This year (2005) has been quite eventful for me.  I've had some moderate success with my aircraft business and that really has been a huge plus for me.  And whilst you still don't have any step brothers or step sisters that I can tell you about (still can't find a victim to have my children) I have a very happy social life and feel I've become a better person after the experience of running the Bar/Restaurant.  I wasn't ever particularly unpleasant before, but just feel that that I have developed into a more rounded person.

But throughout this year, there has been something hanging over me which, as the year progressed, was getting ever closer.  It was my birthday.  My birthday in December.  My 50th birthday in December !!

There, I've said it.  Oh God, does that ever sound old.  If you've read the rest of this site, you'll know just how coy I have been, ever since I met Marie, about my age.  Not that I'm worried about it, quite the opposite actually.  I'm always being complimented on how I look and how fit I am and I really don't have too much of an issue about how I actually am.  I just don't like the number and the image it conjures up.  Anyway, there's absolutely nothing I can do about that, so I'm very cool about this ridiculous number.  I just find it difficult to understand how on earth I'm suddenly 50.  I was 32 just a couple of years ago !!

Anyway, as the months went on I was being asked more and more what I was going to do to 'celebrate'.  It got to the point where I could ignore it no more, so I arranged a party in one of the cocktail bars owned by my friend.

I have to admit to having some romantic notion that you and Marie would somehow magically discover where I was and show up.  Why one's mind works like this I don't know, but it did take root in my conciousness rather more than it should, and I could visualise you both walking into this bar.  I knew it was never going to happen, but just occassionally one's mind is allowed to romanticise about things that you wish would happen, whilst disregarding all sense of rationality and logic.

Well, the party went well and lots of my friends were kind enough to show up and we all had a very good time.  Actually, I'm quite proud of the fact that of the 60 or so people who came, there were 15 different nationalities, which is much a testimony to the cosmopolitan nature of people living in London as it is to my circle of friends who are drawn from all corners of the world.  I don't have any photo's of the event which I can post on here but suffice to say that I passed this age milestone with a very big bash and I fully intend to continue to make absolutely no concessions to my age as the years go by providing that my body, mind and spirit are still willing.