Sunday, 30th November, 2025
It is 6.00 am and I am sitting outside with a glass of fresh orange juice and a cup of tea at a table on the patio. It is warm, humid even but the difference is that the sky is dark and there are myriad bright stars looking down on me.
Travelling home for Christmas. Well, not exactly but we are travelling home. Easyjet have contacted me to say everything is on time which is good news. Going to the Airport. Just 15 mins to Tenerife South–Reina Sofía Airport. Off toMontaña Roja VIP Lounge and then wait to be called. It will come up on my smartphone app. Then we’ve got 4 hrs 30 mins flight home. Already prepared for that with things to watch from Netflix downloaded on our iPads to melt the time away.
Yesterday we signed off this month’s visit by revisiting the property we have rented for the whole of November 2026. It is a 2 bed/2 bath apartment in a newly developed and still developing gated community higher up from the sea.
The area looks and feels nice and will be interesting to try. Hopefully, the 2nd phase will be completed by in the next 12 months and I will still be alive. We will be 75 by then. The price for a month is € 4676.00 or currently £4,100.00. We don’t pay until next October so who knows what the exchange rate will be then.
At the airport, everything went smoothly. Straight through security although my travelling comapanion was randomly tested for explosives. I wasn’t surprised! The flight was right on time and landed early.
It was dark and just 3C/37F as we drove home. We had bought pizzas and fresh milk in the M&S at the airport for Supper. I opened a bottle of Prosecco to accompany the lump of post which had appeared behind the door. I had put the heating on as we left Tenerife and the house felt warm and welcoming as we walked in.
Monday, 1st December, 2025
New day, new week, new month, new season, new country, new house, new bed. At least I’ve got there still breathing. Hope you are well too, Dear Reader. The calendar start of Winter. The first day of December 2025.
Why is it so dark, wet and cold? I was woken at 5.45 am by two alarms. I took time to realise what was happening. Abroad, my phone alarm goes off at that time. I turn it off and then make it play BBC Radio 4. At home on the South Coast, Alexa sounds the alarm at that time, announces the time to me and then automatically turns on BBC Radio 4. This morning both processes happened at the same time.
Abroad, I check my phone for what is on my calendar for the day and what the weather is outside. At home, Alexa announces what the weather is outside when asked and goes on to read out the items for the day on my calendar.
Today, there are 5 items on my Calendar – I use an online calendar which can be read on my computer, my iPad, my smartphone, my watch and picked up by Alexa to read out to me. My Housekeeper can also pick up the same calendar on her devices so she knows what tasks I have set her to complete. Unfortunately, I have had to allow her to edit and add tasks for me to complete as well. Usually, as you would imagine, the tasks are not earth shattering althogh sometimes they are important.
Today, it contains mundane things like Black Bin Day / Window Cleaner Coming but it also includes Renew Car Insurance / Renew Free Carparking Disc / Collect Prescription and Book Airport Lounge (for the next trip). I’ve got a busy week ahead which includes a trip to Worthing Urology Department for a Cystoscopy (Really looking forward to that.), a trip to the dentist to have a crown fitted (Really looking forward to paying for that.) and a trip to the Southlands Oncology Department to have a full body scan prior to my prostate review (Really looking forward to what that might find.).
One thing I have to sort out with some urgency today is a PIR lamp that is mounted above our garage and helps light up when I enter the drive as well as serve as a deterent to thieves. Almost as soon as we went away, our neighbours alerted us that it had come on and stayed on and there was nothing they could do to turn it off. It was on for a month. I have to either sort it out myself or get an electrician to help.
Of course, after a month away from home, there is also the inevitable trip to Sainsburys to restock the fridge and freezer.
Tuesday, 2nd December, 2025
Nice, bright blue sky this morning but a little chilly at just 11C/52F. Still, I’m going out for my walk in shorts. I’m warmed up by the financial largesse that has come my way today. Our bank account has received £220.00 from the government for our heating allowances and Christmas Bonuses. Absolutely bonkers but I’m not giving it back.
The latest Premium Bond winnings are confirmed this morning and we have received this month’s winnings of £125.00 to bring a total of £250.00 for the first 3 months. This means that I am on course for a tax free return of 5.6% which is fine. Of course, I am still hoping to get lucky before I end the experiment. £50,000? £100,000?? £1,000,000????? Now that would be a good return Tax Free.
If these people can do it, I can. Now, what would I do with the winnings? Don’t call me, Dear Reader. I’ll call you … probably.
One of the benefits of going away is seeing one’s own home through fresh eyes. It is so easy to take for granted the places and people and objects around one as familiarity dulls the senses. Out walking today, the area around my house was vivid and fresh, beautiful and vibrant. The grass is absolutely gorgeous – almost good eough to eat.
My car was wonderful to drive back from the airport. I love it and all its facilities and gadgets. I love its silent, smooth comfort, the smell of the leather seats and the quality of the hi-fi. It takes a month away from it to realise. I love my bathroom. The secret of a happy marriage is individual bathrooms. I love my shower. I haven’t found a better one abroad. I especially love my Office. I can’t live without it for too long.
Just to ensure I keep appreciating what I’ve got, I’ve booked lots of time away for 2026. In fact, I’m alreading thinking I must run the future bookings through the calculator of 90 days out in any 180 days. A week in Greece in June. A month in Spain June-July. A week in Greece in August. A month in Tenerife in November. Need to slot 2 or 3 short trips to France in over the year as well. So you can see the dilemma.
I am out at the hospital tomorrow for something that sounds excruciatingly unpleasant but must be faced. Hopefully, there will be no cancer found. While medics check that end of the body, my wife is obsessed with protecting the other extremity. She has bought me some more caps because she says I spend so much time outside in the sunshine walking that scalp damage could lead to a cancer up there. She says that but she has been so surprised that I look good in a cap. I think it’s a sexual thing really!
Wednesday, 3rd December, 2025
Bright and sunny start to the day but it has a looming darkness for me. This afternoon, my first Christmas present of the week – a Cystoscopy at Worthing Urology. I am going to receive a local anaesthetic apparently but I can’t decide what will be worse – having a tube shoved up a tender area or a needle in it first. I may send my wife in instead. She’s braver than me.
I’d rather cancel Christmas altogether than receive presents like this. We’ve come home to Christmas lights everywhere – on people’s houses which I will never understand and the trees of the village green which I can almost accept. The TV adverts really do illustrate the tawdry nature of the event although I have long been in love with Kiera Knightly and her Waitrose advert certainly brings some joy to the occasion.
To take my mind off this afternoon, I walked on the beach which certainly didn’t look like December. I walked on the beach in England in December in shorts and tee shirt perfectly comfortably.
Well the Cystoscopy turned out to be a breeze. Don’t know what you were all worrying about. It might be a camera on a cable up the willy but it’s simple and quick. I had experienced a scary event where I had passed loads of blood. I was terrified of this procedure but it was great in reality. I had a local anaesthetic which was a squirt of liquid and then I lay back and watched them (three girls) explore my bladder and kidneys. The viewing on the big screen was wonderful. Everything was healthy and clear. They said my bloody wee was probably the result of radiotherapy on my prostate. They did say that I had an exceptionally large bladder. No girl has ever said that to me before. I felt quite proud, Dear Reader.
Thursday, 4th December, 2025
Out early this morning to the dentist. I was having a crown fitted. Actually, I was having a crown designed, built and fitted. It was a two hour job. In the past, it would have been a two week job where the mouth was prepared, x-rayed and that sent off to a dental technician to create a porcelain crown which would be delivered back to the dentist and the patient would return and have it fitted.
Now, my dentist does everything herself with a two hour span. The mouth is prepared, x-rayed and that x-ray sent to the 3-D printer which uses diamond cutters on a porcelain block with water jets spraying to keep the process cool. It is fantastic and they were obviously proud of the process. They wanted me to watch my tooth being printed to understand their pride in it. The x-ray machine cost £160,000 and the printer a mere £57,000. It is a considerable outlay. No wonder they charge so much for the crown process. It was lots of work and then the cost of the instruments. I suddenly thought £750.00 was a reasonable charge.
It is the run up to Christmas and although I really am a Bah Humbug Cumugeon, I realise contact with distant friends and relatives is important. You may have not seen me for years, Dear Reader, but at least you’ll receive a card this Christmas. If you’re not a Blog reader, you will also get a Newsletter. There is no escape. Today I am writing to my Doctor from the 1990s. I went to see him about a bad back in 2000. He wasn’t very interested in my back but he did want to buy my house which I had put on the market. I had been in it for 16 years. It was set in an acre of land and in a Conservation area. We had loved it but it was time to move on.
One of the first people to view it was a Huddersfield Town footballer but he was soon transferred to Sheffield United and dropped out from the sale. Then came the Doctor. He and his wife have lived happily there for 25 years but now have sold and moved on. Our first Christmas card this year is from the Doctor giving us his new address in Norfolk, ironically a place where Pauline’s family have lots of connections.
Last week I was writing about the Teachers’ Pension Scheme website alerting me to changes to my tax arrangements. I was also talking about trying to move as much of our savings and investments in to the tax-free shelter of ISAs. It was rumoured that the Chancellor would reduce the amount we could shelter from £40,000.00 ( 2 x £20,000.00) to £24,000.00 (2 x £12,000.00) each year. In the event, she saw reason and kept the larger allowance for over 65s as I suggested would be reasonable.
I was also writing about the much larger tax-take we were paying because investments had been paying so much more over the past 2-3 years. We were informed that we had not paid enough tax and we were charged a considerable back-tax burden. I chose not to challenge it because our unearned income had become so pleasing.
Imagine our delight this morning to be told that we had over paid tax by quite some amount. From this month and before we even receive a pay/pension rise in April, the tax office/teachers’ pensions have informed us that our joint monthly income will increase by £1,100.00 per month or £13,200.00 per year. It beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, Dear Reader. Might have to book another couple of foreign trips for next year.
Friday, 5th December, 2025
The moon last night was huge. This December supermoon is particularly special: astronomers say a full moon this close to Earth won’t be visible again until 2042 when we will be 91 years old. We have to be there to witness.
Apparently it is known as the Cold Moon because of the season – according to the Astronomer Royal who lives with me. She is obsessed with celestial bodies which is probably why she married me. The garden was bathed in light all night and there is a trace of frost this morning. Winter really must be here.
My Chef has made three Christmas Cakes – not because we will eat three but just because she can. Two will be given to other people while the third will sit in a cake tin in our house while we diet. Today, marzipan, icing and cake decorations will be bought and her delights will start. This year the theme will be golden and I’ve just had to order these decorations from Amazon. Bah Humbug!
Tomorrow I am having a full body CAT (CT) Scan. If I had bought that Privately it would have cost me about £800.00. This week I’ve also had a Flexible Cystoscopy. If I had bought that Privately, it would have cost abround £2,200.00. Earlier in the year, I had a Colonoscopy. If I had bought that Privately, it would have cost around £3,000.00. I will also have had two PSA Tests at a cost of about £100.00 privately. So, our wonderful NHS has provided me with about £6,100.00 worth of medical care not to mention Consultation fees and it was all free at the point of delivery. And there are mad Right Wing Racists advocating American style Health Care.
Saturday, 6th December, 2025
The end of what has felt like quite a long week which started in Tenerife and has ended in a body scanner in Brighton. Had to be there for 10.00 am but the hospital is near Brighton so set off at 9.00 am in case there was a problem parking. Also, I had to drink a litre of water before the scan and I didn’t want that sitting inside me for longer than necessary.
Hospitals and Doctors’ Surgeries are totally different places since the pandemic which forced them to invoke new controls on patient flows. This morning, I arrived at the carpark at 9.30 am to find it almost empty. Charges for parking had been cancelled and I had time to drink a litre of water and listen to a political podcast.
With my belly sloshing water, I walked down to the Diagnostic and Radiology Department. I saw no one apart from two security guards as I walked through the corridors until I found the waiting area which was completely deserted. Eventually, a Chinese man called me at the Department door. He told me his name which I didn’t really catch and led me into a treatment room. It is at that point that the first of many times in the process I am asked my date of birth and first line of my address and then the cannula is fitted in my arm.
The Chinese man is immediately embarrassed because blood spurts out all over the chair and down my arm over my hand. Are you on blood thinners, he asks. He obviously hadn’t read my notes. Anyway, he cleaned me up and staunched the flow of very, very red blood. I was led into the CT Theatre and lay on the scanner bed. Chinaman once again asked my date of birth and first line of my address and then warned me that the contrast dye was being connected to the cannula and suddenly the warm wash of fluid flowed down from head to foot.
And then just three or so minutes of being shunted back and forth with a recorded voice telling me to old my breath and breath normally again and it was all over. A little Chinese girl appeared to hold my hand and help me off the bed. She asked my date of birth and first line of my address – in case I had forgotten over the past couple of minutes. They forced me to wait 10 mins in a side room in case the dye injection affected my system and that was it – all over for another 12 months. I walked out and still didn’t see another human being until I got to the carpark and a woman was just parking. It is hard to understand.
So, this long week has gone from Tenerife – Gatwick on Sunday to Cystoscopy at Worthing on Wednesday to 2 hrs of Dental work on Thursday to CT Scan today and I have just been phoned to ask me to go for my annual Diabetic Eye check on Monday. I am either a complete basket case or I’m going to be very, very healthy.
Back home, it is my job to do the paperwork – to turn my mind to Xmas Newsletter and Card List. We still can’t allow the post to go. All year, I am texting, emailing, Whatsapping, Tweeting, Blogging, etc but Xmas cards and newsletter are a tradition that I can’t quite let go of. We used to send around 70 cards each year. I think we will be down to around 50 this year. Death is very final, Dear Reader and age has meant some people not keeping up with the digital world. If you can believe it, a few people don’t read the Blog. So, I produce a newsletter and have done since at least 1997. I have copies going back that far and I wrote informal ones to individuals before that. I get lots of newsletters back and enjoy reading them.
Yesterday, out of the blue we received this huge book. It spoke to both of our interests and looked as if it was a spcifically chosen present but without any acknowlegement or message. It is fantastic with wonderful Spanish meals we will definitely cook. Who sent it? I have no idea. I do know that it would cost me £35.00 to buy on Amazon. If you sent it, let me know because I love it and would like to say thank you.