*One month before her 95th birthday, Patricia Routledge wrote something that still gently echoes:* **“I’ll be turning 95 this coming Monday. In my younger years, I was often filled with worry — worry that I wasn’t quite good enough, that no one would cast me again, that I wouldn’t live up to my mother’s hopes. But these days begin in peace, and end in gratitude.”** My life didn’t quite take shape until my forties. I had worked steadily — on provincial stages, in radio plays, in West End productions — but I often felt adrift, as though I was searching for a home within myself that I hadn’t quite found. At 50, I accepted a television role that many would later associate me with — Hyacinth Bucket, of Keeping Up Appearances. I thought it would be a small part in a little series. I never imagined that it would take me into people’s living rooms and hearts around the world. And truthfully, that role taught me to accept my own quirks. It healed something in me. At 60, I began learning Italian — not for work, but so I could sing opera in its native language. I also learned how to live alone without feeling lonely. I read poetry aloud each evening, not to perfect my diction, but to quiet my soul. At 70, I returned to the Shakespearean stage — something I once believed I had aged out of. But this time, I had nothing to prove. I stood on those boards with stillness, and audiences felt that. I was no longer performing. I was simply being. At 80, I took up watercolor painting. I painted flowers from my garden, old hats from my youth, and faces I remembered from the London Underground. Each painting was a quiet memory made visible. Now, at 95, I write letters by hand. I’m learning to bake rye bread. I still breathe deeply every morning. I still adore laughter — though I no longer try to make anyone laugh. I love the quiet more than ever. **I’m writing this to tell you something simple:** **Growing older is not the closing act. It can be the most exquisite chapter — if you let yourself bloom again.** Let these years ahead be your *treasure years*. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up — fully — for the life that is still yours. *With love and gentleness,* — Patricia Routledge

Oh and did I mention Peter Capaldi closed yesterday’s gig with a cover of The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love”?

It's July 1985. Doctor Who, someone still loves you. #DoctorWho1985

When the Horror Channel played #TwinPeaks on their network (nearly two decades ago), they produced a trailer that still makes my jaw drop.

#OnThisDay 1929: Anne Frank was born. In 1979, Lesley Judd looked back on the time she interviewed Otto Frank who had made a special visit to Britain to show Blue Peter viewers his daughter's original diaries.

A splendid look at an extraordinary actor. Give it a look.

New on YouTube… the Ghosts of Doctor Who. The hints left in the camera scripts to what could have been. And what might the Doctor have done in The Tenth Planet Episode 3 if he was awake? youtu.be/a95eKpI7Zgg?si=GgCh…

The debut episode of the WORLD OF TELLY podcast, which provided an engaging and informative review of the short-lived MOONBASE 3. I commend it to you without reservation: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…

Basket Starfish have so many branches/appendages it seems unreal out of the water

The time has finally come! #DoctorWho Sings’ version of #RickAstley’s #NeverGonnaGiveYouUp is here at last! What more is there to say? The full song can be found on our #YouTube channel at: youtu.be/65daKOAaiDM

This is off the scale brilliant. ♥️🎶

Now's a great time to register for Gallifrey One 2025, the 35th annual North American DOCTOR WHO celebration, February 14-16 at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel. Tickets are still available at gallifreyone.com - join us! #gally1 #doctorwho #bigfinish #TARDIS #drwho

Doctor Who In Memoriam 2024. Alternative link for those who don't want to do it via You Tube. This is on my Patreon Page but it's free to view without signing up for anything. patreon.com/posts/doctor-who…

Merry Christmas from Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and K9!🎄 #TomBaker #DoctorWho #FourthDoctor #MerryChristmas

Be A Santa for the kids of Penny Lane. A $10 donation gets a new BABYLON 5 commentary with Patricia Tallman and I. This year, we're talking over THIRDSPACE. beasanta.org/babylon-5-bonus…

If you're in Los Angeles, you must explore The Wreck of the Crimson Dagger in Pasadena...before it's too late.