Alive & Twitching

I have taken one of my granddaughters to a couple of children’s playgrounds recently where she has had great fun on a swing. She’s not quite 12 months old and therefore we used the type where the child is held securely by a wooden bar. There were other swings nearby for the use of older children and I rather fancied having ago on one of those myself, but a wish to preserve my dignity prevailed. read more »

 The Royal Geographical Society in London has informed me of an event on 16^th June which may be of interest to visitors to this site. The details are as follows: read more »

In October 2008, Foresight, the Government’s think tank on science and technology issues, published a report, sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, entitled Mental Capital and Wellbeing. It was the result of a two-year study, headed by Professor John Beddington, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, and involved over 400 international experts. read more »

Reasons for moving

As you get older you may want to move home for one or more of several reasons, including the following: read more »

Need for exercise

It is generally accepted that regular exercise is necessary for health and fitness.  In its Coronary Heart Disease Statistics, published in July 2007, the British Heart Foundation reported that cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart disease and stroke) is the principal cause of death in the UK, with more than one in three dying from it each year. read more »

Always make sure that you give priority to debts such as mortgage or rent, Council Tax and utility bills. If you are familiar with spreadsheets, you may well find that is the best means of monitoring your expenditure and ensuring you keep to budget. read more »

When you retire, your income could be significantly lower than when you were working so it is essential to know not only the amount of your retirement income but also your anticipated expenditure. This should not be the subject of guesswork but of a careful and detailed calculation. I am now going to suggest a process that you may find helpful. read more »

It was a slight blow to my self-esteem when my wife indicated that she had various reservations about me retiring early, one of which was that I might upset her routine. I subsequently learned that this is a common concern among wives who are themselves no longer working. read more »