27. Penelope

Penelope is a woman I met in coffee shop a place called Marseillan in southern France. As a guess I would say she was mid 70’s. She was the epitome of elegance and had lived a very full life. It must be terrible to be a celebrity and have the press publish pictures of you at aged 20, 40, 60 and 80 , which of us grows old gracefully ? Whereas Penelope has. She reminded me of  Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Jessica Lang or maybe Jacquelin Bisset. Ageing gracefully and naturally is gaining popularity versus the dreaded plastic surgery trend. After we chatted, I went home and wrote this song. Penelope is also a woman who can claim has led a full life, with three marriages, one dead husband ( the last) and a career flying planes. Crikey my life has been positively boring by comparison. Leading a full life often involves a feeling that your existence matters and that you have contributed to something bigger than your self. It also means a life full of love, of bonds and relationships with others and a sense of community. ‘Giving and receiving’ is nearly always mentioned when this topic is discussed. For me ‘giving’ is a pleasure that came to me late in life. It's also important to be constantly growing and learning new things ( e.g. song writing) and experiencing new things and new places ( I travel for 3-4 months a year). Self awareness is key and I guess resilience and persevering when all seems lost helps a lot. In the UK 85,000 people get married for the third time  and this number is growing. There are about 50,000 qualitied pilots in the UK. So, Penelope is a very special person in a small group of people amongst the 68 million of us that live in the UK.

The song starts with quietly, introducing Penelope by singing, ‘Strong, loyal, it’s an elegant name. Known by all, in the tiny coastal town’ It mentions her move late in life to France, ‘

A dreary life in Oxford town .Dreams of France, spin around’ and then a bit about her past ,’Three marriages, one husband dead. Aeroplane flier, far and widespread’ . Then we start to learn about her obvious elegance , ‘Dresses, to enjoy, to please the eye. What glamour, from times gone by’ . My words are insufficient to fully explain her aura.

Alas then we hear about some of her medial issues, offset by her conversation and witty remarks , ‘Two broken limbs, an erratic heart. Plenty to say, sassy, and oh so smart’.

Her past is touched on ( she previously owned a hotel ) by singing , ‘Hotel long gone, and society clubs. Accepts her past, she just shrugs’ – the phrase ‘accepts her past’ is revealing

Then we touch upon a hint of sadness ( we all have some ), ‘Musical son, often travels to Spain. Doesn't call, causing her some pain. Grand children have gone missing. Penny reminds them, I’m still living!’. This of course is a common problem when people move overseas, with 20% moving back within five years because they miss family. The song ends with a mini biography to remind everyone of Penny's story, ‘ Strong, loyal, it’s an elegant name. Known by all, in the tiny coastal town. Three marriages, one husband dead Aeroplane flier, far and widespread’-’I’m glad I met Penelope, she is one hell of a woman.

Who taught me a lot about living life to the full, at any age.