Month: July 2026

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!