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.

Meeting so many people from different backgrounds was pure tonic, and I enjoyed every moment. Having purchased a boule I would of course need some good cheese to go with. My regular Cornish Cove is great but I fancied something different. French would have been nice but I ended up with two Devon cheeses; an old favourite ewes-milk cheese – Beenleigh Blue – and one unknown to me – Curworthy Haytor. I was destined to enjoy my supper big-time!

Today is pizza day! I love pizza but I have been spoilt in the past by excellent pizzas in places like Toulon and Nice old-town. It was there back in the early 80’s that I learned what ‘pizza sauce’ was, and I have made my own – albeit a pale imitation of the real thing – ever since. I just mix chilli and garlic-infused virgin olive oils with a few herbs and chilli’s and pour generously over the cooked pizza. Glorious. I then sprinkle on oregano and grind black peppercorns and voila! my monthly pizza treat is born!

So, my enjoyment of food – good food – may be curtailed by my pensioner income, but it is just as powerful and rewarding as ever it was, if not more so. It may be morning, but all I can think about at the moment is warming the oven tonight and getting that thin crispy and cheesy delight on a plate. You see – age does not dim my taste buds – or my enjoyment of life!