father passed away too.

-That came as a shock.

-This time though,

-I was prepared to a degree.

-He'd been suffering from cancer.

-Do you dream about them at all?

-Yes, I do, to be honest.

-It's strange, because in my dream...

-..I know that both are dead...

-..and yet they're so alive.

-That's my take on eternal life.

-They're always there.

-Gillian used to earn a living

-as a harpist.

-Nowadays, sponsored by Age Concern's

-Gwanwyn Festival funding...

-..she gives harp lessons

-to a group of older women.

-I'd taught adults before...

-..when I taught children years ago.

-All the same,

-this is something special for me.

-Each time after a practice,

-I feel it's been a therapy for me.

-They're taking it seriously.

-I hope it's therapeutic for them,

-just as it's therapeutic for me.

-The support we offer one another

-in times of grief soothes the soul.

-Meeting new friends

-can be a lot of fun too.

-I always feel that the harp

-has an extra special quality.

-I remember touching the harp

-for the first time.

-It was a thrill and a privilege...

-..just to play the harp strings.

-It gives a sense of achievement.

-You feel as if you've done something

-that's worthwhile and enjoyable.

-It's difficult, isn't it?

-It's difficult, isn't it?

-

-Oh, yes, I have arthritis.

-It affects my hand

-and can be painful.

-You must practise

-to keep the fingers nimble.

-You go up and down the scales.

-It's physical, energetic work

-and you use your whole body.

-Yes, you do, absolutely.

-You must keep your shoulders down.

-Your elbows need to be up!

-Wrists down.

-Judith, you were telling me

-about your musical family...

-..and how you felt left out.

-My girls came here for lessons.

-I felt I was the only one

-who didn't have lessons here.

-It's when I decided

-to learn a new instrument.

-My daughter, Elen,

-was already having lessons.

-She tends to say,

-"Not like that, not like that."

-It's home then after the lesson,

-to have yet another lesson!

-Jane, you have four daughters.

-They've left home.

-It can get quite lonely.

-You work away from home,

-then you stay at home...

-..to bring up the children...

-..and then they've all left.

-It's good to look forward

-to something new and to see people.

-We all enjoy it so much...

-..and we've made friends...

-..and we're good friends by now too.

-We keep in touch anyway.

-We want to carry on.

-The important factor is...

-..that they'd wanted to take it up

-when they were young, as children.

-It's excellent

-that they're now realizing a dream.

-It calls for hard work

-and dedication.

-If you want to do something

-yourself, it's easier.

-It was a delightful experience.

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-The journey continues...

-..as I research the condition

-of women of a certain age.

-Women are everywhere. It's a fact.

-We're over half the population.

-More women of a certain age

-exist now than ever before.

-But as we get older,

-it's as though we disappear.

-Society seems unsure

-of what to make of us.

-Should we be thrown on the tip?

-Are we getting too old for sex?

-Living in the shadow of society's

-prejudice is an oppression...

-..as is battling to create

-an impression of perpetual youth.

-As with everything else these days,

-attitudes to sex are changing.

-Are we losing the desire

-to empower the penis...

-..so that we can

-empower ourselves instead?

-I'm going to talk to a woman

-who knows the subject inside out.

-Sex doesn't finish when a woman

-reaches a certain age, does it?

-No. Why should sex stop?

-If a woman feels sexual

-and needs sex...

-..age should not be a barrier.

-There's a tendency to assume

-that people of our age are asexual.

-I think that's terrible.

-As women,

-we have changed completely...

-..our needs and our personal lives.

-What sexual problems

-might there be as we grow older?

-First of all,

-when you reach the menopause...

-..you can lose

-your desire for sex...

-..coupled with the tiredness factor.

-Fatigue and a lack of desire

-is not a recipe for great sex.

-That's the first point.

-Changes occur to the body.

-The skin dries up.

-The juices dry up,

-and that's a major problem.

-It can make sex painful.

-Once sex has become painful,

-the brain withdraws.

-Of course, sex is linked to emotion.

-It must all be present

-for the juices to flow.

-The lubrication

-needs to be there for sex.

-There's a lot of pressure nowadays,

-on women of all ages really...

-..to have frequent sex, to swing

-from the chandeliers and so on.

-What if you have a reduced libido?

-The female libido is tricky.

-Once the libido's gone,

-it's gone...

-..though some have tried Viagra,

-with limited success...

-..but generally, that's a problem.

-If someone doesn't feel like it,

-why force the issue?

-What about our future,

-when we'll be in our 80s?

-It'll be fun.

-We're in our old folks' homes

-fancying a bit of nookie.

-It's a problem already.

-We see people having the need

-for a relationship...

-..and from that relationship,

-sex becomes an issue.

-Maybe it isn't as passionate

-as in our 30s and 40s...

-..but it's still there.

-Our generation must ensure

-that the facilities are there...

-..in homes for the elderly

-so that we can be ourselves.

-It's part of our human rights to be

-a sexual person, whatever our age.

-I wonder if that's why they closed

-the old folks' home in Pobol Y Cwm!

-I'm off to examine the nation's

-lingerie on the Eisteddfod Maes.

-Thousands and thousands of women

-come to the Eisteddfod each year.

-The stereotypes are all around me.

-Mums, reciters, singing duets.

-We still await a female Archdruid.

-No woman's been given the top job.

-Even so, women play important roles

-tirelessly, behind the scenes.

-But in relation to status

-and recognition for women...

-..the Eisteddfod

-is a chauvinist retreat...

-..like so many Welsh institutions.

-However, there's change afoot.

-This year in Bala, Merched y Wawr

-are surrounding the Pavilion...

-..with nearly a thousand bras.

-This is Merched y Wawr's home,

-both spiritually and geographically.

-The organization

-was established in Parc in 1967.

-After years of jam-making...

-..Merched y Wawr has become

-political and vocal, thankfully.

-We worked with Oxfam

-on a bra recycling project.

-Bras are in short supply

-in the developing world.

-The status of women is raised

-in those countries if bras are worn.

-We'd set ourselves a small,

-realistic target of 3,000.

-We've already got 12,000! Well over

-300 have reached the Maes today.

-A thousand bras billowing

-in the breeze. Out and proud!

-There's something about us all,

-an almost shameful secret...

-..which happens to women.

-The Change, the Menopause...

-..or in Old Testament-sounding

-Welsh...

-.."Darfyddiad y Mislif".

-Darfyddiad y Mislif -

-end of menstruation.

-Is it a fair description?

-I don't know. In the olden days,

-people died much younger.

-Not many women reached that age.

-I think that's why we don't

-have an everyday name for it.

-However, we used to say,

-when a girl started her periods...

-..that she'd come to her place.

-Perhaps the phrase means

-we're leaving our place.

-Do we feel that life's ending?

-No, no,

-I think we're opening a new chapter.

-It's an exciting time in our lives.

-We're like men now, Sharon.

-Once this monthly bleeding stops,

-we're what men are.

-We don't have moods, fantastic.

-And other people have children

-for us - just like men.

-I'd rather it be called the release.

-There are no yucky bodily functions.

-I feel a whole lot better now,

-to be honest.

-How did you cope with the symptoms?

-Well, it's different for everybody.

-I was travelling back and forth

-to north Wales at the time.

-I would time the hot flushes.

-I thought it's only two minutes...

-..every hour, or maybe half hour.

-I thought it's a shame if I can't

-endure two minutes every half hour.

-It wasn't a long time really.

-It's been difficult because

-my breast had to be removed...

-..in the middle of all this.

-I was one of these women

-who was on HRT and very glad of it.

-Of course, on discovering

-the cancer, the tumour...

-..HRT had to stop immediately.

-Then I had to lose my breast

-and all the glands and so on.

-As a result,

-I've had a second menopause.

-I've had to pause some more

-before going forward...

-..to have a new breast,

-new energy, new hormones, new hair!

-What do you call it?

-What do you call it?

-

-Menopause, Sharon.

-"Newid". Change, a small change.

-What's Welsh for hot flush?

-What's Welsh for hot flush?

-

-I don't know.

-"Teimlo'n dwym" - feeling hot.

-Oh, no, that's different altogether!

-After all the fun, let's get away

-from the Eisteddfod's testosterone.

-We'll go to a better place.

-No, it's not the caravan park

-under cover of darkness.

-It's a trip to the far side

-of the lake...

-..with women who are celebrating

-their sunset years.

-Veronica, Meinir,

-Rhiannon and Gwenno...

-..Cath, Margarette and Ann...

-..have come to the Eisteddfod

-from all corners of Wales.

-We're going on a journey

-to the end of the line.

-We'll chat about

-the symptoms and side-effects...

-..of the menopause.

-What's the worst symptom

-about the menopause?

-The name in Welsh puts you off.

-It's an old-fashioned Welsh name...

-..coined by a man, I'd say.

-"Darfyddiad" -

-the "dar" comes from "darfod"...

-..suggesting our lives are over.

-More positively, it's like the word

-for discovery - "darganfyddiad".

-We're discovering our new selves.

-I believe it's a realization

-that it's the beginning of the end.

-Then you realize it's perhaps

-the start of something else.

-There's a light

-at the end of the tunnel, we hope!

-What about the symptoms?

-It was the heavy periods initially

-which I found were terrible.

-They lasted for days on end,

-for weeks really.

-Going to work was really hard,

-as was my daily routine.

-The worst symptom

-for me was sweating.

-I was hot and craved cold drinks.

-If I had fresh air

-and a cold drink, I'd get over it.

-Having always felt the cold...

-..and being a fan of polo necks...

-..I now have to dress differently.

-I wear garments that can

-be discarded or put on quickly...

-..if I'm sweating or shivering.

-I'm less agile

-and I get aches and pains.

-Young girls are so agile.

-They can twist and turn.

-I've learnt, when I'm photographed,

-to make sure I go like this.

-The tendency is to be like this...

-..because my joints can be painful.

-This has accompanied

-the major change.

-You've been so used to everything

-working perfectly all your life.

-You have regular periods,

-then suddenly it's all change.

-It all goes haywire.

-I can't fathom why my body

-won't function as I want it to...

-..to allow me

-to carry on with my life.

-It's also a battle

-to be positive constantly.

-You do get negative thoughts,

-even sub-consciously when sleeping.

-I can see why some women

-can't get through the menopause.

-It's tough.

-You need zest to keep up

-your spirit every hour of every day.

-That's what I feel.

-That's what I feel.

-

-Emotions kick in with a vengeance.

-I cry nowadays when watching

-sad scenes on television...

-I never used to do that.

-I've heard of people

-who put magnets in their knickers!

-You'd never dare sit

-on a metal chair!

-What about HRT?

-Was that a help, or not?

-I was scared of HRT because,

-and I don't know if it's a myth...

-..I had an idea that my voice

-might deepen considerably.

-I didn't want a voice like a man,

-as some women have.

-As a singer,

-I wanted to keep my soprano voice!

-I had HRT for about ten years.

-We then had a new GP.

-He decided right away

-that enough was enough.

-There was talk of associated

-heart problems and breast cancer.

-As a result,

-life became more difficult.

-How do you see the next stage?

-How do you see the next stage?

-

-There'll be no more children.

-But then you become a grandmother.

-Your grandchildren fill your life

-and life begins again.

-As a gran, you learn to play

-football and cricket.

-When I was 61,

-I took up horse riding.

-When I reached 60,

-I wore a thong for the first time.

-It was great just to hear

-that being said...

-..and discussing matters openly

-for the first time.

-What's so good is the debate.

-We're speaking to the nation really.

-It's not acknowledged,

-it's concealed...

-..but it's a wonderful feeling

-to identify with other women.

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-I've met many entertaining,

-serious and funny women...

-..during my exciting tour of Wales.

-I've met a number of grandmothers...

-..empty-nest mothers,

-and women who've never had children.

-I've not met someone of my age

-with a youngster still at home.

-If I was classed as an older mum

-when I had my son Steffan...

-..when I was only 30...

-..I suppose I was ancient when I had

-my daughter Saran at the age of 46.

-Not Mami so much as Mummy!

-I regard it as a privilege

-to be an older mother.

-Hello!

-It's good to see Saran...

-..with Jenny and her son Jack

-who, in my absence...

-..has been looking after Saran

-and Pandy the dog.

-There are young mothers

-and families all around me.

-There are thousands

-in Cardiff on a sunny weekend.

-Many of them seem very young

-to an old woman like me.

-My contemporaries have got

-used to their empty nests.

-In the evenings and at weekends,

-they can enjoy themselves.

-Whilst others of my age group

-have plenty of free time...

-..my life's a whirl of school

-activities and social events...

-..the clothes, the music,

-and all those blessed sleepovers.

-This is what's defined me

-in my late mid-life.

-I love it all,

-even if it isn't the norm.

-I could be a grandmother.

-I could be a gran

-to my daughter's friends' parents!

-Let's not mention the teachers.

-Even though it's challenging

-and tiring work at times...

-..on the whole, it's an experience

-which keeps me young.

-It also makes it hard for me

-to accept that I'm nearly 60.

-What did I learn on my journey?

-Did I gain an insight

-to what it's like to be 60?

-How should someone be at 60?

-Is being 60 different

-to being any other age?

-What about being 50 or 40?

-My generation has always broken

-new ground, gone its own way.

-We talk to each other,

-discuss our experiences...

-..and realize that our role

-is not to respond...

-..to how other people see us.

-We should be true to ourselves...

-..have courage and conviction

-to express our views...

-..and not to be scared to do so.

-I still feel "in between" stages

-and it's quite a good feeling.

-If you're between stages, you can

-expect to reach another stage.

-Isn't that right?

-More than anything,

-I wanted to be free.

-It was what other women wanted too.

-I wanted to decide where I'd go,

-how I'd live and what I'd do.

-I wouldn't be tied down,

-I wouldn't be chained.

-I've learnt

-that I can feel 18 again...

-..that volcanoes

-are about to erupt...

-..that childhood dreams

-can still be realized...

-..and that homes for the elderly

-are full of people who want sex.

-We won't live forever

-so we should enjoy it while we can.

-I expected life to progress

-and improve in our 60s and 70s.

-But it can regress a bit

-as conservatism takes over.

-I look at younger women

-and think they've accepted their lot.

-They don't question

-as much as they used to.

-It's a matter of three steps forward,

-two steps back.

-What about the menopause?

-Is there light

-at the end of the tunnel?

-We're managing to carry on.

-Women continue with their lives

-while all these changes happen.

-They're managing to deal

-with life...

-..but society doesn't grant it the

-attention and respect it deserves.

-Do I regret anything?

-No.

-I fantasize sometimes.

-It's part of the job.

-What could be.

-Life's possibilities are endless.

-Even after reaching the age

-when I can draw my pension.

-Now I'm 60.

-I don't have time to cough

-between my work and Saran...

-..but, hey, I have to fit in

-a social life somehow.

-It wouldn't be right to arrive late

-to my own 60th birthday party.

-We children

-of the Second World War...

-..fed on cod liver oil and rosehips.

-It's no wonder we survived the years

-of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

-On a positive note, life feels

-brighter and more exciting...

-..as the wings of time guide us

-towards the end of our lives.

-Like my first trip

-to north Wales years ago...

-..the next 20 years

-will be another leap in the dark.

-With my pension book in one hand

-and a bus pass in the other...

-..I'm going to live my life

-to the full.

-Cheers, everyone.

-Let me raise a glass to us

-and the welfare state.

-My generation has felt

-its full benefit...

-..as we embrace life

-in all its complex disorganization.

-Well, Sharon, here you are.

-To Sharon.

-To Sharon.

-It's stunning.

-It's exciting.

-What a presence.

-I might put it in the attic.

-Then I can look 60 forever.

-As someone once said...

-..a 60-year-old woman

-who continues to see the world...

-..through the eyes

-of a 20-year-old...

-..has wasted 40 years.

-The same will be true when I'm 80.

-My wish is not to waste

-the next 20 years.

-After all,

-it's an honour to grow old.

-Not everyone does.

-S4C Subtitles by Simian 04 Cyf.

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