I retired in July 2015 having spent 40 years working for the NHS in hospital medicine! The last 17 plus years were working maximum part time as an Associate Specialist in Haematology and Oncology – a brilliant and unique post!
Retirement is hectic. We have six grandchildren, ranging from 9 to 13years old- each of our three children had two! Our youngest daughter’s family live next door to us in Aberdeen. Together we look after, dogs, cats, hens, ducks and riding horses as well as the children. Alice is a horse vet and a number of our four legged friends are rescue cases. We also ran with the family, my son Stephen being the main organiser, mud and trail runs. In addition, for the past eight years I have been involved with running a hippotherapy group, that is, using horses as ‘ physiotherapists’ for young disabled children.
As you get older you are reminded how precious life is. Working in medicine we have many reminders but as many in our profession do, we sail on secure in our ‘immunity’. Our oldest daughter, Jo, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 years old and died with an aggressive nonresponding relapse in 2023, at 42. We have had tremendous love and support and Jo’s children, thankfully, are doing very well. Without Jo, we lost enthusiasm for organising the mud and trail runs and decided to travel. We had an amazing cruise along the Norwegian coast on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express and have just returned from a superb cruise around Japan to see the ‘Cherry Blossom’. I am now searching the papers for next years adventures!