Still Alive

I started a post on this blog in 2016 and somehow got distracted so I’ll finish it now and start a new one.....

My last post was six and a half years ago, in December 2010.

Putting that into context for New Zealanders, it was before the Christchurch earthquakes.
For North Americans, Obama was coming up to the end of his first two years as president.

Remarkably, the Mars Rover Opportunity has been doing science on the red planet for twice that long.

Whatever the reference I use, it is still 6.5 years. A lot has happened. Not the least, like Opportunity, I am still alive. When diagnosed with lymphoma in 2007 I doubted I would see today. No only do I see today, I love it and expect to see many, many more of them.

In the last 10 years I have enjoyed chemotherapy as well as back and heart surgery, had the luxury of travelling widely, bred some exceedingly gorgeous delphiniums and all in the wonderful, constant, loving company of the beautiful, in every sense of the word, Janice.

But in all this time probably the most monumental thing that has happened is that I've retired from real work, not, come to think of it, that I ever actually did any. My work was my hobby, was my fun, was my obsession. Time to move on,

Dowdeswell's Delphiniums Ltd is sold and in the hands of a younger person who has the drive to move it on too. That is as it should be.

Janice and I have moved into a small, old, lovely wee house in Wanganui, close to the river and in easy walking distance of the CBD, shops, pubs and restaurants. Life can be so tough at times.

Shortly after going into business in 1982 we were paying 25% interest on borrowed money and looking forward to the day when we could retire with a nest egg and earn half that. Now we are lucky to get a tenth of those rates. But things change. That's ok. We are very lucky, relatively well off and enjoying life to the full.