Substack diary no.168: Saturday, 30th. May 2026

It could be said that one of the aims of this diary is to record my gradual decline in the period following retirement, but it really is not as simple as that. I suspect most people would think of the decline in health – mental and physical – as being an inevitable characteristic of ageing. And in many ways they would be right; our bodies have been wearing out for decades but in my case I think I have adapted well and, if anything, I am able to do just as much, if not more, than I could when I was 20, albeit at perhaps a more leisurely pace.

But there are many other aspects of life that improve with age, and my trip to Chagford yesterday and my present state of mind prove the point. I feel good. At the Chagford flea market yesterday I took time to chat with some very nice and interesting people. A French woman selling boule and baguettes she made at home with French flour. How could I resist? A young woman selling her range of chocolate bars – Little Dartmoor. Again, how could I resist? A lime and ginger dark chocolate bar joined the boule in my Co-op bag. A woman in the queue for tea whose husband was once a Steward at Newton Abbot racecourse. I hope she is able to get her cataracts operation soon. And so it goes on.