March 2026

The opening months of 2026 seemed to focus almost entirely on my body falling to pieces.

January had the usual twice-yearly medical. The blood test results were excellent. No diabetes, cholesterol under control, blood pressure fine, liver and kidney function splendid. But after that it was all downhill.

Bad pain in left leg, turned out after MRI to be busted meniscus. Appointment with orthopaedic expert looms. Slight problem with nasal blockage while sleeping raised possibility of polyps developing. Appointment with ENT expert made. Tooth suddenly ejected filling, turned out the whole thing was kaput, appointment for root removal made. Decided to throw in the towel and check eyesight as well.

That’s the bad news. The good news – and one of the many advantages of living in Hong Kong – is that world class treatment is available for all these issues.

The programme of Chinese massages, instituted in September, came to a halt having improved my blood circulation. The regular gym/pool exercise routines I had practiced up until August which had been suspended meanwhile could in theory now resume but will have to wait until the plethora of health issues listed above have been tackled.

There was more good news on the family front. Alex is now back living with us on a quasi-long-term basis. He has a job in financial services and is busy studying for the necessary qualifications. Tiffany also made a surprise visit, for just a short time mid-January returning to California via Hong Kong to avoid some trouble spots in the Middle East. Only for a few hours, but enough to squeeze in a lunch at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

Good morale boost for all.