With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
And now the food:
Spicy sesame aubergine with red peppers
Ingredients
6-8 small aubergines, cut into longish pieced
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 white onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 green chillies
2 tsp tahini paste
2 tsp sesame
2-3 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil
Olive oil for drizzling
Heat the sunflower oil, saute the onion and garlic till lightly browned.
Add the aubergines, peppers, tahini, chillies and salt. Lower the heat, cover and cook till soft.
Increase heat and stir to dry up any extra water.
Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle with olive oil.
Serve hot with pita or steamed rice.
Pia Ghosh-Roy 
That sounds and looks delicious… We can get aubergine here, and aubergine as a colour is quite prolific… Here ladies over a certain age don't just wear it, they dye their hair that particular shade too… I won't be copying them! 😀
I tried to dye my hair purple once, Emma – I'm an old soul in many ways!
Try the aubergine even if you skip the hair-colour 🙂
A good reminder not to wait to wear our purple or pink or orange or whatever it might be. Thank you. And your eggplant looks tasty.
No, no waiting. Thanks Denise 🙂
Hi,
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Kind regards,
Senka
I'll be growing old into another purple loving old lady …watching purple sunsets by the St.Lawrence river,wearing purple shawl… sipping Darjeeling tea from delicate pinkish purple china cup 🙂