it is pretty hard to meet new friends as you get older.

I don't agree with that.

I still have a few people from univesity that I'm in contact with....but rarely see. The last time I met one of them was about 3 years ago. Same with my early working life...a few people I'm in intermittent contact with.

The people I'd regard as my closest friends these days are mostly people I've met in the last 10-15 years. I took up rock-climbing when I was 42 and now, approaching 60, I have a wide circle of climbing friends in UK and abroad, several of whom I can just "drop in" on. I was 52 when I took up British Military Fitness and 54 when I started running half marathons and marathons, having not run a single step prior to 2007 since 1971! Again, I have several friends in the running and BMF worlds who I regard as true friends, rather than just good acquaintances. The music world (both folk and indie/ rock) has also civen me an ever-evolving circle of new acquaintances, some of whom have developed into friends.

There appear to be quite a few people of both sexes in my age group in all these areas of interest who are unattached, too, although I have to say my own friendships span a wide age range, from a climbing partner in her late 20s to a running friend who still does marathons at 82.

I was surprised, on emerging from a self-inflicted "work coccoon" of about 30 years duration to find ut how *easy* it was to make new friends as an older person. I had thought it would be almost impossible.