That difficult age

It seems to me that I am now at yet another 'difficult age'. Too old to be 'in my prime' but too young to be properly old. Like a cheese I'm now classed as 'mature', even though I don't usually feel it! The problem is that society tries to fit you into a box with everyone else of your age. This may work for some but as a woman in her early 50s who just married for the first time and has never had any children, it just doesn't work. The image of those in their 50s is that they are people with no interests outside their families. This is just not true. I still love rock music and going to live gigs. My husband and I go out and try new pubs or restaurants every week. The sales are still an exciting way to reinvent my image and I'll never let my hair see its natural colour again!

So despite the HRT, the bloating, the mood swings and all the other delights that go with the menopause, life doesn't have to be over. How do you push back the tide of time and let the world know you are ripe but not rotten?