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Joy stick
I read Will Wyatt’s article (Cane and Able, January, above) with great pleasure and interest. I never needed a prop for support until recently, and I now use a run-of-the-mill stick with adjustable holes for varying the height. However, in my car lives as a standby a dear walking stick that belonged to my late father. From its appearance, I wonder if it’s bamboo. We lived in Malaya, so perhaps he brought it back with him in 1952. How right was Mr Wyatt regarding the reaction of strangers – shop doors held open; friendly, smiling faces; extra helpful shop assistants as I struggle to balance the stick on the counter. Old age comes with few benefits, but walking sticks are one of them.
Rosemary Bradley Hordle, Hampshire
Walk this way The treasured walking stick of reader Rosemary’s late father
Noteworthy read
Living with a musician, I can confirm that the article Fine Tune Your Health (December) hits the right note. It has been fascinating to see my husband Steve’s musical journey post-retirement and the health benefits he experiences as a result. He has a strict practice regime, which leaves him positively glowing afterwards.
He credits music as helping him heal from severe ulcerative colitis that hospitalised him a few years ago. Recently, while the rest of us were feeling the gloom of January’s ‘Blue Monday,’ he came out of his practice room like he was about to do a Gene Kelly number!
Manjit Dhillon Newton Abbot, Devon
Novel idea
Regarding It’s Never Too Late To… (January), I’ve enjoyed writing ever since junior school, and I always made up bedtime stories for my children. In later years, I joined writing groups. My current group self-published a small number of books. Last year, we decided to go more professional. After a lot of hard work, the book was sent to be proofread and edited, returned for amendments, and then, at last, it was ready to appear on the shelves of the large booksellers. To see our names as published authors was very satisfying. As the eldest member of the group at 93, it took a long time getting there, proving it is never too late to achieve and reach your goal.