Month: February 2024

Sunday, 18th February, 2024

Three years ago today, Winter ended, life was revived and a long awaited Spring arrived. Out of the mists of time, an old life seemed to offer hope. OK, maybe a bit melodramatic but never underplay things, Dear Reader.

The first ‘official’ UK Lockdown was still a month away but we had already self-imposed it. Being of the demographic most susceptible to Covid, we had withdrawn from our Health Club and largely withdrawn from meeting people. We were having home deliveries of supermarket shopping, exercising outside while preparing our Home Gym, wearing masks and feeling quite fearful of the future. Suddenly, it appeared that a single vaccination could solve all our problems and on this day we had ours. It felt momentous.

Our life had been disrupted, Three different travel arrangements including a couple of months booking of a villa in Tenerife had to be cancelled and the battle to reclaim the upfront payments was starting. It all took a long time but it is beginning to feel that we came through it largely unscathed. People are still being hospitalised with Covid. People are still dying of Covid. Some people’s live are utterly blighted with Long-Covid. We feel justified in our precautions. No Covid. We will live to see a Labour Government. And the life that was restarted three years ago will be re-invigorated by me this year.

At least it has turned into a lovely, sunny and warm day. We reached 17C/63F which was warmer than Athens and Florida. I am enjoying my diet and exercise routine and I am feeling determined. The thought for the day is: Never Give Up!

Monday, 19th February, 2024

My little brother, Bob, joins the unlucky 72th club today. We wish him happy birthday. He seems content in his retirement and particularly in his developing hobby of photography. I think the photograph was taken outside Buckingham Palace circa 1955. I’ve cut myself out of it to maintain its purity. Doesn’t he look a little angel? What a long way we’ve come.

Everything changes across time. Life is in a constant state of flux which may explain why we cling on to familiarities and routines – almost blindly – like some anchor in the eternal storm. In fact, this morning I was thinking about custom & practice as a general rule. It actually is a ‘thing’ in law and is defined as a long-standing occurrence that is continuously applied, acknowledged and expected by all. But it is the way human beings construct it in their lives that I wanted to consider today.

It has been a deliberate policy of mine for many years. I don’t always find it easy but I force myself to embrace change to find new opportunity for experience. I insist on being an early adopter of technology which can be really challenging for many older people. I try to embrace or at least explore new ideas and movements. I was reminded of this when we shopped this morning and I took out bags from the car.

Who even remembers the time when you turned up to the supermarket and were given unlimited plastic carrier bags to carry shopping away? Could you even put a year on when we were starting to phase them out? Well, it was 9 years ago. I remember taking a mountain of about 40 ‘free’ bags away to delay the problem but we quickly got into a pattern of taking our own bags. We bought lots in France and still use them for their cachet. Amazing how they become a talking point amongst shoppers. The world is still turning.

The Manchester Evening News sends me daily briefings of M24 and beyond. This morning, there was this feature. It meant something to me because we did a special trip to Oldham for an expatriate who couldn’t get Hollands Pies and Oven Bottom Muffins. It drew my attention further because the head baker at this featured bakery in Waterhead is one of Pauline’s in-laws. Ex-pats so often get a longing for what they have left behind.

I like to go back to meet people and places from my past but technology is so quick to advance and so exciting that I just have to go forward and have it as soon as possible. Age has made me a little more cautious. I don’t take quite as many risks but time is still of the essence. Honda seem to know that. They are constantly tempting me. They know I want their new car but I am trying to control myself … for a while.

Tuesday, 20th February, 2024

Our early for the first part of my annual medical review. The Surgery carpark was packed but the surgery waiting room was almost empty. Seems most people were queuing for prescriptions in the attached Pharmacy. I was seen on time and very briskly reviewed what has been a difficult year. Blood Pressure great – 124/74 pulse 55. Foot check produced, You’ve got good feet. Blood and Urine samples will be analysed and my second part of the review will be in a fortnight.

In this week a year ago, I was going for quite an uncomfortable biopsy which quickly found I had a reasonably aggressive prostate cancer. The consequence of that led to a year of discomfort but it is over now at least for a while.

Got home to a lot of junk mail on the mat. Only one item was for me. I wonder if you can guess which one. It is like this every day now and most is duplicated on email and text message as well. Yesterday was Hilary’s Blinds which we get every other week since we bought from them 7 years ago. Every week I get paper, email and text adverts from Toner Giant who I buy from once a year and every week we get piles of fliers delivered by hand from local businesses. I like junk mail but it can get a bit much.

Today, Labour has put out a reason for the retired to vote for them. They will guarantee the Triple Lock State Pension which is under attack all around. UK has one of the poorest State Pension provisions in the Western World and this will just stop many falling behind. It doesn’t bear thinking about how anyone exists purely on their state pension but, at least this helps.

Wednesday, 21st February, 2024

Well, it’s raining again. Beginning to think I’ve moved to live in Wales without realising it. At least there is one upside. No central heating. I don’t think I can remember a winter in my adult lifetime when we have hardly used the central heating. It is quite amazing. Even in Greece in October we put the underfloor heating on.

Yet another accident on the M62 this morning. This one has over a two hour delay on the stretch we would have been driving to work. It is only Wednesday and this is the third major incident of the week. I wonder why we didn’t move south earlier. It must have been some fatal attraction to the pain.

All the mood music is finally going against the Tories. We’ve had the popular backlash finally provoked by the Post Office drama on TV. We’ve had the first element of the Covid Enquiry televised in all its uncomfortable detail and now we’ve got the Covid drama perfectly written by Dr. Rachael Clarke who I’ve been following on Twitter (X) for the last few years and which is brilliantly dramatised by Jed Mercurio of Bodyguard and Line of Duty fame. Watched the first of three episodes of Breathtaking which dramatises those dreadful times of Covid overload in hospitals contrasted with the politicians and co-opted senior medics assuring us, falsely, that everything was fine.

While Johnson, Hancock and Harries assured us that everything was fine and there was plenty of PPE and covid tests for medical staff, nurses were in fact kitting themselves out with bin bags, doctors had inappropriate face masks and people were discharged without tests. Just another Tory scandal and we still have the Windrush to be settled along with the infected blood scandal to be faced. It’s all going very well.

Oh, to live a long and healthy life! The old guy on the right in this photograph was my First Year Tutor at college. When I arrived there in 1969, I thought he was so old. 55 years later, he is still standing and so is his wife. Lucky man.

Thursday, 22nd February, 2024

Yest another dull, wet day of low cloud and gloom. The temperature has stayed at 11C/52F night and day for 72 hours. Today is a shopping day. I took the risk and went down to LIDL! I know, Dear Reader, a worrying fall in standards but I only buy their Almond Milk. Not only is theirs the cheapest but it is the tastiest. I buy it in bulk and it is my go-to drink during the day.

Every week, Lidl seem to do a Flavour of the Week based on a country or a region. This week it is Italy. Normally, it would take my interest but we fell for this before when it was Greek Week and everything we bought was the cheapest, poorest quality thing we could have bought in Greece in the past.

We were on our way to the harbour fish shop for prawns and salmon. The seaside was deserted because of the weather. Nothing stops the seas and the tides. It was still coming in as I stopped to walk in the gentle rain this morning. There is a sort of foreboding in the green-grey sea crashing on the beach under leaden skies this morning.

This weather is making me lethargic and fed up. I should be doing so much but can’t really be bothered.

Back home via Sainsburys for the weekly shop. Something has happened in the past couple of weeks. Shelves are well stacked to overflowing. Fresh produce is plentiful. I love asparagus and eat it about 3 times a week along with Green/French beans. Suddenly there are boxes of both all the time. Some management decision has been made to effect this.

Back home for coffee and the latest political storm in a teacup. We’ll know by the end of the day whether the Speaker will still be in post. I don’t rate him anyway. He is intellectually and emotionally unsuited to managing the House of Commons but he was chosen by the Tories as an alternative to the mental acuity and emotional strength of Bercow who they engineered out after Brexit.

So easy to feel imprisoned by this weather – under house arrest. I will not allow it. I’m going to break free and start creating waves. Hold on, hold on ….

Friday, 23rd February, 2024

Bad night. Didn’t sleep well. Dreams drifting constantly across the screen of dreams. I don’t think I was watching anything which provoked this but a woman imprisoned in a room gagged and restricted kept going round and round. Last night I was watching the covid scandal dramatisation. Maybe that was the source. Anyway, I finally fell asleep when it was time to get up.

Learnt yesterday of the death of a man who taught Economics in our school for about a decade in the 1980s. He was just 69 and had moved out of teaching and into Local Authority work in North Wales. That’s probably what did for him.

I feel at a loose end. A Times journalist wrote this week of being in God’s Waiting Room and, while I don’t believe in any god, it does feel a bit like marking time and waiting for something to happen. It goes totally against the grain. I hate mindlessness and time filling. Got to get a project on the go.

At the moment, I am reduced to listening to political podcasts and chatting to friends across the country. Most of them are retired and are experiencing similar challenges so understand the problem. I am trying to distract myself by investigating and preparing for my next car which is likely to be a Honda CR-V e:PHEV Plug-in hybrid.

The Honda Connect which we have at the moment is greatly upgraded with many more facilities. Currently, our car has a built in 3G mobile phone connection for emergencies. It is enhanced in the new model to allow for remote charging, remote heating up/defrosting, remote Find my Car facility and remote Intruder Alert/Security Alarm all linked to our phones. It even has an automatic parking facility. Everything a man of a certain age and with the prospect of onset dementia could need. Now all I need is a spare £57,000 and and to put in an order.

Quite a nice day outside but I’m going in the Gym to watch the Test Match. I should have done this in earlier years. Exercising while watching sport is so much better for me than being a passive spectator.

Saturday, 24th February, 2024

Another poor night. Don’t know what is wrong with me but my dreams are haunting at the moment. Blink twice for yes. Up late but out early to drive to Surrey. Great motorways today. M, P&C are back from Florida for a few days. We are hoping to donate our Lounge TV to P&C. It is a 65″ Samsung smart TV which will fill their lounge.

Today I’ve ordered an update 75″ Samsung edition which I’ve been considering for a few days. We have 6 other TVs as it is and nowhere else to put our current model and thought it would help P&C.

It was lovely to see M back home from Florida. We need to get back there to join her in the near future. She made us a lovely Lunch of Soup (Pea & Ham), Salad & Sushi. It was delicious. It was great to see her and share our thoughts. She is a kind girl. I took this photo at the bottom of her garden.

Back home after driving through Cobham rather than the M25, we relaxed into a bottle of pink champagne with cheese and biscuits. During the day, I talked to my Northern friends – Julie, Kevin, JohnR and JohnM. England crashed out to Scotland in the Calcutta Cup. I am left with a hole in my life.

Sunday, 11th February, 2024

Gorgeously sunny and warm morning – just right for a birthday. Ironically, my friend Kevin in Leeds is flying to Alicante this morning from Manchester Airport which is enveloped in thick fog – so thick that you can’t see the planes on the runway. Let’s hope he takes off sometime today. If he gets there, the forecast is for a good week of sunshine. Should help with his persistent SAD syndrome side effects.

For me, totally grounded on the sunny South Coast, the process has well and truly begun. This is breakfast. I have to drink a litre of enema plus clear liquid. You know you’re jealous, Dear Reader. I’ve already tried to get my wife to drink it for me without success. I don’t know what happened to love, honour and obey but there is a distinct lack of it in our kitchen this morning.

The solution – a powder from a sachet diluted in 500 mls of tepid water – is supposed to be Mango flavour. That chemical mixture is about as far from a mango as Kevin currently is from Alicante. It’s horrible and it has to be followed by another 500 mls of a clear liquid and champagne is not allowed. My one meal of the day will be Beef Consommé …. Oh, what joy. Going to distract myself by going in the Gym – at least it’s close to the ‘Facilities’.

The second sachet – Fruit Punch flavour – is a 7.00 pm. Should be an interesting night. I’ve done my exercise routine of 90 mins in the Gym and now I have a cup of black tea to look forward to. Still, I requested this so this is what I will have to endure.

My wife says I am pushing it too hard in the Gym at the moment. When I come out, she says my lips have turned white as if all the blood has drained. I’ve always pushed things further than I should but, currently, I am trying to get my fitness back to my pre-cancer treatment level and it’s taking longer than I want. In the Gym, I’m watching yet another Cold War spy drama at the moment – Berlin Station. I have absolutely no idea why or where my taste for these comes from but I get absolutely hooked on them and the world of secrecy and mistrust.

Monday, 12th February, 2024

Up at 6.00 am after a difficult night. Outside it is clear but cold at 3C/37F. It is going to be a lovely, sunny day. Unfortunately, I am going to spend the morning in the Endoscopy section of the local hospital. This morning I have completed the Consent Form indicating that I won’t want sedation and on it I’ve recorded essential test stats that I did this morning over a cup of black tea.

My appointment is at 10.00 am but the warning is that it could be delayed by up to 4 hrs – a bit different to the one I paid for at the Nuffield a couple of years ago.

My friend, Kevin, who flew to Spain yesterday to avoid the snow and dark, winter days in Yorkshire finally got there 6 hours late after being delayed by dense fog that even the MEN referred to as highly unusual. He couldn’t have chosen a worse day to travel. I suspect quite a lot of alcohol was required to come down from that debacle. He will certainly be waking to a beautiful day even if he is in Benidorm.

What it must be to be 73! The thing about this colonoscopy is that it means facing one’s longevity starkly. As we all slip down the diurnal slide towards the inevitable, we all fight it in different ways. I just hope I will be able to complete my exercise routine this afternoon. I’m feeling so deliciously empty after a 24 hr fast that I don’t want to break the spell now. Can I go through the rest of my life without solid food? Perhaps not.

My visit to the hospital this morning was the most humbling and life affirming experience it is possible to have. I was in and out within an hour in which time I met the most wonderful people it is possible to know. The lady inserting the camera was a Grecophile who was reading Victoria Hislop’s latest novel set in Thessaloniki – The Thread. I didn’t bother with any sedation or air and gas. We just talked non-stop and watched the most wonderful pictures on the huge flat screen. I didn’t realise how beautiful I was on the inside.

Anyway, the result is that I am cancer-free although I have a sign of moderate diverticula. It is normal for my age. I don’t have to follow this up although I will. I will book a repeat in three years. I cannot get over the most wonderful people I have met in the last 24 hrs. I am going back tomorrow to take them a huge box of chocolates and a big thank-you card. It is the least I can do.

We left the hospital and went to Waitrose for a snack lunch – Italian meats and cheeses. Drove home via the coast road where lots of parents and children were walking / running in the Half Term sunshine.

At home, in delicious sunshine with the patio doors open, we ate our lunch with a bottle of champagne. I now have to settle down to an afternoon of exercise and a few months of work and dieting. Looking forward to surprising my friends in the North with visits they don’t expect.

Monday, 12th February, 2024

Walking on air this morning. Wishing everybody Happy everything even if they don’t deserve it. I am being reintroduced to my regime of anticoagulation slowly. I’ve no idea why because I wasn’t really cut yesterday. However, I am having to have twice daily injections of a substance called Fragmin. They are administered morning and night by my live-in nurse.

I have to have 20 of these along with my warfarin tablets. They don’t hurt but they sting a bit and who wants that at Breakfast time? So, I might not go through the full course. We’ll see. Even so, each injection is administered by a single-dose syringe which is then put into a plastic container which is, ultimately, collected by the Local Authority Hazardous Waste team. What a palaver!

The real joy of yesterday – other than being pronounced cancer-free – was meeting the people. They were absolutely delightful and they were all girls … well, women. Each one was kind, chatty, friendly but utterly professional from the girl checking me in to the team doing the procedure and then to the women in Recovery. I met a consultant who, like me, was a Grecophile, a lovely, young, American girl who lived in a house-share in Brighton with a houseful of medic lads. She was addicted to travelling which was why we talked so much. Wonderful to talk to someone young and full of ambition.

So, this morning, I have written them a letter of gratitude for yesterday’s experience and gone out to buy them some chocolates. I thought they could share them around. Going in this afternoon to leave them at Reception for them. I’m also writing a letter of Thanks to my GP, Martina, who was asked two years ago to get me on the list for a repeat colonoscopy for February 2024. On February 1st, I was phone and invited in. I couldn’t ask for better service. I love them. Today, I love everybody!

Wednesday, 14th February, 2024

Happy Valentine’s Day, Dear Reader. If only. It is grey, wet and uninviting outside. No Valentine’s for me. Too old! Depressing, isn’t it. Come to think of it, I’ve hardly ever had a Valentine’s card. It’s supposed to be anonymous isn’t it? Ah well. Life goes on.

Had a nice, long chat with JohnR yesterday. He is so content up in North Yorkshire. Kevin’s really enjoying his week in Spain. What am I doing? Got to get back to the fun of life. But first, I’ve got to get back to my best fitness and weight level. Can’t believe how much the travails of last year have knocked me back. So, going to spend an afternoon in the Gym. I’ll even get wet just walking across the garden to there.

Our car is exactly one year old today. This day last year was gorgeously sunny when we went round to Honda to collect it. What a contrast. We have driven just 5,250 miles in it this year although we did spend a bit of time away and driving rented cars. It is proving an enjoyable car to drive and the next one will be a plug-in hybrid.

I never watch the scatter’d fire
Of stars, or sun’s far-trailing train,
But all my heart is one desire,
And all in vain:De Profundis – Christina Rossetti

It is 5.30 pm. Outside is dark, wet and depressing … still. I’ve done two hours in the Gym and I’m feeling shaky. Need to eat. Chef is making Cassoulet for supper. Looking forward to that. Hope tomorrow is a better day on every level. I’m really going to have to start being more proactive and not just let things happen to me. I need to make my own weather.

Thursday, 15th February, 2024

The rain has stopped. Breakfast is just liquid at the moment – a glass of two, freshly squeezed oranges, a large cup of Yorkshire tea and a large cup of freshly ground coffee. I’m currently really enjoying this Morning Ritual coffee bean pack. It makes the claim that it has notes of citrus, floral & caramel. I’m not sure about that but it is No.3 which is mild and not over roasted. My machine instantly draws beans from its hopper and grinds exactly the right amount at the coarseness I choose for a large cup of coffee. I drink it with frothed, skimmed milk.

Of course, currently, my Breakfast is interrupted by having a syringe stuck in my belly. I don’t feel the injection but the substance, Dalteparin Sodium, stings like a bee sting for a while. You wouldn’t choose that first thing in the morning.

Anyway, the sun is coming out and a new day of dieting, exercising and writing is opening up. The temperature is forecast to reach a balmy 16C/61F. We are still alive which is more than can be said for this lad. He was a world renowned Professor of Medical Science. I went to Burton upon Trent Grammar School in 1962. Adam Sillitoe was in the Upper Sixth as I arrived.

He died this week after suffering Bladder Cancer with which he was diagnosed at the age of 71. Like all intelligent people. he had a wide span of interests. He is pictured here at a Bridget Riley exhibition. He was a professor of Ophthalmology and he believed Riley’s art, which has disorientating optical effects – offers a window on how visual perception works and how what we “see” can be framed by the brain’s expectations.

We live in Littlehampton which is/was the site of the Body Shop‘s Head Office. Started in 1976 by Anita Roddick, so many girls of my generation were addicted to it for a while. But, those Boomers aged and moved on and Gen.Z have different priorities. Born in Littlehampton to Italian immigrant parents, Anita Roddick died in 2007 at the age of just 64 . Body Shop was sold. This week, it went into administration. We all have our time, fade and die don’t we Dear Reader?

The gorgeous, Spring weather enticed me out to the Garden Centre. It was all set out in anticipation of the Spring gardening season.

I was looking for seeds to sow – something brash and gaudy to brighten up the street. This year, I am going to grow my own in the cold frame rather than splash out on plants. It will need around 100 + plants so this will be much more cost effective and keep me in activity.

Friday, 16th February, 2024

Lovely day after a late night and a very early morning. Finished with politics just before midnight and started again with politics at 4.30 am. The Labour Party has destroyed the Tories in two historic by-elections with the biggest swing since the end of WW2. There are worse things to hear at that time and I got up with a spring in my step.

I contacted a few friends to share my joy and most felt the same. Politics is too much for some. They’d rather get their hair done but, for me, it is the stuff of life. Certainly, the Tories are doomed and the only question is, will the next election be an existential occasion for the Conservative party and how few seats will they win. Watched a bit of the England v India Test Match and we are doing so much better than expected.

It is my turn to cook again today so I am reprising the triumph I had a few weeks ago. I am cooking Boeuf Bourguignon and had to make sure I had all the ingredients. With 2kgs of skirt beef and a bottle of red wine, this dish will make three meals for two people on diets.

The day is so warm and sunny, we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is only mid-February. The birds, the flower bulbs and the shooting shrubs ought to be reminded as well because they are doing a great impression of mid March.

Saturday, 17th February, 2024

It’s raining again. That soft, fine, insistently soaking rain. We really do have to get rid of this government and change the weather. Ten years ago today, I was just 62, we were living in our duplex apartment at The Pinnacles in Surrey and we were enjoying warm, Spring sunshine as we prepared for our 15th drive to Greece.

Do you remember, Dear Reader, what you were doing a decade ago today, how young you were, how vigorous and optimistic? Remembering, reviewing can be quite scary. These times are only redeemable in the memory. I will never be 62 again.

On the upside and as a person who loves technology, it is so much better, easier, more available than it was back then. We had to work hard to get the Greek language. I was much better at reading it – at my own pace – than I was at speaking it and listening to it at a Greek’s pace. Our new smart phones will be on their way soon and they pack such facilities that we couldn’t even dream of 10 years ago.

Already, we can use Google Translate to do just that with static text and even be given audio hints on pronunciation. Now, our new phones include an AI-driven app which translates in real time so we will be able to talk to someone who speaks a foreign language and see/hear it translated as we do. Never again will we have to rely on shouting louder to make ourselves understood. Quite amazing, wonderful, exciting. I don’t know if it translates American or Lancashire but one day ….

Can you believe that it was just 3 years ago that we were being invited to have our first Covid vaccination. It was quite a momentous week for me. And yet, and yet it all seems so long ago, a major time-shift ago.

Sunday, 4th February, 2024

Sunday is Sunday is Sunday. It’s very samey isn’t it? Sunday papers. Sunday political discussions. Sunday sport. It is all a bit grey as the sky. Today I am thinking about how to stand out from the grey of life, how to appeal to others by standing out, looking good, sounding appealing. I was once phoned by a girl who put on full makeup for the conversation. Not for me, of course, but to make herself feel more confident.

Yesterday, I received my first canvasser for the upcoming General Election. In seven years, the only political party to appear here has been from the Tories … and they didn’t stay long. Yesterday, canvassers on behalf of the Labour Candidate rang the bell. They gave me a leaflet saying, Sorry we missed you today.

Not only did they not miss me but they found it hard to get away. For the first time in decades, Labour stand a chance of taking the seat away from Tory, Peter Bottomley. Even neighbours around here, business owners, who have always tended to vote Tory, are considering moving to Labour. I am encouraging them.

This morning, I have made suggestions to the local party machine for Dr. Cooper to consider in her campaign to take the seat. They are all examples of political lipstick to increase her appeal. I’m going out to buy celebratory fireworks this week. There will be a run on them later in the year.

It is little James’ birthday today. We have watched him from the naughty step to the age of 23. He’ll do alright in the end although I think his rugby playing days are over already. We wish him a happy day. Can you imagine being 23, Dear Reader?

Looks like I’ve drunk the national production line dry of Asda’s Sparkling White Grape Juice – my alternative to alcohol. I’ve gone off Shloer because it’s too sweet. Fortunately, I bought a month’s supply in advance but the shelves have never been refilled and the Head Office say they have a supply problem – something to do with Brexit. We’re going to hear that increasingly over the next few months. As border controls are increasingly tightened, fresh produce especially will become increasingly scarce or more expensive.

This afternoon, while I was in the Gym watching Man. Utd. murder West Ham, two posters arrived. We don’t mess about in the Labour Party you know. I’m going to display one here and put one up in a vacant property in West Byfleet. Well, they’ll never see it from Florida!

Monday, 5th February, 2024

Didn’t sleep well at all. I watched Antiques Roadshow last night and it ran through my mind all night – a night of old fossils. Consequently, I am tired this morning but I have to prepare for a telephone consultation prior to a colonoscopy next week. I weigh myself every morning and I was buoyed by my weight loss over the past week. It is largely down to increasing my exercise and cutting out alcohol. I am a man of addictive personality as you will probably know, Dear Reader. I am teaching myself to get re-addicted to non-alcoholic drinks.

Out of the weekend news leapt the stark and shocking report of the death of another of my boyhood rugby heroes – Barry John. I remembering sitting in my Bleddyn Williams rugby boots at Burton upon Trent Grammar School watching Barry John play for Wales and it was utterly sublime. Just a month after J.P.R. Williams died in his 70s, Barry John died aged 79. He died peacefully in his sleep, they reported but I’m left thinking who the hell dies peacefully at that young age? I’m not going to.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Dylan Thomas

But if you are considering the fragility of life, you might be interested in this man. He is Professor John Hyatt who taught at Rochdale College of Art in the 1980s and then Art & Design at Manchester Met. for many years. He had a parallel musical career, notably as the lead singer and songwriter of the Three Johns, a post-punk band.

He died this week of recurrent neck and head cancer at the tender age of just 65. Really makes you feel optimistic, doesn’t it? Mind you, there are one or two things I am pledged to do before it’s my turn and …. I will do them! Today we’ve learnt that the stupid boy has died. Ian Lavender who was the last surviving member of the cast of Dad’s Army has died aged 77. Who will be next?

Just 15 years ago today, having been diagnosed with a heart murmur, a BUPA heart specialist gave my heart a clean bill of health. It was quite a relief. All the recent studies show that cardio vascular work that I do is not the best for my age. All the things that ‘thin’ in our 70s – hair, skin, muscle – are much improved by Resistance exercise.

Pauline uses dumb bells every morning in her routine. I’ve got to get back into the rowing. I like it but it hurts – which I suppose suggests it is working.

Tuesday, 6th February, 2024

Received a phone call from Gastroenterology at Lunchtime yesterday to let me know the time next Monday I will have my colonoscopy. I have decided not to have the sedation so I won’t be groggy for the following 24 hrs. First I had to go to the Anti-coagulation Clinic to get my schedule for withdrawal from warfarin and re-entry afterwards. The regime has changed now and made much safer with a series of self-administered injections of Dalteparin Sodium to reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

On the other end of the hospital, I went to Gastroenterology to collect that little joy – an enema. This has also improved since last time and has been especially targeted at the middle class patient. It comes in two sachets:

1. Mango Flavour
2. Fruit Punch Flavour

This is accompanied by a detailed plan of when to abstain from warfarin, what not to eat and drink and when to administer the injections. The lovely girl who brought my bag of items asked about my current INR which is 2.4 tested by me on Friday. When I told her I tested every Friday and had recorded every test result on a spreadsheet since 2008, her face lit up and and she said, At last, a man after my own heart. The injections are to be administered into the stomach, twice a day for six days. That, of course, will be done by my Social Secretary. I will have my eyes shut!

This morning, another detailed plan arrived. I was observing to myself both that the address label had been hand written not printed and that the process was being wastefully duplicated when I realised they had sent me another man’s plan. This speaks to the stress these lovely people are working under. I had been told originally they needed two clear weeks to write a plan for me and I was asking them to do one in two days. They broke their rules to do it for me.

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky …

The beach was quite cold and lonely this morning. Interesting how 11C/52F can feel cool in a strong, sea breeze. The beach huts looked warmer than the beach this morning. Didn’t stay long and then drove home for coffee and the Gym.

Wednesday, 7th February, 2024

I don’t want to move time, waste time, spend time, lose time, wish time away but ….. again, it’s been a hell of a long week. Only Wednesday. Is it just me, Dear Reader, or has time been slowed down? Activities are so mundane and repetitive according to the calendar of grey. Wednesday, as you will probably know, is John’s day to strip the bedlinen when he gets up, roll it into a ball and bring it down to the Laundry woman to deal with. At least he doesn’t have to remake the bed. That would never get done. He has a Housemaid for that. This is a normal week.

Up early on a warm, damp, grey morning. I am taking my wife to the Beauty Clinic for a facial. She found a black hair yesterday and made a panic appointment on the spot. I find them every morning and don’t rush off for a facial. Well, at least it makes her happier which, being married to me, is important.

Everybody has a book in them. Getting it out is the difficult thing. I’ve been tossing ideas around for a couple of years, keeping records, making notes, recording conversations, thinking ideas through. I am not a natural story teller. I am more inclined to the blunt, unvarnished truth.

At the age of almost 73, I want to write out of experience, to write out my experience, to expiate it. I have wanted to do this for a few years but struggled to find a vehicle that suits my style. I am not a natural novel writer but it is a novel form I will need.

I have been watching a four part drama called What Remains. The plot revolves around a decaying body found in the loft of a house-share property by some new comers. What follows is an attempt to regain the past, to understand the present in terms of the actions in the past. The body from the past may be thoroughly decayed but what it invokes through memory is very real and alive. The symbolism in the atrophied body in the attic is a useful image to pin my ideas on.

Thursday, 8th February, 2024

A grey, wet, cool day. A day to crave sunshine and warmth. A day to fly away? South Tenerife looks great at the moment – 25C and sun. Instead, I’m going to Sainsburys – not a good alternative. I am about to go on a liquid diet in preparation for Monday morning. Even so, I’m continuing my exercise programme. Isn’t life fun? At least the South Coast is coasting around 11C/52F night and day for the next few days. It isn’t very exciting. Is it?

I asked my wife, yesterday, how she was. She said, Old & Dowdy! My immediate thought was, That’s going to be expensive. This morning, I am driving her to H&M in Worthing to collect an order of clothes. I have never heard of the shop or seen it before and having been this once, I doubt I’ll be going again. It is quite cheap and down market, unbefitting my wife. Not that I’m snobbish or anything but one has to set standards! Of course, my wife has one basic rule about shopping. Never leave empty handed. We left clutching a new tee-shirt and cardigan. I felt I had got away quite lightly.

I researched H&M before we went and found out that it was founded in 1947 in Sweden. H&M stands for Hennes Mauritz. The girl at the checkout was a vivacious young thing so I thought I would test her. When was your company started? I asked her. Without a pause, she came back with all three pieces of information I had found out – when, where, who? All with a smile. I learnt them for my interview, she said.

I have to eat lightly at the moment and nothing with nuts and seeds in them. From Saturday, I can only drink liquids and on Sunday, only clear liquids. So, the weekend will be soup, soup and more soup.

It is one of the few occasions when we will have bought, pre-prepared food. Actually, our fishmonger has supplied us with Fish Soup and Lobster Bisque from Le Touquet. I’ve tried the lobster already and it is delicious. It immediately brought back memories of a lovely winter week we spent on the French coast and a lunch of griddled Sea Bass outside under a huge patio heater at a fish restaurant in Le Touquet about 25 years ago. It was magical.

Friday, 9th February, 2024

A glorious, Spring morning of warmth and sunshine. There are signs of the season to come with early daffodils in bloom set against the backdrop of the Winter’s detritus.

It couldn’t come a day too soon as my mind has been turning to Tenerife where the temperature is almost double ours. Today we are 13C/56F and southern Tenerife is 25C/77F. I wonder if there are any takers.

Just 8 years ago, we were coming to the end of an 8 week stay in Los Gigantes, on the south west coast of Tenerife while we waited for our new house to be completed. It was our first time there and the weather contrasted wonderfully with the UK winter. We appreciated the warmth so much, we returned for two more months the following years but chosen to rent villas with pools in Adeje instead of hotel living. Oh, to be there now!

Friday, 10th February, 2024

A pleasantly warm morning. The house is a hive of industry. The washing machine is whirring, the tumble dryer is … tumbling, the laundry lady is even putting clothes outside on a drying, framework thing in the sunshine. The food processor is preparing bread dough for the chef to shape and prove. My manager is organising my preparation for the colonoscopy including when to stop some medication and start other medication, what to eat and what not to eat and she has additional duties this weekend because our next door neighbours are going away.

They are going up to London to visit friends and go to Twickenham to watch the England v Wales match tomorrow afternoon. Of course England will win but they certainly need to play better than they did against Italy. I must admit, I would like to be there but I can’t stray too far from the ‘facilities’ this weekend. Actually, I haven’t been to Twickenham since 1967. I was still sane then!

My records threw up this planning chart I produced on this day in 2010. This is the return journey we did 15 consecutive years although it spanned only a 6 week period in the early days and then 6 months when we retired. This one was while we were still in Yorkshire and travelled to Hull Docks for the first leg of our journey to take the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry over night. Later, after moving down here, we drove through the Tunnel which was quicker and cheaper but not as enjoyable.

I loved the travel as much as anything and I particularly looked forward to the driving although it did provide us with some hairy moments. Once, we got stuck in the middle of Milan city centre with mad Italians honking at us on all sides. On another occasion our sat nav sent us round and round the Arc de Triomphe before we found our route and the scariest of the lot was when we had just done a 15 hr non-stop drive, come through the tunnel and our sat nav told us to divert because of an accident on the M25. We ended up in the centre of the city of London. Only luck got us out. Happy Days.

Sunday, 28th January, 2024

The moon was so bright last night that the ensuite bathroom was floodlit in the middle of the night. I thought I’d misread the time. Gorgeous blue sky this morning.

I am writing this in India this morning. Weather’s quite good there as well. Actually, I’m in my Office watching the Test Match as Pope just fails to get 200 in his second innings. At the same time, I am talking to friends. Julie is a cricket freak and is very jealous that I can get the Test match. Kevin is more bothered about the big football match this afternoon on television – QPR v Huddersfield Town. JohnR couldn’t care less about either. He’s off to church. Poor, old lad!

I am so often amazed how far life has come since I lived with this lot. Here I am watching live, natural, close-up pictures of a cricket match 5000 miles away.

When Kevin and I shared a flat in 1971, we had a small, black & white set from Radio Rentals and we hardly watched it anyway. We certainly didn’t pay the rental for it and kept getting threatening letters. Now, I am watching cricket on a Sky TV platform through a BT Sport/TNT app for which I pay by subscription.

In the past weeks, I’ve been watching a drama called Criminal Record on AppleTV+, another app to which I subscribe and and a great political drama: The Politician’s Husband on Amazon Prime app which I also subscribe to.

If you add Netflix into the mix, you can see that the old habit of linear television is quickly dying in favour of subscription browsing.

Monday, 29th January, 2024

Very warm night and opening to the morning. Quite a shock to look outside at 7.00 am. It was the reverse of yesterday – grey and misty. Mind you Greater Manchester is really in a mood this morning.

Look at this on Manchester Street, Oldham and is it possible to do a day on the M62 without accidents holding up the journey? It is just unbelievable how bad it has got in the 15 years since we left. There were always accidents and it was getting increasingly more busy but it is almost impossible to get through a day without news flashes about problems.

So often it is in that high stretch between Ainley Top and Rishworth in horribly wet and misty conditions. This morning, it is exactly at the Ainley Top entrance/exit at almost the time we would have been travelling to work. I have to admit, I wouldn’t swap it. Doesn’t encourage you to go out walking, does it.

Amongst other things this morning, I’m looking forward to Spring/Summer. I maintain the lawns around our houses and plant some colour to make the entrance to the Development look smart and coordinated with colourful flower beds. Last year, I bought all the seedlings myself, all the lawn food, and weedkillers. This year, I’m going to grow about 300 flowering plants from seed so I’ve been considering what to go for.

The plants go in the lawn cut outs and under trees. As you drive in to the Development, a sort of ‘corporate’ colour really looks good and ‘united’. I think these will stand out enough. What do you think, Dear Reader? Any suggestions? This year, the residents will have to take over their own maintenance if we spend quite a bit of time travelling.

Been down to the beach for a walk. Thought I was in Greater Manchester for a while. At least it was warm. Now for the Gym. What has life become?

Tuesday, 30th January, 2024

It’s been a long week. Seems to be going on forever and it’s only Tuesday. Afraid I am returning to medical matters today. My wife, who doesn’t accept blemishes, found a wrinkle on her neck. Emergency trip to the Surgery. Referral to Dermatology at the Southlands Hospital for a check-up. I drove her there this morning and it was a good job I did. There was no parking space. Looked like I was going to be driving round while she was in. At the last moment, a lady in the best spot in the carpark returned, gave me her ticket with 90 mins left on it and vacated the space. There is a god …. well, actually, there isn’t.

The carpark may have been full but the hospital was deserted. It seems to be like that permanently now whenever I’ve been there since the pandemic. How do they do it? We were the only people in Dermatology.

The clinic was Day Surgery which suggested they were going to cut out or fill in the wrinkle. A full face lift was going too far, I thought. Actually, she was in and out in under 10 mins with a glowing report. Best skin the Dermatologist had seen on a woman her age. Apparently, some women of her age have lots of wrinkles. Just makes me sick!! Sounds like she’ll celebrate by buying more clothes. Life is so good.

A Health minister was talking on BBC-R4 this morning about the increased Internet-based systems being adopted by the Health Service and we have been using them for years. Our GP Surgeries in both Surrey and Sussex have used the online booking system which allows one to make an appointment, communicate with the GP, order prescriptions and be notified when they are ready for collection, book vaccinations, etc, without leaving the Office through smartphone, iPad or computer.

We also use our NHS app and Patients Know Best app for news of Hospital appointments, records of procedures, etc, going back to the 1970s, test results and medications. My Oncologist was shocked to find that I knew the results of the tests he had ordered for me before even he got to see them. I must admit, I like that sort of control the online system provides patients.

What you’re left wondering is how people possibly survive without internet and smartphone access. At the surgery it is used via QR-code for booking in. At the hospital today it is used by the ticket machine for the carpark.

Wednesday, 31st January, 2024

The end of January 2024 already. Well, Dear Reader, it’s not exactly a party day outside. Grey, cool, boring. Don’t expect the Chuckle Brothers to ride over the hill and rescue me. Looking for reasons to be cheerful. How about this:

Things are really looking good for the Labour Party. They have held a large and consistent lead for over a year now which bodes well for the General Election in November. These are the scenes we are hoping to see in the early hours of the morning of November 15th or 22nd.

I pride myself on finding people, places and things that others often can’t. I wrote on a Blog in December that I was looking for an ex-colleague whose cousin was formerly drummer with The Clash and Black Sabbath. Just over 4 weeks ago, I got an address and wrote to him. I’ve heard nothing. I hate failing but I was doing this for a girl in Manchester not for myself.

This morning, I was about to contact her and admit failure when …. an email popped into my inbox from the very lad I was tracing. He lives in Bangor, Northern Ireland and in Edinburgh where he and his wife have flats to be close to their grandchildren. I wrote to Northern Ireland and he has been in Edinburgh for the past two months. He hadn’t joined a monastic community and I’d achieved my contact.

Another reason to be cheerful. We don’t have winter weather and especially SNOW. The Greek island where we lived have had to close the schools … because of SNOW. Incredible!

Thursday, 1st February, 2024

It has seemed a long two weeks although I’m being told I should be happy at time stretching out. Hmmm. It might have felt the days are going slowly but I am still shocked that February has arrived. Dear Reader, you will never see January 2024 again other than in your memory.

I am up early having cleaned the car yesterday. Going to Honda for its first service. It’s only done 5,500 miles. I’m not allowed to take a dirty car in for service even though it gets a full valet by Honda at the end of their work. My wife would have the house looking utterly pristine if she had a cleaner coming. The service takes about an hour and is completely ‘free’ for the first 5 years although I’ve never got beyond two. Going to have a look at the new model while I wait for the service to be done.

It turned out to be quite an enjoyable hour or so on this gorgeous, sunny morning, browsing the new models and comparing with what we have now. I was quite taken with the all-electric but it wouldn’t be practical for us. I’d have to stop to recharge before I got to Manchester and I can’t be doing with that. It will have to be the plug-in hybrid when I change but there aren’t many in the country at the moment.

Two years ago this month, I had a colonoscopy at the Nuffield Hospital. The consultant gastroenterologist told me I should have a repeat procedure every two years. I asked my doctor to put me forward for one on through the NHS. This morning, as I drove home, the hospital phoned to invite me for a coloscopy on February 12th. What a wonderful service! What wonderful people! Hopefully, nothing has had too long to develop over just two years. Anyway, wish me luck, Dear Reader!

Friday, 2nd February, 2024

Here we are in February with no need for central heating. If this is Global Warming, give me more. After quite a hectic day yesterday, perhaps this will be a bit more relaxed.

The offer of a colonoscopy in 10 days put me into overdrive because the hospital didn’t know I am a warfarin user which means I have to have a withdrawal plan prior to the procedure in case they accidentally or deliberately cut me. The afternoon was spent on the phone to the Coagulation Clinic and the Gastroenterology Department coordinating the times and dates for action. By early evening, I had negotiated a plan with the former to allow the latter to do the procedure on February 12th. I am delighted with that.

Actually, I love planning, statistics and management. You couldn’t live with me for long without accepting that. The first of the month means recording the previous month’s statistics. Gas & Electricity consumption goes on the spreadsheet. I was mortified to see I forgot yesterday and had to do it this morning. Bank accounts, savings and investment accounts are all checked and recorded. Blood pressure, INR and weight are all recorded. Exercise data is recorded. The spreadsheet is king. I’m even excited in the morning when my smartphone tells me my shaving technique was 95% Ninja …. whatever that means.

Of course these are the really important statistics. Did you know that Life Expectancy is going down at the moment even as this appalling government increases pension age. The discrepancies between North and South are even more shocking. Life expectancy for women was 7 years more in southern England compared to a woman in Wales. A man on the south coast can expect to live a stunning decade longer than a man in Blackpool. Mind you, that might be a real relief. Who could live in Blackpool?

These statistics might improve the situation. At least Labour will address the NHS crisis and make a difference just as Blair did over more than a decade. If we can get more of these lunatics standing, I can believe the predicted wipeout.

The National Front/UKIP/Reform Party vehicle which is seeking a reverse takeover of the Tory Party is showing signs of seriously splitting the right wing. Danczuk, who was the Labour MP for Rochdale from 2010 until 2017, was suspended from the party in 2015 after sending explicit messages to a 17 year-old girl. The Reform Party aren’t that fussy and, Danczuk obviously isn’t either. I suspect even the people of Rochdale won’t go for that.

Saturday, 3rd February, 2024

A grey, grey day. Well, I am dieting and exercising hard. I’m trying to lose the weight I gained during 8 months of hormone treatment. It seems to get harder and harder especially in the long, lonely, winter months. It seems to be going on for ever and I am travelling through a long, dark tunnel to some distant light.

Been chatting to my next door neighbour …. on Whatsapp. They were going to watch England Rugby play Italy in Rome but had to cancel. I tried to cheer her up with examples of the state of British education.

Today is a Sport day: Test Match from India, Rugby from Twickenham and Football from Everton. Fantastic rugby match in Paris last night where (a united) Ireland destroyed the French. Been talking to friends in the North this morning. David Roberts is abroad again – this time in Kathmandu. He really must hate Rochdale!

I must admit, this wouldn’t be my idea of an exciting place to travel. I think my age means Europe feels so much more enticing and enriching. I am more attuned to the language and culture of European countries and, particularly, Mediterranean ones. I like the romance languages of French, Italian and Spanish and, of course, the challenge of Greek. I absolutely hate spicy food and particularly chilli, curry and coriander.