Christmas message 2019

I am still keeping up my various activities, enjoying mountain biking, tennis, beach volleyball, and sea kayaking in and around Poole Harbour. This year I bought a good second-hand road bike as well, which I use to explore the Dorset countryside.

At my age, swimming is excellent exercise, and again I achieved 2000 lengths over the year. Unfortunately much of the good work done in the pool gets undone in the pub afterwards!

Despite officially retiring at the end of the 2015 season, I played five games of cricket for my old team this season. We didn't lose any of the games I played in, winning 4 and tying one. Sadly the team may fold next year, as we have nobody willing to prepare the wickets, which is a time-consuming task.

Following on from last year's preliminary investigations, I have finally been diagnosed with stable angina, which only comes on during strenuous exercise, and eases quickly when I rest. The hospital attempted to put a stent in to my coronary artery to clear a suspected blockage, but found no particular area worth stenting. Although this is good news, it's still a little unsatisfactory in that I do still get symptoms, but at least I recognise them now and know when to ease off, and the medication I'm on seems to be helping a little. It's the first time I've had a prepayment certificate for years. My condition has also significantly increased the cost of holiday insurance, so I have to shop around for the best value cover.

I'm still enjoying my work for Dorset Software, with no two days being the same. I'm aiming to retire in about four years, when I reach 60.

Let's talk about nice things! With two friends I enjoyed a picturesque week's skiing last winter in Alpbach, Austria, staying in a family-run hotel. I hope to do similar this coming winter - taking it easier on the slopes, of course.

In early October a few of us went on a Neilson activity holiday to Paklenica, Croatia. I intended to learn to windsurf, but my first lesson didn't go well, then I injured my knee playing beach volleyball (doesn't skin tear easily when you get older?), so I had to keep my knee dry and in a dressing for the rest of the week. I could still do tennis, biking, kayaking, climbing and sailing though, so it was still a very good week.

At the start of the year I attended a "driving awareness" course, instead of paying a fine and taking 3 points on my licence when I was caught speeding. It was actually an enjoyable day, and my first instruction since I passed my driving test in 1985. Interestingly, my insurance renewal premium went down this year, possibly because insurers regard this as extra training, after which a driver is likely to be safer?

Still nothing to report I'm afraid. I'm not really looking, though.

This is much better after I changed my specs earlier this year.

This year I was honoured to be invested as a member of the Order of St John, in recognition of my service to St John Ambulance. The ceremony was at our priory church in Clerkenwell, London. I now have two medals to wear on Remembrance Sundays.

I am still actively volunteering for St John as a first aider, with events ranging from school fetes to AFC Bournemouth home games. It's really nice to be appreciated for what you do.