Retiring in Thailand

Retiring to Thailand?

Even the name ‘Thailand’ evokes exotic, and whether you’re enjoying the world-class beaches in the tropical south or exploring the remote mountain villages in the cooler north, the country will never disappoint. Often coined the ‘Jewel of Southeast Asia,’ this lush country is bordered in the north by Myanmar and Laos, with Vietnam sliding down […]

A Year Without Alcohol

2017 – A year without alcohol

That was the target I set myself back in December 2016. Why? Because I’d been drinking alcohol regularly since the age of 15, probably earlier, and at 65 I wanted to tweak a few things in my life, to see if things could be done differently. I guess the driving force was sort of a […]

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My wonderful Christmases in the 60s

Christmas back then didn’t start in September, as it does now; it started just a few weeks before, which made it oh so much more special. Can you imagine, Christmas when only one person in the street owned a car, everybody was employed, and nobody had a telephone? Writing letters was the way to keep […]

prostrate cancer-ft

Prostate cancer

As a prostate cancer survivor, I dedicate a significant amount of time raising awareness of this disease, which if detected early enough, can be cured. Part of my research often involves meeting eminent specialists who have dedicated their lives to advancing treatments, knowing that the more knowledge I can take on board, the more I […]

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How important is Facebook to you?

I think it’s the best thing that ever happened, but I’m comparing it to a time way back, when you had only real friends and the only way to keep them was to meet up and buy them a cup of tea occasionally. I’ve moved on so many times over the years that without Facebook, I guess I […]

dying-was-easy-gasping for air

Dying was easy; coming back to life was harder!

I was 12 years old, had only seen swimming on TV, and though it looked great fun, it wasn’t top of my, ‘to do’ list. Then one summer day in 1963, and as had often happened, our neighbour Daphne shouted across the road to my mother. ‘Eileen, do your boys want to go swimming with Ena?’ I was waiting […]