Being retired, it’s hard to fit in many more activities. It’s a state to be recommended to all. The only other challenge is my bloody body is falling apart. Regular sleep is impossible due to the need for regular pee breaks. At least they ain’t so bad and usually fair warning is given, big jobs, however, are a different category. They sneak up urgently and persistently. If I’m in bed getting up, with arthritis in several joints, adds to the fun and I can get there in time. If I’m up it adds a whole different dimension. It’s impossible to run with clenched buttocks and climbing stairs is a new art form.
Said arthritis is another joy. It has curtailed my cycling to 10-15 mile jaunts with increasingly painful fingers due to the state of the roads. Walking up and down stairs or on and off pavements etc without a handrail is a delicate experience. Simply kneeling and standing up requires serious planning.
Getting up and going to bed is a series of checks. Eyes, ears teeth, medication all require sorting of some kind. There have, and will be, days when I’ve gone out wondering why the world is blurred, very quiet or my breakfast seemed very chewy. And don’t mention charging my phone and other devices, even supposing I can find them.
However, life is fun. I walk a lot, my allotment is a haven of peace. My bikes, for transport or pleasure, are a way of life, I’m a member of more interesting groups than I have teeth, admittedly that isn’t difficult. The Norwich and District branch of The Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, is flourishing with many social events. I have joined my old mate as a qualified GOGGOD (Grumpy Old Git Growing Old Disgracefully) and what his wife describes as COB (Curmudgeonly Old Bastard. Indeed it’s got to the stage she warns him behave himself when we are out together. What greater accolade can a man have.
Anyway, this post bears no relation to the title, I seem to have gotten sidetracked once again and I’ve forgotten what I was going to write about. Perhaps after an afternoon doing a Norwich City Of Ale Trail I will remember.
Fare ya well ”ol partners.
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