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#193 Betty Free Ride

Photo of Betty
“I go to the hills when my heart is lonely, I know I must go where I’ve gone before, The hills are alive with the sound of music And I’ll go there once more”

Betty

My name is Betty. I think most people who are of a similar age to me will have had good and bad times in their lives. I brought two boys up on my own, but I was lucky, I had good support from my close family and friends. I went back to work when my sons were quite young, but the companies I worked for were helpful when I had an emergency. I had some interesting jobs and met some interesting people, so when I retired at 65, at first I missed the company and being involved in day to day routines. However rescue was on the way, senior citizens were offered a free bus pass. So I could start going with some friends on a Magical Mystery Tour. We are lucky in Leeds, we can get buses that go east, to such places as Whitby, Scarborough, Bridlington, York; and west, to Dewsbury, Wakefield, Keighley, Halifax, Huddersfield and even Burnley. I like going to Keighley because I love to see the hills and dales.Then there’s Haworth, Hebden Bridge … Skipton, Otley and Ilkley. On my travels I often meet people, young and old, who have some interesting tales, such as the girl who was going to Harrogate to train in archery for the Olympics. Sometimes when I’m travelling among the hills, I sing a little song from The Sound of Music to myself: “I go to the hills when my heart is lonely, I know I must go where I’ve gone before, The hills are alive with the sound of music And I’ll go there once more”.

Precis

The beauty of being in a company of older performers is the kaleidoscopic range of real-life experiences that they bring to the table. These experiences cover everything from the vivid and strange world of childhood, to the unexpected late awakenings of old age. Take our newest batch of anecdotes, for example. These new stories are delightfully diverse: from the earthly, sensual joy of baking bread, to the cosmic dreams of outer space; from an unnerving encounter with a poltergeist, to the risqué glories of adult pleasure products and burlesque. Running as a rich theme throughout, is the possibility of love, and the simple wonder of human connection. As one writer tells us, in her story of funeral rites and flirting, “Amidst death, life goes on”, and indeed it does, delightfully so.

Edited by Barney Bardsley