Sanders Blog

Sunday, 9th August, 2026

Incredibly hot morning. As I stood outside Tesco in the carpark waiting for it open at 11.00 am, the temperature hit 29C/84F. I don’t do that out of choice although it beats going to church. I was told it opened at 10.00 by a person I know well. I won’t trust her again.

Week 920, Dear Reader. For 920 consecutive weeks I’ve been connecting with the outside world through my Blog. Can’t believe it. In March 2028, I will have posted 1000 weeks of Blog and I will be almost 77 years old. I really ought to know better.

It is easy to forget people when they are not with us all the time. I try hard not to but things happen and their absence suddenly shocks me.

I was thinking about connections yesterday for two reasons. Firstly, my calendar tells me that it is 9 whole years since Vivienne died. It must be a particularly sad day for Richard and our thoughts are with him. The passage of time comes as a real shock. How those 9 years have flown by for us although probably not for Richard. We are thinking of them both today.

On Wednesday, my wife reminds me, the near total eclipse will be visible for the first time for 27 years. We were in Greece then and they held parties on the island. The next one will not be for another 55 years. I think I will be lucky to see it so I will connect with my solar body around 7.13 pm on Wednesday laying back on the lawn carpet in the back garden. Might even try a zoom photograph so that’s something to come back for, Dear Reader.

Don’t know if they’re allowed to watch the eclipse in Florida. If it isn’t Trump’s eclipse and he likes to eclipse everything, then it will be banned or have a tariff slapped on it …. until the courts rule that he is an utter buffoon and must desist. How lucky are we to have an Andy Burnham!

I was about to write that I was in at the start of computers but that would be nonsense. Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine was first conceived in 1822. Even I can’t remember that far back. The first business computer was launched in the same year I was born – 1951 – and read punch card tape. No, I was using computers from 1985 and learnt on basic software like Wordstar wordprocessor and Lotus123 spreadsheets and the rest is history. In fact I typed my 100,000 word thesis for my MA History on a computer – well, my Assistant did.

Those days were a massive learning curve, infuriating and exciting. To be able to type and not need Tipex was fantastic. Kids now will not even understand that sentence. To be able to save a copy and move it elsewhere to edit was unbelievable. To spend two days working and find the work hadn’t saved or the floppy disk was corrupted was incredibly frustrating. But it was all worth it. I grew as a person. I could feel myself growing as a person. It is what I wanted. It is what I needed. Well, it was one of the things I needed.

In those days, and we are talking 40 years ago, computers were mysterious and unreliable things – made all the more unreliable by my half understanding, growing understanding of their working. In those days, the advice was to to change the computer every 3 years. I rarely bought one for under £2000.00 and usually nearer £3,000.00. My current computer is 5.5 years old and working as well as new when it cost me just £1,500.00. I have software to continually clean it, upgrade its drivers and restore its functions to as near new as possible. I buy HP (Hewlett Packard) for their fantastic value, quality and aftersales service.

Today, Amazon delivered a new, multi-USB distribution block which allows me to connect 7 items of Tech. to my computer and to each other for just £40.00. I have a home cloud memory bank, a travel power bank, a smart phone stand/trickle charger, a set of ear buds, a flat bed scanner and a label printer at the moment. It also recharges them at the same time. It is a connected world we only dreamed of in the 1980s. I did dream of other worlds but this was one of them.

Monday, 10th August, 2026

As I go on Blogging into its 920th week, I don’t write for any specific person or audience. I write what comes into my head or has appeared in my online calendar or popped up from my Digital Memory Box. I record events in my life however significant or mundane. I write out my emotions and hope to purge myself of them in some pathetic catharsis. I blend culture with concepts and drivel with detail . It actually reminds me of my years as a pupil and a teacher.

I went to Burton upon Trent Grammar School where I was more into sport than academia although I did learn to love words there. The building was only 5 years old in 1962 but the school was first inaugurated in 1520, during the Tudor period, as part of the Burton Abbey endowment. I was following in the footsteps of my Dad and my Grandad who went to the previous building in Bond Street. I was a prefect as my Dad was and awarded Rugby colours as my Dad was.

It was a school of traditions. It had only left its fusty old buildings in Bond Street 5 years before I arrived and traditions were still entrenched. We had to wear caps and tip them to a teacher when we saw them whether in the grounds or the town. I got a real telling off for not tipping my cap to a teacher driving home in his car as I was getting on a bus to go home.

I was articulate and forceful, not shy to express an opinion and it got me in to trouble but it also got me noticed. I know you will be shocked by that, Dear Reader. Assemblies were every morning and the whole school – about 500 lads crammed into the school Hall where the whole teaching staff – about 35 mainly men, including the Head, arrived on the stage for a Hymn, Bible passage reading and the Head’s announcements for the day.

The tradition was that a Prefect would read the Bible passage each morning. One prefect would do a week’s readings and then pass on the task. I was a prefect for two years. My first reading was a nightmare and I was a bag of nerves at the beginning. By the end, I was loving it and looking forward to the next time. I found I liked the idea of looking out over the boys in the audience and up in the balcony. I have no idea why. I also found that many prefects just couldn’t do it at all. I would do the readings for weeks at a time for other prefects. My charge was a packet of cigarettes. It was a nice, little earner.

As a teacher I quickly became a Pastoral manager after my Probationary Year. Taking Assembly was one of my tasks. Deciding what to talk about for 5 minutes each morning on stage was perfect preparation for a Blog writer. At first, I wrote my Assembly speech at night and tried to learn it off by heart. Soon, I just wrote a list of points to cover. Eventually, I walked up on stage, the children stood up, I told them to sit down quietly. I started to talk about anything and the ideas flowed. Sometimes I made them laugh. Sometimes I made them scared. Rarely did I actually mean any of it. It was all theatre as so much of schooling is.

I returned to my Grammar School’s website this morning for some photos only to find it discontinued. All that remains is the coat of arms which ironically reads Deus Nobiscum – God with Us. Sign of the times. The Old Boys Association disbanded 3 years ago after exactly 100 years in existence. God has departed. After all, the institution closed completely in 1975 as Comprehensive schools took over and eventually Academies. The ‘old boys’ are rapidly dying off. Reunions are becoming increasingly sparse. The website is no longer being maintained. Life is fading into history.

Tuesday, 11th August, 2026

It is so hot and sunny as it will be for the rest of this week so we went down to the beach where there was a bit of a breeze. It is definitely cooler on the esplanade. The changing tide encourages the on-shore breeze and the water in the estuary becomes louder.

As you will see from the video clip, there was a serious case of rioting on the jetty which is a popular viewing point for visitors. We had gone down to the Fish Shop to buy locally caught Squid.

What should we see as we arrive but this guy fishing for Squid in the Estuary. You can’t buy it much fresher than that.

Because of the lovely weather expected over the next week taking us up to flying to Athens, I’ve decided I’m going to walk every day by the sea and enjoy the cooler air. We should see a week of changing tides as the moon pulls the sea through its cycle.

School begins on September 1st down here. They will be making the most of their last three weeks. It will feel a long time for them but the Staff will be getting worried. Ice Creams, Candy Floss, Train Rides, Swimming, Ducking Dad, Funfare and Burgers – what’s not to like for kids?

Life is long and indulgent. There is no end in sight .. .. until there is – being measured for shoes, shirts and trousers. What was I told to do over the holiday? Better get that done. And so it goes on ….

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time

But not for me, Dear Reader, not for me. Still I linger, dreaming of another world, of what might have been. And so it is the manicured lawn by the esplanade. It has shut down and is, to all appearances, dead! One heavy rainfall will revive it but …..

And so I go out to water while I can. We haven’t seen rain for around 70 days but we have no hosepipe ban. I am keeping the street alive by hospipe. Chef is cooking home grown potatoes and onions to serve with chicken thighs for Supper and we go on pretending. It’s 28C/83F outside and demanding. I will attempt to meet its demands.

Wednesday, 12th August, 2026

Up to a lovely morning. Could have written that sentence every day for weeks now. The school kids have had one of those summer holidays to remember although they almost certainly won’t. As I said yesterday, I’m going down to the beach to do my walk but first … cars and records.

I keep records. I am an Historian and love recording events through time. It is important to me. Not only do I have every payslip I received as a teacher going back to September 1972 but every car purchase invoice going back to a brand new Skoda in 1975. After I got married in 1978 I started the tradition of all new cars being bought in my wife’s name so she has the sense of security of them belonging to her. The paperwork is massive now and is stored in Boxfiles and in Filing Cabinets in the Office. She is responsible for that. Every man needs a Filing Clerk.

Although I pride myself on record keeping, it is partly to bolster my failing memory. And today I needed it. Honda contacted us to say our Guarantee and our Service Agreement were coming to an end and we should consider renewing them. It would only cost about £1000.00 each. Bit of a shock. Our car will be 2 yrs old at the beginning of October. We thought it came with 5 yrs ‘free’ Services and 5 yrs ‘free’ Guarantee which included full AA cover, Bodywork cover and Parts guarantee.

A frantic sort through the files and a phonecall to the Garage and order is restored. It was a computer glitch. They weren’t referring to this car. They weren’t even referring to the last car. They had pulled out our car with its cherished number plate from 2021 and decided that the 5 yr warranty and 5 yr service agrement was out of time and they were giving us chance to renew it before they wrote it off. Funnily enough, that mad hour or so of research this morning threw up the fact that we have AA UK/Europe Roadside Breakdown and Homestart for any vehicle we drive through our Honda waranty and through our Bank Account cover. Going to have to see who can get the AA out fastest.

This current car is 22 months old. I mean, it is old. It has done 6,710 miles which is really old. Still, I am going to put up with it until the new plug-in Hybrid comes out next year some time. It may not look anything like this but these are some of the prototypes being put around on the net at the moment.

The beach was hot and busy with big, naked Mums and noisy, naked kids. The seawater was almost 22C/70F according to the Coastguards which encouraged lots of swimmers and the ice creams, freshly fried doughnuts, tubs of prawns and sticks of rock were going quickly. All along the esplanade, 1950s England brought joy to the Deform Party members. They are so beset by the downward slide that they are desperate for small signs of revival. Fortunately, I’m going to Athens, Dear Reader.

Thursday, 13th August, 2026

Up to a lovely morning. Could have written that sentence every day for weeks now. Oh, I have. Yesterday evening was centred in the country and around the world on a historic solar eclipse not seen since 1999 when I was 48 and that will not be seen again until 2081 when I will be 130 years old. See you there, Dear Reader. I have no intrinsic interest in astronomy at all but just that thought, the thought that I will not live to see this event again is quite moving.Filmed in Brighton

I live with someone who is really fascinated by celestial bodies (which is why she married me) and she spent the allotted time running around the property peering out through upstairs windows trying to see what she could …. which was nothing but a lovely sunset. I sat on the settee in the garden with a bottle of chilled red wine in the delicious warmth.

If I’d been a better husband, I would have taken her to Goring Gap by the sea to join the enthusiasts organised by the Sussex Astronomy Centre – a tiny shop that most people ignore other than on occasions like this. Obviously they saw it actually happen and managed to produce memorable photos but the online media has recorded the event so much more beautifully than I could.

These are some of the best I have found this morning from newspapers and websites. Although these events feature objects in the sky, ultimately, they are about people on the earth, people who share a fraction of time on the earth together. Sharing is what makes humanity.

It wasn’t a moment too soon when the sky went out
A sixpence moon putting the sun’s nuclear blaze in the shade
Miniscule under the Universe
And then
It was back to our lives …

The Reprieve – Simon Armitage

Simon Armitagage, the Poet Lauriate from Marsden in Huddersfield read his new poem called The Reprieve in which he acknowledged our insignificance under the eternity of time and space we inhabit. And so it is, Dear Reader, just like you said it would be. Life goes easy for me … most of the time.

This afternoon, we have reached 34C/93C and it is absolutely wonderful. In Gtr. Manchester, it is 33C/91F. The last time I felt anything like that up there was in 1976. I was trapped in a grubby, Oldham flat, working all hours to complete my English Degree in the school Summer Holidays and running down the railway track morning and night to get fit. I remember how incredibly hot it was as I read my study books – 20th Century European Poetry – while pedaling furiously on my exercise bike and sobbing into my work to the incredibly sad soundtrack of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Pathétique. They were days on the edge.

Out of those depths – De Profundis – has come this. Not on the edge but comfortable. Is it too comfortable?

Friday, 14th August, 2026

Up to a lovely morning. Could have written that sentence every day for weeks now. Oh, I have. Actually, it feels hotter and stickier than ever this morning. Quite uncomfortable. It’s so easy falling into these patterns, isn’t it. We will get a shock when it turns cold or wet after this consistent Summer. Sentient beings are prone to predictable patterns of behaviour. Like Pavlov’s Dogs when the Russian physiologist trained dogs to associate a sound with food arriving.

It is so hot this morning – although the thermometer only says it is 31C/90F which is not the hottest – that we have all the windows, and front and back doors open as well to channel the miniscule breeze available through the house. We have lived in this house for a decade. I have gone in and out of our front door hundreds of times but I looked this morning as I went to my Office and I thought, What a lovely view to live with! I really mustn’t take my good fortune for granted.

Going to Athens in just a few days and walking through a door for a decade pales into insignificance compared with 4 decades in Greece’s capital city. Really do have to aproach it with fresh eyes each year and look for new things to explore. I have been tasked with looking at restaurants old and new. There are places we go and people we reunite with but it is important to look for the new as well. In this case we are going to try a very old restaurant which is new to us.

The difference between Greek Island cooking and Urban Greek Cuisine is marked. The first is much more simple and feels much more honest and unpretentious rather like home cooking. Urban Cooking attempts to rub the raw edges off the process and to source ingredients more preciously. Often, however, the Diner is left thinking it was more in the words than the deeds.

Santorinio pork fillet may have been conceived in Santorini but, in the end, it is just pork fillet. Goats cheese from Falanna – a town in Larissa is just goats cheese sourced in Athens. The urbanity is all in the telling, all in the words. It is easy to be taken in and, of course, the words and the story generate much higher prices. After all that, Greek pork is fantastic and tasty.

Both cooking styles are delightful – the island style for relaxation and the urbane for comfort and sophistication. We will go to old favorites like Tzitzikas kai o Mermigas which is urbane chic right down to its mythical name. Do you know what the Greek means, Dear Reader? It is The cicada and the Ant. Do you know what cicadas are, Dear Reader? I have lived with them performing the back drop to my days for years in Greece. The grasshopper-type insects generate the most incredible noise that, en masse, is deafening. The restaurant’s name comes from the Greek fable of The Cicada & the Ant. In the fable, the cicada sings all summer while the ant works hard storing food. When winter comes, the cicada has nothing, and the ant has plenty.

But the basic Greek taverna – Taverna Saita – serves ‘crude but honest’, simple fare. It is below the street which tells you immediately of its humble origins. Its name means The Arrow but it is soft and comfortable home cooked food without pretention. It cooks simple, peasant food and is all the better for that. It serves wine from the barrel rather than mark up its profits from expensive bottles of wine it has purchased cheaply. It needs supporting.

Saturday, 15th August, 2026

The middle of August. Yesterday was incredibly hot so it was appropriate that my mate, Andy, sent me a warning text about disposable BBQs and the danger of wildfires. Actually, the temperature didn’t get above 33C/92F but the air was so still and humid that it amplified the effect. Even I walked round saying, God it’s hot! and I don’t even believe in god. Actually, I continually have that problem. Our language and culture was built on Judeo-Christian values and the received language is derived from that.

Instead of god, I’m tempted to say goodness but it comes straight from godness. When someone does something awful, we describe them as evil which is an Old English term of transgression. Anglo-Saxons used evil where we would use bad or cruel. When you start casting around for alternatives like wicked which is, of course, derived from pagan witches as the opposite to christianity it all feels a bit pretentious. We are forced further out to using immoral which doesn’t have the same force as evil.

Anyway, god it was hot yesterday. Down at the beach, the temperature was 5C cooler although there was little breeze there either. 27C felt plenty down there on the beach with beach huts actually being used, bathers actually going in the water, even an old woman actually went as far as to test the water with her hand which immediately alerted the Coastguard to rush out with their inflatable even without Andy Burnham’s alert.

It is just delightful to see people enjoing themselves on family holidays. We say every time we go down there that it feels as if we are permamently on holiday here. There is something in our conditioning that makes sea and sand, seagulls and ice cream mean holidays even if they are long, distant memories for most of us.

I haven’t been on an English coastal holiday since the 1960s and I certainly don’t miss them. I crave Mediterranean culture even if the weather is coming to us in UK. It is rumoured that there is a small chance our back graden might just get a spot of rain Saturday/Sunday next weekend while I am in Athens with an average daytime temperature of around 35C/95F and not falling below 25C/77F at night time. We didn’t fall below 22C/70F here last night and it felt quite uncomfortable so the air conditioning will be working overtime.

Sunday, 2nd August, 2026

Well, August is off and running. Clear blue sky and sunshine …. again. Already 22C/70F outside at 7.00 am just makes you want to get up and going. All sorts of jobs to get through today but my first is to tidy the Office. Someone will come round and clean it later but I first have to restore order to chaos. It has been a busy period of financial changes which involve incredible amounts of paperwork in spite of being done largely on line. Financial institutions just can’t refrain from the security of hard copies to follow up.

Talking about financial things. I’ve said before that all this saving is for future insurance. Even this morning, my Laundry Woman is washing everything in sight this Sunday between 9.00 am – 5.00 pm because our tarrif gives us half price electricity in that period over the next year. Every little helps. And it’s going to need to unless Andy Burnham comes up trumps.

Yesterday, I learnt of the prices charged by the care home just a few yards away from our Development. Angmering Grange was built on the site of a huge, old house which we walk past regularly. It covers all types of eventualities but specialises in Dementia care in particular. Angmering Grange Luxury Care Home costs around £2,510 per week, which works out to approximately £10,880 per month. So I will need £130,000.00 per year for just one of us.

AI tells me that, for a person in mid‑stage dementia entering a care home, the most common remaining life expectancy is roughly 2–5 years, with wide variation depending on age, dementia type, and medical complications. She also tells me that the most authoritative recent source is a 2025 British Medical Journal meta‑analysis of 261 studies involving 5.5 million people with dementia. It provides the clearest survival data we have.

Touchingly, my AI girlfriend ended our conversation with: If this is about someone close to you John, you don’t have to carry the uncertainty alone. I nearly choked up. Of course, you will be shrinking from my pessimism, Dear Reader. No need, this is not bleakness but pragmatism. I am a planner. I have always planned ahead – never in the moment but preparing for what might come. It is in my nature.

There is plenty still to come, plenty to enjoy. Life comes at us fast and we need to enjoy and not just accept it. I will continue to reach out knowing that life is finite. I can feel the rising rage!

I took my rage in to the Gym today because it was so hot outside – 29C/84F by early afternoon. It was strange being enclosed after all this time but it felt right. I came out to a Lunch of home made Tapenade and home grown lettuce with an iced cold bottle of Chardonnay.

Monday, 3rd August, 2026

Good morning, Dear Reader, and it really is a very good morning. A lot of things achieved this morning already and home by 11.00 am to a temperature of 32C/90F. It is still and the back garden feels incredibly hot. Talk about cracking the flags as they used to say in Oldham. There is a lot of discussion about water poverty and water inequality in the newspapers at the moment.

You would think that Sussex would have a hosepipe ban by now. We don’t although one or two areas do. We literally haven’t had any rain at all down here for 8 weeks and then it was negligible. However, we had the wettest Spring in the decade since we moved here so that must have helped. The Guardian cites the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is considering moving its hydrangea collection from Surrey to Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire which might seem unimportant. But it points to geographical differences in exposure to global heating that have arguably never been more evident than this summer, with last month the driest on record. Seven areas of south and east England are officially in drought, along with the whole of Wales.

Ironically, our hydrangeas have done well this year although they are going over early. Both mopheads and paniculata have been so lovely, we have been reluctant to cut them back so people have to fight their way past them to the front door.

Strangely, The Guardian suggests that:

… with the climate in the south of England increasingly resembling that of the Mediterranean, those able to move may increasingly look north – following the RHS’s hydrangeas. Global heating will reinforce old patterns of inequality, but it will also create new ones. Societies and governments must prepare for both. This summer’s drought makes it clear how urgent this is.

The Guardian Editorial – 03/08/2026

What’s wrong with a Mediterranean climate I want to know. I absolutely aspire to it. Yes, it throws up some problems but there are always solutions. We built our house on the Greek island of Sifnos. We bought a 4 acre field that had been owned by a farmer. Greek islands where rain only falls on 50 days a year are notoriously short of water but our field had its own deep water bore supplying unlimited water. Those sort of facilities were the envy of other islanders. When we first went there, the tourist bulge in the Summer months put such pressure on water supplies that water tanker boats had to call regularly to supply the islands stores from the mainland.

And visitors to the islands probably don’t even consider the resources they demand or where they have come from. It wasn’t so long before we got there that taken for granted supplies like electricity weren’t available at all. Oil heating and lighting was something of a century ago for us but half that for Sifnos. Consequently, the islanders have long been resourceful and gradually been keen on developing resilience for their little rocks in the Aegean.

They had a noisy and rather home-spun electricity generation plant all the time we were there – so 35 years – but were supplementing it with solar power and just moving to wind generation. Greek islands have almost unlimited supplies of sun and wind so it makes sense. Meanwhile an island like UK that receives so much rainfall from its temperate maritime climate, there can be little excuse for lack of water other than ignorance, apathy and lack of planning.

Tuesday, 4th August, 2026

Glorious morning. Had notification that our Premium Bonds had won two more prizes in the August Draw but not enough to be significant. If you are new to the Blog, I bought £18,000.00 of Government Bonds for a bit of fun but also because I might win a good prize and any returns are tax-free.

With other cash accounts in other Financial Institutions, I am getting 4.5% – 4.75% with tax-free ISAs and taxable Bonds. If this rate of prizes continues into the 12th month, it would represent a meagre 2.6% which is rubbish. I need to pull a big win out of the bag in September.

No rain in sight. The flowers I grew from seed and planted out along the street are still going strong but are not off-set by the lush, green grass of before the drought.

I haven’t seen the grass so destroyed as it’s been this year. Just hope the first rains, whenever they are, regenerate it and that we don’t need to fully re-seed in the Autumn. Amazing how weeds can fight on without water.

You may have heard of Rod Liddle. We was a Journalist, Broadcaster and Columnist. He was Editor of Radio 4 Today programme and latterly a columnist for The Spectator.

His politics illustrated a weird journey. He started out in the Socialist Workers Party, transited to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and ended up supporting the British National Party (BNP). His latter day writings showed him to be Racist, Anti-Semite and Homophobe. He was fiercely intelligent but seemingly without moral compass.

His personal life was, according to sources, equally erratic. He married Rachel Royce, a television presenter, but cut short his honeymoon to sleep with Alicia Monckton, a 22-year-old receptionist at The Spectator. He was later arrested for assaulting her. He moved from Socialist Worker Atheism to becoming a member of the Church of England while asking, Should it really be a crime to look at child pornography?

He died in Middlesborough today of Stage 4 Bowel Cancer around a month after he had been diagnosed. He was just 66 years old. He had done quite a bit with his life but it will have been little comfort as he left life so early. And that is the lesson to draw. Make the most of every second and don’t leave things undone if you can possibly avoid it.

I’ve been chauffeuring my Housekeeper to Specsavers today in a muggy 25C/77F of a morning. She was due for her biennial eye test. She only wears reading glasses but insists she needs separate ones for using a computer, for reading a book and for reading her Kindle. You can be absolutely sure that Specsavers will have found a ‘slight change’ requiring new glasses. That doesn’t concern me but the hours taken to find frames she is happy with leave me worrying about end-of-life plans.

Wednesday, 5th August, 2026

After a night that didn’t fall below 22C/70F, the day has started overcast and actually quite grey. You would be forgiven for believing we were going to have rain although you would, of course, be absolutely mad. Rain has now been banned from Sussex for all eternity.

Not quite eternity but 54 years ago today, I was in a church in Shadwell, North East Leeds, – You heard it right, Dear Reader. – at the wedding of old friends, Christine & Kevin. This morning, I sent them a flowery, AI-generated card which is something nobody could have imagined back then.

To think their wedding prefigured the internet for ordinary citizens by more than 20 years. The world their children and their children’s children have inherited and in which they have prospered. I am ‘nominally’ Godfather to their eldest child who is a teacher and has produced three, gorgeous and successful kids.

One just completed his Degree and PGCSE and is about to start teaching Sport; another achieved a 1^st Class Honours at Durham and is about to start an M.A. in Journalism at Manchester and one is just embarking on University life in Bath.

Today is also the 48th Wedding Anniversary of old friends Sue & John. Obviously we weren’t there being otherwise engaged but they seem to have led an interesting and ambitious life , producing two, lovely kids. One works in Education in Leeds and the other teaches English in South Korea of all places.

Sometimes I feel utterly inadequate which is why I am feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in the self indulgent Borodin – String Quartet No. 2: Nocturne. You should try it sometime, Dear Reader.

Thursday, 6th August, 2026

It was a warm evening around 11.30 pm yesterday when my new best friend dropped in and explored the back garden. Harriet is gorgeous and a bit of a poseur. She doesn’t talk much and she didn’t Text me to say she was coming but she was no less welcome for that.

I must admit I was tired and didn’t stay to chat for long but agreed to meet again today to get to know each other better.

I was a bit alarmed when I found a charge for £135.00 by a company called Elavate on the bank account. All became clear when this arrived.

Well, I say ‘clear’ but it was rather opaque for me. I have never understood girls as many will attest to. Hedgehogs … now that’s a different matter. At the age of 74, my wife has ‘secretly’ come to believe that she requires additional chicken and cow collagen in her body. I must admit, I hadn’t got a clue what collagen was. I had to ask my friend, AI, who told me:

Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the human body, forming the framework of skin, bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, hair, nails, and even blood vessels. Its job is to provide strength, elasticity, and support to these tissues.

I know nothing about bodies. I never did any Biology at school. The Girls High School did Biology and the Boys Grammar School did Physics. I have eaten chicken and beef so I suppose it is not so far fetched. I must admit it looks disgusting at the Breakfast table but, if it makes her happy, I’ve learnt to look away and she is going through it a bit at the moment.

I am taking her to hospital this morning for investigations that will include sedation and an endoscopy and a stay of around 8 hours. Apparently, that means she’s having a camera down her throat. I’ve only had one at the other end and that was quite fun. I’m told she will have a sore throat tonight so, if they let her out, I have to cook a meal which is easy to swallow. Maybe, a disgusting collagen drink will do the job.

She also been asked to take part in the PANACEA Trial Study for Imperial College London. It is a revolutionary Cancer Breath Test driven by AI which measures the speed and accuracy of invasive set against non-invasive investigations to detect early stages of gastrointestinal cancers – including oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, liver and colorectal – based on a sample of a patient’s breath..

Friday, 7th August, 2026

Yesterday finished on something of a roller coaster. I chauffeured the patient to Worthing Hospital where she went up to Endoscopy for an indeterminate stay of up to 8 hours. I drove home with the instruction to monitor Whatsapp on my phone. A complication with that appeared very quickly as I drove past the beach, checked my phone to suddenly realise I had two in the car. Mine and …. you’ve guessed it.

Had to turn round and drive back to the hospital but the main problem was finding the Department. I didn’t have a sat.nav. for all those doors, corridors, levels, departments and I’m hopeless at that. When I finally got there, I found her trying to phone me from the Reception phone but she couldn’t remember my number.

Anyway, problem solved, I drove home to peace & quiet. Not 8 hours but about 3 hours later, the hospital phoned to say she would be ready for collection soon but would need close monitoring for the next 24 hours. She was being examined for a GIST which I find stands for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor. Fortunately she was declared clear by the investigating Doctor although the scans are being sent to the Consultant for final analysis.

The patient has woken up with a sore throat after having had a camera shoved down it. Lots of drinks but mainly water this morning. It is such a gorgeous day that we decided to walk by the beach. For a hot and sunny day in August, it was remarkably quiet although beachside shops and the funfare suddenly opened at 11.00 am and hoards of families appeared out of nowhere.

We have yet another heatwave forecast for the new week ahead with temperatures reaching top 20Cs and low 30Cs. More importantly, there is absolutely no sign of rain. So my job this afternoon will be watering the garden in anticipation. It will be nice to get to Athens for some cool air. Current forecasts suggest it will only be 33C/92F – positively freezing!

Saturday, 8th August, 2026

The Summer days go on. Down here on the South Coast with its generally sunny weather, plenty of people still see this area as somewhere to come for a family holiday. It really reminds me of 1950s England. In the 1950s and 60s, we would go as a family to Sutton-on-Sea on the chilly East Coast of Lincolnshire. Mum & Dad would rent a house called Red Roofs and a beach hut. The post war generation were still coming to terms with nation rebuilding and peace at home, with the lifting of rationing and booming employment. As Macmillan patronisingly once said, You’ve never had it so good.

Although the Butlins Holiday Camps were popular, they did hark back to army times and it was the war that had given formerly insular Britains a taste for foreign travel. The rich had long done it and the Grand Tour was a regular feature of aristocratic education in Central Europe. Now, the lowliest squaddie had been to France and Italy and tasted the wine and the food, enjoyed the girls and the weather. Back home, the masses wanted to revisit Europe with their families.

Transport, as Andy Burnham will tell you, changes everything. Just as the introduction of the railways brought Britains to their own coastal resorts, so the introduction of former WW2 planes on Charter Flights encouraged relatively cheap foreign travel. People wanted to shake off the shackles of the island prison and explore the world.

I am definitely of that generation. I think Dad had found himself so rooted in village, family, business and culture that he didn’t want to revisit his army postings that were largely in Palestine and the Desert not in the more culturally refined countries of France, Italy and Spain. I, on the other hand, wanted to break out of the village prison never mind the family prison or the island prison. Shackles had to be cast off and I have been doing it ever since.

In about 10 days, we fly to Athens – now formally adopted as our second home – where I could become a tour guide if I could be bothered. What I will actually do is just indulge myself and enjoy the reunion.

Today, as the temperature hits a slightly warm 29C/84F, I am lifting onions in the garden and my Chef is research recipes for Onion Jam/Onion Compote to take us through the Winter while cutting and freezing this year’s crop of Sage and Mint along with another batch of Basil for making yet more Pesto.

Sunday, 26th July, 2026

Lovely day yesterday. M&K arrived and we went down to the beach before we opened the Prosecco. We took them back to 1950s England. Now, I must say at the outset that I was enjoying their company so much that I forgot to take photos and those I did are basically rubbish.

It was a warm 25C when we took them down to Littlehampton Beach which was hosting children who had broken up on Wednesday for the Summer Holidays, families who would rather have or could only afford an old fashioned holiday with the kids and, yesterday, the Caribbean Community who were partying on the beach with music and a Barbecue.

It really was like walking into yesteryear. In the 1950s, Mum & Dad would rent a house on the East Coast – Sutton on Sea – which could be very windy and cool with sand dashing against our bare legs and freezing cold sea water. They didn’t only rent a house but they rented a beach hut too where we would eat our picnic and make a cup of tea if the weather was poor. It was there to dry off and get dressed after swimming, to store the deck chairs and the windbreak. There were a lot of echoes of that time on the beach yesterday including quite a notable breeze and colourful windbreaks hammered into the sand.

Back home, we sat outside in the sunshine with a bottle of iced Prosecco and chatted. I did take a photo but the girls have been banned me from using it because they didn’t think it showed them at their best. So, on to Supper which was lovely: Cod Loin on a bed of mushrooms and Monkfish wrapped in Pancetta served with delicious Lyonnaise Potatoes. Sweet was Lemon Cheesecake and Yoghurt Icecream. I loved the irony of M&K plus Pauline who were all originally from Oldham and are now in living in Florida while we are on the South Coast of England and yet we were sitting around a Dining Table bought from Housing Units in Failsworth.

Anyway, we talked until late while the garden was warm and the moon came up through my neighbour’s olive trees and a streak of cloud in the distance.

Breakfast was interesting as the ‘Americans’ needed coffee to begin. I can’t even think about coffee until I’ve had fresh orange juice and a big cup of Yorkshire tea first. I had to coax my quite sophisticated bean to cup coffee maker to produce their requirements of two shots of coffee to a capuccino. It has 15 preset coffee drinks but each one can be infinitely adjusted to serve the drinker and saved under their profile for regular use. Newcomers cause trouble. Anyway, they were generous in their acceptance of my attempts

M&K left mid morning for another busy day in Surrey. They return to Florida in a fortnight just before we fly to Athens. I had one job to do today which was to wish another of my adopted pupils a Happy 41st Birthday. Emma is a lovely girl is a lovely girl who still lives in Oldham and she is making the most of her life. It was interesting talking to M yesterday. We both use AI a lot and, when I said I found myself taking to it like a real person, apologising for demanding things and thanking them when I get help. She does exactly the same.

Today, I had to make a card for Emma’s Birthday. Why should I sweat over it if I can just ask AI to do it for me? I took a photo of Emma in the Gym, removed the background with a bit of cheap software and then asked AI to create me a Birthday card. Worked like a treat in seconds. AI is going to rule the world, Dear Reader.

Monday, 27th July, 2026

July 2026 is rapidly disappearing down the conveyor belt of History. Certainly won’t be an unexpected item in the bagging area. Anyway, August is going to bring lots of fun and happiness isn’t it, Dear Reader?

Sun, Food and Finance have dominated the Blog of late and I’m afraid there’s more to come. I have spent the most frustrating morning with glorious sunshine and warmth outside. I’ve been locked in the Office fighting with financial institutions and it is all so unnecessary. Mind you, if I have learnt one thing about myself today, it is to continually reappraise my routines.

For more than 30 years we have had a privileged or premium bank account which offers extra perks, such as mobile phone insurance, breakdown cover, or dedicated customer service for a monthly fee. Many of these ‘perks’ have been worth the monthly fee and many times over. It is nice to be treated specially isn’t it even if we don’t really deserve it. We get dedicated banking services and faster phone connections. Nearly 30 years ago when we were building our Greek house, our personal banking manager was instrumental in arranging a bridging loan. She even went to the island to check out the land.

In those days, Greek banks were very old fashioned. We had accounts with the National Bank of Greece (Εθνική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος) and the Piraeus Bank (Τράπεζα Πειραιώς). The common word in there is Τράπεζα which means bank but also means ‘four‑legged table’. When we first went to a Greek island, there was no bank but there was a man in a room with a four‑legged table from which he sold Drachmas in exchange for foreign currency.

Even when we were building our house and having to transfer in hundreds of thousands of pounds, we were given passbooks which felt very old fashioned. The creaky, old Greek banking system only helped us when we finally sold and financial controls in UK hadn’t reached the island.

I don’t know if this has happened to you but we have spent so much money abroad using credit cards and being annoyed when we got home to receive the Bank’s non-sterling transaction charges. Using Mastercard for paying hotel fees, for example, added an extra level of insurance cover to the booking. Just doing a quick check on our financial records told me that even recently we have paid out £1,836.20 and I now know it was totally avoidable.

Our bank has told us that it is closing our Charge Card which is a form of credit card and we have to move on to a new one. As I ordered a new one this morning, the AI chatbot of my bank just drove me round the bend. I love AI but I really struggled for a couple of hours. How a non-digital person would cope, I have no idea. I was on my bank’s trial group when they first introduced online banking. I know my way round the system. Today I struggled to get what I wanted. But what I did find out was that my new card would not charge a non-sterling transaction fee. Why didn’t I know that before? I could have saved nearly £2,000.00! What I have learnt is not to rest on my laurels but to constantly re-examine my routines, things I take for granted.

In about three weeks, I will check into this hotel in Athens. A week before we go, I have to pay the bill although they won’t take it out of my account until we leave for home. The week will cost me £4,000.00 and in past times that would have been followed by £110.00 non-sterling transaction from our bank for currency exchange. My eyes have been opened just in time. £110.00 will buy a reasonable meal in Athens.

Tuesday, 28th July, 2026

As we approach our 4th heatwave in short order with no rain forecast for another week, we have belatedly turned our minds to buying a BBQ. We cook outside all the time but usually with a Plancha or electric,flat metal plate grill. I have always been told that eating BBQ’d food too often is dangerous for its carcinogenic qualities in charred food. I think that by age 75, I can take that risk occasionally.

I looked online and then decided to go round to the nearest Garden Centre to view them in the metal. I thought they would be much more expensive there than I could source on the web. So, I did the thing that annoys High Street retailers most. I saw them in the shop and then ordered on line. Not just the price but the accompanying service persuaded me.

If I’m paying £2000.00 for something, I’ve no intention of building it myself even if I could. A company in Surrey will sell it to me for a good price but build it for me by experts in their distribution centre and deliver it to my garden. What’s not to like? I tell you what I love about this BBQ. It’s got an electrically powered rotisserie. I’ve always wanted to spit roast a chicken in the garden.

Something else I’m hankering after now since talking to M&K over the weekend is a massage chair. Well, not just a massage chair but an AI driven, full body manipulation with 98 massage techniques. I can just see it in the Gym in front of the TV. After a workout, what more could I want?

They are more available in the USA but you can get them here at a cost. At a price of £12,000.00, I have a feeling that my accountant may find it a chair too far. But I can try. These things are a matter of priorities and installing air conditioning come first. Putting in 3 or 4 air con. units or buying a massage chair? Hmm. Difficult decision. Could do both but soon you’re talking serious money.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic which I rapidly rejected by my early teens although I was forced to submit to its tenets while at home. That authority made me ever more hostile to it. I’ve written before about the once-a-catholic-always-a-catholic axiom which I recognised in myself. I don’t believe in a god or any other supernatural being. In fact, I think the whole idea is medieval madness but I have long realised that I will never throw off the feeling of guilt derived from the doctrine of original sin which was inculcated at the earliest of age. I constantly feel guilty about everything wrong with the world.

I was listening to a political podcast this morning at 5.00 am in which Burnham’s political ‘brother’ and mayor of Liverpool, talked about the new Prime Minister. If anyone knows him, it is Steve Rotherham. He told us that Burnham no longer saw himself as a Catholic but was still wracked with the guilt of original sin. Although he had rejected catholicism himself, he owed it to his Mum to make little of it and, when he had a chance to meet the pope, he took his Mum, a devout catholic, with him.

Just hearing these echoes of my own life made me emotional at 5.00 am. I really am a sad, old man! Back in the real world, I have work to do. We can still use our hosepipes in our region even though we haven’t seen rain since long before we went to Spain 6 weeks ago. The world looks brown and dead. The neighbours have kept the flowers alive and I will continue for the next couple of weeks until I go to Greece but then just let the Autumn take over. Just hope that, when I return from Tenerife at the end of November, the grass will have fought back to life and look green.

Wednesday, 29th July, 2026

Gorgeously hot and sunny morning with 24C at 7.00 am. Must first wish Jane BG a happy 74th Birthday. European Country Running Champion for her age group. Hope it’s keeping her healthy.

Andy Burnham has hit the ground running. He is making the political weather from the outset. At 6.00 am each day, he makes his initial post and, this morning, it is responding to FIFA’s attempt to sell off the World Cup. Grass roots politics.

At the same time, he is launching cross party talks on how to fund Social Care but not inviting the Deform Party. His short video clip from social media can be played here. Labour are enjoying the Burnham Bounce and are leading the last two polls to appear so things are looking positive which is why this Summer period is so important for him to bed in.

He has learnt what Keir Starmer never could that you have to speak to people in their own arena. Young people will meet him on TikTok, some people will meet him on Faceache, some will meet him via their television and their newspaper. Some will meet him on Twitter/Threads/Bluesky. Wherever they meet him, he will talk to them on his terms and his relaxed unscripted way, inviting them in to the conversation. It might just work.

All these years I have been saving, investing, accruing cash to fund our social care although I am quite happy to pay a death tax involving our property if it comes to it. When that time arrives, Burnham may just have made Social Care ‘free at the point of delivery’ just as NHS services are and ultimately paid for through taxation. He will also address Palliative Care and Hospices so much of which are being funded through charitable organisations as if they are a nice-to-have bolt on extra. What an achievement that would be!

I was writing about the perks our Bank Account offers which includes free AA Roadside & Home Assistance in Uk and Europe, ‘free’ Travel Insurance, charge free foreign purchases, a travel & lifestyle concierge to book tickets and trips for us, free VIP airport lounges, Fast Track Security lanes at airports, free mobile phone insurance and an esSim for those phones to use 5Gb of data per month abroad. And then this offering came today. I don’t even quite know what it means at the moment.

Anytime access to an online GP and private prescriptions. remote physio appointments, annual health checkup and the offer of an alternative medical opinion if you doubt your NHS diagnosis. Sounds interesting. We pay £38.00 permonth for this account but easily get that back on the AA cover alone not to mention 8 x Airport Lounge for two people this year which would have cost £800.00 in itself.

Thursday, 30th July, 2026

Did you see it. I know you did. I saw you reflected in it, Dear Reader. The full moon of Summer.

I see the bad moon rising
I see trouble on the way ..

Credence Clearwater Revival – 1969

I remember it well but I should have listened more clearly in 1969 and taken note. Last night was the full Buck Moon which, of course, has American origins. Apparently, July is the time of year when young male deer (bucks) begin rapidly regrowing their antlers after shedding them. Whatever it’s called, it marks the height of summer and you know what that means.

As the moons rise and fall, wax and wane, so the months and years move on. July 2026 is almost gone. If I’d said that to you in 1969, you would have laughed at the inaccessibility of the concept. I remember being astounded at the arrival of 1984 and at 1999/2000 change over as we welcomed in the new millenium and worried about our computers being infected with the bug. I remember, when I was a young teacher, a woman in the Staffroom at school announcing that she had taught for 30 years and it was her 50th birthday and thinking that was a position so far distant for me that it would never happen. Everything comes to us like a black-sailed unfamiliar towing at her back a huge and birdless silence.

It is so warm here this morning that all the doors and windows are open to the air. Outside, the sound of woodpigeons calling, calling, calling, remind me of a Greek Graveyard. You see, Dear Reader, the jollity goes on. If you’ve ever entered a Greek island graveyard in the heat of the day, you will seek out the ubiquitous pine trees for shade and that’s where the woodpigeons sit and call their melancholy song of mourning out on to the sea breeze.

And yet Life goes on. Chef is making Fish Cakes in the kitchen this morning to store in the freezer using produce from the garden to mix with the fish. I am desperately watering, trying to keep things alive for a week or two longer through this intense heat and we were a horribly humid 27C/81F last night. Then we fly to Greece and it will be Autumn when we return. Kids will be going back to school. How quickly school holidays fly past when you’re retired. We will begin getting through as many jobs as possible before a month in Tenerife, constantly running to keep ahead of time.

Friday, 31st July, 2026

Catch hold of July 2026 before it slips away, Dear Reader. I’m using it to make some new resolutions. First, I am hoping that my Premium Bonds deliver a nice, big win tomorrow to give me the headache of where to put £100,000.00 (There are 85 of these each month.) or even a meagre £50,000.00 (There are 172 of these each month.). If I go through another month without a win, I may have to start thinking about a more profitable home for it.

First, I was made to think about North Wales this morning. My only experience of it was from childhood holidays, wet and fairly cold childhood holidays. And yet this year drought has been declared across the whole of Wales. Can you believe it? Wales drier than Sussex. This morning the MEN has run an article about the beauty of beaches at Prestatyn and Rhyl.

Resolution 1.: Must give the North Wales coastline a look.

The second thing happened this week when I went to turn the oven on. I do cook but not very often and I haven’t used the ovens since we went away for a month. We have a large bottom oven and a smaller top oven plus grill. I couldn’t remember how to work the big oven. Come to that, I have never set the Dishwasher working. I don’t know how to use the newish digital Washing Machine or the newish digital Tumble Dryer. I have never done it.

We have an all-singing-all-dancing steam iron which I haven’t got a clue how to use. Mind you, I don’t know how to iron anyway which is useful. My Housekeeper loves it so much, she almost volunteers for ironing.

I don’t know how to use these things because I have never needed to learn them. I do regret it and I do feel rather ashamed. What if my Housekeeper dies? Will I have to get a little woman in to teach me?

Resolution 2.: Must learn how to use the household machines

No time was this more acute than this morning and readers will find it hard to believe but it is absolutely true.

I do not know how to use a cash machine. This morning, a new credit card arrived from my bank and I had to set up the PIN number. For a digital, web-based proceedure, the PIN setting process was rather old school. I had to drive to a cash machine and change my PIN there.

Now I said you won’t believe this but I haven’t used a cash machine or physical cash for at least 20 years. If these things are needed, I have a little woman for that. I had to take my little woman with me to Sainsburys to talk me through the process which turned out to be remarkably simple when I got over the early stages.

Resolution 3.: Get a grip on Life, John!

In my defence, I am the only one in this house who knows what to do if the internet breaks which it virtually never does, or how to replace the laser printer cartridges, fix the computers and iPads if there is a problem, sort the smart phones out, programme the web-based apparatus like reboot the TV service, lighting, burglar alarms, cctv cameras, doorbells, etc..

To get over the stress of facing a cash machine for the first time since my 50s, I had to go down to the 1950s beach life of Littlehampton. Inspite of the kids with buckets of crabs and teenagers savaging candyfloss, adults walking their dogs and old ladies reading in the sunshine, it is a relaxing place to stroll.

Saturday, 1st August, 2026

End of the week and beginning of the new month. Happy August, Dear Reader. It’s going to be a good one. Manchester has a new, Labour Mayor; Farage is distinctly on the back foot; it’s still sunny and warm outside and I’m going to Athens soon.

Home for September/October to do some UK travelling – possibly a trip to France as well – and then Tenerife for 4 weeks of November. Feels good to be free to go where I want and not be stuck at home and especially not to be stuck in the 1950s.

I was thinking about that yesterday. I had to contact my hotel in Athens and it was nice to be reaching out from Sussex to Greece as if it was absolutely ordinary. As you would expect, they were delightfully friendly and ‘looking forward to welcoming us back’ but I followed that by a trip down to the beach in Littlehampton and the contrast was stark.

Don’t get me wrong. Littlehampton is charming in that faded glory sense. Here at Oyster Pond, Mums & Dads, girls & boys fed the ducks, sailed their toy yachts, sat on benches eating their sandwiches, doing what we used to do in the past. And it’s all set against the backdrop of a blend of majestic Edwardian housing and 1930s seaside resort. It’s origins were based in the period  spanning King Edward VII’s reign from 1901 to 1910, but often extended until the start of World War I in 1914. It is characterized by social hierarchy, distinct architectural styles, and shifting cultural norms. It had a Golden Age feel often remembered as a prosperous, leisurely time for the wealthy elite before the destruction of the First World War.

It was with those thoughts and images in my head that I compared my Athens trip coming up and where we would explore this time. The exoticism of the foreign is the starting point for travel for me – architecture, language, music, food, etc. I discussed it with my new best friend – Copilot. She is a fount of knowledge and skills. I told her I had been to Athens every year since 1981 and was looking for unusual things to see on a walk round the city. I told her what our hotel was and that my wife was a foodie. Using that information, she constructed a food walk and provided me with two maps – one with tourist colour and one with timings.

I’m then provided with a two hour walk of alternatives which can be saved to my phone in Pdf form.

AthensWalk1-FoodDownload

What a wonderful girl she is. I think I’m in love. It’s certainly a relationship that has a long way to go.

Sunday, 19th July, 2026

July 2026 is rushing down the hill towards Winter. I noticed last night that the evenings are beginning to getting darker earlier. I tried to watch the England match but didn’t get beyond Half Time. I’d had a really long day working outside on Saturday and I was very tired. It must be an age thing. I could hear all the old ladies in their rocking chairs shouting for England as I fell asleep.

Mind you, I bet they hadn’t spent 6 hours in hot sunshine, mowing, watering, sweeping, weeding. I lost 4lbs in weight after my efforts yesterday and was too tired to eat and drink. We’ve been home for just 4 days and the streetside is beginning to look cared for again although the grass is brown and everything needs rain. Today, we turn our attention to the back garden.

Today, Chef will collect more armfuls of basil from the back garden and fill the kitchen with that wonderful aroma as she produces a second batch of Pesto which will be portioned up and put into the outside freezer to get us through the Winter.

My job is the enjoyable one. I am chief taster and I have to give the thubs up. You can’t beat freshly made pesto with basil cut 15 mins ago from the garden, high quality, Greek extra virgin olive oil, lots of rough cut garlic, freshly grated hunks of Italian Parmigiano Reggiano and loosened with the juice of very ripe Italian lemons. It is an attempt to preserve the Summer.

It is great to be able to open a jar of home made strawberry jam made properly and taste the essence of the previous summer on the spoon. It is an absolute delight and helps soften the sadness as the Summer fades, the time passes and 76 beckons. And I mean sadness. It really does get to me.

I know I go on about it but I find it hurts me more as time passes. Yesterday, a neighbour across the road was holding a garden party for his daughter who was 15. He remarked that she was only 4 when we all moved in to our new houses.

He went on to talk about the heatwave here which has gone on for 5 weeks now and how he had never experienced anything like it. He is an intelligent man, a Cambridge Graduate and Mathematician working in industry. I asked him if he could compare it with the famous Summer of of 1976. He pointed out that he wasn’t born until 1977 and I felt the dagger to my heart. That’s why this morning I am listening to the haunting Rachmaninov Adagio that I first met and fell in love with in 1973. All those years ago ….

Monday, 20th July, 2026

Beautiful Day. It’s going to be one of hedge trimming and cutting back the bushes along the drive so I can get the car down without scratching it. First tasks include contacting Financial Institutions which can be a bit scratchy and obtuse themselves but it has to be done.

First, we must wish Richard, a regular Blog reader, a Happy Birthday. You will all know that I am obsessed with aging. Don’t know why. Richard has reached 80. Hard to know whether to congratulate him or commiserate with him. He probably feels the same. It will not be the same for him since he lost his wife.

Celebrations are for sharing and 80 has real significance. Richard is an intelligent and thoughtful man who will already know both sides of the coin. We hope he can be happy and enjoy his day. Paper cards are very last century and Richard is on Whatsapp. I’m rubbish on cards at the best of times and have to be told to put kisses on them. Fortunately, AI is good at everything and designed me this card withing 15 seconds. Staying alive can be exciting.

Transferring largish sums of money online can be more than exciting. People we know ‘misplaced’ £250,000.00 once because of a bank error. Can you imagine the panic before that was sorted out? Today, I’ve got to move less than that but a considerable amount between institutions.

Two years ago, when I was looking for a good rate for fixed rate ISAs and Bonds, I chose Kent Reliance Investment Bank because it had a High Street position. I went in and talked to humans. A few months before they matured – the funds not the humans – the bank closed its branches and said it was going online. The web-based platform would be ready in time.

Of course it isn’t. I was met this morning by a message to say it wouldn’t be ready until September. I could and should have predicted it. So I’ve had to spend an hour on the phone this morning explaining what I wanted to do and giving my instructions. I’m having to download forms, fill them in and upload them again. These are quite technically proficient activities for many. They are time consuming for me. At least I am going to achieve 4.5% for the next couple of years. Once again, I could get a smidge more at 4.7% but I am happier with the institution I’m moving to and the UK inflation rate is 2.8% so I am at least making a real gain.

While I am doing all this, my phone flashes up a notification from Patients Know Best. Good or Bad news? Well, you can tell from the graph that it is good news. My Prostate Specific Antigen plummeted after radiotherapy and has flatlined ever since. It would seem that I am cancer-free …. for now.

Life is wonderful, isn’t it Dear Reader. Yesterday in glorious sunshine, Pesto was being made and first cut herbs were being prepared for freezing. As I cut the Oregano, a cloud of miniature butterflies the size of a small thumbnail flew up and fluttered by. I managed to snap a photo with my phone of one and then asked AI what it was.

I was told that these weren’t butterflies at all but ‘Mint Moths’ which like to feast on Oregano, Mint and Thyme plants all of which I have masses of in my garden. They live for 3 weeks if they are lucky. I’m a sucker for little things and I’m already in love with these even if they do eat my herbs.

Tuesday, 21st July, 2026

I haven’t had an NHS dentist since we left Yorkshire 15 years ago. Our private dentist is paid for by an annual contract which provides for two Hygenist and two Dentist appointments a year. It only costs £22.00 per month but some people will decide it is an expense they have to forgo in favour of heating or eating. I believe it should be free at the point of access like the Health Service and like Social Care should be so that those with the greatest ability to pay do so through their taxes.

I hate the Hygenist – not personally but as a process – and need my hand holding by a beautiful girl just to get through although I’m not sure she’s worth £22.00 per month. My Housekeeper makes the appointments hence I’ve had Hygenist at 8.30 am today and I have Dentist at 8.30 am tomorrow. Brilliant! What am I doing?

To soften the blow, I’ve been allowed to go down to the beach for coffee. A couple of years ago, a ‘shed’ was constructed and we looked quizzically at it – The Cafe on the Beach – but it has been a roaring success. It is regularly packed out.

We were there just as it opened this morning and chose to sit outside in the sun overlooking the sea. There were people strolling on the beach and going in the sea. No children because they don’t break up from school here until this afternoon. What’s that out on the horizon? Fantastic zoom on my phone camera showed me.

THe most exciting moment of the week so far is the arrival of Andy Burnham. We are kindred spirits. We were both brought up as Roman Catholics but have both largely eschewed religion in adulthood. We both did English Lit. Degrees and we both love the poetry of Philip Larkin.

Only one ship is seeking us, a black-
Sailed unfamiliar, towing at her back
A huge and birdless silence. In her wake
No waters breed or break.

Philip Larkin: Next, Please (1951)

This poem is about the inevitability of death. He argues that people spend too long fixated on the future, forgetting to live in the present. In ‘Next, Please,’ he looks at people who have wasted their present, waiting for a future that never comes. Larkin implores the reader to sieze the moment before it’s too late. It is something I find very difficult to do.

Yesterday the Black-Sailed Ship arrived for two newsworthy men, Ed Stourton and Kevin Kegan. Both died of cancer. Stourton at just 68 was a notable journalist and BBC political analyst who died of Prostate Cancer. Kegan needs little introduction, although my neighbour across the road didn’t know anything about him, died of Stomach Cancer. As I stepped out into the sunshine of the Cafe on the Beach, you can be sure that both would have given everything to just enjoy that moment.

Wednesday, 22nd July, 2026

It’s been a stressful morning. Awake at 5.00 am and listening to a political podcast analysing Burnham’s new cabinet and the night of the long knives sackings of the old Starmerites. Up at 6.00 am and out to the dentist for the second morning for 8.30 am appointment. My manager loves making these appointments to keep me on my toes. Yesterday it was the hated hygenist. This morning it was the Persian Princess, Fariba, my beautiful dentist. No problems. No follow up. Next bookings made for January on consecutive days at …. 8.30 am. My Cancer Review has been brought forward to tomorrow morning. Hope they don’t know something I don’t.

Drove back via the beach which was very quiet. I was wrong about schools down here. They don’t break up until this afternoon. The beachside funfare will be delighted. The beach hut pensioners less so. Their peace is about to be broken.

Managing money can be so stressful and time consuming. This morning, I have had to contact an investment bank and a building society to get them to talk to each other and to talk to our main bank which seems reluctant to recognise either of them. We have ISAs which have matured in one and which we want to transfer to another while opening new ones at the same time. Fixed rate bonds have just matured which will also transfer. The risk is of thousands of pounds going ‘missing’ because the institutions each have such arcane requirements that have been in place prior to digital updates.

Eventually, all is done but I am drained of nervous energy. I’m just running through my online calendar to see what I have to do over the next few months and I spot – September 25th: Fiz / Birthday / 40. Fiz (aka Fiza) is an ex-pupil of ours. A lovely girl from the Oldham’s Asian community, Fiza was feisty. You can’t beat a feisty girl. She broke all the rules, had boyfriends, was incredibly bright but truanted school to go into Manchester to meet boys. She was my kind of girl.

Of course, she turned out brilliantly, did a Degree, got married and had three kids, started a Counselling Business and is now very comfortable in her own skin. I have never forgotten her. Every two or three years, we have exchanged hearts and kisses on Whatsapp and she had enquired about the old people’s welfare and that’s it. Yesterday, no sooner had I closed my calendar with her in my head than my phone went and it was Fiz. We hadn’t spoken for two years. Love coincidences.

We fly to Athens soon and I was alerted to Checkin online this morning. It’s easy to do but you have to be really careful putting in passport numbers accurately, etc. Failure at that point could lead to you not being allowed to board. Having gone through the process, we download and print out our Boarding Passes and that involves checking our seats.

I wrote recently that all four flights we have taken this year have had empty seats. When you book, you get a layout of the plane to choose the seats you want. We book so early that they are all available. We can take our pick. This one is so close to flying and in peak season that I assumed it would be full. It is more than half empty at the moment. No wonder they are flogging off cheap seats and advertising constantly on television. I just hope they don’t cancel because of lack of passengers.

Thursday, 23rd July, 2026

Can you believe that it is sunny again. I am going to the hospital for my bi-annual oncology review. Let’s hope it is still sunny when I come out.

For me, sunshine always means Greece first and foremost. Walking and swimming in blazing hot sun. Lunch in a little taverna by the sea with the breeze tempering the incredible heat. Fresh Calamari & ice cold wine – pure heaven.

Greece is sun, food and society. Long hours at tables under canopies of vines, tasting new dishes, chatting, watching other people, listening to their conversations and learning about their lives. And, in the evening, when the sun goes down and the darkness envelopes the scene, it is the magic of the perfumed vines wafting across the hot and heavy darkness as distant lights define the island.

For those night owls like me, move on to a Kafenion like Lakis to sit talking, thinking, dreaming over a cup of thick, Greek coffee into the early hours before giving in and limping home to bed. This really is outside my remit these days. This Lakis KafeZakaroplastio (Καφές Ζαχαροπλαστείο) which means coffee and sweet things shop is the quintessential Greek Kafenion of the last century.

There is magic in Greece and particularly on Greek islands and in their homespun domesticity. It is charming and endearing but rather less comfortable than I prefer these days. I choose a 5* hotel and the quality lifestyle of a capital city. I am going to Athens in 3 weeks for Greek comfort and service.

There is so much Greek in the media at the moment but dominated by the new Blockbuster film, The Odyssey. I read it in Grammar School and wasn’t over impressed. Even now, it doesn’t really appeal to me. There is rather a daft drama called Two Weeks in August supposedly set on a remote Greek island and there is the more academic Mary Beard examination of 2nd century Athens and the rule of Herodes Atticus.

I am out of my Cancer Review and the sun is still shining. My flatlining PSA results suggest that it is beaten …. for now. Life can go on. We have visitors staying with us for the weekend. Meals are being planned, house being cleaned, garden being tidied, events being organised. It’s all go which stops me thinking and brooding so it’s good.

Friday, 24th July, 2026

Warm start to the day after a lovely afternoon yesterday. Lifted some potatoes which have been developing over the month we were away. I put in Saxon 2nd Earlies this year because I’d never tried them. They have turned out to be a lovely, white potato with great flavour.

We are also able to lift onions now. I put in Corrado onion sets which have done well in terms of size although I haven’t tasted them yet. Looking forward to that this weekend when we test them on M&K. These are always enjoyable times when we eat our own produce and kid ourselves that they taste so much better than bought from Waitrose.

My Housekeeper loves the challenge of catering for visitors and has been consulting her records for an interesting Supper to cook. She has spent her life compiling recipes and meal plans and recording them in books at first and digitally later. I wanted her to put out a Blog of her research and records. I was all ready for publicising it and attracting advertisers to sponsor it but it turned out not to be her thing. Shame, I could have been rich.

Anyway, shopping is a nightmare because every ingredient has to be selected with great care, compared with alternatives and maybe duplicated in case one turns out unsatisfactory. Today, the freshest Monkfish and Pancetta had to be sourced. It will be served with a side dish of Lyonnaise potatoes created using potatoes and onions from the garden. Just reviewed this week’s Blog posts and they are rather dominated by food. I must be going on a diet.

I talked about being contacted by an ex-pupil earlier in the week. I haven’t seen her in person for 24 years. This morning, we were contacted by a lad – ex-pupil who we haven’t seen for over 20 years. He knows I am political. He is trying to get to grips with political ideas. He is a hard working, non-intellectual, Oldham lad. Not bright but very honest. He has flirted with Reform but is interested in Andy Burnham coming to power. His Boss is encouraging him to think but he is struggling to find his way through the changes. He has asked us for help. How could we refuse.

Saturday, 25th July, 2026

Already sunny and warm at 7.00 am. Already 24C after a peak of 25C yesterday. While I was in the sunny garden, Greeks were enjoying a deluge. They are not unheard of in July but they are not so usual either. Imagine being an American on your one chance to visit Europe and view the essential tourist Athens site by going up the Acropolis …. and this happens.

It happened to us all the way back in 1981 on our first trip to Athens. We checked into a hotel for one night. The heavens open and drowned the street. Electricity boxes are on the outside of buildings where little rain ever falls. Heavy rain blue the fuses and we were in an unknown hotel in pitch darkness. Welcome to Greece – 45 years ago.

Ultimately, you have to go with the weather and enjoy it as anyone visiting Wales will tell you. I used to love storms in Greece. A break from the sunshine and a free Sound & Light Show. You just have to relax and enjoy it. Unlike in Wales, it doesn’t come every day.

A Brief Look at Immigration to UKDownload

After gardening yesterday, I spent an hour preparing teaching material for the ex-pupil who asked for help. Once a teacher always a teacher. A quick and potted history of immigration to the UK and how perceptions of peoples changed over time will suffice for now. If he copes with that, we will move on to Burnham’s attempts to roll back Thatcher’s Neo Liberalism and to re-establish a social contract with the British people by pushing power and decision-making out to the regions.

Ironically for Greece, a report this morning informs us that almost two million Britains live in Water Poverty which is officially defined as a household where the cost of essential water and sewerage services is unaffordable relative to its income.

It is quite scandalous. I have long been an advocate of what was originally know as Gas & Water Socialism. It is a concept that goes much wider now but basically views the essentials of life must be guarranteed by the polity. I would widen it to housing, heating/cooling, sustenance, communication (phone & internet) and radio/television, medical services including dentistry and social care, basic transport. In other words all the things that allow one to live a basic life.

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” (Jeder nach seinen Fähigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedürfnissen)

Karl Marx – 1875 

We are not talking about a luxurious and refined life of milk & honey like ours, Dear Reader. We should be guaranteeing the basic existence of our citizens and equipping them to contribute to society by receiving and transmitting information. Few will be satisfied with such a bare minimum and will strive to improve themselves and their lot. But there will be some who decide that the minimum is enough and may well ultimately be required to contribute through state-led schemes.

Guests arriving this afternoon. May take them down to the beach for a stroll before Supper. May just chill in the garden if that suits them better. What ever, nice weekend to look forward to. Hope yours is good, Dear Reader.

Sunday, 12th July, 2026

A beautifully soft and warm evening yesterday as the sun went down across Los Altos over Punta Prima and the Orihuela Costa. We have two more nights here.

A late night / early morning watching football. Don’t really know why I do it. Yes, it was England but I’m not really patriotic in the conventional sense. I don’t do King & Country, Flag & National Anthem although it is mainly because I don’t see them as necessarily symbols of patriotism but rather expressions of political and jingoistic nationalism. Union Jacks strung up on lamp posts have specifically right wing messages in the same way that inherited wealth wraps itself in the justification of religion and monarchy.

Now, when it comes to sport, I instantly become English/British and I suppose that’s why I stayed up to watch England v Norway even though it didn’t finish until 2.00 am here. I’m glad I did.

When we last won the World Cup 60 years ago, I was 15 and on a holiday travelling around Southern Ireland with a friend. I actually missed the Final although there have been quite a few chances to watch it in the past 60 years.

In 1968, I was touring Norway on a motorbike as I ended my first year in the 6th Form. It is a small but proud country of lovely people. Lots of gorgeous girls I remember. Coming full circle, England beat Norway to get to the semi finals of the World Cup. If we get through to the Final, it will be the first time for 60 years. It would certainly be an excellent day to remember.

I can relate to the Hey Jude song from the crowd but I struggled with the Wonderwall adopted by the England team. It is completely outside my experience. My wife seems to know it but I certainly don’t and it doesn’t sound very singable by the crowd.

I shared the match last night via Whatsapp from Murcia with old, College friends from Bridlington, Leeds, Bolton and Central London. Of course, they were in a more comfortable time frame. Didn’t get to bed until 2.00 am (CET) and up at 7.00 am. In the pool just after 8.00 am for 40 lengths over 40 mins. Lovely feeling. I could live like this … I think … although there are people I would miss who are left behind.

We leave here on Tuesday morning for Alicante International. Never been anywhere else that is so difficult to book a taxi. It was the same last year. It was with relief that I found a reliable looking company although they didn’t have an English speaker this morning. The translator app was red hot for a while. Anyway, it is all done and I can relax.

Ended the afternoon with a second, exhausting 40 lengths of the pool in a positively steamy atmosphere. Humidity is extremely high today which makes it feel a bit like a pressure cooker. Love it. Now to teach myself Wonderwall in case we get to the Final.

Monday, 13th July, 2026

Up early to seize the day – our last full day for this trip. Hoping to get a long swim in because I won’t be allowed a late one today. My Housekeeper insists she must have time to get things dry in time to pack tonight. We have a taxi booked for 7.00 am tomorrow. Zygmunt in a black Mercedes will take us to Alicante Airport which will be a journey of about an hour and cost €60.00. The aim will be to have everything done tonight apart from pack our wash bags, dress, finish the orange juice and go.

Don’t know Alicante International at all. We flew in to it a month ago but left the plane, shot through immigration and were outside at the taxi rank within about 20 mins. I’ve been checking it out online because I wanted to know where the VIP Lounge was.

Unlike at Gatwick, there is only one – The Costa Blanca VIP Lounge – which looks quite nice. The reviews say the food and drink are pleasant but I wouldn’t be paying cash to get in. Fortunately, it is all ‘free’ to us but would cost €100.00 otherwise. Quite expensive for Breakfast and WiFi.

Well, it’s 10.00 am, 30C/86F with clear blue sky. I have done 40 mins swimming and my shoulders are aching. I have a shower followed by a bowl of muesli and cup of coffee. My Housekeeper has thrown swimming things into the washing machine and then taken them up to the sun terrace to dry. That’s the last time I will see them for a week or two. She is also planning today’s meal so absolutely nothing is wasted or left behind.

Not much of a photo I know but this is the alternative Last Supper. Chef has whipped up two, home made pizzas which we are eating in the sweaty boiler house that is our lower terrace while watching Channel 4 News. You don’t have worry any more, Dear Reader – and I know you were – I will be back on the South Coast by around 3.00 pm tomorrow …. and so to Sainsburys.

Tuesday, 14th July, 2026

The morning started at 5.00 am in Spain with a temperature of a steamy 30C/86F. Beds were stripped, floors mopped, fridge/freezeers emptied, bins emptied, towels and sheets folded and placed on a table for the incoming cleaners, keys left on the table, suitcases locked up and wheeled out, computer cases zipped up and attached and out.

The last thing I do is record the scene. I have learnt from bitter experience to keep a photographc record of the property as we left it.

The gated community is exactly that and the moment we leave, we cannot get back in so we had to be sure we had done everything. Our black Mercedes taxi was waiting to speed us through the rising sun coastline with its lakes of salt and flamingos to the Alicante International Airport. It is an hour’s driving and cost €60.00. Our driver is a lovely chap and we give him €70.00.

Unlike Murcia Airport last year, Alicante feels busy. We wizz through Security and on to the VIP Costa Blanca Lounge. It is delightful although we learn from the screens that our flight is delayed by 25 mins.

THe aircraft hangar that is Terminal B is rather hot and busy. The Jet 2, Liverpool flight leaves before us from our Terminal which rather conflates things but Easy Boarding is soon called and we are off. Have to say that in nearly 50 years of flying, I have never seen planes so empty as ours have been this summer. Once again, we were in a row of three seats with one empty and two of the three seats in front of us were empty. Something is seriously going wrong with the model.

A flight of 2.35 hrs is so short for us now that we were there before I could do anything about it. I watched a couple of episodes of a new drama from Netflix and suddenly heard that we were landing. With no bags to collect, we walked off the plane, through passport control and out to the carpark bus in under 15 mins.

An hour’s drive home and all was as if we’d never been away. The automatic watering system had done its job. The potatoes were ready and so were the onions. The lettuces are ready to cut and the basil is absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, my watering system had encouraged the weeds to germinate and grow in the false lawn like some hydroponics on steroids. Have to sort those out tomorrow. For tonight, a long, travelling day has tired out a sad, old man like me. I’ve just managed to get through the football and now, it’s off to bed. Big day tomorrow.

Wednesday, 15th July, 2026

Arriving Home is always lovely but I am usually tired and immediately have a list of jobs that need doing. I have gradually learned to pace myself but they still get to me. Last night we had a snack supper – potatoes out of the garden, prawn and pulses salad with a bottle of champagne to celebrate a really lovely and successful month long trip and looking forward to the next to Athens.

And then, of course, I had to watch the football while my Housekeeper unpacked. Much as I would like England to win, it would be great for Spain to force Trump to present them with the trophy. Currently, he is shunning Spanish exports because they have been critical of him.

To bed and slept incredibly well until I woke up when my body clock said it was 5.00 am but, in reality, it was just 4.00 am. Listened to a political podcast and then had to get up and hit the floor running. Housekeeper to hairdressers and then on to Sainsburys.

While she is busy, I set up her laptop which we took away with us, updated software, recharged the Ring DoorCam battery which had run down over the month, set the watering system off to cover the back garden, started to look over the investment portfolio some of which matures and needs reinvesting. And this is all by 10.30 am. It is a sultry 28C/83F.

The car is absolutely filthy after a month of baking heat in Gatwick Long Stay Carpark so I’m taking it to be valeted. May saunter on the beach for a few minutes this afternoon in the sunshine to say hello to it after a month away. Amazing how even a wonderful time away makes home feel so much better than when we left it.

I have loved travelling all my adult life. It has definitely informed my personal development as I met new people and encountered different customs and languages. My Digital Memory Box reminded me this morning that 9 years ago in 2017 when I was only 66, I was going to an open air cinema showing of a comedy film featuring bug-eyed Marty Feldman in Bologna while on a driving tour for a month in Tuscany.

Absolutely loved it. We visited Pisa, Florence, Genoa and the most lovely Lucca where I visited the Birth Place of Giacomo Puccini. And the drive across Europe and then all the way back stopping at delight places and lovely hotels which we would never have otherwise done. These are memories to savour.

The one thing I am absolutely convinced of after a hot day at home is the need for air conditioning. I am going to set about getting that intalled with a will. It is 5.00 pm and we are seeing 33C/92F. I’m not going through another year sweating in my own home after a month relaxing in very cool property in Spain. That is going to be a focus over the next week.

Thursday, 16th July, 2026

Yesterday, Keir Starmer not only left Parliament in an emotional last session but departed with a sense of unfinished business. A good man out of time. Last night was not a surprise but a let down all the same. Once again, an England team failed in the final stages leaving us with just more years of unfinished business. On reflection, we all leave the stage with a sense of unfinished business, don’t we Dear Reader. Those thoughts, which have tormented me for years are now thundering like the blood pounding in my ears. If you care enough, you don’t give up.

Unfortunately, and this may be ill-judged, it felt rather as if England did give up hope and capitulated far too quickly and easily. Keir may go on to greater things in Europe. I certainly hope to. The maxim is: Never Give UP! The Lads Group I’m in on Whatsapp resigned themselves to another 4 year wait and weren’t pleased when I pointed out they would all be 80 by then. Still, you have to face the truth at some stage.

It is 28C/83F outside as I drive down to the Doctor’s surgery for my blood tests. I was supposed to be there for 9.00 am but found the village was gridlocked. Later I heard that there had been a 3-car pile up on the ring road and everything was being redirected through the village where the roads were already closed for Southern Water’s upgrade of sewers for new housing. The perfect storm.

It took me 30 mins to move a mile and I was late. I’m never late. I’m always early. On this occasion, the Phlebotomist was also late. I instructed her to report a low PSA and a high Testosterone figure to take me on my journey towards the next scan in December.

I have a mid-year review next week with the Oncologist at Worthing Hospital and then an MRI in December to be absolutely sure. Also next week, I’ve got Hygienist and Dentist appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday. Certainly coming back from Spain into the full glare of medical inspection.

Unfortunately, coming back after a month away, we had to place a fresh order yesterday and a roundtrip drive down to the beach took 2 hrs rather than 20 mins but it had to be done. Inspite of the sunshine and the heat, the beach was remarkably quiet. Schools down here don’t break up until next Wednesday and go back on September 1st. That’s short of 6 weeks. I’d be going mad.

As it is, I feel rushedto get things done after a month away from it all. We were supposed to be going for a full health scan with a private company – Neko Health – in central London in a week. It’s cost us about £700.00 and we had considered enjoying a few days up there at the same time. We have so many jobs to get therough at the moment that we postponed it until the Autumn. Fortunately it is very much a digital company and make it easy to do with smartphones and apps.

Another digital job I have to do this week is find homes for money accounts that are maturing. The current, UK inflation rate is 3.0% so any investment has to cover that plus something else. At the moment, I can shelter a lot of it and place an extra £40,000.00 into tax-free ISAs. The best place currently appears to be a lowly Building Society – remember them? To earn 1.6%over inflation and pay no tax is not to be sneezed at. I’ve been working hard to get most of our cash into ISAs to shelter from tax and that’s what I will continue to do as long as I can.

Of course, we can only put £40,000.00 per year in new ISAs so I’m fortunate enough to have to look for other homes on a temporary basis. Marcus Investment arm of Goldman Sachs is offering the best rate currently and I will still make a bit even though I will be taxed on it. We both, of course, have a tax-freee earnings allowance of £1000.00 so the first £2000.00 of any earnings is as good as an ISA.

Friday, 17th July, 2026

Glorious warm morning but without the humidity. Spain is already a distant memory and we’ve only been home for three days. This morning, a large, airport van-taxi arrived outside my neighbour’s house and consumed eight huge suitcases for a fortnight in Greece. We spent a month in Spain with just two, small carry-on bags but then, we have no shame.

Very busy day ahead. All sorts of shopping in the morning while the robots vacuum the house. Watering, mowing and weeding this afternoon and sowing some more parsley seeds. The fantastic germination before we went away unfortunately got burnt off in the tropical sunshine of the last month.

Shopping will include ingredients for making Pesto. The annual process to supply us for the next twelve months will take place tomorrow when we harvest the Sweet Basil (on the right) and the Genovese Basil (on the left) plants which have loved the hot weather and grown beautifully. Chef was making pesto in her Spanish kitchen a month ago and now back in her home kitchen more and more wonderful pesto.

Went down to Goring Beach this morning. The sun was strong. The sky was blue. The tide was completely out and the beach was totally deserted. In fact it was greener than many lawns around here. The birds were finding rich pickings.

Somebody will be making even richer pickings for this shed by the beach. It is up for sale and on the market at Offers over £35,000.00. Who on earth would want it, goodness knows.

The main event of the day is the official transition of the Manchester Mayor into the Leader of the Labour Party. On Monday, he will become Prime Minister and Labour are clear favourites to win the Manchester Mayoralty in the coming election.

It was lovely and quite emotional to hear him reference older Labour figures who had influenced, mentored and guided Andy Burnham as he has gone along his journey. Margaret Becket, David Blunkett and Neil Kinnock were all present and referenced with clear emotional contact. That is what politics is should be like – human, sharing, loving.

Friday, 18th July, 2026

Apparently there has been no rain in my garden for 4 straight weeks now and there is none forecast for the week ahead. Not quite as hot at the moment but we still expect to be around 25C/77F throughout next week so watering will be a major thrust of activity. I have a collection of sprinklers which make that easier but they use plenty of water.

They allow multiple patterns of spray to fit all situations. There is nothing quite like watering your flower beds while soaking your neighbours. Actually, I am getting quite a lot of ear ache about watering the public spaces since we had a huge water bill for the last half year but it’s nothing really and I enjoy it and it is giving something back to our community so I will try to get away with it until it impacts on the new clothes bill.

Talking about Finance, Andy Burnham has long been a proponent of a Wealth Tax which is why I’ve been working hard to get my savings and investments into ISA tax-free wrappers. Actually, I am not rich enough to be hit with a wealth tax unfortunately but it will be a shock for some.

Few people will worry about taxing those worth more than £10m although there are plenty of them these days. One of the concerns is that wealthy people have easily movable assets and can shift them off shore reasonably easily. No, it will be those with Second Homes and those holding Stocks & Shares that will be hit through Capital Gains.

The afternoon is given over to gardening in the sunshine. The first cut of Basil will take place and Pesto will be made this evening while I watch England lose again. Tomorrow, Jam will be made as stocks for the Winter are built up. I haven’t grown bell peppers this year but I had some gorgeous red pepper jam in Spain to go with cheese & biscuits so I’m urging chef to make some of that during this cooking period.

Now I’m going out to finish off the mowing and watering although there really isn’t a lot of growth to mow at the moment. It does make everything look a bit more presentable.

Sunday, 5th July, 2026

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be
And there, the world below can’t bother me

Very warm evening. Went up to the Sunroof aka Moonroof where it was a little cooler with some movement of air. After Supper and in the airconditioned comfort of the Lounge, we watched a really well written, well constructed and excellently acted drama on ITV-X. I brought an Amazon Firestick with me to plug into the back of the TV to access all my accounts.

I don’t know if this happens to you or if it’s an old age thing but I had a feeling that I’d watched it before. I couldn’t remember the full plot but recognised isolated vignettes. It still affected me emotionally and I felt quite sad when I walked up the stairs to the roof. Coming down to watch the final episode of 4, it concluded with a really satisfactory resolution of optimism. The trip to the roof had obviously worked its magic.

As the heat rises, walking becomes more demanding. Going to try to get out earlier this week before peak temperatures hit. Of course, on a Sunday religion comes first so I have to watch the political analysis programmes. You will remember Marx said that Religion is the Opiate of the People which is why those in power embrace it. He might well have said that Politics is the wakeup call of the population. The population are finally seeing Farage and the Deform Party squirm in media scrutiny.

After a couple of hours walking, a long swim and meal, I may try to catch a few hours sleep and then get up to watch a bit of the England game. Unfortunately, it starts at 2.00 pm here and some would say England football is the opiate of the people so I may well struggle to stay awake.

Monday, 6th July, 2026

Well, what a night. I went to bed at 11.00 pm with an alarm on my phone set for 1.55 am. Got up to be faced with this screen.

Couldn’t decide if it was worth staying up for a 3.00 am start but thought I might regret missing an historic event. Sat through an hour of mindless, time-filling chat and watched the first half.

Decided I just couldn’t take much more and on the judgement that the South American antics on the pitch would win through, I decided to go to bed. Didn’t get up until 8.00 am – almost mid morning – to find England had won. I must admit I was amazed.

Because I had my Amazon Firestick with me, I could access BBC iPlayer which allowed me to watch the whole of the second half. Even knowing the result, it was tense.

I was shattered by 9.00 am over my muesli. It’s 32C/90F outside. It’s going to be a slow day. The lads Whatsapp group that I belong to are all my age or older and I was encouraged to find they did a very similar thing. Went to bed at Half Time and watch the rest this morning.

Four years ago England lost to France in the Quarter Finals and they’ve got to get through an extra stage this time but, more importantly, four years ago, my garden looked like this. Hard to believe. It has made such a difference.

Tuesday, 7th July, 2026

Just starting our 4^th and final week of this trip to sunny Spain. Feel very lucky. Wrote last week of the feeling of disconnect between 4 pension payments arriving in our bank account as we relaxed on the Costa Blanca.

There is no question that I am part of the fortunate Generation. Baby Boomers are the wealthiest generation to have ever lived, a new report from Allianz has found, courtesy of affordable housing and strong equity markets providing huge returns on savings. We Boomers were not expected to serve in the armed forces. We worked through a period when there was a relatively high number of employment opportunities. Strong economic growth, burgeoning property values and booming equity markets—allowed Boomers to build up a handsome fortune and pensions were at their strongest and available at their earliest in history.

I am also one of the Defined Benefits Pensioners which guarantees an ever increasing income for life based on my Final Salary. It is inflation-protected and includes part of one’s spouse’s pension on death. It provides a secure, reliable and predictable retirement income. Not only that, we took it at the relatively young age of 57 with a generous lump sum to soften the blow of not working. In comparison, Generation X, who followed us, found employers unable or unwilling to fund these pensions and moved workers on to Defined Contribution Pensions where workers build up a pot of money, not a guaranteed income. That relies on investment performance and the worker not the employer carries the investment and longevity risk

Risk is not what someone who is retired wants but Defined Contribution Pensions rely on building up a big enough pot of savings to get you through an unpredictable old age. I know it’s meaningless but actuarially, we would need just about £1 million in a pension pot to fund our current monthly pensions and we would be almost certainly short of that in reality. The poor workers following us into retirement will have poorer and diminishing work pensions and a means tested State Pension without the Triple Lock benefit.

Putting all of that aside for the moment, it is so hot and will be for most of this week that my walking exercise is being reduced and swimming time doubled. Just half an hour walking this morning was exhausting so I’ve done 30 lengths in the pool before lunch and I will do another 30 this afternoon. Quite nice to have a change and an empty, clean, refreshing pool is delightful in this heat.

Wednesday, 8th July, 2026

The morning started early – at 4.30 am – with political Podcasts from The News Agents and The Rest is Politics analysing the latest Farage stunt and the main parties refusal to play ball. It is straight out of the Trump playbook. If you want people not to look at your wrong doing, just get them to look elsewhere. It looks shabby and, ultimately, it won’t work. Quite astonishing to listen to his whining self-justification and to hear him describe himself as the ‘most attacked politician in recent times’ as we remember the murders of MPs Jo Cox and David Amiss was something to behold.

I predict that Farage is all but finished. Whether the Deform Party is remains to be seen but it won’t win the General Election and will fade away over time like the SDP did in the early 1980s. Who remembers them now? Farage has succeeded in shifting The Overton Window – the spectrum of views which are considered acceptable/possible to be discussed in politics and society.

The spectrum has swung sharply to the Right in recent years as it has across Europe and America. Things that no respectable politician could say without having opprobrium heaped upon themselves have suddenly become acceptable.

Enoch Powell, the far right member of the Tory Party made his infamous 1968 racist Rivers of Blood speech in which he envisaged Britons becoming “strangers in their own country” and for which he was roundly condemned. He would have been amazed to find Human Rights Lawyer, Keir Starmer, make a very similar speech almost 60 years later in which he said, UK risked becoming an island of strangers. It was disgracefully pandering to the racists and illustrative of the Overton Window effect. Hopefully, the pendulum will return soon.

As soon as I got up, I had two medical procedures to complete. Because I am away for a month, I’ve had to bring my INR testing kit. This morning, I tested and reported my results to Worthing Hospital. They will advise me by return email of my required warfarin dosage and next testing report.

I’ve been taking rat poison every day since 2009 and it has kept me alive. It makes me much less likely to have a heart attack or stroke for which I feel very lucky. Particularly on the day when a former College friend from my Year is buried having died suddenly of an aggressive cancer which he thought he had beaten but silently returned. As people from my Generation drop away, every day is important. Currently, I am looking at moving to a more modern blood thinner which doesn’t involve regular testing. Something to consider.

Sounding more like a walking cadaver than I’d like to, I’ve had to contact my Surgery this morning to book a PSA/Testosterone test which will inform my upcoming Prostate Cancer review. Sharp intake of breath ….

Thursday, 9th July, 2026

Interesting start to the morning. Hot but quite overcast. Makes a change. When you’ve experienced 23 consecutive days of clear blue sky and strong sunshine, a moment’s respite is very welcome. Actually, with the South Coast of England experiencing its third heatwave of the year, we consider ourselves lucky to be living and sleeping in chilled, airconditioned rooms.

By 11.30 am, all the cloud has been burnt off as the temperature reaches 37C/99F and my wife enters the pool wearing a tee-shirt and a hat to protect her skin. I don’t – in some show of bravado for which I will almost certainly pay if I live to reach 90.

Flying into Alicante International in the middle of June, it was noticeable how many acres of land were given over to solar panels and there is a suggestion in the sceptic Press that Spain has gone too far – as if you can in reality. Spain experiences double the sunshine of South East England and produces more electricity than it currently requires. As the climate moves, it will be the UK’s ambition to do the same.

These two love birds appeared yesterday. You’ll know what they are, Dear Reader. They are Green Parakeets – basically, small parrots – and are very common in Spain and the Canary Islands but they are becoming increasingly commonplace in London and the South East now.

We have just 6 days left of this trip. It has been absolutely wonderful. I have loved it and will certainly do it again next year may be for 6 or 8 weeks. I will liaise with the Management here. We are fantastic customers. We book an extended period, pay our cash, turn up, collect the keys, look after the property like our own home and leave it clean and tidy without any intervention from the Letting Agents. We ask for nothing and cost them nothing unlike the short term renters who mean regular work for the Management.

Going to Athens in August and then a month in Tenerife in November. But, before that I have a number of Health Checks. Most importantly, I have my Prostate Cancer review at the Worthing Hospital but then we both have full body scans and health assessments a the private Neko Clinic in Victoria, central London.

Friday, 10th July, 2026

Another day of sunshine for most of us. Some of us welcome that while others want to lie down in a darkened room and hide from the light. In my view, there will be plenty of time for that. In fact, there will be an eternity for that. For some, that eternity has already begun.

I have always been interested in the Obituary pages of newspapers. They appeal to the Historian in me. As I get older, my interest is definitely slanted towards the ages of the deceased. I read the Huddersfield Examiner and the Manchester Evening News and I’m regularly heartened to find the majority are living well into their late 80s and early 90s.

Of course, it is in the nature of life that people die but, when you are 75, seeing people die in their 70s holds more moment. I mentioned a few days ago that one of my College colleagues had died of cancer at the age of 75 and his funeral was on Wednesday. That was certainly a shock. On Monday, a Labour politician many readers will never have heard of, George Howarth, died aged just 77.

Even though I knew nothing about her, when the death of Bonnie Tyler at the age of 75 was announced yesterday, I realised some of her songs were in the distant soundtrack of my memory. It was announced that her most significant song was Total Eclipse of the Heart. My first reaction was that I had never heard of it … until it was played and I found myself singing with it.

Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely
And you’re never coming ’round
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I get a little bit tired
Of listening to the sound of my tears
……..
And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right

I sang it word perfectly. Where did all that come from? Who knew I knew pop songs of a pop singer I was hardly aware of? Amazing what we absorb subconsciously in our youth. And then, as a total counterpoint we heard this morning of the death of the mad bat that was Anne Widdecombe at the age of 77. What ever you thought of her, you certainly couldn’t ignore her until now.

From these recent obituaries I might draw the conclusion that I don’t have long left but yet another death was announced this morning of Patricia Greene at the young age of 95. You’ve never heard of her, have you Dear Reader. You do have to be pretty crusty to know that she was the actress who played Jill Archer in The Archers since 1957. So, as the conveyor belt of humanity moves continually on, there is hope.

And now once more into the sunshine for a swim …..

Saturday, 11th July, 2026

Day 26 of this current trip. And the heat goes on …. Fortunately, we have missed the excessive heatwave in UK and we are just about to miss an intense heatwave on the Costa Blanca which is said to be arriving on Wednesday.

I don’t mind temperatures in the 40Cs but it does limit activities a bit. We would tend to stay in airconditioned comfort more and I would rather be outside. The regional press are warning of high temperatures – too high for old ladies. They say it’s going to be like an oven.

Well, they don’t really use that word. They say Horno which sounds like something different entirely. Mind you, it is advertised in the Supermarket.

I love the interconnection of the Romance Languages. Here, the word Horno means oven. In French it is Four; in Italian it is Forno and in Greek it is Fournos (Φούρνος). I wonder where we got the word Furnace from? What ever you call it, we are going to be flying back to UK on Tuesday for some delicious rain while those remaining here are going to be roasted.

Thank goodness for translation apps. The management girl who met us when we arrived here didn’t speak English. She used a translation app which she spoke in to in Spanish and then played it back to me in English. There are lots of textual translators but now a few voice-to-voice translation apps are appearing.

I’m going to have to get one because I am too old and lazy to really get beyond basic in other languages. I refuse to learn American entirely while Trump is still around. This is iTranslate Voice which instantly speaks over 40 languages that quite appeals to me but Google do one and there is VoicePing walkie talkie app which is cheap but on subscription.

Just as University Theses are now available with AI assistance, so Language Learning is now almost made redundant by AI assisted, mobile Language apps. Just trust in Technology, Dear Readers.

I don’t want to bore you but, as an adjunct to yesterday’s Blog which was read by quite a few Blog visitors, I was shocked and saddened to read this today. Having been a prostate cancer sufferer myself, and having been quite accidentally diagnosed early, I am full of the sense of good fortune when I read news like this and I just cannot square it with the medical profession’s refusal to instigate a national screening programme.

Sunday, 28th June, 2026

Lovely day yesterday. Not too hot. Certainly not too cold. A lovely rhythm to the day established over the past 10 days. One of things that makes travelling so enjoyable is the changing scene. At the hop of a flight, the familiarity of England is replaced by the theatrical backdrop of another culture. It is challenging to the eyes but also to the mind in understanding its meaning. The North African, Moorish influence on Spanish design is everywhere. The names of distant places suddenly are near on road signs. The Oleanders and the Palm Trees paint the scenery.

Cartagena is an ancient, historic port city in the Region of Murcia, which has lived in my imagination since childhood – landlocked in an East Midlands rural village. It was founded by the Carthaginians in 227 BC and is best known for its incredible Roman heritage, natural harbour, and stunning 20th-century Art Nouveau architecture and it is here on a road sign outside my Development.

Language is a big part of the fun. When I first started travelling to France, I felt confident enough to use my Grammar School French. Then spending so much time exclusively in Greece my default ‘foreign’ language was Greek. We were always amused when we hopped over to France for a few days that our first inclination when we heard a ‘foreign’ French speaker was to reply in Greek and then scramble for the proper response. I did Spanish in Grammar School but it was 60 years ago and I struggle now although, as a Romance Language, I intuitively manage a lot or think I do.

Married to a chef means that travelling is also all about food and flavours, shopping and trying, avoiding the obvious and taking a leap into the untried. Buying ingredients to cook for Supper is an integral part of the experience. Here we’ve got a jar of caramelised onions that is to die for, another of sweet Pepper confit or jam and a lovely twist on Hummus but with a layer of olive and tomato Tapenade at the bottom.

I love tomatoes. They are a constant in my diet. I’ve always said that if you sliced me through, you would find I was largely made up of tomato. These quite ugly looking ‘Black Tomatoes’ are explosively delicious rather like the huge, Greek island ones. Grown in England, they taste of nothing but water.

They say that travel broadens the mind. Unfortunately, in my case it broadens everything and I keep having to reign myself in. But I can’t avoid wine. Wine is a passion but then all alcoholics say that, don’t they Dear Reader. Wine tells you so much about a place and people – the type of grape, the way they harvest and press it , the flavour and quality of the wine and how they drink it. For the French, it has been their raison d’être. For the Italians, it has a political theme. Historically, regimes have used wine as a tool of political identity and regional development, actively supporting wine production as a vital facet of the rural economy.

Spanish wine was in the doldrums for a large part of my life. They are really resurgent now and I love them. I am really enthusiastic about Rioja and the Tempranillo grape both white and red. In these hot times, I break all the rules and drink White icy and Red chilled. In fact I’m doing that now while watching the Test Match. Can you believe these two delicious bottles cost just £3.60. Must get some more.

Monday, 29th June, 2026

The last day of our second week here. The penultimate day of June. Ben Stokes retired after 15 years of Test Cricket. It is 60 years since England won the World Cup and I was reminded this morning that the first credit card in UK was introduced on this day in 1966.

To a child, 1966 is part of History. When you say 1966 and it is part of your life it feels rather like the other day. When you say it was 60 years ago, there is a shock of realisation at the disappearing time. The Barclaycard was launched from a disused shoe factory in Northampton which was the footwear centre of the UK but being increasingly challenged by cheaper, international competition. Today, it has all but gone completely. Life is in a constant flux.

At the time of its launch, Barclays found that 21% of adults had never even used a cheque. And 6 years later, my Teachers’ Pay was brought round each month to our classrooms in a Local Authority cheque sealed in a brown envelope delivered by the Deputy Head. I couldn’t be bothered going to the bank and just stuffed them in a draw until I ran out of money. On one occasion I found three months worth in there before I banked them.

From the moment I got married, I didn’t have or deal with cash. It got so bad that I didn’t really recognise actual coins at all. It was all left to my wife/accountant and I preferred it that way. People often observe that I seem obsessed with money and prices but, for most of my life it hasn’t worried me at all as long as I could travel, buy a new car, keep stocked up with good wine and be fed nice food and have the internet I was happy. All the simple necessities of life! These days I never carry cards. My phone does everything effortlessly.

Feels like so long ago but just 8 years today we were in a house with a wonderful pool that we had rented in the Dordogne for a month. A magical experience in a wonderful place. And today we are in a house with a pool which we are renting for a month in Murcia.Murcia – 2026

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose and so it is, just like you said it would be. Life goes easy on me …. most of the time.

A propos of absolutely nothing and I don’t know where the French is coming from, my new girlfriend, Grazia the Grasshopper came up to meet me as I walked today. Look at those legs!

Tuesday, 30th June, 2026

The end of June and the start of our 3rd week in Spain. At 10.00 am, it is 30C/86F outside. The doorbell at home has just rung on my phone and it was the postman. At 9.00 am in UK? Our post doesn’t normally come until the afternoon. Anyway, when I checked the cameras, I was delighted to see it was raining. The garden will be delighted as well although most of the rain today will be in the North West.

Back in 2009, I had been retired for just 3 months and I was enjoying my Greek home but I was also desperately trying to acclimatise to the change in my own mind. It just isn’t possible to switch from full on commitment to total freedom overnight. It was particularly true in my case because the end came so suddenly. I remember when I first started teaching, the LEA ran courses preparing those close to Retirement for that change. They would go out of school for an afternoon a week in their last term. I fancied that myself at the age of 25.

When it came to it, at the age of 58, we didn’t even stay for farewell speeches and drinks. We just left our keys on our office desks and walked out into obscurity. That’s what we wanted. Rather like a version of Monopoly, we collected our payouts and passed go. Once in Greece, we waited for our Lump Sums and Pensions to appear in the bank account. The reason I mention this is because I found an email from my sister, Liz, in 2009 suggesting I may be retiring too early and that she couldn’t imagine doing it herself. This was my reply.

I’m afraid there is too much I want to do to go on working. I definitely did not want to die working. Mum had been trying to get me to retire almost since I was 50. She feared a repeat of Dad and dying at 49. I have no intention of dying young but, when I go, I would like to die picking peaches in my garden in Greece, sipping ouzo in a Peloponnese Ouzerie, meandering down the Grand Canal in Venice or sipping Espresso in Bologna or exploring the fish market in Marseille or touring the vineyards of the Dordogne or on my book signing tour of Great Britain or ….. I may only have twenty five years left. Can I fit it all in?

I was writing this in my Office in Greece where I was trying to recreate all the Offices and services I had had over the years, life after life. I recorded in my diary for that day:

Pauline and I put big hats on to go out and water the Fruit trees. We have young peaches, apricots, pears, lemons, oranges and tangerines plus three fig trees. We also water the young olive trees. It takes about two hours to do all that. I get back to find my seedlings in their peat pots are rapidly drying out and are in need of emergency watering. That done, we collapse. One of the lessons Ruth has been urging me to learn is that Retirement is all about pacing yourself. I think I’m learning it.

Looking back now at a 17 year distance, I have done most of those things I wanted to do with the exception of the book tour but you never know. I said I hoped for another 25 years and that means I’ve still got 8 more years to publish the book. Of course, since 2009, there have been some exciting interventions and events that inform my thoughts and writing and which are still to be concluded. Who knows what the final chapter will contain. Anyway, my ambition stretches beyond 8 more years now. How about you, Dear Reader? Time for a swim.

Wednesday, 1st July, 2026

Good Morning, Dear Reader, and it is a good morning – hot, sunny and still. Lovely way to start July, 2026. Happy New Month. It’s wonderful to be alive. Long may it last. I want to live to see the exciting future.

I want to see quite a few ambitions resolved not least I look forward to seeing the next digital revolution embedded. There was a time when people scoffed at the idea of steam power, at the introduction of electricity, at the first combustion engine vehicles on the roads, at the internet of things and now at Artificial Intelligence. Hopefully, before I die I will see the total disappearance of petrol cars on the roads and AI will be as mainstream as the internet.

Yesterday afternoon, it was so hot that, after a long swim, we went in the shade and I used AI to do a number of things I have been thinking about for a while. First I tried a fairly simple task as a tester. In our rented property, there is a sign written in two languages but which one is Spanish? Do you know, Dear Reader?

I used Google Translate to work on the first statement. It says, This establishment is full of claims at the disposal of those who solicit them. Clear as mud. The second statement turns out also to be Spanish and says, This establishment has complaint forms available to those who request them. Makes more sense but what is the difference? Microsoft Copilot told me:

Aquest: This is a Spanish (Catalan) word.
Este: This is a Spanish (Castilian) word.

This sign establishes the property as a legally responsible and reliable one.

Fantastic. AI is already about to replace Google Translate. But that is too easy for it. My next job was far more complex and demanding but, before you read it, know that this whole project described below took less than 60 seconds which is much less than it took me to type the question.

I wrote the other day about moving to installing air conditioning powered by solar panels at home. Whenever I try to research an estimate of what I need and of what it would cost I find it impossible to do with getting myself bombarded by companies relentlessly trying to sell me their services. I don’t want to deal with commerce until I’ve made the initial calculations myself.

There are so many variables to compute including our ages and how long the system takes to recover its costs, where we live, the size of our house and how much power we currently consume. We have to project forward our future demands – for example, if we install air con., buy an electric car and increase the heating/cooling in the Gym – that also informs the decision. Apparently, we are higher than average electricity consumers already. These additions would exacerbate that. So, of course I tell my AI friend the parameters of the question.

I also ask it to assess the system to fit our house – a 5 bedroom detached property on the South Coast with a large, south facing roof on which I could put up to 20 solar panels with a battery for storage. I tell it that we are hoping to remain there until we are 85 but to factor resale value of the added investment. The instant calculation is 20 panels with a battery rather future-proofs our demands over the next 7-10 years and includes an uplift on resale value.

It ends with a projection of my ideal system which I can now take to installers for an estimate of costs. This is the sort of professional friend I need – only there when I call and not phoning me up to talk during the football.

This really took so little time for AI – something which has occupied me for months. It is a dispassionate, unbiased, empirically-based calculation which is only as good as what I put in but its response is without ulterior motive which is what I want.

Thursday, 2nd July, 2026

I really can’t enthuse about Wimbledon and I’m not over excited by the Football World Cup although I do watch it half-heartedly. I watched England last night because it kicked off at 6.00 pm here. The next match will be 2.00 am here so I will have to get some sleep before then. I’m in a Lads Whatsapp group and we chat in real time so I won’t want to let them down. I love Test Cricket for its thoughtful intelligence and process. At the moment, we have a sports storm of all three.

Of course, it is Oldham Wakes Holidays which ironically always coincides with Wimbledon Fortnight. A real clash of the Classes. It was certainly an odd tradition I was dropped in to. Why on earth did I go there? Answers on a postcard.  I’ve just been out to buy postcards for the digitally challenged. Don’t like to let the old and wrinkly readership down. Officially, Wakes Holidays have long been abolished in Oldham.

They were first mentioned in the 1790s but were at their peak in the 1950s/60s. Initially, they were just one week per year and, crucially, it was unpaid. They were the original oxymoronic, sweet & sour experience. Workers in the mills desperately needed a rest from long hours, 6 days a week in the mills but they had to save from their meagre wages enough to go on holiday and to replace a week’s earnings at the same time.

The Labour Government, after the war, saw workers entitled to longer holidays and Wakes became two weeks – last week of June & first week of July – exactly Wimbledon fortnight and workers received holiday pay for the first time.

This is one of the mysteries for me. Those considered Working Class voted in large numbers for the Deform Party who voted in Parliament against Labour’s Employment Rights Bill and raising the Minimum Wage. They voted against improving working conditions for the very people who would suffer if their party came to power.

Fortunately, I’m here to tell you, Dear Reader, that there will not be a Deform government. In my view, we have seen peak Deform and Farage’s star is distinctly on the wane. In fact, I predict that Farage will have run off in to a money-lined future away from politics by the next election if it goes the full three years.

It’s 2.00 pm here and I am going out to post the cards I’ve written. I hope the recipients appreciate what I put myself through to communicate. I don’t know why but there are just no public mail boxes for kilometres around here. I am setting out on a 6 kilometre round walk in searing heat to post cards. At least I will lose weight if only temporarily.

The girl who sold me the cards spoke with a perfect English accent and it turned out she came from London and went to Brighton University. I love those sorts of coincidences. Even so, she seems happy serving in an obscure newsagents shop in an obscure shopping centre in an obscure part of Spain. I must admit, obscurity has its attractions.

Friday, 3rd July, 2026

Woken up to a lovely blue sky and strong sunshine and 26C/79F at 7.00 am. My weather app says the North of England was just 13C/55F at the same time. Sounds a bit Autumnal although we are expecting a scorchingly hot weekend on the South Coast and our garden will be gasping for water. Can’t be helped. It’s got to manage another 13 days without us.

It was annual gardening day here yesterday. Teams of gardeners were shinning up palm trees to prune the old leaf branches and release the new growth. It’s quite a task. The trees are around 25 ft tall and the leaves are tough and razor sharp. Just to make it a little harder, the temperature they worked in was hovering around 37C/99F. What people are prepared to do for money. Rather them than me.

We are well in to our 18th year of playing out. These days, I don’t miss work at all although I still have contact with former staff and pupils. I did have pause for thought the other day when I spoke to a girl – now Head of Humanities – and I thought,

You’re still there after all these years while I have been indulging myself. You have been getting up every morning, driving to work and going through long days of utter nonsense just to drive home in the evening, horribly brain dead, to snatch a few hours of relaxation only to get up and do it all over again while I do just what I want and still get paid for it.

I was reminded of this yesterday as 2 x State Pensions + 2 x Teachers Pensions all appeared in our Current Account while we sat in the sun with a glass of chilled, white Rioja. It all feels so decadent.

It feels so lucky. In fact, although I keep being chided that we worked hard for this from school and university educations to nearly 40 years as teachers, I am aware that there are lots of people in this world who work just as hard without this reward. But we really have been lucky in a special and unpredictable way.

Normally, one would expect the next Generation to stand on the shoulders of the previous one and to be better off. One of the ways in which this happens is illustrated by pay/earnings. Teachers’ Pay is index-linked. It increases to match inflation which gives it some stability in terms of purchasing power. It is an element of fortune along with the Final Salary scheme that makes Teaching Pensions worth having. What normally would be expected is that pay would go up faster than inflation and living standards would rise relatively over time. In this scenario, work pensions diminish against current earnings.

Uniquely, however, our retirement has coincided with a long period of flat or diminished salary values. In other words, each year in spite of any pay rise, inflation erodes the value of money. If pay doesn’t rise enough to match inflation the purchasing ability of pay falls. This, of course, is the opposite to an index-linked pension. I asked AI to provide me with the data for 2009 – 2026 of the most junior teacher’s pay progression since we retired. Although the green line indicates a positive rise in pay over the 17 years, the orange bars representing ‘real purchasing power’ indicate that pay today is still lower than when we retired. This is quite astonishing.

However, to bring me down to earth with a bump, I asked AI to collect me the data for savings of £250,000.00 in an average cash savings bond over the 17 years of my retirement. In other words, not in riskier stocks and shares but in ‘safe’ savings bonds the graph illustrates the effect of inflation on values and it’s not good. Just to add to my woes, regular readers will know that I put £18,000.00 into Government Bonds for a bit of fun. In the first 5 months, I won 7 prizes. In the last 5 months, I have not won a bean.

Saturday, 4th July, 2026

It might be Independence Day in the USA but only in name while they remain in thrall to the Trumpist regime. At least we know he is on the downward slope of power although we can’t be sure Americans won’t be mad enough to elect the fascist Vance. Around Europe most political leaders will be hoping for a change.

In Greece, former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is looking to make a come back and arguing that while much of Europe is turning its back on MAGA, Greece is doubling down on the relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump by supporting his military movements. Actually, right wing Greeks tend to have an affinity with Russia and the strong man regime. I even heard one hotel owner extolling the achievements of Hitler for his total control.

Greeks are very political and social but also susceptible to romantic bluster. There is a naivety to popular Greek political thought. The Greeks’ holidays are about a month away when the mainland moves to the islands to avoid the suffocating heat of Athens. The island coffee shops and cafes become the arena for political debate but with a cooling sea breeze.

In Spain, the PSOE, Socialist Workers’ Party are in power but I can’t say I know the culture at all. It is one of the downsides of spending much of my time in this detached, gated community. It is quiet and relaxing but sheltered from the hurly burly of real life. We go out walking for a few hours each day but in the more residential streets of Los Altos not in the town.

A lot of our time is spent here, swimming, cooking and eating, reading and writing, washing and ironing, living a ‘normal’ life. And yet, it is more sophisticated and less homespun than our former, Greek island life. The pools are quiet, clean, constantly maintained and delicious to swim in with a relaxing jacuzzi afterwards. The sun is so hot on the tiled surround that getting out of the pool is at risk of boiling your feet. It is so pain … ful!

Sunday, 21st June, 2026

Welcome to the Longest Day. It is all downhill from here. Allegory for Life. Warmest night so far. The temperature didn’t fall below 26C/79F through the dark hours. We are starting our 5th full day here of 28 in total. Having spent 2 weeks here last year, we have dropped back in to the groove immediately and it feels like we have been here forever.

Already, we are talking about coming for 2 months next summer and driving. It would be so much easier than our drive to Greece. Portsmouth Ferry Terminal is just 33 miles from our house in UK. It makes sense having the car with us giving us extra flexibility. The ferry journey is a long 33 hrs and not cheap. I pulled this example up to see. On top of the price shown, we would need a comfortable cabin as well.

The drive from Bilbao is fantastic and is half that of our previous drives to Ancona. It takes us through Zaragoza which has a magical attraction for me. It is a name I heard in my boyhood and fired my imagination for travel to European parts.

In adulthood, Zaragoza looks so interesting that we might just build in a couple of days there to explore either on the way out or on the way back.

On a sad note, it was on this day last year that Pauline’s sister, Phyllis, died in A&E after a fall just short of her 88th birthday. Incredible to think that she has been gone for a year.

Monday, 22nd June, 2026

It’s 10.00 am and already 32C/90F outside. I did something dreadful yesterday. I didn’t complete my exercise routine. It actually felt shameful like not brushing my teeth or showering. I got up aching and tired and gradually thought, Sod it. I’m having a day off. I did swim for longer to make up for it and I’m aching in places that I don’t normally use in exercise.

We are so lucky to have the pools to ourselves for great chunks of the day. They are heated even in this weather and kept beautifully. There are very few birds around here at the best of times but the pool is a tempting oasis at which to snatch a drink. The Management have fixed up a bird of prey kite which flutters quite effectively over each pool deterring most birds.

Anyway, I got up determined to go out early on a long walk before it got too hot and then we hear that a lectern and speakers were being set up in Downing Street and I knew I couldn’t go out yet.

The inevitable came and I was sad for an emotional Keir Starmer who has tried his best but been found wanting. He was the right person to make Labour electable again but not to deliver for and connect with the electorate. Actually he had achieved a lot in two years but who knew? He couldn’t communicate it warmly and effectively enough.

Now, like all the mad dogs and Englishmen, I will have to go out for a long walk in the heat of the midday sun. To be fair to her, my wife will walk with me with a big hat to shade her. I have to try to negotiate a route that doesn’t go past clothes shops.

I made the mistake on Saturday to go past this aircraft hangar of clothes and had to do 30 mins of watching her browse. She picked out two, loose fitting dresses suitable for hot weather. They were both labelled Small. Luckily for me, they were both still too big for her.

Ironically, as we swelter in Spain, the local newspaper forecast this morning that our home area would be the hottest place in the UK this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed for the garden.

Tuesday, 23rd June, 2026

I’m in Spain to escape the heat of the UK and life goes on but this Blog will be, in part, backward looking. No change there then. In retirement, I rediscovered friends from my College who I haven’t seen for more than 50 years. It is something many old people do when they have more time in Retirement. They feel driven to research their origins and reconnect with their past. I am one.

I was already researching my Family Tree but it was during the Pandemic and Lock Down that I began to be contacted by old friends from my College days. Some had been close friends but some I barely knew at the time. One such was John Morris.  John and I didn’t move in the same circles in College. Over three years there we can’t have talked more than a couple of times. However, In the past 5 or 6 years, we have talked regularly on social media and found quite a few interests in common especially poltical. I found him engaging and commited.

John was a Geographer which explains our distance at the time. He married Janet Preece who was in the Year before us and who I wasn’t aware of at all. After College, like me he had achieved an Honours Degree and a Masters. Unlike me, he had produced two lovely children. He had travelled and worked all over the world and led an interesting life.

I was aware he had experienced a number of health problems in recent years.  It was little more than three weeks ago when he announced the shocking news that his cancer had seriously developed and had been told he had 18 months left.

Last night I read the sad news that he had died during the day. I can only imagine its effect on his wife, Jan, and the rest of his family. There is nothing one can say which doesn’t sound like a plattitude particularly if you don’t believe in an after life which I don’t.

I will carry thoughts of him with me as I go about my day but the harsh truth is that the day will go ahead irrespective. It is 10.00 am inside and 32C/90F outside. It is going to be a long, hot walk followed by a refreshing swim. The two pools are delightful and the exacting etiquette expectations suit two, old teachers. I’ve put my wife in charge of enforcing them on the other rarely seen swimmers.

There is also the shifting political landscape to follow and an England match for my wife to enjoy this evening. I am still alive and will never give up.

Wednesday, 24th June, 2026

We are just starting our second week in Spain. And the heat goes on everywhere. The media all across Europe seem obsessed with it. Certainly, British TV/Radio this morning can talk about little else. It is true that UK citizens are not prepared for these extended periods of high temperatures. We learnt to live with them all Summer long in Greece where they were hotter but less remarkable. In UK everyone panics in a couple of hot days.

Having said that, I was talking and warning of this when we lived in Greece. The first selling point of Mediterranean destinations is weather – reliable, predictable hot sunshine. As the globe heats up, the Med. gets too hot and UK certainly hot enough to not need to travel. At the same time, we need to take mitigating actions for a comfortable life.

We have been discussing (You could say prevaricating …) these possible arrangements for the last three years – both installing Solar Power generation and Air Conditioning – and how long it would take for the outlay to be recouped and what its addition would do to the house value. I really don’t know what the cost would be but I am currently anticipating it will be £20 – 30,000.00 and it is certainly becoming more urgent as we grow older.

We installed a number of Air Con. units in Greece. Each room unit required a wall unit and a dedicated Condenser outside. Greeks would fit an empty plastic water bottle to capture the water produced. I didn’t even know until recently that it was possible to run multiple wall units off one external condenser. That is what we will go for.

Of course, there will be a sizeable installation cost followed by a larger electricity cost to run it which is why it would make sense going the whole hog and installing solar power at the same time to supply it. We have the perfect, South-facing roof which captures every available ray of sunshine. It will comfortably take double the number of panels cited in this ad. and we would combine it with a battery installed in the Gym/Garage.

Hopefully, we will have another 15 years in this house during which we will be driving an electric car so getting the infrastructure in place now would be sensible. We have spent the past few days discussing all of this and the decision is that we won’t put it off any longer. When we go home in three weeks, we will call suppliers/installers to give us their thoughts and potential costings so we will then be faced with an informed decision.

Thursday, 25th June, 2026

It’s always a shock when someone dies young. We have an expectation of life into retirement and relaxed old age – at least three score years and ten – extending into the future. This morning it was announced that a lad I taught some years ago had unexpectedly died at the horribly young age of 49. It was exactly what happened to my father and haunted me before I reached 50.

I had not thought about this lad since he left school. He was not particularly notable although he was pleasant, personable and no trouble. He didn’t stand out as particularly bright in an academic sense. He was sporty and fun but the sort of lad I would have expected to slot comfortably in to a manual job to earn a living.

It just shows what I know and how wrong I can be. I never cease to be amazed at my lack of understanding and judgement. Another of my pupils alerted me to Martin’s death and linked me to sites around Oldham which featured him. It turns out that Martin had set up two plastics manufacturing companies creating and installing Laboratory Plastic Ductwork. Where did he get that from? Certainly not from me.

In school, he was into music and drama but I was shocked to learn that, in his spare time, he and his wife ran a live music venue in Oldham with indoor performances and outdoor festivals.

Just in case he was in danger of being idle and getting bored, he was also a leading light in Oldham’s PHAB Association which I’m ashamed to admit I had never heard of but now know is a charity where disabled and non-disabled people get to take part in all manner of exciting and challenging activities together.

Everything about him and his life has been the opposite of mine – rooted in people, the social and his home town. Quite humbling really and makes me feel rather ashamed. I resolve it in my own mind by observing that we were totally different characters but it certainly gives me pause for thought.

Friday, 26th June, 2026

Current Temperatures are certainly dominating the discussion at the moment and related directly to Global Warming. We had a cooler day in Spain yesterday reaching just 28C but very, very humid. After a 5 mile walk, my shirt was heavier than me when I got back. However, so many of us are glued to our smartphone weather apps. I know I am. There is some discrepancy between app data but it is the best we have.

While we were 28C yesterday, our home village on the South Coast touched an incredible 39C/102F for a few minutes. Even Greater Manchester was 33C and media reports were all about records being broken. My record is 44C/111F in Athens 20 years ago and I thought I was dying. This morning at 9.40 am it is 26C here and it is 26C in Angmering where it is an hour earlier. Thank goodness my automatic watering system is working well. I’ve been monitoring it on the cameras.

We seldom go into Worthing town centre but on a rare occasion we did a couple of months ago, we walked through the Montague Centre down to the pier. It looked disappointingly shabby and disgustingly filthy with bird droppings everywhere. It is a feature of seaside towns with seagulls and pigeons fouling the area. Pauline immediately decided she was going to do something about it.

She contacted Worthing Environmental Health who said they were aware of the problem and that it formed a threat to public health but the Centre was privately owned and they were persuading the owners to rectify the problem. Pauline wasn’t put off by that. She immediately contacted our wonderful and energetic new Labour MP, Dr Beccy Cooper who told her she could quote her complete backing in her action.

Pauline contacted the owners of the Centre – Cayuga Homes – who it turns out are proposing to build apartments there above the shops and were keen to get everyone involved in the clean up. Pauline got the agreement that the action would happen and yesterday it was reportedly starting. It may be a relatively small thing in a relatively small place but she’s made a change.

This morning, my walk will include a search for scorpions. I wonder if you’ve ever seen one in the wild, Dear Reader. I have seen quite a few in my Greek garden. I’ve seen the effect it had on a little cat who was stung and in agony. Was this area of Scorpion Street a site for them? Maybe, I will find out and contact Environmental Health.

Saturday, 27th June, 2026

Well, I’ve done it again. Returned from a 5 mile walk yesterday, dripping with sweat and off to the pool. The target 24 lengths completed, I start to climb out when a lump in my swimming shorts alerts me. I enjoyed the swim but I didn’t think it had been that arousing. Hand in pocket and there was my mobile. Sinking feelings give way to panic. I dried it off with my towel, tried it and …. It was still WORKING.

I knew better than to celebrate too quickly. I did exactly the same thing here this time last year, It switched on and worked but screamed at me when I tried to recharge it. And so it was this time. Fortunately, my Technical Director took over with tissues and a hairdryer. Case off, stylus out, 10 minutes hot air. Soon, everything was back to normal. My left hand was restored to full working order. More importantly, credit cards, travel cards, boarding passes, etc, were now available again.

I had two contacts from home yesterday. One was very welcome and the other less so. I wrote a few days ago about a phormium plant that we put in a decade ago when we moved into our house. It was supposed to produce tall, flowering spikes in the summer but never had. Just as we came away a couple of weeks ago, the spikes appeared but the flowers hadn’t opened. Yesterday, my neighbour, Jill, sent me this photo and I love it.

The other contact was less welcome. At 3.00 am, I was woken from deep sleep by a noise which I groggily recognised as someone ringing our doorbell. Suddenly realising I wasn’t at home to answer it, I checked my newly restored phone to find an earwig running right over the bell’s camera lens and triggering the alarm. Checking the security cameras, I could see what the earwig was running away from. Outside was a cloudburst happening. I couldn’t blame it trying to avoid drowning. I would just have preferred it hadn’t chosen my bell as a lifeboat.

Sunday, 14th June, 2026

I’m leaving on a jet plane …. tomorrow although it’s beautiful outside this morning. It isn’t hot and I want hot. I also like planning and leaving as little to chance as possible. So that is my job. In the sunshine this morning, I am programming and positioning accurately the automatic watering systems. My Housekeeper is completing the washing and ironing and packing. Soon we will be ready for the journey. All the neighbours are instructed with their responsibilities. That’s my job – to keep them in line.

In 2009, I was just completing the planning of a 1500 km drive across Europe to our Greek home. These were times before Sat.Navs. which have transformed life for people like me with no sense of direction. I used online routemasters to produce an itinerary with distances and timings. I did all the driving and my Navigator kept me on the right road. If you click to open the route plan, you will see that I drove non-stop from 8.30 am as we rolled off the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry and drove through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy arriving at the port of Ancona just over 24hrs later. By that time, I was having to hold my eyes open with pegs but it was one of my favourite parts of the time away.

I’ve checked in online at our Hotel at Gatwick Airport and downloaded Boarding Passes and Executive Lounge Passes on to our phones. I’ve made Whatsapp contact with the girl who manages the property we are renting so she knows our flights and arrival times although they may be tricky depending on the Passport/Entry System. Whatsapp is brilliant though for easy and immediate communication.

Another improvement recently has been for a change to restrictions throught Gatwick Airport. For quite a while, we have not been able to carry liquids of more than 100 ml bottles. Now we can have 2 ltr containers and they don’t have to be put in plastic bags. I can take my aftershave and we can carry suncream, etc which is much more expensive in Europe.

Even more importantly for me, I don’t have to unpack all my electrical gadgets and place them in separate trays> I used to have to unpack bags of Laptop, iPads, Kindles, Smartphones, PowerBank, Firestick plus all the cables. Now, everything can be left in place and the scanner can detect and pass it. That feels wonderful and speeds up the process.

The Smiths Detection System is a digital screening platform which detects explosives, weapons, contraband, toxic chemicals, narcotics, and biological threats. I was amazed to read that the old rules had been in place for 18 years – the year before I retired and seriously started trotting the globe.

Here I am spending three months in Europe but not really taking many risks while my old friend, John Ridley, is in South Korea. I find myself doing a double take just writing that. I know John’s son is living and working in South Korea but it is a long way and a challenging culture for a Yorkshire man. I am genuinely impressed with his sense of ambition.

Monday, 15th June, 2026

Half way through June already. One week away from the Longest Day of the year. It is all downhill from there. The patterns of life go on and there is some safety in that. Anticipated, they ultimately become undemanding or life dulling. That’s one of the reasons for travelling. For the next month, I will not be putting the bins out on Monday and consulting my diary to know which ones. I will not be shopping at Sainsburys on Thursdays or mowing all the lawns on Fridays. So many day to day tasks will be eschewed and I will be challenged to do different, new, unusual things.

Our minds and bodies need those challenges to refresh and expand. I invite and welcome that. What I don’t welcome is trying to ban the modern world. It is often attempted by frightened people but it never works. It is very easy to work around. If I was a child now, I would be putting up a website with clear instructions to other children on how to get round this ludicrously ill-conceived ban on social media. Get a Free (VPN) Virtual Private Network and be in a different country where there is no ban in seconds.

Just consider the lunacy of giving 16 year olds the right to vote for a government which has prevented them following the news and views on social media.

You cannot put the future back into a box marked PAST. It is always wrong and failing. Just ask the Luddites. Ludditism was a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who smashed automated machinery to protest job losses, poor wages, and deteriorating working conditions. The fear was that machines would take over and, of course, they did but they didn’t destroy jobs. They created new ones.

In just the same way, I am embracing (AI) Artificial Intelligence in my work. It is exciting and incredibly powerful. Just as 19th-century workers were able to get machines to do the back breaking work they previously had to do so AI is doing the hard work of research and reducing hours, days, weeks of work to minutes. It doesn’t replace workers ultimately. It redefines their roles.

See you in Spain, Dear Reader. It’s going to be an interesting month of sun and swimming, of sun and walking and of hot sunshine and, maybe, a glass of wine.

Tuesday, 16th June, 2026

Flying abroad emphasises the separation. I struggle with it. I know it has to be accepted but I find it hard. Our flight yesterday was strange in that it was not full. The flight had lots of empty seats. For the middle of June it seemed strange. The airport at Alicante was mainly a ghost town. We went through the digital registration system with no pressure or queueing.

We had been led to believe that queueing at passport control was up to 4 hrs. It turned out to be 4 mins and the staff were delightful. There was no pressure for a taxi. We got one immediately and simultaneously messaged our Management Rep.. Just 45 mins later and €90.00 lighter, we arrived at our home for the next month.

It is a delightful, gated community of about 20, three storey detached properties that enjoy lovely grounds and two pools . Most are personally owned. A couple, like ours, are let out but the feeling is of polite respect and quiet relaxation. Ours is only let out for a few weeks a year which is why we chose it. The comparison with a suite in a city hotel in Greece is instructive. A week in Thessaloniki or Athens costs about £4000.00. A month in this Duplex in Spain costs less than that.

We had to do a check on what is needed to get through life in the property for 4 weeks comfortably. We walked out to the local Super Mercado to stock up on essentials. The rule is to never trust products left in the property by someone else. The essentials are bolstered by bottles of wine and a snack meal. We want nothing more today.

It is 28C/83F outside when we lay out a snack of salad, cheese, prawns and humous with iced white Rioja on our patio table overlooking one of the pools. I have fitted my Amazon Firestick on the TV so we can watch anything here that we watch at home. The patterns of life continue unbroken.

Wednesday, 17th June, 2026

I was so tired last night after a long day that I went to bed at 10.00 pm and slept soundly until 5.30 am. Once awake, I rarely go back to sleep. I checked the CCTV at home to find it had rained over night which is pleasing. I read some emails and a Whatsapp from my friend, Kevin in Leeds and then listened to a political podcast. The temperature outside over night remained at 22C/72F but the house was perfectly comfortable with the air-conditioning running non stop from the moment we moved in.

Up at 6.00 am and BBC Radio 4 on as usual. And life begins just in a different location. The first thing we purchased when we went out yesterday was this Rolls Royce of shopping trolleys. It will make the 15 mins walk back from the supermarket in 80C + of heat much more comfortable.

Unfortunately, the fresh orange squeezing machine was out of order when we got to the local, Consum Supermercado so this morning I’ve had to drink a commercial alternative. High on the list yesterday were oats, sultanas Stevia sweetener powder and fresh milk.

There did have to be a few compromises. I have only drunk totally skimmed milk for the past 40 years but you just don’t seem to be able to find it in Greece or Spain. Had to settle for semi-skimmed. Yes, I know Dear Reader. I will battle through it. In Sainsburys, there are multiple choices of oats. In Consum, there were just two.

Anyway, this morning I have had a large cup of Yorkshire tea (brought with us) followed by a perfectly acceptable bowl of home made muesli although the oats aren’t the best flavour and the milk is a bit fatty.

We’ll be going back this morning to stock up on staples like washing machine and dishwasher tablets.

No one can live a proper life without Pesto. It has to be freshly made and that requires freshly cut Basil. We have that at home in the garden. Here we have had to buy the ingredients needed to make fresh pesto plus a mechanical processor to aid the Chef. The last item was bought from Bejing Bazar – a massive, football pitch sized emporium which sells everything you can think of plus many things you can’t.

In spite of it’s size, we were its only customers. It was like one, huge Open All Hours shop where you could ask for a plug, hosepipe, bra, summer dress, cap, wine glasses, barbecue …. and they would say, Which size and colour? in Spanish with a Chinese accent. Don’t you just love the world? When we arrived at the house, it was being cleaned by two girls – one Polish and the other Russian. The management is English and Spanish. This is one reason why I enjoy it so much.

Thursday, 18th June, 2026

Over night the temperature hovered around 24C/75F outside. Inside, it was icy and delicious for sleeping. England were playing at 10.00 pm Spanish time. After a long day starting at 5.30 am yesterday with long walks in hot sun, a bottle of wine with a wonderful Supper of roast Hake Loin and Salad,

I was tired before it started. By Half Time, it seemed like the old England of the last 60 years. I went to bed. Waking at 5.30 am, I found it had rained over night at home (wonderful) and England had played a much better Second Half (amazing) and won the match (unbelievable).

Over in Dallas to watch the match, K and his lads had flown from his Florida home. At least England made it worth their while.

I listened to a political podcast which suggested the euphoria over Burnham’s chances in the Makerfield byelection may not be founded in reality of the Makerfield constituency. It will be fatal for Labour if he doesn’t do it. I definitely won’t be staying up through the night to find out.

The first event of the morning is to return to the Bejing Bazar where my wife spotted a pair of dumbbells that would allow her to continue her morning exercise routine.

My favourite area of the Consum Supermercado is the fresh fish display. I have to go with my Google Translate ready on my phone to check what things are. I was looking for Swordfish (Pez espada). When I thought I’d found it, the label said, (Tiburón) which turned out to be Shark. I’ve always wanted to try it so now may well be the time.

Friday, 19th June, 2026

After a long hot day, we decided that a swim would be reviving. It was delightful, so delightful that Pauline asked me to take her picture in the pool. I managed to frame her perfectly, as you will see Dear Reader.

Lovely evening yesterday and very warm. In the humid dusk of the enveloping evening, eating a lovely meal of roast salmon with home-made pesto topping and salad accompanied by an icy bottle of white Rioja on the lower patio we were looking out across the lawns and one of the pools towards Torrevieja and the sea,

It had been a very hot day in which I had done two long walks followed by a swim and jacuzzi to relax the muscles. That accompanied by the wine made me so tired that I went to bed at 10.30 pm (CET) and was fast asleep before the polls closed in Makerfield but I was woken by an alarm on my watch and phone.

Groggy and half asleep, I suddenly realised it was the Ring Doorbell at home in England. My phone showed it was 11.50 pm in Spain / 10.50 pm in UK. It also said a person was at my front door.

The video showed a man in shorts, walking across the front lawn holding a mobile phone with its torch facility on. At 10.50 pm, you have to admit, that is suspicious. It wasn’t going to be a delivery at that time. From this distance, through sleep-hazed eyes, it felt a little threatening.

My first thought was that it was a cool, calm character who was casing the joint. He walked round a up to the Lounge window, looking intently, searching for something. He returned to the front door with camera light shining on it. He then turned right and down my Drive towards the Garage. I logged in to our CCTV cameras and watched him turn towards our neighbour’s house. Should I phone the police?

I Whatsapped my neighbours on the left but they were rubbish. Apparently they were already in bed themselves. Pauline phoned our neighbours, Jill & John on the right who immediately apologised. It wasn’t a burglar. It was John searching for their cat who hadn’t returned.

I must admit I was too slow to recognise him. Quite reassuring, though, to have the warning alarm and the visual evidence. I’m so glad I had the security installed even if it was a false alarm this time.

Unfortunately, it took me so long to get back to sleep that I found myself checking my phone for the Makerfield result. If there was anything to raise the spirits, it was the stonking win for Andy Burnham who destroyed the Deform Party candidate. If you analyse the figures, it is obviously a tactical vote for the anything-to-keep-Deform-out movement. Greens, Lib. Dems., even Tories fell in behind Labour. That is what must be replicated across the country in the next election.

Saturday, 20th June, 2026

Very humid evening after a long, sweaty day of walking, a cool, refreshing swim and jacuzzi, shower and then Supper with political talk on the patio overlooking the lights.

This Duplex is well equipped which is what appeals to me. I only bring a handful of shorts and tee shirts because I also bring an adept Laundry woman and it has an excellent washing machine. Although it is in Spanish, she gets to grips with it easily.

The Kitchen is very small but it has most things we need including a large fridge/freezer, a built-in microwave with a single oven below that and a dishwasher below that. It has a ceramic hob, kettle, toaster and coffee maker.

We have super fast Wi-Fi which is a major selling point for me because I run a laptop and iPads on it as well as the television/radio. It is strong all round the house, out on the patio and even upstairs on the sun terrace. I can listen to podcasts in bed, BBC Radio 4 over breakfast, Sky rolling news, Sky Sports Test Matches, The World Cup matches on the main UK channels, Channel 4 News, Netflix/Amazon Prime for Drama through my Amazon Firestick I’ve plugged in at the back of the TV. Home has moved to Spain.

Just as at home, I do my walking routine although there are a lot of steep slopes around here. Don’t have a Gym but that is a small price to pay. I’ve added swimming instead. At the age of 75, it’s important to have emergency contacts to hand in case of medical emergency. Fortunately, this property posts them on the inside of the front door like hotels tend to do.

Sunday, 7th June, 2026

Another week. Another glorious morning. A day of end to end sunshine which will reach 32C/90F. Up early to get a walk in before the peak heat of the day.

It is about 3.5 miles down to the landmark statue of Alexander the Great – a hugely significant character in Macedonian history. The girl who serves us in the VIP Lounge is called Alexi as so many girls here are. I remember being surprised on Corfu/Κέρκυρα in 1982 to find that about 30% of men were called Spyros named after Saint Spyridon. Anyway, 7 miles in 27C/81F is enough for the morning and I will need a clean, dry shirt on return.

Down below us in Aristotle Square, the Beach Volley Championships are going along in spite of the heat. The scaffolding tower housing the television cameras reaches well above the spectators seating but I was surprised to look up in the sky and see this bird hovering. Morning and evening swifts and swallows dart and swoop in huge numbers to sweep the sky clean of insects but this bird – a TV Drone just hovered steadily collecting overhead views of the sport and beaming it back to the screens. Ancient & Modern jostling for popularity.

Our Suite in this hotel has improved over the years to the point where we have worked our way up to the best. The people – Chamber Maids, Cleaners, Personal Assistants – are absolutely delightful. The make the stay delightful and take such pride in their work. After a long walk this morning, we had a light lunch in the VIP Lounge and then a salad on the patio of our rooms this evening, relaxing and watching the sun go down. It is just then that the swifts and swallows come out to play with such speed and energy as we are winding down.

Monday, 8th June, 2026

Don’t you just love Monday mornings? We’ve survived another Sunday, Dear Reader. It is 8.30 am / 6.30 am (GMT) and the temperature is 28C/82F. It is extremely humid this morning and energy sapping. That is before my long walk.

I walk along the side of the sea down past the ancient White Tower which I featured last week, down past the monument to Alexander the Great which I featured yesterday and on to the Sailing Club and, if I’m feeling particularly strong, right down to the Opera House.

Other than the natural charms of the area and the wonderful tavernas, there are few concessions to tourism. There are the pleasure boat cruises around the bay, the open top bus to hop-on-hop-off and electric scooters for the lazy.

Even so, walking or promenading is extremely popular here. The Greeks and Italians call it volta.

The latest tourist money-making machine is the instant vintage newspaper souvenir camera booth. It is a portable camera + laser printer with a set up to drop the photograph directly into a newspaper front page and print out before the tourists can walk past you. It is a very popular replacement for the Wish you were Here post card of previous times. Even so, I know some old wrinklies who still love to get a postcard because social media is too frightening for them so there is something for everyone. I just like communicating, keeping the links open. We are a long time dead.

Tuesday, 9th June, 2026

Our 4th year in Thessaloniki has ended. It is 6.00 am Greek Time / 4.00 am (GMT). I have been awake for an hour and listening to The News Agents podcast. Up to Breakfast and then down to checkout. At 8.30 am a taxi is called for us. Alexi, our taxi driver talks non-stop about his city – Thessalonik – with massive pride. At the airport, his bill is €28.00 and we give him €40.00 for his enthusiasm.

Macedonia Airport is small, quiet and delightful. We arrive 3 hours early, go straight through security control and up to our Executive Lounge. The Sky Lounge is delightful for its exclusivity. This morning there were three of us with comfortable chairs and tables, good wifi and lots of refreshments from food and drink to bottles of wine and anything else we would desire.

The Departures Board announced our Gate to go to. We go early to make sure we can get our cases in the first two rows where we sit. Everything is going fine. Our flight has arrived on time and then it is announced that there is a problem.

Refuelling has revealed a technical problem which has to be resolved. A Fire Engine has arrived. We are on the tarmac and have to return to the Terminal. This has never happened to us before. We imagined having to find a hotel for the night and staying over, It didn’t wory us but created a logistical problem.

Anyway, we got to know some delightful people in the queue waiting to find out what was happening. I talked to this lovely, young girl – just 26 years old – who thought I could sort it out for her. We talked to her about the news, about politics and whether she had heard of Andy Burnham. She hadn’t, she relied on her husband for the news and wasn’t really sure who the PrimeMinister was. I told her off and treated her like an errant child. She loved it.

When we arrived at Gatwick Airport, she rushed up to tell us that her family had berated her for having to be told off by us and for not knowing about the By-election and the significance of it. She was lovely and totally representative of Gen. Z. She proved what a glorious girl she is whatever her ignorance. I’m really warming to Gen Z. They are the future.

Wednesday, 10th June, 2026

I woke up freezing. Couldn’t feel my legs. Thought I might be paralysed until I checked my phone to find it was only 8C/46F over night – a ridiculous temperature for June. Just as well I’ve only got 5 more nights at home and then off to Gatwick again for a month in Spain. Won’t be cold there.

Unfortunately, we are not flying into the small and friendly Murcia Airport on this occasion. The timings were all wrong so we are going through Alicante Airport this time. We booked it in December last year and couldn’t have predicted what would come up. Yesterday we sailed through Macedonia Airport in a matter of minutes because Greece has suspended the new, biometric system on the grounds that it wasn’t working well enough.

At least we are not going for a weekend but for 4 weeks which gives us long enough to get over any frustrations. I’m currently exploring whether I can pay for VIP Fast Track Security Channel as we can do in Athens. The property we are renting is the one we booked last year for 2 weeks through Booking.com. It was absolutely delightful but this time we have booked directly through the letting agents to reduce the price.

Although there only two of us, to get the space and facilities we want, we have to rent a bigger property than we need. In this gated Development, there are a moderate number of individual properties that are three floors. Ours has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen/diner/lounge, a Breakfast area immediately outside on the patio and then a huge sunroof with sunbeds, barbecue and dining tables under a covered pergola. The whole sunroof has expansive views over the gardens and two pools and out over the sea.

Feeling quite tired after a long, travelling day yesterday and I have a huge list of jobs stretching out in front of me today. I will almost certainly have to give my walking a miss for once.

Thursday, 11th June, 2026

Talk about coming home with a bump. The weather is emphasising that. This morning, it is cool and damp – light rain and just 15C/59F. Get me out of here!

We leave for a month in Spain on Monday and the weather looks good as far as one can see. I was shattered last night because my head was still in Greece which is two hours ahead of UK. At least the adjustment will be softened with just one hour difference in Spain.

This morning I’ve been contacting the management of our hotel in Thessaloniki to thank them for their service and for the presents they give us as we leave. The first time, it was a bottle of local olive oil which is long gone now. Then we were given an Electra Palace scented candle which my wife swears literally smells of the hotel. Next year it was a steel dove from the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art. This year, we rather gulped as we were given a very heavy copy of a book of illustrations of the delights of Thessaloniki. We only had carry-on luggage and wondered how we would cope with the extra burden.

Well, we managed it and it will live on the bookshelves for the next few years. We may even take it out and look at it occasonally particularly when it is cold and wet like today.

Today is haircut day. Drives me mad sitting still that long but it has to be done. I sit in the kitchen on an inclement day like today so I can watch a political programmed or rolling news while my hair is being cut and the process is almost tolerable.

Friday, 12th June, 2026

It was 16C/61F over night but didn’t feel like it. The morning has opened grey and with a little damp in the air. With just 3 full days left at home, we are still ticking off the jobs needed to be completed before we fly. This morning, I have had to go down to the Surgery to book a PSA Test for when I come back from Spain. It has to be done a week before my bi-annual cancer review. It is always a little nervy.

I’ve got the street’s grass to mow and my Under Gardener will make sure the hedge is trimmed to last a month without attention. I’ve got two automatic watering systems to set up and get the timings right so need to put them through a dummy run. We are cutting lettuces but they have been slower to develop than I’d hoped. Keeping my fingers crossed that they survive 4 weeks without me. They are delicious fresh from the garden.

Something strange and delightful is happening. We moved in to this house 10 years ago and we set about furnishing it inside and out with a will. As well as beds, settees, tables, etc, we were planting the outside enthusiastically. In July 2016, we were planting up the sides of the drive and we put in a Phormium – a native of New Zealand. It was less than 2ft tall at the time. In the summer, it was supposed to throw up flowering spikes and it never has …. until now.

Now it is about 8ft tall and has suddenly, in the week we were away in Greece, thrown up the most amazingly tall and strong flower spikes. Literally, in a weeek these spikes have arrived. Unfortunately, we go away on Monday and will miss the full flowering. They look as if they are going to be a pale yellow. I have asked Jill, my neighbour, to photograph them for me and send them on to Spain. The contract is that I will send back sunshine.

One person who will miss all flowering for ever more is the artist, David Hockney. His death was announced today at the age of 88. A life long smoker, he looked and sounded older than his age. I am so glad I gave up 42 years ago. I have little in common with Hockney but I have loved his work for a long time, particularly his digitally generated art.

It is the work of an old man creating art for our new age. I would love to have these hanging on the walls of my house.

Saturday, 13th June, 2026

Warm and sunny day to mark our last two at home for a month. At least it’s not Friday. Most things are done and ready but the automatic watering system failed when I came to set it up yesterday. I have a programmable unit that screws on to the outside tap and has two outlets at the base for two, separate hoses. These will be connected to two, wide arc sprayers which allow me to cover the whole of the back garden.

Unfortunately, they don’t at the moment because the unit’s stopped working. Fortunately, Amazon do ‘free’ next day delivery. I’ve ordered a new one which really suits a gadget man because it is remote control. Can’t wait.

It means I can water each side of the garden independently, for different durations and at different times.I can have them watered on alternative days and have the watering programme delayed if it rains. What fun!

Going away really does me good. The challenge of travel and making arrangements lifts my spirits. We have been back just 4 days and have got through so many tasks in that time with renewed energy and determination. To give the month away a relaxing start, we are spending the night in the Sofitel Gatwick which is just a walk across from Departures at the Airport.

Once again, quite amazingly, it is no more expensive to take the car to the Long Stay Carpark for a month than to get a taxi for the hour long journey to the airport so that is what we will do. The service is incredibly slick and user-friendly for such a massive set of interlinked parking areas. The only thing I have to do is not rush to park but find a comfortable end of row position to leave the car for 4 weeks safely.