I recently commented to a friend that, having reach the milestone age of 65, and without asking, I find myself knee deep in medical tests and checks. I am happy to comply but, having kept my distance from the doctor’s surgery for the last three decades, I now feel that I should qualify for a […]
In a bid to embrace change (or is it accept the inevitable!) I am in the process of giving up my landlines, bidding farewell to the two strands of copper that first arrived in the house almost 100 years ago and replacing them with a single glass tube – not much thicker than a human […]
TV today has a raft of programmes all built around the same theme – all of us have too many possessions and these shows encourage you to let go of at least 50% of what you own with the promise that you’ll enjoy the remaining 50% far more. Recently I found myself with an opportunity […]
Surrounded by intelligent women I have little choice but to become fully aware of the latest trends. Palm oil and Ultra-processed foods are the current focus but, luckily for me, we do not simply ‘jumping on the band-wagon’ of either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but trying to understand the science behind the hype. Pam oil was […]
The day after one client ‘retired’ he took all his business suits to the charity shop. For him they were a uniform and this marked a clear ‘transition’ – the end of his ‘first career’ and a first step forward to what comes next. Another took over a decade to discard the last business suit […]
I have noticed an increasing number of ads for on-line betting websites -and that worries me. Their level of cynicism is breath-taking. ‘Our app has built in ‘pauses’ to ensure you ‘take a break’ and ‘our app allows you to pre-set your spending limit’ alongside pictures of happy smiling users laughing together and celebrating their […]
When Bismark created the world’s first state pension scheme in the 1880s he never expected to pay out – it was simply a creative (and seemingly popular) tax raising exercise. Life expectancy in Germany at the time was 48, so 65 was selected for benefit payments to start, thus ensuring there were few, if any, […]
When reviewing your possessions – try this. Ask your close family what they would do with ‘your stuff’ if you were hit by the proverbial bus? Most likely their response will fall into one of a number of categories: – Items of value to be sold (house, car etc) – Items of personal value but […]
Visiting an elderly relative at their care home I was greeted by staff at the door – fully masked and gloved – saying that their outbreak of Covid was getting worse. I decided to go in, say hello and just carry out the essential work I had come to do. Having donned mask and gloves […]
If the old saying is that ‘a picture can tell 1000 words’ – just imagine what a collage can do! One of my long term clients found that with each successive year he is embracing new experiences while continuing with the things he loves. Looking to illustrate the huge variety of these many activities I […]