Retirement for many is what they have worked towards for most of their working lives; the chance to enjoy life, take it easier, travel and dip into those hard earned savings but you need to be in reasonable health to enjoy a happy retirement. Sadly, for many pensioners, they face a future on their own having lost their spouse or partner, so plans have to change, dreams may not now be realised and an uncertain future lies ahead.
We hear it so often don’t we. Someone loses their partner just when they were looking to spend that long-awaited and precious time together but life goes on. In the case of one of our local Iden residents, despite losing her husband, Jan Hook was determined to realise her dream and at the age of 77 she did it, she wrote and had published, her first book.
The book, entitled Italian Secrets & Out of Sri Lanka contains two very different stories. I won’t spoil the surprise and tell you all about what happens but I will leave you with an extract from Jan’s email to me which explains, in her own words, how she arrived in Iden and what motivated her to write her book.
Jan Hook writes:
“I have always enjoyed writing, starting when our two daughters were small with poems, moving on to little children’s stories for them, then progressing to short stories and onwards to longer stories.
“On Friday 13 December 1996 we sold up and moved lock, stock and four dogs to a ruin in France which we had scraped together the money to buy. Fictional writing was put on hold for some years as I noted in a diary all of our adventures (by candlelight and oil lamps for the first 18 months).
“Fictional writing later resumed but it was never the right time, either practically, or financially to consider approaching an editor.
“In the summer of last year my husband was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure, this coinciding with two years of being unable to see our daughters and families due to COVID restrictions, brought about his decision to return to England in order to spend precious time with them and I became his full time carer.
“At the end of November last year, after 25 years in France, we arrived in the very picturesque village of Iden and I continued to be my husband’s full time carer until he passed away on the 13 February this year.
“Now seemed to be the right time to look for, and engage, an editor who very skilfully guided me through all the required steps to realise my ambition. The editor and I decided on the two stories for the book, which, after several months work, was published and available on Amazon and is now available to be ordered into book shops.“
I was moved by Jan’s story and arranged to meet her at her home. Unfortunately I was pressed for time so couldn’t spend as much time with her as I would have liked but after our brief meeting I had the feeling we had known each other for years.
We chatted about her life in France, renovating properties with her late husband whom she first met when she was 15 and with whom she enjoyed a 58-year marriage.
Not only is Jan an accomplished author, she is also a poet and a fabulous baker. She has spirit and determination and, despite losing the love of her life, has decided to embrace her life, enjoy every moment and is looking forward to her new future. What a lovely lady and what an inspiration.
I hope we haven’t heard the last from Jan. I’ve asked her to consider writing for Rye News, as she has so much to tell which I’m sure will be very well received but, until then, why not read her book and let us know what you think. Perhaps buy someone a copy for Christmas, it’s not long now…
Image Credits: Nick Forman , Jan Hook .