This is the sunrise from the Singleton front porch looking easterly at 06:30 am on Monday April 3rd, 2017 - the day after my 64th Birthday. According to the clock I have one more year until I officially become old at the age of 65. But there is hope...
New science research published in the Science section of the Telegraph looked at the real impact of an ageing population. Post World War II baby boomers (born between the mid 1940's and early 1960's) are expected to live far longer after retirement. Academics from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria, argue that old age should be measured not by age, but by how long people have left to live. A recent estimate by the Office for National Statistics suggests that the average retiree can look forward to drawing their pension for up to 24 years – as much as 50 per cent longer than their parents' generation who fought the Second World War.
Instead researchers say that old age should be defined as having fifteen or fewer years left to live. This has the implication that baby boomers are still middle aged until their 74th year. An average man who retired in 2012 (more or less like me) can expect to live until the age of 86.2 years. The ONS estimates that a woman who turned 65 on 2017 would have 23.9 years still to live on average reaching the hopefully healthy age of 89. As it says in the Brad Paisley song, "somewhere statistics show, The man's always the first to go - And that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready." Who knew!
In addition according to International standard ISO 860, Monday is also the first day of the week. On that particular Monday morning the sky revealed that a new spring storm was on the way. It was the beginning of a new season with fresh weather to enjoy.
So this painting is the sunrise of a new beginning. The news just keeps getting better and I won't be old for another ten years - at least. I am just as immature now as I was when I was sixteen. I hope that my best art is still to come...
Now for the weather - the sky was overcast cirrostratus with the deformation zone leading the warm conveyor belt that was already far to the east and low on the horizon. There were some subtle gravity waves in this thin and stable ice cloud. The patches of altocumulus were also preceded by a deformation zone at that particular level of moisture. The warm conveyor belt would bring more moisture across Singleton Lake. Soon there would be enough layers of moisture in the vertical that the cloud would meld together to produce rain. Perhaps it might rain on my parade but it wouldn't erase the smile from my face. The saying "red sky in morning, sailor's take warning" would apply in this case even though neither the sky or the clouds were very red.
New science research published in the Science section of the Telegraph looked at the real impact of an ageing population. Post World War II baby boomers (born between the mid 1940's and early 1960's) are expected to live far longer after retirement. Academics from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria, argue that old age should be measured not by age, but by how long people have left to live. A recent estimate by the Office for National Statistics suggests that the average retiree can look forward to drawing their pension for up to 24 years – as much as 50 per cent longer than their parents' generation who fought the Second World War.
Instead researchers say that old age should be defined as having fifteen or fewer years left to live. This has the implication that baby boomers are still middle aged until their 74th year. An average man who retired in 2012 (more or less like me) can expect to live until the age of 86.2 years. The ONS estimates that a woman who turned 65 on 2017 would have 23.9 years still to live on average reaching the hopefully healthy age of 89. As it says in the Brad Paisley song, "somewhere statistics show, The man's always the first to go - And that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready." Who knew!
So this painting is the sunrise of a new beginning. The news just keeps getting better and I won't be old for another ten years - at least. I am just as immature now as I was when I was sixteen. I hope that my best art is still to come...
Now for the weather - the sky was overcast cirrostratus with the deformation zone leading the warm conveyor belt that was already far to the east and low on the horizon. There were some subtle gravity waves in this thin and stable ice cloud. The patches of altocumulus were also preceded by a deformation zone at that particular level of moisture. The warm conveyor belt would bring more moisture across Singleton Lake. Soon there would be enough layers of moisture in the vertical that the cloud would meld together to produce rain. Perhaps it might rain on my parade but it wouldn't erase the smile from my face. The saying "red sky in morning, sailor's take warning" would apply in this case even though neither the sky or the clouds were very red.
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