Hands

My daughter J just gave me a wonderful manicure - just like you would get at a salon. Such a luxury sitting there being pampered. I loved it.

My mother had beautiful hands, long elegant fingers and oval shaped nails. My father had broad hands and stumpy fingers with ridged nails. Unfortunately his hand genes won out when I came along. I always wished my hands were nicer.

When the weather is cold my hands go an unappealing red. When I go for a walk they puff up because my lymphatic system is a bit dodgy. Now that I'm getting older I have age spots decorating the backs of my hands, arthritis which is making the joints painful and swell up. Amazingly, although my hands certainly wouldn't be chosen for hand modelling ( except for the 'before' shots) I am less concerned about how they look than ever. That is one of the positive things about getting older, you are more able to accept who you are and how you look, although it doesn't mean you are happy about it!

I am delighted that my two girls have beautiful hands. Their father and three of their 4 grandparents had lovely hands. Their partners have lovely hands as well so if there are ever any grandchildren chances are that their hands will also be lovely.

As long as they still work I'll be grateful for my hands. And with my fabulous manicure they look about as good as they ever do.