A New Start at 60 - a short story written by Aileen Cleave

 After I’ve read the latest edition of The Olive Press, my go-to paper is The Guardian, - much of it is not behind a paywall.  I especially like their on-going series ‘A New Start after Sixty”, asking readers for their stories of enjoying retirement and perhaps fulfilling long held dreams, and it started me thinking about the wealth of talent that I know is here in the Almanzora valley.  And here is how I know that.

What I did after 60, some 17 years after 60, was to become a writer, and by that I mean a published writer.  All my life I had written, all my life I had longed for it to mean something, to say something, and suddenly at the improbable age of 77, it did. 

I was in my mid-sixties when we moved to Spain.  We rented out our family home in south London and, not without some feelings of uncertainty on my part, set forth for a different way of life.   We were reasonably familiar with Spain having had a holiday apartment for some years on the Costa Blanca but now we were heading for unknown terrain.  We had bought a parcela of land some 1500 square metres in area in the mountains above the Almanzora valley, an hour inland from the one-time hippy resort of Mojacar, in the Andalucian province of Almeria. 

The mountains seemed endless on that first drive through them, reminding me of the San Bernadino range above San Diego.  The conquistadors must have thought they had discovered another Spain when they arrived in their New World centuries ago.   

Our villa had just been completed and we congratulated ourselves on finding a part of Spain as yet uncolonized by our bargain-hungry compatriots.  That was to change of  course in the ensuing years. Our first challenge was to seriously study the language.  This was not the Costas; no-one spoke English here.   I love language so this was an exciting challenge for me, and given the Andalucian accent, it is still an ongoing challenge at times.! 

In the years that followed, new opportunities presented themselves.  Somehow in this quiet backwater of the Almeria campo, creativity abounded.  First, in the early years, in my efforts to integrate with my Spanish neighbours,  I contributed to a dual language publication produced by a nationally known organisation, Juntando Letras.   Whilst I loved doing this, I much preferred to compose my stories in my mother tongue.  I'm sure you can appreciate the joy I felt when I met a very special English woman who happened to combine considerable artistic flare with an amazing ability to organise and enthuse.  While I was still perusing the idea of a book club, Bernie Albrighton, newly arrived in the area, went straight to the nub of things, “let’s start a writing group” she said.  I was thrilled to go along with this. 

Within a short space of time, we had 8 enthusiasts and after our initial meeting, we agreed to meet up once a month.   We would decide upon a subject, perhaps even just a word, and it would be for each of us to write 500 words to be read out and discussed at the following meeting.  This was a format that worked well for all of us, and for me it was inspirational, encouraging me to write more, to realise that my pen could still race across the page as though my life depended on it.  I was beyond thrilled to have several pieces accepted and published by a local magazine, and this in my 78th year. 

Our group, The Written Word Group of the Almanzora Valley, was moving on too.  With some trepidation we decided to hold an Open Mic afternoon.  Of course, the area was very familiar with musical Open Mic sessions but to our knowledge, never a written word session.  We advertised in the local press and on local forum, inviting people to join us to either listen or share their stories.  The only stipulation being they should be no more than 500 words, thus giving time to all and avoiding boredom.   We secured the use of a small room in a popular bar that could accommodate 15 people comfortably.  We neither expected nor hoped for more than that. 

In the event, we were astounded at the response.  There was standing room only and that with difficulty.  It was wonderful, and rather humbling, to realise the amount of people (mostly over 60) harbouring dreams and hopes of literary prowess.   It was truly one of the most uplifting experiences and one we are repeating in May.  I would recommend to anyone to try this in their local area.  I think they too will be amazed at the response.  

 Our next Open Mic session is on 8 May at 1.30 in the Bar Kubatin, Hostal Meson, Arboleas.    Please come along and meet us.  If you would like to write something and read it aloud, that would be great, everyone is limited to 500 words.   If you think you would like to know more about us, visit our blog, www.twwgroup.blogspot.com.