“Now you are so long in the tooth ought you to adapt to a world where nothing can ever surprise you again? Should you clear out those items in your wardrobe more suited to people half your age? Absolutely not! You are as old as you feel and as young as you want to be. Your biggest and best adventures are only just starting and you haven’t come anywhere near the peak of your potential to be vibrant and sexy. The only thing that doesn't suit you is your fear of being too old.”

These words turned out to be prophetically true.

I was born on July 31st 1918 and according to my astrological chart my sign is Leo, though at the time I didn’t realize this! It wasn’t until many years later, in my fifties with interests ranging over a wide field in the alternative and spiritual arena, that I came across this reading for Leos:

When I was about 6 months old, my Father bought a new house (in fact, two houses!) for about £1700 and the family (Father, Mother, brother David (born 1915) and myself) moved to Croydon. Father later sold the second house for over a thousand pounds!

As there was no electricity at that time, my earliest recollections are of gas jet lighting, coal fires, coppers and water freezing in washbowls overnight in midwinter. This illustrates the harshness of living conditions then, compared to the comfort we take for granted in our homes now. There were the usual illnesses like measles, chicken pox and whooping cough-very very frightening which one had to survive in those days without immunization or drugs. I clearly remember the pad of chloroform held over my mouth and nose by our doctor, before the removal of my tonsils and adenoids, lying on the dining table! Life was tough in those days. I played a lot on my own as my brother David was three years older and had his friends.

My mother died in 1930 when I was twelve and my brother went with a friend selling adverts in church publications. My father began seeing a lady up the road and a succession of housekeepers were employed to look after both the house and me. I didn’t take to some of the housekeepers and locked one in the coal cellar! I think I got a wigging from my Father for that!

I started learning to play tennis at around the age of 14 and was given special coaching under a county scheme for promising juniors. At 16 my father took me from school to a tutor to get me through matriculation. I passed on second attempt. I vividly remember the tutor's daughter leaving note asking me to meet her outside after my lesson. I was so scared that when I left I scurried off as fast as I could and avoided her whenever possible! The female form was a mystery to me not having any sex education-but I was soon to find out!

At 17 I took a job as an office boy on the London Stock Exchange, earning 30 shillings a week. As war was looming and commissions in the RAF were available, and I met the required standards, I was accepted for ground duties in January 1939. I trained at Halton and in April was posted to RAF Station Thorney Island and was there at the outbreak of the war. Thereafter, I had numerous postings in the UK, including in 1941/42 to Australia House seconded to the RAAF. I was in London through the blitz and experienced many sleepless nights, though admittedly, most of these were due to pub-crawls between The Dorchester, The Ritz, Piccadilly, The Embassy and Le Suivi. My drinking partner was Gerald, a Captain in bomb disposal who was always on call and had to leave a phone number wherever he was!

My experiences of this time are very mixed, some good and others frightening. I moved around with a loaded revolver in case I came across a jerry parachutist. This was Battle of Britain time and I occasionally visited my brother at RAF station Tangmere where he flew Spitfires in Douglas Baders wing and survived - though many didn’t. David was
awarded the DFC.

In 1943, having qualified as an Explosives Officer, I was posted overseas, spending time in Egypt and eventually ending up in Algiers. My first command was of an ammunition unit during the invasion of Sicily and then into Italy where I ended up in 1944, commanding an ammunition depot with the rank of Squadron Leader. This was a big responsibility at the age of 26 and profoundly shaped my future life.

I was de-mobbed in 1947 and went to Kenya to stay with my cousin on his farm. Life there seemed to centre around beating the natives, polo and the whisky bottle! The MAU MAU were getting more dangerous and I decided to return to England where I was soon given a job that really suited me. I became a Sales Rep for a Dunlop company. In 1948 I met Eve, married, and we are still together after 57 years. It is much to her credit that she has put up with me the last 30 years since I embarked on my alternative and spiritual path.

In 1956 our only son Adrian was born. We lived in Croydon in a new house built including land for£2000.In 1959, due to a change of job, we moved to Cranbrook and shortly after this I collapsed on the golf course after suffering a suspected heart attack. I was 42. My recovery took some weeks and this was a dreadful time for me as I was in the middle of a job change. As occurs so often however, things came together as has been my experience of life. In 1961 moved to Tunbridge Wells where we settled. I was happy in my job and, with a car provided I enjoyed the freedom to do my work, obtaining contracts for my firm. I spent my spare time attending courses in subjects such as parapsychology and psychic studies. I then moved on to study Theosophy, Eastern religions and teachings and in my early fifties, began to practice yoga.

I went on to teach yoga evening classes and held 3 or 4 sessions a week. I also expanded into teaching creative movement classes which became very popular. This was the forerunner to keep-fit classes. In fact, when Saturday Night Fever burst onto the scene in the sixties I attended classes in the local ballroom with 60 others learning the various movements, later introducing them into my weekly class! I also taught meditation at this time and felt very fulfilled.

Then I fell in love with one of my students; a single mum with two children, aged 18 months and 3 years. I was 61 and she was 29. 18 months of blissful but clandestine meetings followed until my wife found out. I was on the verge of moving in but realized at the last minute that it was not right and called it off. It was the hardest decision I ever made in my life.

Shortly after this, my firm made me redundant at the age of 63 but it was about this time that I met somebody who was to make a considerable contribution to my understanding of the value of mind intent and non-attachment in the practice of unconditional love - there’s a place for grief but not for heartbreak.

Feeling a sense of freedom and a strong desire to explore the spiritual scene outside I traveled first to Findhorn in Scotland to the Samye Ling Tibetan monastery and then onto the Sufi centre in Bradford-on-Avon. I’d return home after 2/3 weeks of wandering to attend to necessary matters, then take off again visiting alternative and spiritual centers. In 1983 I sold my car and bought a ford transit motor caravan. I decked it out inside with coloured Indian prints of Lachmi Krishna and Shiva and took off visiting camps and gatherings offering workshops in yoga and meditation and movement which all went down well.

I did return home on occasions and took my wife to the south of France and Switzerland. She thought I was going to tire of my ‘hippy‘ lifestyle but more was to come when in 1986 I inherited some money from fathers’ will and my stepmother’s death. I bought a new motor caravan and Eve and I went on a 2 month tour through Spain and Portugal spending some weeks in Lagos before returning home. I then went on my travels again, this time visiting a mystical Welsh lady in north Wales and having magical experiences in the welsh mountains.

In 1989 I left Shrewsbury and went to Glastonbury to relax for a while before returning home to take Eve to Switzerland for a month. When we returned I went to Abington to run workshops. My motor caravan was parked on the banks of the Thames in an idyllic setting. I later sold my Motor caravan for a car and caravan which I parked on a site in Glastonbury where I used to spend maybe 2/3 weeks at a time running workshops in movement and meditation and also teaching toning and over toning in the Abbots kitchen in Glastonbury abbey. Here I met a wonderful woman healer who had a very large gong which she used for healing-one sat behind it while she struck the gong causing the vibrations to penetrate through the whole body clearing negativity and producing a state of complete harmony and wellbeing. We did a number of workshops together- me with my Tibetan singing bowls and voice work-in Glastonbury and down in Cornwall-magical!

When I was 70 a friend of mine doing hypnosis videos with a professional recording team suggested I make a yoga video which I did with a young rather pretty girl as a student! It was a glorious day of sunshine and I was very pleased with the result. Copies could be made available.

During the 1990's, I was in my seventies and life really took off! All kinds of magical things and occasions occurred. I was a member of the World Federation of Healing and was invited to do chi kung workshops at their festival gatherings in Devon and Somerset. This was all a wonderful experience. At this time, I also met a Japanese chi Kung and martial arts master and went to the Chinese internal arts festival in Newcastle. I was picked out by a Chinese master on the stage. He pointed to me and asked how old I was, I replied “80” and he came back "I am 81!" I have a photo of me with him and another master and am very proud of this.

I was still visiting my caravan in Glastonbury and holding workshops on toning and overtoning in the abbey, arranging for 15 or 20 people to gather there along with musicians playing flutes, cello and didgeridoo. I had my Tibetan singing bowls and my friend David Eastoe recorded. We made one recording entitled "cooking the vibes in the Abbot's kitchen!" As people lost their inhibitions and really used their voices it was amazing the sounds that emanated and how harmonies came about naturally. I contributed overtones and encouragement and it was wonderful. I had a very good friend John who taught yoga and invited me into his sessions to teach Chi Kung. He is now introducing it into his classes as his students really benefit from the practice. We still keep in touch though I don’t travel West anymore these days.

So here I am; 88 years old this July and building a web site to show you that life is what you make it and can be great fun and exciting whatever age you are!

I can at least now look back over the last 20/30/40 years or more and know that I have been blessed to experience this wonderful life, full of highs and lows.

When I was in Italy in 1944, I met a lovely Italian lady who put on the back of her photo:

“Ombre e luce
Sorrire e legumi
Come la vita”

“Darkness and light
Laughter and tears
Such is life”

Love, light, peace and good health to all.

Benananda