Ruth

[ET Heisenberg @UtdHeisenberg_]

Send this to every Man City fan you know. 😂

#115

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@UEFA Well done. Totally the right decision.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@SereneSquirrel @thetimes Same

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@ManUtd @LisandrMartinez Nope. I am a lifelong Man Utd fan but after Argentina’s disgraceful behaviour in this tournament, I will be cheering Spain.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@BBCSport That’s an excellent tackle

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@GrahamSpiers Still amazing even now.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@mufcMPB No. Give Carrick a year’s contract. He deserves it.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@Mathew_Lynch44 Thanks. This and your other resources are great.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@SkySportsNews That’s a stupid decision completely focused on money-making. Will ruin it.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@tes @greeborunner @TheNFER It’s why I left and countless others have too.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@UnofficialOA All of these people talking about poor classroom management and judging are failing to acknowledge that there is an inherent lack of respect for teachers and widespread poor behaviour condoned a lot by parents.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@topskillsportuk Absolutely not. Even as a Utd fan, I don’t want him back.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@footballcorn @rioferdy5 Were we even watching the same game? So one-sided.

[Lea @Lea_EFC]

Say nothing, just laugh and repost 😂😂😂

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@womengrom Still creases me up does this

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@SkySportsPL He is such a sore loser is Pep.

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@BBCSport Ole

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@AlwayzNuNu Have always said this re Crishelle. I think she is very manipulative

[Ruth @Ruth75597664]

@DonnyGav7 @SkySportsPL Easily 6 or 7? Not going on the last 4 matches they couldn’t.

[Cian McCarthy @arealmofwonder]

Rest in peace, Patricia Routledge 🙏🏻

In memory of her, I encourage everyone to read these words of hers from February last year.

Whether young or old, you're bound to get something out of it.

*****

"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 watercolour 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

*****

Once more, rest in peace. 🤍