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Ann Richardson’s most popular book, The Granny Who Stands on Her Head, offers a series of reflections on growing older. Subscribe to her free Substack newsletter, where she writes fortnightly on any subject that captures her imagination. Ann lives in London, England with her husband of sixty years. Please visit her website for information on all her books: http://annrichardson.co.uk.

Latest Posts By Ann Richardson

7 days ago

Trivial Daily Nuisances: How Difficult Can It Be to Buy a New Mop?

How often do you have one of ‘those days’ when things just seem to go very wrong? I am not talking about days of world crises or when you find out that you or a loved one has some dreadful illness or accident. I am talking about trivial stuff…

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1 week ago

How an Unplanned Trip Can Boost Your Energy

I am essentially a planner, but I love spontaneous events. There is something wild and wonderful about an unplanned experience in your life. Nothing too dramatic and certainly nothing bad – a sudden fall or, worse, a sudden death – are not part of my thinking…

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3 weeks ago

What’s the Deal with Shopping Anyway?

I cannot keep my secret quiet any longer. I have suffered in silence for years. Only my closest friends know the situation and they tend to sympathise. It’s not really my fault, but I really HATE shopping. I always have. Let’s try to ‘unpack’ this little problem…

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1 month ago

Driving: A Right or a Privilege in Old Age?

From time to time, there is an item in the news concerning old people and driving. One of my favourites concerned the late Duke of Edinburgh who had a car accident when he was in his late 90s. The car he was driving had ended up on its side…

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1 month ago

Why Do Our Grandchildren Grow Up So Quickly?

We all know that our sense of time changes as we grow older – with everything speeding up at an alarming rate. One of the most notable markers of this is the age of our children – and even more so – our grandchildren…

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1 month ago

The Joy of Writing – Is It for You?

I have always loved to write. Should you give it a try? The answer depends on what you want to do – and be. Many people think that this is a glamorous activity, but I can assure you that it is not. You sit at home on your own, in your own world…

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2 months ago

Coping with Our 70-Plus Year-Old Bodies – Is It Even Possible?

When my son, now in his late 30s, was about five years old, he made a remark that has stayed with me ever since. He had gone through a stage, thankfully brief, when he would pee unexpectedly, leaving a small visible stain on his trousers…

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2 months ago

The Loss of Friends Is Inevitable but It Hurts No Less

I like being old. At nearly 80, I think I am allowed to say so. Indeed, I like being old so much that I wrote a book about it. But that doesn’t mean that everything about being old is wonderful. Far from it. And one of the things I like least is the loss of friends…

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3 months ago

Introducing Grandchildren to the Movies You Love

One of the great joys of having grandchildren is the opportunity to relive the pleasures of childhood. We love to get on the floor and play with their toy trains or construct houses from plastic blocks of one kind or another…

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3 months ago

Is Ambition a Good or Bad Thing After 60?

Something made me think about ambition recently. Did I feel it was a good or bad thing in people, especially my friends? The answer is complicated. On initial thinking, I tended to feel that ambition, when not taken to extremes, is a good thing…

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