It is now three weeks since my 60th birthday and during a quiet moment, I was thinking how much I had changed in the approach to this landmark in my life. Only a couple of years ago, I was really into cricket and having a few jars at the weekend, but now, all that has changed.
I lost all interest in cricket when my lads finished playing. As press officer for Langley Mill United, I used to spend all my Summer weekends, and a few hours during the week, supporting my club. All that changed last season.
Too cold for beer. Frozen anenometer (Photo credit: Alan Rowley Photos)
I resigned my post at the club and decided it was time I visited other places, apart from cricket grounds. I have a long list of places to visit, and I wasn’t getting through them very quickly because of my cricket commitments. I was a little unsure how I would cope without my cricket weekends, but as the season progressed, I came to realise that I didn’t really miss it at all.
The weather in the Summer of 2012 was hardly ideal for cricket, with many matches cancelled because of rain, and those that did take place were often held on damp, miserable days. Maybe this contributed to my lack of interest in the sport. This hardly bothered me though, as I enjoyed six holidays throughout the year, visiting Eastbourne twice, Norway twice, Herm and London.
I still support the game through my sponsorship of the Derbyshire County Cricket League, on behalf of my cricket forum ‘the follow on‘, but as Facebook and Twitter take over from forums, maybe that will soon come to an end. My sponsorship continues throughout the 2013 season, though.
The social side of cricket, to me, is just as important as the game itself, and I often indulged in a few beverages during the game, and after. I would also try to visit the local pubs every Saturday outside the season, but as the year drew to a close, and the cold weather arrived, I found it increasingly difficult to leave the warmth of my living room.
In the run-up to the New Year, I found myself in pubs, drinking with people I hardly knew, watching the football scores scroll by on the television. I can hardly say that I enjoyed my Saturday afternoon pints, but it was something I had always done, and I felt I needed to get out of the house at least once a week.
Sweet corn growing in my vegetable patch (Photo credit: Alan Rowley Photos)
All this changed on New Year’s Day when I subconsciously stopped drinking. I hadn’t made a New Year’s resolution to do this, it just happened. I thought that within a couple of weeks I would be desperate to go out on Saturdays again, but the cold weather seems to have hardened my resolve and I have now gone over 50 days without any alcohol passing my lips.
So what else has changed in my life? When we lived at the old house in Eastwood, we had a greenhouse, and I would often spend a couple of hours a day tending my tomatoes and peppers, but since moving to Selston, I haven’t had a greenhouse, even though we have acres of land. I decided instead to have a vegetable plot and wildflower meadows instead.
Recently, as Spring draws near, I find myself looking at greenhouses again. I ask myself, do I really want to visit all these exotic places alone, or would I rather spend my spare time pottering about with my plants. A top quality Victorian style greenhouse would be a great addition to Bracken House, and I do miss the taste of tomatoes freshly picked from the vine.
Now that I am in my 60s, my life seems to have changed to a more sedate one, based on fresh air and exercise, rather than several hours wasted each weekend at the bar, followed by the Sunday morning lethargy that used to come with it.
Maybe I’m just growing old gracefully.
