Slowly but surely I’m starting to feel better in myself. Despite all the talk of second waves and the inevitable disruption this will bring I’m feeling less anxious and I’m sleeping better.
I put this down mainly to the resumption of parts of my normal life – going to the gym, weekends away, eating out, seeing friends – and perhaps less anxiety about catching “the rona”, as my kids have started calling it.
Most nights recently I’m asleep within 15 minutes of getting to bed and though I wake up on a few occasions my head isn’t abuzz with thoughts that keep me awake.
Some mornings, which was unheard of a couple of months ago, I’m still fast asleep when Mrs Jones’ alarm goes off.
I often feel decidedly groggy when I wake up – a little bit sicky, a little bit shocked, palpitations that sort of thing. It takes a little while to come round properly.
I once remember someone we met at a campsite saying she didn’t care how she felt or what the day had in store, she was just happy to wake up at all which I thought was a good way to look at it.
So I don’t worry about how I feel when I wake up, it’s no different to how I felt in my thirties so I guess it’s just one of those things. A cup of tea often brings me back to full consciousness, ready for the day ahead.
The other thing that feels no different to when I was much younger – and I hesitate to write about this but it’s important! – is waking up with what is politely called morning wood or morning glory or its proper name Nocturnal Penile Tumesence (NPT).
This is a joy at my age and is a sign of of a properly functioning blood and nervous system. It’s very common when you’re younger and can start from as young as eight years-old but occurs less frequently in men in their 60s and 70s.
I recently fell upon, as you can do, on social media Robbie Williams talking about the phenomenon in this hilarious clip from the Graham Norton Show. He’s only 46, a cheeky chappie male sex icon for 10,000s of middle-aged women, and is talking about it as being in the past, something that “used to” happen to him. That made me feel even better!
Only trouble is I reach my sexual peak at around 3.35am when not only is Mrs Jones asleep but so am I. Then it’s all downhill – literally! – from that point on.
Partly to take my mind off second waves – more interested in second comings! – I’m going to spend the next few blogs learning about sex in your sixties. What should I expect, what changes might be ahead for me and Mrs Jones and how can I make the most of this important part of life for all of us?
After all I am a sexagenarian!