460: 1971-2021 50 years and counting

The first picture was taken in Cyprus in 1971, the second fifty years later in 2021, at the beginning of my 120 km (75 mile) charity walk. You'll notice I haven't changed a bit! 😁

 A lot of water has flowed under the bridge during those 50 years. Including.......

I've held the following ranks in the British military: Cpl, LSgt, Sgt, SSgt, WO2(SQMS), WO1(SSM), Plt Offr, Fg Offr, Flt Lt.

With the following units: 1st Bn the Gordon Highlanders, The Life Guards, 1st Bn (22nd) Cheshire Regiment, 39 Fd Regt Royal Engineers, British Embassy Moscow, RAPC Computer Centre, 247 Pro Coy Royal Military Police, SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe), 7630 Sqn RAuxAF - all memorable in their own way.

With the following jobs: Military Pay Clerk, Service Funds Accountant, Computer Programmer, Russian Interpreter, HUMINTer. 

In the following places:  UK (including Northern Ireland), Cyprus, Germany (West and East - in the days when they were 2 separate countries), Belgium, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Kazakhstan

After leaving the Army I spent 2 years as a Regional Administrator for Combat Stress, 1 year as a computer programmer with local government, 10 years as a civil servant and 13 years as a teacher of English as a foreign language (in Moscow, Warsaw and Salou). 

Met some great friends (British, Russian, Polish, Spanish & Venezuelan) along the way.

Oh, and did I mention I've run three marathons? Long time ago now though.

Is it time to put my feet up now or do I carry on looking for 'adventures'? 

I need to thank my long-suffering wife Margo for her patience and forbearance in putting up with me for nearly 50 years and for tolerating my 'few' foibles. Thanks also to our children, Morag (aka Mo) & Gareth. They seem to have turned out OK despite being shuttled from pillar to post during their formative years.

I think I'm ready to meet my Maker, having managed, somehow, the biblical three score years and ten. I know an awful lot of people who didn't manage to get that far. May they Rest in Peace. I'd be very happy though if 'the Man upstairs' were to postpone the meeting. The Office for National Statistics in UK predicts that life expectancy for a UK male born in 1951 is 86 years. I would be very pleased to soldier on and prove that statistics don't lie.  (Although I think they often do!)

I'm still in reasonable overall health, despite suffering from sciatica, cataracts, migraine with aura and essential tremor. Keep taking the tablets!

I do sleep well most nights. - must be the medicine!