Hello readers and supporters. I will take this opportunity to thank all of you who took the time to answer my question, regarding the frequency of these updates and their content; your time and input is appreciated.

The current health situation is currently dominated by the lower back pain. Notable during this past week, and a constant situation now. It does impact what I can do and I therefore have to plan tasks out over longer periods of time now. We have had some very good weather where I live, during this past week and there is a potential knock-on impact on my hands. Sandra and I both noted that they appeared to swell up a little and the ‘rustiness’ was more prevalent. I had a small cold arrive at the start of the week, but thankfully, by the end of the week, had pretty much dissipated, or at least got to a manageable point.

This was the first full week of my ‘retirement’, but as with last week, existing plans took up a chunk of the week. The consultancy work that I am undertaking for one client, had some time critical tasks to be completed, which dominated the first few days. Enjoyable work and great to keep the mind focused on that side of things, plus bring years of experience to bear, and hopefully benefit that client. I spent a lot of time around veterans, over the past two decades and it was a constant awareness of how their bodies rapidly deteriorated, after they had stopped conventional work. Whilst we would all probably state that it would be great not to work, the reality is that it gives most of us a physical and mental focus, a sense of purpose and hopefully achievement, irrespective of the role. When that stops, the mind and therefore body, can rapidly begin to decline. I have enough physical and mental challenges on my list for the foreseeable, I just need to find the time to do them - my expectation is that my first proper week of ‘having nothing to do / planned’, will not be until the last week of this month; how I would have done all of those tasks, if I had stayed in the job, is beyond me! Connected to the retirement, I covered off the official aspects for one of the pensions, ahead of the key birthday next week; another one remains to be done, as each pension scheme provider follows different processes. Not a rapid or straight forward process to go through, with very key decisions having to be made in between, but the game has begun.

Thursday was a garage clear out and sort day, done with my son, Karl. That was in anticipation of the return of his vintage Vespa frame from the paint sprayers. It is one of our joint focuses, trying to get his scooter back on the road asap, so we can hopefully both enjoy some time riding together, before the increasing side effects of the disease make this an impossibility. The paint spraying aspect was only possible through the key help of one of Karl’s closest friends and we are grateful for it. He is working to a non-existent budget and help like that is key to moving the project forwards. Now that this main central structure is back, we can begin the task of rebuilding the vehicle and determining what may be missing, with the hope that everything is still there and usable.

Friday was the kind of day I anticipate retirement looking like, with some chores to do first thing, followed by a day of writing. That was needed, to offset the impact of the physical Thursday. I managed to complete a notable main section of one of the two book projects that are nearing completion. Those projects are a good test for the mind and my creative side, as you get the chance to construct something from scratch, discover key information overlooked by previous historians and work towards the end visual product. I am on target (personally determined targets) for when I plan to get this one done.

I consider myself a very ‘visually creative’ person and that type of assessment is something that people who interact with me, also reference. I have worked, and continue to work, on a variety of ‘projects’. Most notable are the books, which do make their way across the entire globe and into the homes of many of you reading this blog. I can usually envisage what the book looks like, from the cover to the internals, long before they are completed. The change in ‘jobs’ is another aspect that contains similar qualities. Working with clients, understanding their needs and challenges, then devising solutions and suggestions to those needs and potential, require creativity and innovation. The upcoming scooter restoration is another related project. My son has decided to follow a specific end goal that will emulate one of my own scooters from the 1980s. That is deliberately designed to be a ‘memorial’ of sorts, for him, after my time is over. Working on that together, allows us to take something that is currently in bits, requires work, focus and skills to restore and bring it all back to life. All of these creative projects are key tools in the ongoing battle against this disease. Tools that help me utilise skills built up during my life that can be brought to bear on achieving something. The current plan looks like it will be a case of working through projects to the point of physical exhaustion, rather than fade off with nothing to keep my mind and body focused. Fight the fight, not let the disease consume me (it will of course do that, but not just yet!).

Thanks for the continued interactions and interest, which come from far and wide. They are all appreciated and very helpful; more tools that help in this situation.

Regards, Peter