Sanders Blog

Sunday, 18th December, 2022

Today has opened warm and wet and rather dark. It is exactly a week since we landed back in UK from the bright, stark sunshine of Florida. I would like to say that I’m feeling completely better but I’m not. I’m tired all the time. I’m tired of feeling tired. I should be out walking, exercising in the Gym and keeping the years at bay. At the moment, I feel old, weak and emotional.

Probably not the time to watch Lady Chatterley’s Lover as we did last night on Netflix. It is the third version of the book I have seen in film with this being made for Netflix in 2022. I first read the book at Grammar School in around 1966. It was almost my only sex education I received there other than reading Somerset Maugham’s, Cakes & Ale. All the important pages had been well thumbed by many boys before me. D.H. Lawrence’s book, of course was prosecuted for obscenity. The prosecution was lost and it marked the end of the old world of restricted morality and the welcoming of a more liberal, new world.

The chief prosecution barrister turned to the jury with disdain and asked them if this was the kind of book “you would wish your wife or servants to read“. It showed how out of touch the old, pre-war world was from the new world anticipating the white heat of technology. No wonder the prosecution failed.

This latest film version took some liberties with the original narrative but I found it moving. Too moving. For 50 years I have tried to keep my emotions in check, to live on a ‘flat’ plane of emotional control. I didn’t read and watch fiction for fear of its effects. Letting myself go is difficult … almost scary. I am safer with politics or sport.

Monday, 19th December, 2022

Every day a little bit stronger. I have driven today for the first time for three weeks. We did some shopping – Pauline needed ingredients to make Christmas biscuits and home made chocolates. The Christmas cakes and puddings were made and delivered before we left for Florida but this picture from 13 years ago in our Huddersfield kitchen echoes the same, old rhythms of the season. 

We drove down to the beach but I was struggling to make the most of the walk so we didn’t stay long. As you can see, not many did on a grey day like this. 

I am getting increasingly frustrated with my lack of energy even though I am pushing myself to try harder, go further. I feel pathetic. You probably feel I am too.

Tuesday, 20th December, 2022

Although the Blog began on Christmas Day 2008, in numerical terms it began its 15th year this week. It has become part of my life and has reached out, quite surprisingly, to many people. I write it for myself but I am pleased others read it and I try not to be too self conscious in that knowledge. I am too old to be embarrassed about expressing what I think and feel. I am what I am – here to be accepted or rejected according to your understanding of my character. For those still with me, you need to live at least another 29 years before you can rest.

Regular readers will know that history and statistics are important to me and for 26 years – since 1996 – we have been shuttling two Christmas cards between ourselves and a Norwegian friend, Bjorn, and his wife, Anne-Marie.

This is the card that we chose in 1996. Each year it either leaves us bound for Edinburgh or leaves them bound for us. It contains a newsletter and is now so thick and well used that it is re-spined with grey, sticky tape. It is like a 26 year old blog in that it chronicles two couple’s lives over that period. I love it.

It is an absolutely gorgeous, warm and sunny day down here. A day to be relished. A day to be walked in. I wish I could do it justice. Maybe soon. We made a special trip to Sainsburys this morning to buy things for the local Food Bank which is currently appealing for help. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have to rely on charity for food. The fact that people do shames our country.

Wednesday, 21st December, 2022

A dark and misty start to the day in total contrast to yesterday. It is, of course, the shortest day of the year. When you’re 71, what you need is as much time as possible with long days and as little time wasted sleeping as possible. The only thing about the shortest day is that it can only get better from here.

Yesterday, we went to Sainsburys to buy things for the local Food Bank. I think we spent about £50.00. The request from the food bank was for long-life food and not fresh fruit and vegetables or other perishable goods. We just bought lots of tins of meat and vegetables with ring pulls because many don’t even have can openers

As we walked out, a member of Sainsburys staff stopped us and offered us two, free bunches of flowers and they are lovely. Really like the purple, Ornamental Cabbage set against the blush of the Lilies.

I am feeling better but not ready to do my 10 mile walk yet. I am going to try a bit on the treadmill in the Gym today. Hope that works and I can regain some confidence. I had thought that the Health bills from the USA were settled. I had even gone as far as to initiate a claim with the insurance arm of my bank. I now find that the American Healthcare system has other ideas.

Further invoices for another $579.00 have come in from the Testing Centre – labcorp – and the Hospital – Care One – which I will have to phone them to settle. I’m going to use my Skype phone through the internet to do that – something I haven’t done for years. Assuming this is an end to it, our insurance will be paying $1,014.00 to pay the bills.

Thursday, 22nd December, 2022

Slept well and feeling decidedly better today. Well, until we went to Sainsbury’s … again. I don’t know why we don’t live there at the moment. It was packed at 9.30 am but Pauline is responsible for salad Starters and alternative Sweets for Christmas Dinner so they couldn’t be bought too early. She assures me this was our last shop this week. We’ll see!

Former flat mate, Chris Tolley, who I haven’t seen since 1972, sent me best wishes this morning which was nice. It must be part of the aging process but these things mean so much more to me now. Not sure about the jumper though!

We really don’t celebrate Christmas other than to be social with others. Some of the houses in our street have children although we virtually never see them. For the last few years, the houses have been covered in Christmas lights. The children are a bit older and the lights, this year, are distinctly toned down. Our lovely Italian neighbours from across the road came over last night and brought a nice bottle of wine to wish us well. I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment but it will go into the Chiller for when I am.

I have spoken to the insurers this afternoon and they have confirmed that they will pay my claim in full which is nice to know. There is no reason why they should challenge it but they usually do so it’s good to have a straight forward payment this time.

Friday, 23rd December, 2022

It’s an absolutely horrible, dark and wet day down here this morning. I’m feeling a bit lost and moody. I said I was going in the Gym on Wednesday but didn’t feel up to it in the end. Going to try again this morning. Looks like we have dodged the coldest Christmas in Florida for 50 years so every cloud has a silver lining.

I am working in the Office to the soundtrack of James Taylor which is a bit worrying. It is the soundtrack to sadness. Got to stay positive.

Nat.West Black Account Insurance not only said they would pay us out in full for our Florida expenses but actually did so on the spot without my having to provide any proof of my bills. They just took my word for it and thanked me for coming back early to the NHS to limit the charges. Quite refreshing.

Having spoilt Pauline with a new steam iron, I really went mad yesterday and ordered this robot vacuum from Currys. It is a Samsung which can be controlled from our smart phones and will map the house floors over the first few outings allowing us to use it selectively or just leave it to roam one entire floor of the house at the time we set.

Saturday, 24th December, 2022

A warm night and a brighter start to the day. I was right to be sceptical about no more shopping. Pauline suddenly realised that she didn’t have any Mascarpone Cheese for a sweet she was making. We have 5 superstores within about 3 miles of each other but the ingredient couldn’t be found in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Morrisons. Finally, we went to Asda and there was plenty.

Mind you, the frantic whirligig of the search just typified for me everything which is wrong about these festivities. Had lovely contacts from Kevin and Julie yesterday plus e-cards cards from Caroline in Ireland and Ruth in Bolton which was heartening. I even managed 15 mins on the treadmill for the first time in a month.

By January, I intend to build back up to a couple of hours. Pauline wants me to pay for a CT Scan after Christmas so we can finally eliminate some of our wilder fears. I don’t know anything about these sorts of things but, apparently, it is a whole-body scanner which is able to see deep into the body and provide images of internal organs like the Liver and Pancreas. Looks like I will be given no choice.

Tradition in our Christmas over the past 40 years has been Christmas Day with family and then Boxing Day picnic on the beach – Blackpool & Fleetwood for Pauline’s Mum and Scarborough & Whitby for our choice in the North. Here it is so much nearer. Just over 5 mins and we are there. This morning the tide was high and turning as joggers/walkers enjoyed the beach.

Pleased to report that not only did I manage a walk on the beach this morning but I did 30 mins on the treadmill in the Gym this afternoon. It gave my confidence a boost.

Sunday, 11th December, 2022

Landing on time at Gatwick at 8.00 am, we were told two things. Firstly, the temperature was -5C and secondly we had landed in a remote part of the airport to avoid skidding. It certainly was very white outside.

 

We were stuck on the plane for quite a while as mobile step structures and buses were brought out to us. It must have added at least 40 mins to our arrival. Anyway, we were soon through all the checks and our taxi driver was waiting for us. The roadside trees and bushes, fields around Gatwick as we drove away were just caked in frost. It got less as we drove closer to the coast and there was nothing in our village as we approached our house.

We were home by 10.30 am to find that the weird battery in our new Honda Hybrid was completely flat. Honda Assist came out and tried to re-charge it. They managed enough to drive it round to Honda and leave for Monday to be dealt with. Pauline got Jason next door to nip her to Sainsburys to buy essentials and that was it for the day.

Monday, 12th December, 2022

Early assessment at the Health Centre. Richard across the road took us down there and picked us up when we asked. When I met the clinician, I realised it was the one who I first consulted about my hernia so he knew what a mad old bugger I was. I had made this appointment from America and sent across the American Hospital’s results by medical link.

I rehearsed my theory about sunstroke putting my Liver in to shock which had subsequently produced all the other nasty effects. This was basically the American theory and led to the need for multiple body scans and interventions which they warned would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Luckily, he had had three days to consider the notes I sent him across the Atlantic and he knew more or less what my problem was from the outset. It is believed at my surgery it is little to do with sunstroke or my Liver but was a well known effect of long term Statin use in some people. To eliminate any problem with my heart, I will have an ECG later in the week and, after two weeks without statins, another set of blood tests. I really believe I did the right thing returning home for this.

The car is on charge over night at Honda and will, hopefully, be delivered back to us tomorrow morning. Enough for today.

Tuesday, 13th December, 2022

A much better night. Slept until 4.30 am and then on and off with the radio on until 6,30 am. Up on an attractive morning of weak winter sunshine. Honda phoned at 8.00 am to let us know that our car was completely recharged and ready for the road. Pauline got John next door to run her over there and she returned with the car. Good start to the day.

We nipped down to the Marina where the tide was high. It wasn’t too cold so we had a little walk to stretch our legs.

This afternoon, we have put together an insurance claim for just over £500.00 to reclaim medical expenses – £300 for two Hospital assessments and £200 to BA for the change of flights. We don’t anticipate any problem with that because it is entirely reasonable.

Wednesday, 14th December, 2022

Feeling a little worse this morning. Bit shocked to have gone back a bit. Struggling to get going. However, life goes on. Pauline did a large fish order yesterday as it looks like we will be home for a while. It is delivered mid-morning so she has a lengthy job skinning and portioning it up. It should make about 12 meals apparently. While she is doing that, she is also making bread – 4 x Brown Loaves. I am sitting round rather uselessly.

My brothers and sisters meet more often on Twitter and Facebook than in reality. Bit of an indictment but there it is. Jane put on her annual, Christmas posting which I always think strange as she swears not to eat cakes and sweets. She obviously likes the tradition of Betty’s of Harrogate.

Bob, on the other hand, who is a photographer in retirement, posted this lovely shot of a walk around his local area in Maidenhead in Berkshire.

You really know who your friends are when things are not going well. Richard in Chorley kindly sent us an e-card and wished me well. Julie contacted me to say that she had stopped her statins because she was also having adverse Liver problems and wished me well. David from North Wales has contacted me twice and Kevin from North Yorkshire has tried to keep my spirits up by making me laugh.

Our neighbours have been absolutely lovely, sending us messages of sympathy that our American trip was cut short and wishing me a speedy recovery – offing any help that they can provide. It is all rather humbling.

Seems rather strange that we have received £500.00 Winter Fuel Payment plus £20.00 Christmas Bonus plus £400.00 additional fuel bill support but we are going to supplement that by completing a medical bills claim for around £500.00 this afternoon.

Thursday, 15th December, 2022

An absolutely beautiful day of clear blue skies and strong sunshine. I’ve got up feeling genuinely much better this morning and more optimistic than for about 3 weeks.

Early on, I received a phone call from a nice lady from Nat West Insurance Services being friendly but probing the veracity of the claim I submitted yesterday. Being a nice, honest person, she knew my claim was genuine almost instantly and ended up telling me about her Mother’s health and what she was doing for Christmas rather than quizzing me. She told me my claim would be paid in full but I told her that two more receipts for about another $250.00 would be coming in the next week and she agreed to hold off and wait for them. A claim that would come to less than £750.00

My brother, Bob, who lives in Berkshire, has cold, Winter conditions and took the photo above this morning. Glad we haven’t got that.

We drove out along the sea road towards Lancing to drink in the sunshine and get some fresh air. It was absolutely delightful.

We didn’t stay long because it wasn’t terribly warm but the time was enough to stretch our legs and fill our lungs with sea air.

On home for a bowl of hot, homemade, Pea Soup and then down to the surgery for an ECG – heart trace – to see whether this recent incident has affected or damaged my heart function. I doubt that myself but it has to be checked to rule it out.

I’ve had a sudden rush of blood. It must be the illness but I’ve bought Pauline an early Christmas present. I’m sure she’ll love it. I’ll make sure she has plenty of time to play with it.

Friday, 16th December, 2022

A strange night of figures dancing through my head. This is an odd thing I’m going through. Leonard Cohen sang to me. Faces smiled and blew kisses. Places appeared and faded. I woke late. Outside there were signs of frost on the roofs. I didn’t know frost was allowed on the South Coast. Anyway, the sky is clear blue and the sun is strong. The world looks beautiful and I am feeling a little bit more optimistic.

People talk about the paucity of service in our current NHS without acknowledging that the Tories have spent 12 years running it down, underfunding it, allowing staff to go unreplaced and preparing it for privatisation. I can tell you. Dear Reader, we will all regret it if it happens. Two simple visits to a doctor plus simple blood and urine tests cost me £750.00 and the service was less accurate (more money driven) and the facilities were no more plush.

People in America saw me the day I turned up and they said, I’m sure you wouldn’t get this in UK. In reality, Pauline booked me a doctor’s appointment in UK from America on Friday and I was seen at 8.00 am on the Monday. Yesterday I had an ECG and that full heart trace found no problem. I must admit that I didn’t think it would. The Statins have been removed and I will have repeat blood tests after they are completely out of my system. I couldn’t ask for or pay for better and more thorough treatment.

I am not completely right yet as a couple of hours shopping showed me this morning. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it. I don’t like it and I don’t know why it’s happening.

Saturday, 17th December, 2022

Quite a cool but wonderfully bright start to the day. Went out early to collect Pauline’s new, Christmas steam iron and some 2kgs of frozen strawberries. My chef is making strawberry jam this afternoon.

We’ve finally tracked down the source of our flat battery that dogged us as we arrived home from America. Our car has a wireless smartphone charger where you just lay your phone and the engine trickle charges it as you drive. As soon as you switch the engine off, the charger should go off. We realise, now that the charger had stayed live for a week since it had been driven and even that small discharge of power had been enough to run the battery down. It hasn’t happened since.

Interests rates went up again last Thursday to what people are laughably calling historic levels of 3.5%. It is the highest for 14 years but miniscule for people of our generation. However, although I’ve got most of our money tied up in higher rate investment bonds, We have a fair chunk in a YBS ‘rainy day’ Easy Access account. It only pays 2.6% which is criminal set against an inflation rate of 9.3%. I put £35,000 in there in July but it is still about the best available at the moment. I don’t think institutions have been quick enough to react to the rate rise but maybe something will happen soon.

Littlehampton Beach yesterday evening.

These are lovely times for wonderful skies on the coast. I stare into that seascape and find it rather scarily bleak and infinite …. like death. It makes me want people.

The chef has produced another 11 pots of delicious strawberry jam and has now been allowed time off to play with her new steam iron. I’m watching the Test match from Pakistan.

Sunday, 4th December, 2022

Day 5 of the Sun/Heatstroke and it is very unpleasant. I am constantly tired and cycling through hot and cold. Mainly I feel cold although others say I feel very hot and my body, unpredictably, starts to sweat heavily.  It has meant that I haven’t been outside for two days. It feels seriously weird.

The temperature has been quite hard to live with. Pauline found this wrap-on plastic thermometer which I’ve never seen before.

She wrapped it across my forehead for about 20 secs and a green, indicator line appears to show my current temperature is 38.5C. The standard adult reading would be 36.1 – 37.2C and 39.4 is phone the hospital.

Confined to the house, I’ve reached out to male friends as we all watched the matches today and shared our views on them. It is nice to know good people.

Back in our Angmering village, Jason, our builder, will have taken the car out around the Development to keep it ticking-over and charged. We’ve been here 6 years now and the first 2 saw us socially committed. We went down to the village ‘do’. When we realised it was too exciting for people of our advanced years, we stopped going.

Monday, 5th December, 2022

Sorry to go on but this illness has gone on too long. Woke up soaked again. Talked it through and decided to get some professional advice. Phoned 111 this morning. They just said the wait to be spoken to individually would be a few hours and that the website could be consulted. The first 4 questions I answered each responded with, Phone 999 so that wasn’t much help but it was a bit scary.

It has been decided that I need to go and see a Doctor which is where we are going now. Could be an interesting experience.

The place was fairly routine and not particularly well appointed but the people were lovely. We were seen by a very fat, black lady Doctor and her chavvy, black, tattooed Assistant. They were both absolutely lovely thoughtful although neither side really understood what the other was saying. 

How much do you weigh? I told her in  ‘Stones’. How much is that in Kilos? I told her. 

What medication are you taking?  ‘Doxazozin’

How to you spell that? D O X A Z O Z I N

I spell it over and over until she says, You mean A zee, O zee? 

I said, You are weird people! 

She replied: You think we’re weird. You weigh yourself in ROCKS.

Now take this next door and stick your ‘spotted dick’ in it and fill it. I said we cover ours with custard. They both thought I was mad and stuck a huge needle in my arm. One pint of blood (maybe a bit of an exaggeration) later, my urine sample – brilliantly presented and without custard – brought the news I hadn’t got heat/sunstroke all along and it was almost certainly an unrelated liver/kidney infection that my blood analysis would reveal in a few days. A cheery farewell and don’t forget to pay $165.00 on the way out. If you feel bad and would like to pay some more, don’t hesitate to call.

Tuesday, 6th December, 2022 

I slept throughout the day until a phone call from the Path Lab late in the evening told me my results were in and they didn’t look good. I had Elevated (double normal) liver enzymes which they needed to see me about tomorrow at 9.00 am.

Suddenly, a man who got up early to embrace the joy of a 10 mile walk, loves to write and communicate, is specialised in research has found himself having to think 10 times before shuffling off to the toilet and struggles to maintain his balance in that process. Has struggled to write anything coherent for days

Wednesday, 7th December, 2022 

Pauline and I discussed over night what our response should be tomorrow and it was soon proved right. We were back at the clinic. It was as we had suspected. They had found Liver damage. They recommended Ultra Sound which would cost around $1000.00 moving up toa CT scan which she instantly warned was not cheap. How much? Well in to the multiple $1,000.00s and it is the treatment that it reveals is needed which really costs.

Of course, we have insurance which will pay for all of this but there is the sense of escalating cost set against increasing treatment. We had decided if the process sounded too intricate or costly, we’d go back to UK and the NHS. M&K have been unbelievably nice to us and they already sense our disappointment. They have said immediately, you come when you want and stay for as long as you want. It makes the leaving seem so much easier.

One of the immediate problems with this illness is that it has attacked my ability to think clearly, make decisions confidently write directly. I’ve had M help me contact my UK Dr’s Surgery through Patience Know Best. We copied the identical blood test which I had in September which produced ‘Satisfactory’ results and the pdf them for the surgery here to compare.

After we’d made the decision to return, she helped me find and book a similar Premium Economy flight from Tampa. I felt like a geriatric as we did it. Same Flight, same airports, same timings. The price of $2,620 x 2 = $5240 which seemed reasonable at such short notice but the whole thing was waived. We just had to pay a $200 administration cost.

It was obviously horribly cold when we booked and received the details on my BA app. The current temperature at Gatwick, which is renowned for low temperatures at night, says we will land in 2C.

Thursday, 8th December, 2022

Slept for a large chunk of the morning and then went out with M&K to return the hire car and then on to visit a few local beaches. I wasn’t really up to it but I did my best. I even had my photo taken with Pauline.

I was wearing winter clothes because I felt so cold even though the temperature was about 28C at the time. It is one of the symptoms of my problem which I think started with heatstroke. Enterprise, the hire car firm, returned all our unused deposits instantly and everything was done so easily that we will almost certainly use them next time.

I actually ate some pizza for tea – my first food for a week – but almost instantly regretted it.

Friday, 9th December, 2022

Our last full day here. Pauline was packing but I was so tired I slept almost all the time. I’ve been having lurid dreams but last night’s really shocked me.

In 1972, I was starting my first teaching job and was given a list of rentals I could try by the LEA. They were all absolutely dire. The best of them was the most deadful ‘Room’ in a former stone mason’s house which had, until very recently, been used as a brothel. I arrived there desperate for accommodation.

The ground floor room was as basic as you could get. It had a double bed in the corner, a sideboard where I could put a TV, a Dining Table and chairs under the window and an armchair next to a small, tiled, open fire. The one other room was a tiled kitchen which held an old, sit-up-and-beg gas cooker and a sink and drainer. Toilet/washing facilities were upstairs and communal.

I can describe that in detail now because of my dream. For all these years I had blocked out that awful experience. It was the most uncomfortable and unhappy of my life. In my dream, I was standing outside in the courtyard through the gate looking in on my younger self sitting in the armchair completing another Open University Essay at 4.00 in the morning before setting off for work. For the first time in all those years, my mind had allowed myself to see the memory in an accurate way. I woke up in tears.

The other dream was a typical ‘fever’ one for me. It was all very vague and difficult to recall but we were on a train in central France in pitch darkness. If you know anything about me, you will know that Pauline is my sat.nav. I am so useless geographically that I can get lost going to my local supermarket.

We got off the train in to sheer pitch blackness. I turn to Pauline for guidance. She is nowhere to be seen. I reach for my mobile but it isn’t in my pocket. I think, I am in central France in pitch darkness without my mobile and unable to call anyone for help. My mind is panicking and I am going mad as Pauline touches my wrist. I hear myself say, Is that you? A groggy voice says, Yes, what’s wrong?

Apparently, she didn’t touch my wrist. She was deeply asleep when I woke her shouting, Is that you? which she thought wasn’t normal as she was the only other in the bed. Just shows the turmoil that goes on in my subconscious.

Saturday, 10th December, 2022

Travelling day. Our BA flight doesn’t leave until early evening but the dilemma is where to watch the Match. Pauline & I decide not to put M&K to any more inconvenience and chose to go to the airport early rather than have them make a mad dash after the match.

We were there before 1.00 pm, said our goodbyes to M&K, found comfortable armchairs with charging points for our phones, iPads and Laptop and settled down to watch the match. The airport wi-fi was reasonable but the match wasn’t.

As soon as the game ended, we quickly went through the World Traveller bag drop desk and down to gate.

Everything was totally efficient. Boarding started completely on time by ticket price. We were on early and had an overhead locker to ourselves. Very soon after the 7.30 pm departure, Dinner was served. Unfortunately, this was one occasion that I wasn’t hungry and couldn’t really enjoy it but Pauline compensated for me. We both had the chicken and it was lovely.

After Dinner, I just pulled the blanket over me and slept and slept …. until Breakfast was announced about two and a half hours from London which was 6.30 am (UK). I just had a glass of orange whereas Pauline stuffed herself with chicken sandwiches. She certainly deserved it after being so worried about me.

Sunday, 27th November, 2022

A lovely day which reached 28C/83F. Although I did my exercise routine this morning fairly early, the day has otherwise been one of relaxation. The exercise is so taken-for-granted now that I feel lazy over the rest of the day. A year ago this month, I was at the Athens Marathon. In the 12 months since, I have walked the equivalent of 150 marathons and there is still time to go. Actually, I’ve got to keep it going for another 29 years yet.

My walking has allowed me to see so much wildlife – rabbits, squirrels, red kites, hawks, geckos, etc. Today, I was excited to photo a long, black snake in the garden as it disappeared under a conifer.

It was much more frightened of us than we were of it.

 

The garden is a delight to live and work in. M&K inherited a garden buggy and a ride-on-mower which were left in the huge garage when they bought the property. M loves wizzing round the garden on both.

M&K have both got the gardening bug since moving here. Pauline & I are going to contribute by creating a herb garden. Almost every herb known to man can be easily grown in this climate so we are looking forward to it.

K has already developed his golf practice range on the back lawn where the pool will be installed over the next 6 months. He has always had a hankering for a fire-pit table so that is what he brought home today and set up working. For a house with three kitchens, they won’t really need its cooking function. For a climate which is fairly sweaty at night, its heating facility won’t be much needed either. It looks nice, though, doesn’t it? That’s the main thing.

Monday, 28th November, 2022

Warm and sunny morning – which eventually reached 28C/83F – to visit garden centres. We drove to a nearby one called Lowes. It was very much like a B&Q in Uk but not so impressive.

We were looking for Herbs (which Americans didn’t recognise until we said, erbs.) The plants were quite disappointing, but the barbecues were the best. Massive and really cheap. Might have to export one to Sussex.

Drove home to do a two hour walk which Pauline joined me for half of. While I was walking, a message came in from my little sister, Liz, who is usually living in London or Newcastle but was messaging from …. Athens. I have been there 60 – 70 times but it was her first visit and she was asking for ideas to visit.

My walk was dry, hot and dusty. It is such a shock to be messaged out of the blue by someone from my family. She was messaging from the Electra Metropolis Hotel which we have used and know well. We remember the building as the former Ministry of Education and saw striking teachers massing there. Now it is a 5* hotel beyond the reach of Greek teachers’ salaries.

I wrote her a potted guide in 10 minutes on my phone with pictures of places to visit and sent it all across on Whatsapp for her consideration. Even though I was in the middle of nowhere, Mobile 5G signal is everywhere in USA and there is little problem in communicating.

In the late afternoon, we drove into Tampa and went to a waterside restaurant for a 21st birthday meal. It was lovely. I remember some enjoyable 21st birthdays in the past and this was a grown-up attempt to give a young girl a memorable experience.

Tuesday, 29th November, 2022

Up early for a walk on a day that eventually reached 28C/83F. I split the exercise in two halves so that I could do other things including watch the Eng v Wales match at 2.00 pm here. Glad I did.

It was international day in more senses than one. Liz is in Athens and I chatted to her and sent her some restaurant suggestions near her hotel that cater for weirdos like her – vegetarian/vegan stuff. We exchanged messages while we walked. At the same time, I was joking with my cousin who is English but lives in France. She has returned to her roots for a brief visit and immediately tested positive for Covid.

Also, while I was walking, I was communicating with Lancashire, Yorkshire and Australia to add to Greece and France. My friend, John, sent me this photo that he took in 1969 and developed in the College Art Block. He & I plus Nigel lived there for two years with the Boyd family at 12 College Road (1969-71). I have featured it before but this is the actual picture he took as we started our lives there. Kevin suggested it should have a Blue Plaque. I’m not sure if the blue denoted literary, artistic or pornographic achievement but I’m sure he’ll tell me.

There could not be much greater contrast between the two photos. The bottom one taken with a basic, b&w camera and hand developed. The whole feeling of cramped and stuffy propriety allied to the absence of colour and warmth doesn’t make one want to return to those times. The top photo with its vibrant, hot colours that so attracted Hockney as a painter but in a countryside of luxury and prosperity where anything feels possible just begs one to make the most of every day.

I do love reaching out across the space and time of life. It feels rich and enthralling. To be able to go back and talk to my past but move forward and explore the present while planning for the future is exactly what I want to do.

We finished the afternoon enjoying the football in the cinema room with nuts and iced-white wine. No popcorn in sight thank goodness although I think there is a machine in there to make it.

We eat about 6.30 – 7.00 pm here and I sat down wondering if Liz had been to our table at the restaurant we suggested in Athens where the time is +7hrs. She’s going out for the day to Delphi tomorrow but I’m afraid it’s going to pour down all day. At least she’ll come back clean.

Wednesday, 30th November, 2022

I can’t remember struggling so hard to motivate myself today. My exercise routine was a real struggle both physically and mentally. I had to keep talking myself through it. Just another half an hour; just another 4 miles, soon be going back for a drink. Think how much better you will feel when you’ve achieved it. My body was creaking and I was feeling my age. Out here in gorgeous scenery and 28C/83F – which is what it tends to be most days – I ought to be relaxed and full of life but, sometimes, things gnaw away at my mind and sap my energy.

It’s great to be retired isn’t it and free to do all these wonderful things. I meet lovely people, watch wonderful wildlife and keep in contact with friends across the world. On my morning walk, I see fleets of these yellow school buses which have priority on the roads. If I do a second walk, I usually see them delivering children to their individual homes at the end of the day.

While I was walking through the sunshine of Florida, Little Liz and her husband were in Athens celebrating Liz’s 65th birthday. Today she went on a trip to Delphi to consult the oracle. I warned her it would be wet and it just shows that you should always listen to your big brother.

I’m sure she enjoyed it whatever the weather. After all, she’s spent a good chunk of her early, professional life in Newcastle so most things are better than that.

All eyes on Chester tomorrow. It is the first By-election of note for quite a while and, certainly, since Labour went into a massive, 18% lead in the polls. However, in these one-off By-elections, LibDems usually do well so we will see. Labour held it with about 9,000 majority last time so it is quite an ask for the LibDems.

Thursday, 1st December, 2022

Doesn’t quite make sense but the month of December has opened on strong sunshine and me still suffering from sun/heatstroke. Everyone here says, Have a day off. Rest & Relax. My body says, That makes sense but my brain screams, Never give in.

Pauline went out with M clothes shopping to the ‘Mall’. (Quite difficult to write that word but I got there. She gets so little chance to do it at home so I hope she really enjoys it and spends all our money.

I set out on my morning walk and felt as if I was battling against the whole world. Of course, I wasn’t. I was battling my mental attitude and the soreness of my bones, particularly my pelvic area which feels as if it hasn’t been oiled for a long time. I’m still feeling quite light-headed and strangely emotional. I’ve been given this rehydration pack which is full of minerals and water. I’ve finished it so we’ll see.

I hate feeling out of control of myself just as I hate not being able to help others. It’s one of those things I’ve just got to get my head down and work through. I’ve set out on my second session and got home by 3.00 pm. I sat in front of my laptop and started to do my Blog. A few lines in, I was asleep and slept for the best part of 3 hrs. I went down for cheese & biscuits and found I just couldn’t eat. I was even too exhausted to talk.

K was watching Ice Hockey. M&P were going to the Cinema Room and I was looking for the Chester Byelection result. It is 9.00 pm (Fl) now and 2,00 am (UK). I am tired but determined to hear the result. I really wouldn’t be surprised if Lib Dems got it and I wouldn’t mind.

The majority was well above what was expected – with 17,309 votes – a 61% share of the vote and nearly 11,000 more than the Conservative candidate.

Friday, 2nd December, 2022

Had a lot of sleep yesterday and woke feeling tired. Went out for an early-ish walk to fight off sore bones, light head and general feeling-sorry-for-myself-itus. It worked. Fortunately, although the sun was strong, the temperature did not go much higher than 26C/79F which made things easier. I managed 8 miles and will do the rest this afternoon.

I suddenly realised that there is one member of the family that I haven’t introduced you to yet. Colin named himself and was given a post-it note in case he forgets. Colin is a vacuum robot who stalks the floors downstairs keeping them immaculate. He lives in the Storeroom where the docking-station stands. Tell Colin to start cleaning and he undocks and starts roaming the floors.

Colin can cope with most things such as piano legs or doorways. What he can’t do is climb up or down and he doesn’t do well with long pile carpets.

So, the unfurnished White Room has a large step/step down and a fairly deep pile carpet, so someone actually has to do that by hand. When Colin has finished or, if he feels the need for recharging, he just glides back to his docking station, automatically empties himself and starts charging ready for next time. Colin never complains.

Saturday, 3rd December, 2022

Had a horrible night. Embarrassingly pathetic! Pauline woke me at 3.00 am to say we were swimming in water and I was leaking from every pore which was strange because I felt freezing. I was, in fact, burning up and the sheets really were saturated. I haven’t wet the bed for almost 70 years. Just to get some sleep, we put towels down beneath us, turned UK radio news on and, eventually drifted off.

Getting up just after 7.00 am, I was told that I would not be walking today. Now usually, I would say yes and then do it anyway because I have a slight tendency towards belligerency but today, I have had to swallow my pride and accept. It is a personal tragedy and shame but there it is. My base target has been 10 miles per day since my 70th at the beginning of April 2021. I think I did 81 days and then was stupid enough to have a day off.

The effect of that on me was so infuriating that I vowed to do a complete year. You will see, I actually completed 371 continuous days before my hernia operation stopped me for 6 days. After that I was seriously hitting back until today and you can see this run stops at 204 consecutive days of 10+ miles a day.

I am rarely ill but, like most men, when I am, I’m completely incapacitated. Actually, I really don’t like people fussing round me. Like a sick dog, I prefer to curl up in a corner and wait for the affliction to pass. Unfortunately, Pauline has decided that this condition could lead to thickened blood supply and trigger a heart attack so, for her peace of mind, I am doing as I’m told.

I have a growing list of things in this house that I intend to take home with me:

1. The Outdoor Kitchen
2. The Indoor Kitchen
3. The (eat anything) Toilets
4. The live-in Masseuse
5. Colin the Robot Vac.

I looked for a Robo-Vac today and found lots available in the UK cost low end (£190) and high end around £1500). The one I’m featuring is around (£500) and will do 3 hrs running around cleaning up before for going back to base and emptying and recharging.

It will map each floor of the house and save that in its memory to help future trips. All our downstairs rooms are wood or tile apart from the Lounge which has very low pile carpet and the same upstairs. It can even be controlled remotely by smartphone if you want the house immaculate when you get home as I know we all do.

Sunday, 20th November, 2022

Strange day but very enjoyable. Quite a cool and overcast start. I did a couple of hours walking then came back to catch up with the UK political programmes and read the downloaded Sunday Times + Sunday Telegraph. As I got back to the house, light rain began to fall and never really stopped for the rest of the day. 

In the afternoon, we all went out to the Southern Hills Plantation Club. The idea was to spend an hour in the gym and then to swim but the weather kept us inside. 

We decided to drive out to a shopping mall about an hour away. M&K still need more furniture to fill this vast house and so visited Home Furniture shops like Rooms to Go in an area called Wesley Chapel.

Afterwards, M&K treated us to Dinner in a lovely restaurant which served just the food we like. I had Lobster Linguini and Pauline had beautiful, fresh Scallops.

I must admit that, as we left the restaurant, it felt more like Manchester weather than Florida but at least we know tomorrow will be back up to 26F/79F. Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself and we started our 3rd week here today. Incredible.

Tomorrow I am hoping to include a rave from the College grave which popped up yesterday. Oh, how we are aging!

Monday, 21st November, 2022

Gorgeous, hot and sunny day. I’m told that the North of England had their first frost of the year. Julie went down to the sea and took a ‘selfie’. Those without smartphones are really depriving themselves,

The North Yorkshire sea looks quite tempestuous but attractive. We, on the other hand were back to 27C/81F which was lovely for walking in.

I was sent a photo of an old friend who I haven’t seen since 1972. Bill & Jimmy came as a pair. They were from Liverpool and couldn’t look more different. Bill looked older, taller and rather ‘lanky’. Jimmy was smaller, neater and looked younger. He usually wore sunglasses. I understand why.

We know that Bill died some time ago but nobody had seen Jimmy. He appears to have re-surfaced at the latest reunion in Ripon this month. He is photographed here with Chris Tolley November 2022. How we are all dealing with the ravages of time.

I am trying to deal with it by exercising and reaching out – partially successfully – to old friends. It is interesting, painful and exciting in equal measure. Today, Kevin sent me a jokey cartoon. Julie sent me a photograph and John sent me a memory of days gone by. All are nice and rewarding in their own way.

I have walked 80 miles in the past week and 4000 in the past year. I am feeling quite fit and enjoying it. Pauline has stopped walking because her foot is swelling up. I am looking for a witch’s spell to cure her.

Do you know any witches? Answers on a postcard!

Tuesday, 22nd November, 2022

Yesterday the roads were lined with blue Waste (Trash) Bins. Our day in Sussex is Monday as well but there we have general waste every week and recycle every fortnight. Here they don’t do recycling at all and the bins are emptied twice each week.

One of the glories of this house is the garden. It is vast and well stocked with trees and plants as well as extensive lawns and water features.

M&K are having a large pool area installed and K has already put in a golf driving feature. We are going to help by installing a herb garden and we have our eye on a gorgeous blue/green palm tree as a statement plant as well.

The climate makes outside living really enjoyable and the garden encourages that. This seating area at the front of the house is lovely for evening sunshine and warmth before retreating to the air-conditioning.

Wednesday, 23rd November, 2022

A warm and sunny day. I was walking in the morning. Pauline is still troubled by her foot which is rather swollen. When I got back, we nipped out to Publix for some bottles of wine and fish for Dinner.

The supermarket was very busy because it is the last day before the Thanksgiving holiday. We watched PMQs together and then spent a while in the sunshine in the Jacuzzi with a glass of iced white wine.

M&K have booked us a Thanksgiving meal together at the Country Club where we go to the gym and have a large pool.

This evening, my chef is cooking fish goujons and serving it with green salad. Sounds lovely and, after all that exercise, I’m starving!

Thursday, 24th November, 2022

A warm and sultry day that reached 27C/81F. It is Thanksgiving Day in US which means a long weekend holiday. We are booked in for a meal at the country club at 12.30 pm and are all going to exercise first. I was out at 7.30 am for my first walk. We then all drove out to the club. M&K played golf while Pauline and I went in the gym.

It is very exclusive. In fact, I don’t think I have seen more than three other people there while we were working out. David Lloyd Health Club it is not. I was able to watch political programmes from the BBC on my iPad while I exercised which was useful.

The meal was fascinating with elements one would never predict. Who eats sweet almond butter with the savoury course? – Americans. Who mixes sharp cranberry sauce with marshmallow? – Americans. The turkey was lovely and the stuffing is torn shards of bread soaked in savoury sauce which was surprisingly nice. I had pumpkin pie for sweet and that was enjoyable but unusual for me.

Pauline met a woman in the shower who came from Clitheroe, Lancashire. Unfortunately, we rather landed M&K in it because she immediately wanted to arrange a dinner party which we couldn’t refuse. She was obviously in need of Home-origin contact and grasped the first opportunity she could. I’ve suggested we all catch Covid in time for that date but we’ll see.

When we got home, Pauline & I were too full and exhausted to enjoy the lovely sunshine outside. We slumped with coffee and newspapers.

Friday, 25th November, 2022

Screamingly hot and humid day. K came back from a morning’s golf shattered and I came back from three hour’s walking with my shirt heavier than me. It was as if I had showered in it.

We went out to a bar to enjoy the fully immersed experience of the Eng v USA match. Was really hoping to get into a fight. Actually, the ‘Sports’ Bar was running about 10 TV screens simultaneously, was populated by a lot of older and grossly unfit, overweight men many of whom were watching the ice hockey or the golf rather than the football.

Didn’t manage to get the fight. In fact, there was little to get excited or controversial about. People seemed to be more energised by the Boston Bruins beating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in the ice hockey. Even so, it was good to have the experience.

What was strange was that I received a message from Leeds in Yorkshire while I was sitting in that bar. It was from John Coates who appears to be on the mend after a terrible stroke. Haven’t seen him since he came to my wedding in 1978. I will visit when I return to UK.

Saturday, 26th November, 2022

Over breakfast on this hot and humid day, we learnt that our next-door neighbours in Sussex had put their house on the market. They had talked about it but we hoped they wouldn’t. They are lovely people and you don’t know who will come in their place.

It is on at £830,000 which is a reasonable price and will almost certainly sell quickly as everything does down here. We are all constantly bombarded with leaflets from local estate agents urging us to have our properties valued and to consider going on the market. Who knows, Pauline is already getting itchy feet and, dependent on what our new neighbours are like, maybe we will take the plunge.

It’s the sort of thing one sits outside on a warm evening with a glass of chilled wine and muses on. Well, we do anyway. I know some people are happy to stay in the same house for most of their lives but it wouldn’t suit us and there will come a time in their old age when they will miss the equity they should have built up.

The house prices in USA seem quite reasonable set against those back home. This substantial property with heated pool is on at $590,00 / £488,000 which is certainly less than would be demanded in Sussex … and the weather comes with it.

Sunday, 13th November, 2022

Very humid this morning. Went to bed late because we have a visitor staying. We ate late, stayed up talking. The visitor is the Head of a company which advises other tech-y companies how to solve development problems almost before they know they have them. He is only in his early 40s which is annoying but he is interesting to talk to. We ate outside in the Sanders Kitchen. 

It is only ‘outside’ in the sense that the side walls are just mesh screens to allow the weather in and keep the creepy crawlies out.

It has all the mod cons that any kitchen has – sink, dishwasher, gas hob and barbecue, fridge, wine fridge, etc. It is a lovely place to sit and eat. There is a much bigger, indoor kitchen next door.

The morning walk takes us along woodland roads and the animals and birds just going about their daily lives are wonderful. Saw a Florida Woodpecker yesterday hammering hell out of a tree trunk and beautiful, little finches with red breasts and black & yellow striped coats. This afternoon, I was taken by this bush which is abundant here. With its pink/purple berries, it looks quite striking. There’s something pure, simple, sweet and non-malicious about Nature which is to be admired. It has no designs on those observing it. It just is.

Monday, 14th November, 2022

Last night we were taken out to Dinner by the businessman, David, who is staying with us. We went to a local Italian Trattoria. It wasn’t brilliant as a restaurant but we were out with friends and business was paying. No complaints here. We ate seafood, badly cooked and poorly presented but no problem.

After Dinner, the girls went up to the Cinema Room to watch Strictly Come Dancing. I am not a fan of the programme but I will use it to watch Netflix and Amazon Prime.

A warmish day – 27C/81F – which was lovely to walk in. This is redneck, Republican territory for people who have money and don’t want to share it. Properties are huge and defended vigorously.

This ranch-style property on our walk is typical rather than unusual for the area. Huge tracts of land with huge drives leading up to huge properties where they park huge vehicles. The sign on the gate says, We don’t call 911 (Emergency/Police). We use weapons/hand guns. ‘Welcome‘! We don’t welcome the dreadlocked. Lovely people.

It is Daniel’s 19th birthday this week. He is in need of nothing so I thought we would buy him something stupid. I thought I might get him a mad, baseball cap in Wallmart. Pauline was forced to model it for me. They made her look too erotic so I decided it wasn’t right and we chose something much more bonkers. He’ll love them because he is equally daft.

It is lovely to have our own car and chose when we go where and when rather than be beholden to others. Today we nipped to Walmart for some things and on to Publix for the rest. Back ‘home’, Pauline completed the production of a huge Lasagne for this evening when the workers get back from Tampa. It will be one of the best meals they’ll ever eat and it will be ‘free’.

Tuesday, 15th November, 2022

Hot and humid start to the day although we are constantly surprised because the house is permanently air conditioned throughout night and day. As soon as we step outside, the heat and humidity hit us. This morning, my valet has to do the washing.

I get through at least two pairs of shorts and tee shirts every day. It’s also sheets washing today. Do you change your bedding at least once a week? Pauline was talking to a couple of our friends recently who were absolutely shocked we did that. You hear all the big news in this Blog!

Some of my friends are in regular contact through Whatsapp as we share the experiences of our lives. Kevin is in Benidorm again but he hasn’t picked a good week. He’s already sent me two videos this week of torrential rain and rivers in the street. He’s also sent me an extended clip of his karaoke performance. I must admit, it wouldn’t be for me at all. In fact, I would absolutely hate it. Having a friend who is so far removed from my world is quite good fun. I think he would feel the same about me.

David, the businessman who is staying with us, runs Clarify. He is a really personable and intelligent individual. Tonight is his last night here before he flies back to UK not far from where we live in the South. M&K were going to take him out to Dinner but he has requested Pauline’s cooking instead. Very wise man. She is producing tarragon & garlic, flame griddled chicken breasts with sautéed wild mushrooms, dauphinoise potatoes, asparagus and broccoli. I’m quite looking forward to it myself.

We went out to Publix (Sainsburys) for the ingredients. American supermarkets put ours to shame. They have everything in multiple choices and huge proportion. Living with a chef, I am used to hunting for specific types of potato, exactly the right fresh herb and the most unusual types of mushrooms, etc.. It is not cheap. This pack of washing pods does 61 washes but costs $42.00/£35.50. We have been here for just 8 days and our supermarket shopping is already £350.00. Good fun though!

Wednesday, 16th November, 2022

Woke up to a message from Jay, my next-door neighbour, asking if we had watched the space rocket launch this morning. Mind you, it was sent at 7.00 am (UK) / 2.00 am (F). He said that the house is fine and particularly clean because it hasn’t stopped raining since we left and that he would take my car out for its first run at the weekend. Really reassuring to have him there. I’ve already checked the house on the cameras at 6.00 pm (UK) / 1.00 pm (F) and it is still raining and amazingly dark. We are just about to go out for a long walk in the sunshine.

My chef’s task tomorrow morning is to make a birthday cake for a youth who will be 19 years old. Can you imagine it? It will be a chocolate cake baked in the main, indoor kitchen.

We had to go shopping for the ingredients and Chef’s enjoyment is in selecting precisely the best items. It’s all incredibly expensive though. Here is the Sales Receipt. A simple chocolate cake will cost around £21.00! I can’t afford that! As we walked into the store, they were playing The First Cut is the Deepest – P.P. Arnold. How appropriate!

Thought you might like to see my favourite part of the house. I haven’t played the piano since the early 1970s. The Art Block at College. I recreated the piece I was working on all those years ago. It is distinctly introverted and sad. It predicted the future.

Thursday, 17th November, 2022

A cool start to what turned out to be a lovely, warm and sunny day. I watched the UK Budget speech before setting off for my walk alone. Pauline is making a chocolate birthday cake so I have left her in peace. We are going to Tampa this afternoon for a birthday meal and then we are all going to an Ice Hockey game because that was his choice.

I wrote yesterday about being contacted by my neighbour to reassure me about the house. Since then, two amazing coincidences of contact across time and space have occurred. I have written before about ‘adopting’ kids while we were teaching. Yesterday, a girl called Fiza contacted me with the most moving message. She was/is a very bright girl who should have gone to Oxbridge but was prevented from going to university at all because of her culture. She went early into an arranged marriage and had kids.

She still called me, Sir and said she was contacting me without her husband knowing because he wouldn’t approve. At the age of 41, she is finally doing a Counselling & Psychotherapy BSc at Manchester and she wanted us to know. She said I was the first person she thought of when she got the acceptance letter. She said, I honestly wish you were here so I could hug you. Just letting you know that even after all these years your support and love at that time still kept me going through so much.

I was just drying my eyes when I received another Direct Message from circa 1984. I didn’t do a lot of teaching of English or reading of Fiction but one book which went down well was an American one set in New York. I have spent my life quoting bits from Harriet the Spy to friends. Last night, a message came in from a girl called Lisa who must be nearly 50 now. I can barely remember her as a child but she obviously remembered me and the first thing she reminded me of was her enjoyment of Harriet the Spy which I read to her all those years ago. She was contacting me because she had just passed her GCSE English at Grade A and she thought I would be pleased. Even at her age, she is working at Oldham College now.

Friday, 18th November, 2022

Lovely day yesterday. When I got back from my walk, the postman had delivered us a Christmas present all the way from Marsden, West Yorkshire. It was sitting on the Kitchen worksurface.

It was from our friend, Margaret. There are some lovely, genuine people in the world along with the shallow ones. Margaret is beset with the problems of her elderly parents and her own grandchildren, but she has found the time to do that for us.

Around mid-afternoon, we drove the hour’s journey to the centre of Tampa. It is a beautiful, modern city next to the ocean.

We had booked a table for Dinner outside overlooking the Bay. It was lovely and the food was good. After Dinner, we walked to the Amalie Stadium to watch the ice hockey.

There is ice hockey and then there is the American take on it which is absolutely mad. Every couple of minutes, the game would have a time-out and the music would blare out over the system. Most committed fans – and lots of them looked like the woman in front of me – would be up and dancing, whooping, singing and watching the screen to see if they would be featured. If they were, they would go absolutely ‘ape’. This is definitely not the place for a shy and retiring Englishman like me. Even so, I quite enjoyed it.

Saturday, 19th November, 2022

Lovely hot and sunny walk this morning. Blue skies, strong, warm sunshine, the beautiful scent from the pine trees and the noise from marauding flocks of crows looking to harass the predatory Red Kites circling lazily above. If you weren’t here, you missed a treat.

Met this little chap scuttling relatively swiftly across the sandy woodland track. As soon as I went to photograph it, it stopped dead and shrank into its shell. I tapped the top of the shell and it stuck its head out and a gave a large hiss. I got my photo anyway.

These properties back in the woods feel very remote. For the past couple of weeks walking, we’ve been watching the development of this, new property. It is not lived in yet but we know the owner is called Julio because someone living on the same track thought I was him. Two weeks ago, there was no grass here at all. A company have been laying turf in hot sun for days on an area which must be at least two acres.

Sunday, 6th November, 2022

Up at 5.00 am leaving my valet and social secretary silently sleeping. Straight down to the basement gym for a couple of hours. Strangely, I was the only one there. 

Breakfast at 8.30 am and then out to get the shuttle to South Terminal. Through priority security quickly and down to No1 Lounge.

By 12.30 pm, we were boarding and offered a bottle of red wine. Great for encouraging sleepiness. Just woken for Dinner. I had chicken with another bottle of red wine.

A 9 hour flight went very quickly and we were soon descending into Tampa Airport. As we did, dozens of friends’ texts/Whatsapps/Facebooks/Twitters shouted out of my phone. Lovely feeling although sad to leave them behind.

After the arduous security checks – finger printing, etc, – we were out to collect cases and be picked up by A&K and whisked off to the house for …. Red wine and barbecued salmon. Delicious. By this time, I was tired. I had been up and active for 22 hours. Time for bed. Oh, Pauline & M have to watch the ‘Strictly’ results programme before bed. 😵

Monday, 7th November, 2022

Time zones do rather mess with your head. Despite being active for 22 hours on Sunday, I was awake after about 3hours sleep. At 7.00 am (UK) / 2.00 am (Fl), I awoke thinking about what was going on in the world. Fortunately, I gave myself a good talking to and went back to sleep.

I woke at 7.00 am (Fl) / 12.00 pm (UK) just in time to watch the Daily Politics on BBC2. It was excellent and geared me up for the day. Took this photo from our bedroom window out on to the front garden. At 7.00 am, the temperature is 23C/72F nice and cool because I’ve got to sort out a 3 hr walk this morning after a big cup of Yorkshire Tea.

This is a lovely place to be in the Florida countryside. Still very open and under populated the properties are huge and widely spread. Everywhere is big and surrounded by huge lawns.

Been on a lovely, two hour walk around the neighbourhood this morning. It got a bit hot but it was great to explore the area.

Made a new friend today. Just wouldn’t leave me alone. I do tend to have that effect on girls. Not even sure what she is – Grasshopper? Cicada? Locust? Anyway, she has very good taste!

Tuesday, 8th November, 2022

Adjusting to the time change already. Went to bed early last night – 9.30 pm (F) / 2.30 am (UK) and slept well. Woke at 5.00 am (F) / 10.00 am (UK) feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Yorkshire tea and then out for a walk to see if I could reconnect with my new best friend the grasshopper who I’m going to call Jenny.

Everything appears to be organised on a grid, ‘block’ system and there are miles of rolling hills cut through by roads on which the occasional house, each big enough to be a small town in itself, is standing.

Since meeting my new girlfriend yesterday, I have Googled her. All men should do due diligence on their girlfriends. She is a Florida native – a Lubber Grasshopper – and can be poisonous to small mammals and birds but not to humans and, particularly kind ones like me.

On my walk today, I came across this post box outside a huge, sprawling country property. Suddenly realised it was a grasshopper support. Nobody walks anywhere in America. Nowhere is close enough to anywhere else to walk to it. Everyone has multiple vehicles in the drive and petrol is incredibly cheap.

When they saw us walking down the road yesterday, people stopped to offer us a lift. They assumed we had broken down and were walking for help. The idea of walking for fitness in the fresh air and sunshine is complete anathema to Americans. I have to say, I am really enjoying it.

There is something quite delightful about walking in the fresh air while being bathed in hot sunshine. Today, we set off a bit earlier in 25C and returned a couple of hours later in 28C. Gorgeous. While I walked, I chatted through Whatsapp messages to John, Kevin and Julie in Lancashire, Spain and Yorkshire.

In the afternoon we went out for our first big shop at Publix supermarket. It is a lovely, well stocked shop. Every employee is super helpful, incredibly polite and upbeat. We bought fresh Dover Sole and said to the lady on the counter, We’re from Dover. (It’s a bit of a stretch, I know but it was meant to be light hearted.) You’re from Dover, she said dryly. Well, this isn’t. It was caught a few miles away from here. Of course, you can tell a good shop when it stocks the best brands as illustrated in this photo.

Wednesday, 9th November, 2022

Still haven’t completely adjusted to the time shift. We’ve got the US Mid Term election coverage meshing in with UK PMQs. Actually managed to stay in bed until 7.15 am (F) / 12.15 pm (UK) in order to watch Prime Ministers Questions on Sky TV on my iPad. Florida is on a storm warning so I’ve put off hiring a car until Friday.

There is an Enterprise Rental outlet just 3 miles away so I’ve been finalising availability and prices. We want something similar to what we drive now. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have to settle for a NISSAN. Can you believe it. Who would volunteer to drive a NISSAN? We had a brand new one about 40 years ago and the wing mirrors fell off while we were driving.

Even so, it offers plenty of what we would expect in a car if not everything. It is for three months and it will get us around. We don’t expect to be doing many long journeys ….

…. I’ve booked the car for Friday but not through Enterprise who wanted $3,700 per month. On the advice of K, I did a fresh search and found the same model but at Hertz for half that price. Might buy him a present for that. Some chewing gum or something similar.

Thinking about English friends tonight. Feel so far away. Do you ever get that? Travelling is wonderful. I love it but I feel I am leaving and letting down others. I know I’m bonkers but there it is. Kevin is in Spain anyway.

The chef cooked a lovely meal Dinner this evening – pork spare ribs with green beans and asparagus. It was wonderful. A lovely end to the day. We are expecting a Tropical Storm tomorrow. Should be exciting.

Thursday, 10th November, 2022

Every television screen in Florida, yesterday and again today, has been dominated by two topics – the Mid Term Election results and Trump’s lack of success and the coming Hurricane Nicole to a Tropical Storm.

In UK, it seemed that every effort went into keeping places – schools, offices and shops – open. In Florida, they appear to go all out for safety. In this litigious country, the media is dominated by the dangers of storms advising extreme caution.

I have to do my exercise target whatever the weather so I went out in torrential rain and blustery winds to walk for a couple of hours. To be honest, for all the furore in the media here, it really wasn’t worse than a bad day on the Pennines but much, much warmer.

Now, it is only 2.00 pm (F) / 7.00 pm (UK) and I am shattered. I am reduced to self-portraits of my leg from a prostrate position on the bed.

Friday, 11th November, 2022

The Tropical Storm of yesterday that American media played as life threatening, turned out to be a whimper of rain. This morning opened hot and steamy with high humidity. My walk yesterday left me soaked to the skin with driving rain. This morning’s walk left me soaked to the skin with oozing sweat. (Too much information? Hard Luck!) As I walked, I was contacted by David in Rochdale, John & Julie in Yorkshire and Kevin in rainy Benidorm. We exchanged experiences and it felt nice to do that.

The countryside showed the effects of the heavy rain and everywhere smelled gorgeously of pine needles as they carpeted the ground. Everywhere smelled fresh and new. The world looked great and the woods rang round with the calls of exotic birds. Actually, I’ve known quite a few exotic birds in my life. You can still see the scars.

M&K really kindly drove us out to collect a hire car. We had to go to Hertz in Brooksville for the car which turned out to be a rather bigger Toyota which meant we dodged the lowly NISSAN! Everyone at Hertz was pleased to acknowledge British people – Oh, love your country! – and were super friendly as they took our money. Have a nice day, now.

Don’t know how they chose the numberplate. Seems a bit rude! M&K really kindly guided us home and gave us controls for all the electric gates and garage doors. Later, we did our first trip out alone to shop for tonight’s meal – roast salmon with pesto topping accompanied by roasted Mediterranean vegetables.

Saturday, 12th November, 2022

We still haven’t got this time zone yet and were up at 2.00 am / 7.00 am drinking tea and downloading The Times. Back to bed at 4.00 am for about 3 hours and then out walking in the already warm day which eventually reached 28C/83F of sweaty humidity and sunshine. The woodland paths are teaming with wildlife. Squirrels everywhere too fast to photograph apart from this one which had obviously left the Home for the Visually Impaired.

Wonderful bird song echoes all around. Huge properties set in even greater land are fenced and patrolled by guard dogs who come up to challenge us. Actually, they’ve seen us so much in the past week that many can’t even be bothered to bark any more.

As I was walking, I passed a lady who had driven down her long drive to the gate to collect her post. She looked up and said, You really walk. I’ve seen you so much recently. I told her that I had to do a minimum of 10 miles per day. Ten miles! Get out of town, she exclaimed. Actually, we were in the middle of a forest and well out of town but I held back from pointing that out.

Everyone has a Winnebago bigger than a Northern Semi on the drive. Goodness knows where they take it.

We drove out to Walmart (sort of the equivalent of UK Asda which they once owned.) A woman on the door asked where we were from and, when we told her England, she said, Just love England. I asked if she’d been there and she said, Oh no but I love watching Keeping Up Appearances. Oh, Hyacith Bouquet, I said. Bucket, she relied snappily. I just love her. We went on to Publix which is rather similar to UK Sainsburys. It was nice to do it under our own steam. An English, business guest is arriving this evening and Kieron is cooking steak on the barbecue in the Sanders Kitchen tonight so we can just sit back and relax.

 

Sunday, 30th October, 2022

What a hot night. I was up at 3.00 am (was 4.00 am) drinking tea, watching Sky News and reading Twitter. Went back to bed around 4.30 am (was 5.30 am) and actually slept a little. 

This morning, with only 6 days to go, I am ticking off jobs from the list. Order currency for the first few days. Gone are the days when I would order £10,000.00+ in Euros to get us through 6 months in Greece. It was very straightforward. I ordered from specialist FX companies and had the notes delivered to our door for a much better price  than anyone else could offer. Now, the pandemic seems to have destroyed the business model of most of those companies as travel collapsed and those remaining only offer the same rates as Tesco bank or the Post Office. I only want £1000.00 starter pack of Dollars and then I will pay everything else with my phone and Direct Debit to avoid transaction charges.

Where has this keenness for Halloween come from? I know it’s American and there seems to be an absorption into our culture of Americanism but I just can’t raise a single shred of enthusiasm for it. Today, on my walk, parents and kids were dressing the outside of their homes with what I assume is cobweb and giant spiders going up the walls, pumpkin heads but plastic ones.

Lovely evening meal of salmon with pesto crust and garlic green beans. Drank a bottle of wine I bought in 2016 for £5.40. Today, if I wanted to buy it on-line, it would cost me 10 x that amount. Anyway, it was delicious and well worth it. In comparison with European wines in UK, European wines in America are incredibly cheap. Looking forward to a few days of that before we go back to our diet.

Monday, 31st October, 2022

The houses around have reached peak insanity. Giant spiders climbing up walls, cobwebs draped over hedges, skeletons climbing in or out of windows. Walked past one house where a skeleton was being hauled up the outside wall to the bedroom window. I asked the blonde leaning out of the window whether it was escaping or invading. She said she hadn’t decided yet. The children were running round excitedly outside.

After all these years, I have forgotten what it was like to anticipate events like this – in my case, bonfire night – but I can guess what it means to parents being prepared to put themselves out for their children. When you’ve got children, I suspect the concept of selfishness doesn’t even arise. Certainly, the parents I saw really went far to please their kids.

Had a lovely day of contact with friends and relatives. I know I’ve changed but I am really enjoying it. Some of them are completely bonkers of course but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. My sister, Cathy, contacted me to ask for a newspaper report which featured her that I had posted in my Blog 4 years ago. Years ago she trained as a teacher and then as a Psychotherapist (what I’ve always called a Psychobabbler). Now, as a result of her Osteoporosis, she is about to set up her own Personal Training business. She doesn’t seem able to sit still.

I am trying to squeeze as much enjoyment as I can out of the friends in contact with me. I like to think we offer each other something. Julie sent me the photo above from her garden this morning. Nice photo.

Tuesday, 1st November, 2022

Happy November. It certainly started with a bang here. A hell of a night with incredibly strong winds.

A lot of people around here asking for return of Halloween decorations that have blown away in the night. The family across the road are looking for a ‘black & white striped witch’s leg with a red shoe’. Now it’s not just windy but wet. I’m having my hair cut. I find it difficult to sit still all that time but it has to be done. I wonder if you can have general anaesthetics for hair cuts?

Pauline filled a bowl with chocolate bars for Trick or Treat kids coming to the door. Now she’s talking about taking the remainder to the kids in the street to make up for their loss of a leg. Seems a bit excessive to me. What an idyllic world children live in!

As we leave for 3 months in USA, I have spent a really enjoyable morning talking to friends and assuring them that they will not escape from photos of hot sun as they battle through the snow that will definitely blanket the North of England and Northern Wales this year according to the forecast. That is the cross-border beauty of digital communication.

Smartphones have transformed our lives. This morning, I have been able to complete all the documentation on our smartphones for travel and entry to Florida in about an hour on the Verifly App while talking to Kevin about his upcoming trip to Spain. Actually, I may have accidentally bequeathed all my worldly goods to his lovely daughter, Julia but she’s worth it.

A letter has just come through the door telling Pauline she is to receive a Winter Fuel Payment of £250.00 before January. I don’t know If I am going to get the same but I will be complaining under the Equalities Law if I don’t. I’ll certainly spend it in Florida before Julia gets her hands on it.

Wednesday, 2nd November, 2022

Still very warm but not so sunny today. Anyway, there are lots of jobs to complete. My valet has been preparing, ironing and packing clothes for the trip. Most of it is now complete and I am being dressed each day in things which aren’t going.

Had to do all three hours in the Gym yesterday because of the unpredictable weather. I’m hoping to get a long walk in this morning.

I’ve got to take Pauline to the hospital this afternoon to have the stitches taken out of her ‘Biopsy’ wounds.

One of my last acts has been to prepare a guide for my neighbour to look after our car. I know it will make him cringe/laugh but he needs it.

Thursday, 3rd November, 2022

This house has been far out at sea all night,
The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills,
Winds stampeding the fields under the window
Floundering black astride and blinding wet

Wind by Ted Hughes

Incredible evening and night with absolutely torrential rain and gale-force winds and yet so warm. Hard to sleep. Won’t need to clean the car or patio before I go away. They’ve both been utterly jet-washed. Bit of a drama up in Surrey yesterday with P&C. For a while, it looked like we would be driving up there. Good job we didn’t try it.

This morning we are reading of impassable roads, overturned vehicles and cars stuck in deeply flooded carriageways.

In stark contrast, I’ve settled on where I will be going to hire a car next week in Brooksville, Florida. Three months will cost me around £5,000.00 for an SUV which is reasonable.

Took Pauline out to get her hair cut. It has been cut quite short with the intention of lasting 3 months. She seems confident it will.

Friday, 4th November, 2022

Glorious morning. Got my orders for the day.

1. Strip bed.
2. Unstack dishwasher
3. Take rubbish to local tip
4. Tidy up and secure garden furniture
5. Mow neighbours’ lawns
6. Pack technical bag with laptop, iPads, Kindle, etc + leads.
7. Do 3 hours exercise to keep me out of the way
8. Sort out automatic lighting/heating schedule
9. Anything else I’m ordered to do

People can be so nice. A beautiful, youngish girl was about to jog past while I was out on my walk when she stopped and paid me a lovely compliment: I think you’re doing so well. I see you every day pushing yourself to exercise. It’s very impressive. It quite took me back. I’m not used to girls saying nice things. Took a while to compute. Had to tell her she wouldn’t see me for 3 months but I would still be doing the same thing in the Florida sunshine. Have to look out for her in February if she’s still managing the jogging. You know these young ones don’t have the staying power

The Rugby Club grounds are a short walk away and the road was lined with cones in advance of their Bonfire tonight. Perfect weather for it.

Saturday, 5th November, 2022

Up at 5.00 am on a warm and dry morning. Straight into the Gym for a three hour stint. I watched a drama production of Catherine the Great of Russia starring Helen Mirren. At least it held my attention while I worked. It’s not my normal early morning choice but these are special days. It’s amazing how one’s mind can be tricked into ignoring the pain of exercise.

By shortly after 8.00 am, the Gym was over and everything closed down for the winter. My valet had eaten her porridge and finished the final packing. The cases had to be weighed. We are entitled to 3 bags each and each one can contain 23kg (51lb). So, between us, we could put 46kg in the hold and 92kg carry on. I couldn’t lift 92kg never mind carry it on board. Understandably, we won’t use half that amount.

So much has changed and improved over recent years. Our taxi will collect and take us to the Sofitel Hotel at Gatwick around 1.00 pm. We don’t fly until Sunday but I will check-in online at home before we leave. Bag-drop is automatic and self-administered and will be done this evening which leaves us free tomorrow morning to whizz through security and passport control.

The ‘runway’ view became greyer, mistier and less attractive as the afternoon progressed. It didn’t matter. I was borne along on the warm air of happiness and a bottle of red wine. About 6 hours sleep tonight and then I have to be in the hotel gym to work off the wine.

Sunday, 23rd October, 2022

Woken by huge flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder this morning around 6.00 am. The rain came down heavily for about an hour and then the sun appeared and the sky cleared to a lovely blue. I did my walk alone. Pauline was making bread and cleaning the kitchen. I’m better out of the way. 

The turn around point of my walk is at the end of Mill Road so I take a photo and Whatsapp it to Pauline so she can calculate she has about an hour to get her lover out of the house before I arrive home. While I’m walking, lots of friends get in contact and slow my progress down. I can’t leave them waiting. I have to reply quickly. I don’t know why.

Everything now is geared towards leaving UK for 3 months. We have just two weeks left so the food has to be wound down or frozen. Things we would normally do over the next 3 months like send Christmas cards have to be organised. We usually send out around 65 each year. I have done a newsletter telling all our friends and relatives not to bother sending cards this year. I will email it to as many as possible but there are quite a few who I don’t have emails for. They will have to be printed and posted before we leave.

I’ve just found that my address label printer has died. It has lasted for 14 years having been bought for school. I use my computer, iPad and smartphone so much that I’ve really forgotten how to use a pen. Certainly, I couldn’t legibly hand write all those addresses. I’ve ordered a new one. It’s coming, of course, from Amazon Prime. I ordered it at 1.00 pm Sunday and it will arrive on Monday for ‘free’. Love that sort of service and it persuades me to expect it of others.

Incredibly warm again here – around 20C/68F – in the final week of October. Covid infection rates are soaring here again and we have our Flu jabs tomorrow so I’ll be dying by Tuesday morning. I always get flu from the flu jab. No, don’t worry Dear Reader. I’ll cope.

I’m cooking tonight. I’m giving my wife a masterclass in Chicken & Green Peppers. World Beating! …. Even though I am loathe to blow my own trumpet, the meal was BRILLIANT. Of course, I’m not looking for gratitude just a little friendly warmth and the recognition of the culinary community.

Monday, 24th October, 2022

Up and out early on a very warm – 18C/65F – morning. We are going for our Flu jab. I was shocked to be told by Julie this morning that she had never had a flu jab. Couldn’t get into our surgery so we booked at a Pharmacy called Kamsons. I’d never heard of them until we came down here and I thought they were a local business but it turns out they have 70 branches across the country and have outlets in Failsworth & Bolton, Bradford & Leeds as well as many in the south.

The ‘Jabber’ was excellent. I didn’t feel a thing although I’ll probably be dying of flu by tonight but Pauline’s arm hurt immediately. That’s what it is to be a weak specimen! Got a busy day of activity now – cutting my neighbours’ lawns, doing my walk followed by a Gym session and then I’m returning to a starring role in the kitchen with my world beating Risotto. Bet you wish you were eating here today, Dear Reader!

Had a long text from David Weatherley in Bolton. Must try to meet up with him on my next trip North in the Spring. It’s 5.00 pm and no side effects so far from the jab. There will be. Can you believe our age group failing to get the jab? Seems bonkers to me.

Tuesday, 25th October, 2022

Once again 18C/65F this morning. Just after breakfast, sitting in the Office, minding my own business, telephone call to say P&C who we collected from a Florida flight at Gatwick on Saturday have both tested positive for Covid. After two years of being incredibly careful, we have been exposed to the infection. You can never trust people from Surrey! We did a Lateral Flow test immediately but both were negative. I do have a sore throat but that is probably as a result of the Flu jab.

I’ve decided not to rent a car before we arrive in the USA. There are a number of Enterprise outlets in Spring Hill, Florida where we can get a vehicle when we have recovered from the flight. Richard kindly went to the expense and trouble of sending me his guide to driving routes in America which may well inform future trips. With just over a 10 days before we fly, clothes selection – even last minute ordering – and packing is well under way.

I’m finishing putting the garden to bed for the Winter, preparing information for all the neighbours, writing to lots of people – yes, friends around the world – and relatives to keep them in the loop. Tomorrow, I have to take Pauline to hospital for a biopsy of a suspect patch of skin on her cheek. Hopefully, it’s nothing.

Story of our times on the BBC website. The couple above left Northern Ireland to escape the violence. They took a campervan on a three year trip round the world. They were interviewed by Gloria Hunniford 51 years ago before they left. They didn’t see it broadcast because they were abroad and there were no recorders in those days. The husband died in 1988 and the wife pictured now was contacted by the BBC with a clip of the interview from their archives all these years on. Revisiting the past is such a rich seam.

Wednesday, 26th October, 2022

Warm weather and dry weather are preparing us for our Florida Winter. I’ve received a request from Catherine, who only lives 5 miles away, for photographs of her as a young one. I am known as the repository of family photos. I have 25 + of Catherine at different ages. This is the one that represents what I most remember of her:

Done some more walking and garden work today. This afternoon, I’ve taken Pauline to Southlands Hospital at Shoreham on Sea to have biopsies of three areas of skin – one on her face and two on her legs. She is religiously careful of sun damage and had been for 30 years. In Greece, she constantly covered up with sun cream and clothes. I never bothered. It seems that Pauline has been the one to suffer. I suspect that none of her concerns will come to anything but she is being safe by checking.

This is where I spent my afternoon. The temperature was a delicious 21C/70 F and I did an hour’s walking while I waited. Met a lovely girl in the carpark who was struggling to find the ticket machine. I went over to help her. She turned out to be a Massage Therapist from Arundel. I told her I needed massage. She mentioned Kings Drive which was intriguing. I helped her with the machine and then did half an hour’s walk before my wounded soldier returned. The traffic was incredible on the way home but we got there and life resumed.

Thursday, 27th October, 2022

Woken abruptly from a dream about Massage Therapists at 5.00 am. It is so hot. Today has really been like a Summer. I Whatsapp‘d Kevin, John, David and Julie saying I hoped they were enjoying this lovely weather and I received a barrage of abuse in reply. Apparently, they have all had heavy rain today. Oh Dear! I feel dreadful now …. a bit. Alright, not much. Told them I was in training for Florida. Didn’t seem to help.

Pauline is still suffering with swollen foot tendons. I have been walking on my own. We have reached 22C/70F here in glorious sunshine. Our last shop at Sainsburys and the Beach Fish outlet before we go abroad. I’ve been preparing the Christmas card list for contacts. Nobody will get Christmas cards. All will get explanatory newsletters through one method or another. About 65 homes have colour codes –

Yellow = Email
Green = Direct Messenger
Orange = Whatsapp
Red = Postage

For the past 30 years I have dealt with a diminishing database of friends addresses to print on labels. It used to take me hours to line up and produce each time. This year, I am transferring all the addresses to a database which will print direct to my new label printer in minutes. The awful thing is that our age means we have to edit our list according to who has died, who has separated or remarried.

We sat down together to go through the list – edit, amend or delete people who have fallen off the edge. We were just talking about a girl called Lin – a lovely ex-pupil who had escaped a troubled home in Oldham, married and moved to my home town of Derby. Just as we discussed how best to contact her, the first contact for over 6 months came in from her telling us she was leaving her husband and what her new address would be. Such is life!

Friday, 28th October, 2022

The glorious weather continues and the house is ‘open’ as if it was mid-Summer. The flowers in the garden are all still blooming and the lettuces I sowed late and just hope some would mature are all now being cut daily.

In this week in 2008, Oldham was blanketed in thick snow and school was closed for three days. It feels like a lifetime and a world away.

In the same vein, my records show that, in this week in 2009, we received confirmation from Northern Rock that we had paid off our mortgage. We haven’t borrowed money since. And In this week in 1972, I was just completing my second month as a teacher. The No.1 in the UK charts was Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon and, in the USA, My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry. Oh, the mists of time rise and fall in the memory!

Today is Ohi or No Day in Greece. Ohi Day commemorates the rejection by Greek prime minister Ioannis Metaxas of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on 28 October 1940. They were certainly defending a beautiful place.

Saturday, 29th October, 2022

It is ‘neighbours day’ for me today. What kind, lovely people we have living around us. Two houses are going to keep a check on the front, two others on the back and one more will be responsible for the car as well as coordinating any reports of problems. He is a builder and will deal with any tiles blown off the roof should it happen.

My next door neighbour drives BMW and Mercedes cars but is not familiar with electric or hybrids. This morning, he drove me round our Development in my car so he can get used to the controls. Strange feeling. He is going to take it out each week while I am away to keep the battery charged.

There are all sorts of strange things he needs to know like:

• It won’t start with the door open.
• It won’t start unless brake pedal is depressed.
• The handbrake switch won’t work without brake pedal depressed.

I’m sure it will be fine. We just need to lead him into it gently. He really enjoyed his first drive of an electric/hybrid.

I woke up this morning panicking as I realised I was 71. I can’t do this, I thought. Where are you? Where is my support? I realised that I had received a text from a friend – ex-employee – who is over 80 and rather infirm. She and I have exchanged postcards from around the world for 20 years. Last night she sent me a photograph of her daughter and grand daughter. I feel so old and bereft!

I have to settle myself. My turn to cook again today. Third time in just over a week. Tarragon Chicken with honey roast carrots and parsnips. Went down quite well. I enjoyed doing it. Pauline is watching Strictly Come Dancing and I am moping around in the Office – casually watching Liverpool – Leeds. When that 15 year old girl is my age, I will be 127 aka … DEAD! What is the point?

Sunday, 16th October, 2022

Up at 4.30 am and straight into the gym. After 3hrs on the treadmill, I’ve woken up and I’m ready for orange juice and coffee. Shower, shave and packing the car. On the road by 9.30 am. 

Everywhere is very quiet. Where is everyone? Surely not in bed on a Sunday. Don’t they know there is no time to waste? The M25 is empty. The M1 is empty. Our sat. nav. keeps saying the M1 is closed because of a fatal accident but it is one of those annoying, out of date messages that we are not sure whether to believe and follow a huge diversion or not. Having learnt from past experiences, we pulled into Newport Pagnell Service Station for coffee and to enquire about the information. 

Glad we did, we moved on regardless and pulled into Repton village just after mid-day. We went straight to the little, private graveyard where my family are buried. I go at the same time every year and without fail it is damp and dull. 

It made a change to stand and remember them in warm sunlight. Still strange though. As I walked between Mum & Dad’s headstone, Nana & Grandad’s headstone and that of their best friends, Nellie & Bert, I am overwhelmed by the memory that these are people who I spoke to, touched, kissed, to who I owe my genetic makeup but are no more other than through me. I tell myself I am being too self-indulgent and leave quickly to drive up to Yorkshire.

The further North we drive the more Autumn is advanced. The colours of the trees are delicious and the M1 remains quiet. By 3.30 pm, we drive into the grounds of our hotel and unload enough luggage for a 3-month American trip never mind a week in Northern England.

The grounds are quiet but beautiful. Because I have been up since 4.30 am, have walked more than 10 miles and driven about 6 hours, I am indulged with a meal in our suite and freedom to watch Liverpool beat Man. City. on TV.

While I am writing my Blog, I get a call from my friend, Brian, in Royton. I am supposed to be meeting him on Tuesday, but he tells me he has been in hospital for 5 days and has to have an emergency operation on his prostate. Brian is a very strong man – former policeman – ex drugs squad, ex murder squad – but he sounded very emotional and clearly didn’t want me to see him like that. We agreed to meet in the Spring when I return from Florida. It just underlines for me the lesson that I have learnt in the past couple of years evaporating time underlines the importance of friends.

Monday, 17th October, 2022

Interesting day as a start to our Northern sojourn. A lot of our timetable doesn’t fit with what I intended but that’s life. The morning began at 5.30 am …. walking in warm, dry West Yorkshire. After Breakfast we drove a few miles for a lovely visit to … Halifax. The Piece Hall looked wonderful in this lovely, October weather.

It was fairly quiet this morning although there are lots of lovely little coffee shops and seating areas to meet up with friends and discuss life past & present.

Built out of local stone, the Piece Hall is a statement of prestige and financial achievements of the past in a town that has seen better days like so many in the North. As we walked back to the car through the town centre streets, we had to make our way through huge bus queues of the old and the poor which seemed to symbolise a time decades ago. It starkly delineated North and South, poor and rich. We just don’t see those sorts of scenes on the South Coast. Of course, we have buses and bus services. We have poor and more wealthy people but those sorts of socially deprived scenes just do not occur.

Tuesday, 18th October, 2022

Woke up late at 6.15 am this morning. Must have been tired. It turned out to be a glorious morning as I worked out in the hotel gym – my old health centre from almost 15 years ago. Did about 90 mins and then had breakfast before showering and changing and driving off to Hollinwood Crematorium, Oldham. The Pennines, from bright sunshine, blue sky and shades of green/brown were incredibly beautiful this morning.

As we dropped down into Denshaw, thick mist hit us. It was so evocative of years of driving over the moors to work.

We spent a few minutes talking to Pauline’s Mum/my Mother-in-Law in the lovely, warm light. I don’t remember that before in the 12 years since she died. We didn’t stay long because another, well attended funeral was taking place. We moved on to explore Middleton – a place I haven’t been for so many years. I found much of it hard to recognise. It is, essentially, very old and very Northern in character but it was helped by the incredibly warm weather.

I went on to visit old stomping grounds in Derker, particularly the site of the school I was Head of in the early 1980s before it was closed and demolished. I feel really moved by the thought that this ground was the site of so many lives, experiences, emotions. I was haunted by staff who had given so much but had been hit by serious illnesses and died in the years I was in charge.

I was moved by the terribly poor state of the housing in Afghan Terrace even after ‘modernisation’. I could tell you so much about the lives of residents there 35 years ago if I could manage it without weeping. Looking at the housing stock, the residents’ lives can’t be so much better now particularly if they are renting.

We drove on to meet friends in Holmfirth at the Vineyard. We had a late Lunch there with Margaret and Viv and a couple of hours’ chat over old times before driving back to our hotel and another hour’s exercise to work off the food.

I’m very tired and a little emotional after the long day but I’m really grateful for the friendship of the people who met us today. The older I get and the less time I have left, the more I realise the importance of old friends.

Wednesday, 19th October, 2022

Up early and did 90 mins of exercise before breakfast. Drove up to visit Christine & Kevin Northwest of Leeds.

Post rush-hour, the traffic was light and it only took us 30 mins. We spent about 5 lovely hours with them. Chris cooked a gorgeous meal of pork strips in sauce with jacket potatoes and salad followed by apple crumble. It was absolutely lovely. It is always hard to cook for a cook. Kevin kept us entertained and even showed me his bike. I taught them how to calculate their State and Teachers’ Pensions based on this morning’s announcements of September’s CPI upon which our pensions will be uprated. It was a really enjoyable day in which the years rather dropped away.

It is obvious that our experiences over the past 50 years have resulted in a divergence of views. It would be surprising if they hadn’t but the core of human values that attracted them to me are completely evident. They are good people. Someone once said that they would not have chosen the people at College. They were just random people of that time they wouldn’t want to see again. That is not my view. The people of my past still populate my present thoughts and are really valued for their diversity. Maybe it is just my sad perspective!

Drove back late afternoon through terrible traffic to visit our former doctor who bought one of our houses – 4 houses ago – and still lives there 22 years on. We loved that house and lived in it for 16 years but sold to raise money to finance our Greek build in 2000. That house is now 40 years old and we wouldn’t move back for anything although we loved it at the time.

Thursday, 20th October, 2022

A dark, dank morning in which the distant views from our hotel are shrouded in mist. Total change to the first half of our stay. Only 12C/54F here this morning. At home on the South Coast the temperature is 17C/63F – quite a big difference.

An hour or so in the Gym, breakfast and then we are going shopping in Leeds this morning. We are going to the magnificent Victoria Quarter, Leeds:

It echoes the more renowned arcade of Milan on, perhaps a slightly smaller scale.

…. and then reality struck. The Tories removed their truss and heavy rain closed the M62 just as we were on it. We were stuck for a while as police cars with sirens and flashing blue lights in and out of the lanes. Fortunately, we were near to an ‘exit’ and managed to get off and back to our hotel just as the Tories imploded live on Sky TV.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the hotel gym and following the unfolding drama in Westminster. Whatever anyone will admit to at the moment, this marks the turning of the Brexit tide and the start of the long march back. No one will tell you that yet least of all the Labour Party who don’t want to frighten the horses prior to the election but it will be in their economic recovery plan just as it is in that of the more sensible Tories.

Friday, 21st October, 2022

Strange day which began at 6.00 am as I looked out of the hotel window to see thick fog and heavy, driving rain. The North knows how to say goodbye. Went down to the Gym and did 90 mins exercise before Breakfast.

Went back to our suite to finish packing, have a final cup of coffee and then packed the car. Set of for the South by driving … North. It is how you have to do it. To get on to the M1, the quickest way is to take the North bound M62. Actually, in spite of the rain which was obliterating all the road markings, this section of the drive was the smoothest. The M1 was dire with long hold-ups due to accidents in the heavy rain and the M25 was even worse with the Friday night traffic causing congestion most of the way.

Highlight of the drive was a stop at Newport Pagnall Service Station to get some fresh air and have a cup of coffee. The first half of the day featured heavy, foggy, darkness and rain. The second half saw the temperature rise as the skies cleared and we actually saw some sunshine. Even so, it took the best part of 6,5 hrs this time.

When we got home and unpacked, I still had to do an hour in the gym. Actually, it was quite de-stressing. I received communications from Kevin, Christine and Julie which felt nice. I worked off some of the stiffness from all that driving. We also had to nip out to refuel the car because we have to set off for Gatwick Airport at 7.00 am tomorrow to collect P&C from their Florida flight and take them to their Surrey home. Finally, I have to contact some of those people I failed to meet this time. Have to go back in the Spring!

Saturday, 22nd October, 2022

After the exertions of yesterday, the radio still came on at 5.55 am and we were up for 6.00 am and were driving out by 7.00 am for Gatwick Airport South Terminal. P&C were supposed to be landing at 8.30 am from Tampa but, having checked the flight on my BA App, I found that they had left early and would land really early. By the time we had got into the Short Stay Carpark walked through the airport to Arrivals, their plane had landed and we were waiting for them to appear with their luggage.

Really interesting watching people arrive and be greeted by their friends and relatives. British people are fairly cool and hardly acknowledge the reunion at all. Ethnic minority groups are incredibly excited, warm, enthusiastic displaying lots of hugs and kisses and laughing. Some groups have special, ethnic greetings. There was a group who had to say a number of ceremonial greetings and formal kisses to each member of the party. Another group brought flowers and a traditional, flat, round loaf that is offered to the arrivers. The diversity on display was delightful.

We got P&C home to West Byfleet safely where they were enthusiastically greeted by their cleaners who had done the shopping and the dog who had obviously missed them. I set their iPad up and then we left smartly because we had so much to do ourselves.

We are leaving for Florida in two weeks and staying for three months. I am told we need more luggage so we made a trip to M&S to collect it. Of course this meant parking up and walking along the beach road and past the pier. It was deliciously warm and sunny and there were lots of people out enjoying the day.

By the pier opening, it seemed to be ‘Mods’ day because there were a lot of old people standing around in ‘Parkers’ admiring the array of scooters parked up. I suppose it takes all sorts.

Finished the day watching Man Utd hold Chelsea to a draw and sleeping through Strictly Come Dancing. See you on the other side, Dear Reader!