Hope, Spirit and Freedom

Navigating life after 50, stories about life, travel, photography, music, food,sport, health and well-being.

[caz064]

The women's transfer window opens tomorrow — which shirt will your favourite player be wearing come September?

She Shoots She Saves She Scores Transfer Window 15 June 2026  ·  Exciting news: the women’s football transfer window opens tomorrow, 16th June, allowing teams to sign new players, and will remain open until 11pm on 3rd September. With lots of free agents and high-profile players out of contract, which colour shirt will your favourite player be kicking off in when the 2026–27 season starts in…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Endangered Species Day

16th May 2025 There are two cute elephants in my Google search bar today informing me that today is National Endangered Species Day. Many of my favourite animals match that criterion from the Monarch Butterfly to the African Elephants, Red panda, Giant Panda, and Grizzly Bear. Snow Leopard, Black Rhino, and Loggerhead sea turtle. Right now, I am fortunate enough to be able to say I have seen…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Just Passing the Time

Celebrating 25 years of the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham

[caz064]

Are you a cat or a dog?

Dogs or cats? A Missy or a Puska What a question, it is on the scale of choosing between your son or daughter, and yet a no brainer for those unfortunate people who just do not connect with animals. As an animal lover I have adored both species from an early age and always had both in my life. They both are however vastly distinct species and offer different rewards when owning…

[caz064]

Guarenteed Certainties

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain. 1. You will age and it will not be pretty. 2. You will expire, but then you will be at peace. 3. You will have regrets, though you can minimize them by taking the occasional risk by stepping outside of your comfort zone. 4. Music will always be a comfort, a pleasant distraction to ignite good times and happy memories. 5. You will not always agree…

[caz064]

Young at Heart

What does it mean to be a kid at heart? I am a kid at heart. My fun-loving, adventurous spirit still resides within. My desire for knowledge and understanding is as strong today as it was in junior school. My creative mind never switches off, and I still enjoy many childhood pursuits as an adult whilst seeking out new experiences to pursue. It’s these traits within my personality that keep my…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Excitement and Dread

I am currently preparing myself for my graduation ceremony, in a few days’ time which will take place not in my home city but in a city and a venue I have frequented often over the years for major concerts and sporting events. The venue is the Symphony Hall, which is located within the International Convention Centre within the city of Birmingham. Acoustically the Symphony Hall without doubt is a…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Virtual Fitness Challenge

What could you try for the first time? I am currently trying to kick start my fitness routine, and when an advert for the dia de los muertos virtual challenge popped up in my social feed,I thought great that will give me the kick start I need. So far I have not committed myself to completing one of these challenges before, but then there has never been a medal that would inspire me quite as…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Operation Disney

For the last few weeks, I have been on countdown, and every inch of spare time has been devoted to research, booking tickets, transportation, insurance, dining reservations, downloading apps, and packing suitcases. For our Virgin flight to Florida, we are taking a National Express coach to Heathrow airport rather than do battle with the M25 ourselves. All other previous journeys to any airport…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

A Million Dollars to Give Back

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to? If I had a million dollars to give away the first needy cause I would give it to is my mum. She is over 80 years old but does not have the finances to take care of her home and her belongings,things break and they stay broken. Right now she does not have heating and water,so I would give her just over a tenth of the money to…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Just One of Those Days

Waking up and still feeling tired is never a good sign. However, I had lots to do, so I had to motivate myself and get along with my day. The weather forecast for the day was heavy rain, that was a buzz killer too. The postman arrived early and dropped me off a parcel, a pair of cargo trousers I was eager to receive. That was until I tried them on, and the sizing was not accurate, which meant I…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Wrapping Up for Winter

Whilst the last couple of days in the UK have been freakily warm and sunny for the autumn month of October, I used this time period not to spend a last few days’ basking in the sun, but for removing and dismantling my garden furniture and wrapping it up safely for the winter months. I have spent very limited time enjoying the garden this year, mostly due to the weather not being as warm or dry…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

WSL Match 2 Madness

Wow what an exciting weekend in the WSL. Friday night football at Leigh Sports Village and hosts Manchester United took on Arsenal. This was part 1 of clash of the titans this weekend. The match was shown live on Sky Sports. Arsenal had made significant changes to their starting line up from the team that faced Liverpool in the opening match including replacing number 1 goalkeeper Manuela…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Glorious Gaudi

Who are your favorite artists? Sagrada Familia I enjoy art, but I never really had a favourite artist until I visited Barcelona and fell in love with everything Antonio Gaudi had designed and created. Visiting the Sagrada Familia, I wept at its beauty. As it rendered me speechless, I gazed in awe at such a beautiful creation. Parc Guell Up until this point, I had never felt that emotional…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

A Passion for Photography

What is your favorite hobby or pastime? From a very young age, I became fascinated by cameras. I loved that a strange square box with a lens in could capture a moment in time. I could not contain my excitement when viewing the printed photograph for the first time, observing closely the people and surroundings, whilst carefully examining all the finer details. I was about 10 years old when I…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

Memories are our Greatest Possession

What would you do if you lost all your possessions? Some people place a lot of importance on possessions, and others carry no attachment to material things at all. For a long time, I always thought I was one of those people who cared too much about possessions, though my own personal definition of possessions is items of sentimental value, which are attached to memories, not assets I could sell…

View On WordPress

[caz064]

A Lifetime of Saturdays

My earliest memories of Saturday afternoons were spent in the north Nottinghamshire villages of Retford and Worksop, I would wander around the town centre with my mum and nana at the age of four and there would always be a visit to Woolworths for a pick and mix, a ladybird reading book and a visit to Curtis’s cake shop was usually involved. Saturday dinnertime we usually had fish and chips, and…

View On WordPress