Yes its the big five O for me in March!
I have indeed found myself saying ‘where have all those years gone’ and am starting to make grunting noises when I get off a comfy sofa.
But its going to happen, and I am going to enjoy it!
As regular readers will know, we are always saying to clients ‘go and do what you love doing’, be it sailing, golf, travel or tiddlywinks. Do it.
So it would be totally out of kilter for me to say I am going to have a quiet night in with a cup of cocoa and the Radio Times. ‘Hypocrite’ I would hear you cry, and quite right too.
So for the last few weeks I have been looking out for events to put in my diary that I can really look forward to. The thing is its become quite a list!
I have a lot of different interests, and my aim was to try to include all of them if I could in March and into April when Charlotte is on Easter holiday.
So here goes, I now have my final list, and it looks like this:
Friday 6th March – Comedy Festival in Newcastle, including a meal and a few sherberts.
Friday 13th March – attend ‘Time Team Talk’ by Mick Aston in Durham. Hes the one with the stripy jumpers, and will be entertaining us with stories on the making of this very good archeological series.
That night stay with my mam and dad who live near Durham.
Saturday 14th March – attend ‘Archeology in the North’ talk by various speakers. Go for run, as have been able to get into the Great North Run again this year.
Thursday 19th March – meet friend (David) from Kent who is driving up north and go to Richmond, Yorkshire, to see a performance of Dan Leno, a famous Victorian comedian, who was in his day as famous as Chaplin in the UK apparently.
This is in the amazing Georgian Theatre which is 200 years old and is exactly as it was when opened. Only 200 seats and a superb atmosphere.
That night visit a pub that has been ‘Pub of the Year for real ales, and stay at the famous C B Inn in Arkangarthdale – food incredible and rooms very nice thank you.
Friday 20th March – hit 50 today. So back to my village of Rothbury, and that night am in the local with around 10 or so friends. The landlord has said I can request my favourite real ale and he will put it on for us!
Before this though, David and I will fit in a game of Real Tennis. He has never played before, and I am tempted to take it up as it is less taxing on the knees than squash.
Saturday 21st March – you have guessed it, go for run. Then that night out for meal with family, and make sure I make daughter laugh at my bad jokes. Easily done bless her.
Sunday 22nd March – get to airport bright and early as off to Spain. A client I have known for 20 odd years offered his Villa to me for a few days – very kind. He recommended for car hire an outfit called Amigoautos, and they seem excellent with prices half that of Easyjet!
David and I like the same things – running/gym/beer/food – so we will do our best to excel in these things for 3 days.
Tuesday 31st March – I am a member of the Archeological Society, and am attending a talk on the History of Alcohol in Coquetdale. The talk is at one of the best pubs in the valley, and we will learn about illicit whisky stills in the hills and lots of old pubs now gone. I have arranged a mini bus!
Later in the year the Society will be visiting Kew in London to trawl through the old records to see what we can find on this subject.
Finally, as limited to the school holidays for our family holiday, we fly to Cyprus at Easter for 10 days. It is our 25th wedding anniversary as well as my wife’s 50th in May, and so we will no doubt be celebrating out there.
My daughter is a bit of a mermaid, and the place we are staying at has two great pools. The trouble is now that she has reached the advanced age of 11, she has started to take an interest in boys. Will take shotgun.
So I think I have ticked most of the boxes here – sport, exercise, theatre, history, archeology, drink, food, travel, comedy, family and friends. Excellent!
I will let you know how it all goes.
