2day I officially became middle aged Chinos What was your milestone to middleage

Over the weekend I purchased a pair of Chinos for work- since I began working over 23 yrs ago I have only ever worn jeans for work.

I must have had a mad moment over the weekend- needles to say I’m wearing them today and I must say they are bloody comfortable on the old knackers !

What was your milestone to middle agedness ?

The birthday when me and all my friends agreed that instead of going out to a club that night we’d go to the local pub and just have a few ales.

In a similar vein, starting to wear shoes for the office instead of trainers.

Or as my business partner, who’s a couple of years younger, observed at the time: “you can tell you’ve hit 40. You’ve started listening to Bruce Springsteen. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’

Rapid onset aggressive arthritis at 30 kickstarted the grumpy Clarks shoe-wearing old duffer that now limps about the place with that pained expression that healthy people wish to punch. Wheelchair or wheely-zimmer and mask would be preferable but I’m just stubborn.

Well there’s chinos and chinos

Are these Hollister types chinos that people want to wear

Or chinos from M&S…!

I started wearing them when I realised if I teamed them with my desert boots I would be exactly as cool as this gentleman.

benp1 – Member
Well there’s chinos and chinos

Are these Hollister types chinos that people want to wear

Or chinos from M&S…!

Need I say more…Dockers they are practically M&S !

It’s difficult to pin down to one event. Could it be the time I tuned the wireless to Radio 2 on purpose so I could listen to Pop Master? It might even have been when I bought a sensible ‘outdoors’ type anorak. Or the thing that maybe marks my middle age the most is (the odd time) I go into trendy* clothes shops and look at stuff and think “Which way round is this supposed to go? Have I got it on upside down? Is that a strap? I’d catch my death in that thing! Where’s the knitwear? Ooh, I’ll have a Werthers…”

Meh. Bring it on, I say 😆

* use of the word ‘trendy’ = middle aged.

I knowingly and without too much provocation bought a Volvo.

The discovery of Ear Hair…..

28. Ear hair is a thing, already, hairline retreating.

Listened to R4 a bit around EU referendum time for more intellectual content, haven’t switched off, and have to admit to enjoying The Archers on occasion. That business with Rob and Helen really was ghastly.

Still not shopping in M&S though.

Realising my sight was getting blurry at 37.
That was 23 years ago.

Nostril hair.

Middle age – You’ll find a particularly stubborn, thick one that makes your eyes water as you pull it out.

Old age – You’ll just not bother pulling them out any more

Surely buying clothes from M&S indicate you’ve just retired?

I’ve spent most of my career thinking I was too young, that I was the snot-nosed kid with ideas above my station. Now I find myself going “yeah, but I’m old” and yet oddly there was never a period where I thought I was the right age.

I like M&S. Their clothes aren’t too trendy or jazzy and a 12 is actually a 12, not like in these boutiques where you have be a size nothing stick insect to get into stuff, mumble mumble mumble. Werthers?

Tutting at the use of “2day” = middle aged. When I roll my eyes over yoof speak I will be officially old.

There was a time when kids stared at me in the barbers because I was having my head shaved into a mohawk hairdo. Now they have much the same expression on their faces whilst I have my ear hair burnt out with a lit taper 🙁

I’ve nothing further to contribute. But I do have my own chair.

And I’ve accepted that I’ll never be an Astronaut.

I bought some nice chunky warm M&S socks the other week. I am 37.

I do still wear jeans to work though.

*whispers*

Getting a pension.

I bought my first mountain bike so I could be just like all the other overweight, unfit, 40 year old, white, middle class dudes.

Some time in the last 12 months I guess.

Hairs on the rims of my ears – tick.
GAP chinos instead of jeans – tick.
Commenced playing golf – tick.
Shoes instead of trainers – tick.

But most of all, realising that everyone who has started at my work in the last couple of years is 15-20 years younger than me and 5 years older than my daughter.

It’s all about achieving stage 4 on the Santa scale innit?

Stage 1 – Believe in Santa
Stage 2 – Don’t Believe in Santa
Stage 3 – You are Santa
Stage 4 – Your Kids don’t believe in Santa
Stage 5 – Look like Santa

This thread smells of cabbage and despair .

Funnily enough I started thinking this morning about chopping in my high powered BMW for a Volvo xc90 with heated seats and windscreen as my car was like a block of ice. Decided there was no point in 300bhp as the roads are too congested.

Agggghhhhh I’m only 34!!!!!!

49 years old and last few months started to look forward to getting home from work , just making a coffee and sit and do nothing for half an hour, and actually enjoy it, would of previously rushed some job or task in!!

What I’m worried about is that I’m approaching that age where when you’re walking through a supermarket, you’ll suddenly just stop and stare into space for no apparent reason

Not long now 😥

Being completely invisible to the opposite sex.

What I’m worried about is that I’m approaching that age where when you’re walking through a supermarket the house, you’ll suddenly just stop and stare into space for no apparent reason(with your pants round your ankles)*

Not long now

* copyright Mark Thomas 😀

49 years old and last few months started to look forward to getting home from work , just making a coffee and sit and do nothing for half an hour, and actually enjoy it, would of previously rushed some job or task in!!

I got to that point at about 21

EDIT: coffee after 5pm??! That’s rather youthfully reckless 😉

Boys weekends took at least a week to recover from. Was 40 this year; I forget how long this has been effecting me.

doris I get home at 4.35 so finish about 4.55 🙂

Radio 2 for me. Everything else above I’d “achieved” by about 32!

my milestone was actually dressing like an adult not a teenager.

thats not to say i gave up looking well dressed, if anything i cared more mainly because most 40year olds either look like their mum dressed them, they are still 18 or they simply don’t care. it doesn’t have to be like that.

When I realised I’m nearly twice the age of my daughter’s teacher.
When there’s too many grey hairs to just pull them out.

And on Percy’s scale – hitting stage 4 this year I think. 😕

Surely buying clothes from M&S indicate you’ve just retired?

It certainly indicates that you’ve given up on life.

Milestone? Singular?!?

Many milestones have come and gone: trying to dress young but looking daft, chest hairs that are long and grey, realising that dance floor fillers from your youth (Jump Around) are no longer relevant and that you’re the only middle-aged idiot jumping up and down to it (happened this weekend), smile lines that are permanently etched into my face, sports car purchase…

I could go on, but the one that bothers me most is being acutely aware of being over the hill and on the downhill side of life. As a mountain biker and skier that *should* be a good thing I suppose, but my body tells me otherwise.

realising that dance floor fillers from your youth (Jump Around) are no longer relevant

Where on earth would that not be a floor filler? It’s important to maintain your integrity, if not dignity, and demonstrate to the kids how to properly throw shapes on a dancefloor. Stick with it. 🙂

More than once and without too much irony I’ve spoken the words “at my age” recently.

I’m finding limits, everywhere! We moved house a few weeks ago. Years back I moved into a house that needed redecorating – I’d work all day, then grab some chips on the way home a strip, fill and paint till 1am and rinse and repeat for a few weeks. This time around I could barely manage 2 hours a night, I’m not sure if it was my body giving in or that I just couldn’t be arsed anymore. Paid someone else to do it in the end.

I still assume I can do anything, it just needs a bit of graft, but sometimes, just sometimes I get tired, I NEVER got tired before.

This weekend I’m busy, office party Friday night, Saturday night out with friends, I have to admit I’m thinking more about how tired I’ll be rather than how much I’m looking forward to it. Session Friday night, buy and install Xmas Tree Saturday, Meal out Saturday night, ride Sunday – I’ll be knackered! I may sit still for a bit!