AofA's Hot To Trot Talking Points
Every Friday
This week, we’ve got everything from Prospect Cottage in Dungeness to Anouchka Grose, psychotherapist and author’s guide to Shrinking Your Personal Economy.
Derek Jarman, wonderful filmmaker, bought a fisherman’s cottage in Dungeness in the 80s and turned into his own personal paradise with stones and bits of ship wrecks and detritus from the beach. It’s a very special place and you can still visit. I asked if members had visited. Many of them had and we discussed the atmosphere there and the cinematic beachscapes and the gentrification of the old buildings by posh architects.
2. Positive News did a piece on older protestors - and it turned out a lot of us are going to the Hope Not Hate March against the far right on March 28th in Central London. One member said she’d been on the anti-Vietnam War marches and I went on the big march when Mrs Thatcher, then Education Minister, in 1971 removed free school milk from schools. And there have been a lot since. When we feel impotent, we are not, we can always get out on the streets and say Not In My Name.
https://www.positive.news/.../meet-the-oaps-old-age.../
Men’s Shed are a great charity and provide spaces for men to get together. They won our Pro-Ageing organisation award in 2023.
‘A 91-year-old man has made more than 300 wooden toys to raise money for a community project.
John Harris, who lives in a care home in Glastonbury, goes to the Street and Walton Men’s Shed - a place were people can socialise and use the workshop - twice a week to handcraft the wooden monkeys.
He sells the toys and donates some to local charity shops, to support good causes.
Harris said: “When I lost my wife, I went into men’s shed. I used it for therapy. It’s a fantastic place, we’re all in together and we have men’s banter as usual.”’ BBC
Psychotherapist and author, Anouchka Grose wrote a piece for The Big Issue about shrinking her own economy and we had a discussion about it. Some members felt they’d been doing this for a very long time. Anouchka has just published a book - The Revolution Will Be Internalised.
https://www.bigissue.com/news/activism/i-shrank-my-own-economy-live-less-capitalist-life-you-could-too/
We were impressed by this group of women in their 70s and 80s who meet to discuss death, dying and their care needs. They say it means their fulfilment in life is much higher. They call themselves the RONettes.
‘WASHINGTON, Virginia — A group of women met for wine and nibbles at Ann Tate’s house here not long ago. The mood: festive. The conversation: ghoulish.
Pat Curry, 89, explained that she wanted to donate her body to science — but those pesky requirements! “They don’t want you if you have a contagious disease,” she told her friends. “They don’t want you if you’re all smashed up. You have to be just right.” Also the proper temperature: “I have to call the fire department to see if they can get me under refrigeration within four hours.”
“Speaking of refrigeration,” said Tate, 80, “it is hard to have a green burial if you die in the summer,” when unpreserved bodies decompose quickly. Luckily, the hostess added, her most recent friend to have a green burial died in winter, so “we stuck [her friend] outside. I was scared the birds would come, but that didn’t happen.”’ Washington Post
And finally this Festival of Pagans and Witches is in its seventh year in the Midlands and it’s getting more popular. Everyone claims to be a witch these days. Seems very reasonably priced too.
A Festival for Pagans & Witches.
Held - 2nd - 4th May 2026
at Heart of England Conference Centre, Fillongley Road, Meriden CV7 8DX.
A fun filled event packed 3 day weekend.
Over 160 workshops and activities.
Viking Feast
Witches Ball
Night Rituals on both Sat and Sun night in the woods.
For more information or to book tickets head over to