The Bag for Life 

I remember many, many moons ago, as a young boy, being taken to the cinema by my parents, along with my siblings. It was something of a rare treat, but one that we all used to enjoy. The year was 1967 and the film was called Doctor Dolittle. It starred Rex Harrison as a man who could talk to animals. It was remade some years ago with Eddie Murphy, but this, to me, was always the proper version, even though it looks very dated now. Anyway, I digress. So why am I rambling on ab

So, it would, methinks, be fair to say that I have had a mixed relationship with my hips. To be fair, up until the last four years, we have all got on very nicely. After all, we grew up together, enjoyed early sports, matured through school and the salad days of early life, went through university together, then started the road to work. To be honest, for decades, no problem at all; if anything, we both embraced the tough, flexible, bendy, demanding world of Shotokan Karate.

Well, my dear chums, what a year it has been! Hospital visits in total for 2025: an impressive 58. Weight put on since this time last year: plus 4 kilos, from 75 to 80. (Note to self: less beer and takeaway food, and more calories burned after the 2026 hip replacement operations.) Cancer all clear after 7 years, 4 months and 27 days… yes, ACTUALLY CANCER FREE! After two massive, life-saving surgeries, the first being on 18 September 2018 , where a large tumour was removed