February has been a steady and focused month, largely shaped by work on my forthcoming book, ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now. Early in the month I worked through the copy-edited manuscript, reviewing revisions carefully before returning it on 11 February. Since then, my attention has shifted to cover development and the early stages of indexing, though I may continue the index work into March.
Alongside the book, I recorded two thoughtful podcast conversations, one with Claire – Creative Mavericks and another with Avivah Wittenberg Cox (4 Quarter Lives), both touching on longevity, identity, and the changing story of later life. I also spoke about upcoming NICEC-related work, which continues to sit in the background of my research thinking. I was also commissioned to write 4 articles for the iPaper, gift links to read them below.
February was not only about writing. I attended a Culture Club session focused on nature crafts, went to a performance workshop (for stage and screen), and travelled to Bristol to see Chasing Abbey live. These cultural moments often feed quietly into my reflective work, even when they are not written about directly.
At the wood, the rhythm of practical care has continued. It was finally dry enough to varnish the tops of the wooden posts that hold the cords for the parachute shelter, and I Danish-oiled the tables, which had been long overdue. I also began noticing early seasonal shifts in the plants, small but reassuring signs of change after the winter months. Time at the wood is never separate from my writing. It is part of how ideas settle and deepen.
Themes in My February Writing
My Substack essays this month have broadly explored three strands:
– identity and Olderhood
– cultural reflections, including film
– conceptual foundations linked to ThriveSpan and later life thinking
Rather than repeat everything here, I have selected a few representative pieces:
On identity after roles end
When a Role Ends, Who Are You Then?
On cultural reflection and meaning
A Gentle Goodbye to the Lives We Didn’t Live
On intellectual foundations of later life thinking
Peter Laslett and A Fresh Map of Life
I continue to share my regular essays and reflections on Substack, where my ongoing work on Olderhood, meaning, and the evolving landscape of later life appears throughout the week.
MEDIA
Podcast Creative Mavericks
Radio Bristol
Working Longer: Choice, Need, and the Reality Behind the Headlines
The i Paper
From an occasional article I’m now getting more commissions. Gift links to all these articles so you can read them
I got divorced and realised I had no friends of my own – how I made more at 60
I’m an ageing expert – this is how I keep my brain young at 69
Drinking daily crept up on me slowly – this is how to spot a problem in later life
Boomers like me are funding our adult children’s lives – it’s cost us our dreams
