Made it.

Well today I reached 69 and am still more or less in one piece. Many thanks to those who have sent me birthday wishes. And to those who will do so having read this, "better late than never".  

When you are in your 20s, you are invincible and 69 seems so far away that you can't even contemplate what it will be like. You look at your parents at about that age and tell yourself that you will be different but the reality is that you are more or less the same. The mind might be young and capable of anything but the body is showing its age and telling you not to be stupid.

The fact is that I have been mostly lucky and suffered none of the traumas that others seem to be blighted with. I left school, went to college and university, got myself a job and never spent a day out of work until retirement. I married Pamela and we brought up two daughters who turned out to be delightful and talented people. We now have two wonderful grandchildren who give us as much joy as our children did.

When we retired Pam and I moved to Spain to live in Bigastro, a town where we have met the most wonderfully generous people. Most of the time the sun shines and when it doesn't it gives us time to do a few jobs. I don't think I have ever been more content and grateful for what I have got.

Here is to many more years of this blog. Stick with me and I will let you know what it is like to be 70 next year.