Before The Old And Grey

Before The Old And Grey

As the day turns to night and the night turns to day,

I recall a time when my hair wasn’t grey…

Days when I could walk at a considerable pace

And I didn’t have a solitary line on my face.

But now I lie here, fading fast,

My bones are tired, I wheeze, I gasp,

Sun-bleached memories flood my brain,

Oh… give us one more shot at being young again?

I’d run through meadows and skinny dip,

Ride a rollercoaster to make my tummy flip,

Go punting down the River Cam,

Make endless batches of strawberry jam.

Watch as new leaves unfurl in spring,

Neck my first ever Singapore Sling,

Build monster dens from bales of hay,

And pretend life is still one long, summers day.

Marvel at sunsets; glimpse shooting stars,

Try on posh ball gowns and fancy bras,

Hold my babies for the very first time,

Barely daring to believe they are mine! All mine!

Beaches and sand dunes; an all-over tan,

Breakfast on eggs and bacon in a static caravan,

Hunt down pine cones and conkers and playing trick or treat,

Paddle in the sea with my silly flat feet.

Long, autumn walks and hugging trees,

Wobbly teeth and scabby knees,

Holidays, birthdays and Christmas dinner,

Put on a few pounds then try to get thinner.

Bunk off school and smoke some fags,

Curl my hair using mum’s old rags,

Drift back in time along the River Nile,

Whoop with joy at that very first smile…

Wedding bells and showers of confetti!

Perfect the art of cooking spaghetti,

Red wine, white wine, rosé or bubbles,

Puff on a joint to forget all my troubles.

Oh, life! You’ve passed in the blink of an eye!

I think of all the years that have passed me by,

I’d give all the tea in China to spend just one more day…

As the girl I once was, before the old and grey.

Copyright Tracy Hefferon 2015

Wine!

From Queen Bee Magazine, Summer Issue

We all know alcohol is bad for us. We are repeatedly told by public health officials that we must limit ourselves to fourteen poxy units a week. Alcohol damages your health, your looks, your bank balance and makes you fat.

So what? So do men. But do we abstain from them? Do we heck.

Alcohol ­– namely wine – is one of life’s staples. For many, a day without wine is akin to a major electrical appliance catastrophe. We couldn’t manage without our fridge, for example, just as we can’t manage without a chilled glass of rosé at the end of the day.

Wine lifts the spirits. It relaxes us. Calms us. Our days are long and stressful! Wine helps alleviate the pressure of our busy lives. And, contrary to popular belief, it is good for us… extraordinarily good for us, in fact. Granted, we must limit ourselves to 175ml a day, maybe just a splash more, but that one precious glassful is the elixir of life. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, promoted wine as part of a healthy diet. He even went as far as saying it should be used to alleviate the pain of childbirth, which sounds infinitely more enjoyable than sucking on nitrous oxide for hours.

Red wine is king when it comes to delivering the best health benefits, although white wine has been proven to boost both lung health and function, so it might be worth considering incorporating a glass into your weekly quota; just so you can breathe easy…

As for the ruby red variety; where to start? It reduces depression and helps prevent a wide range of cancers from breast to colon to lung. It raises levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, which safeguard against heart disease and, amazingly, reduces the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by half compared to those who never touch a drop.

Red wine’s miracle ingredient is Resveratrol – a chemical found in red grape skin – and this stuff is literally the marvel of the medical world. It helps prevent everything from diabetes to blindness, ageing to sunburn damage!

So, go ahead! Open that bottle of Cabernet, kick back and enjoy – safe in the knowledge you are preserving your body from the inside out. And remember… if it was good enough for Jesus then it’s good enough for you. Cheers!