46 years

On my trip to London for an eye appointment we were invited to pass on congratulations to Cliff who was retiring that day after 46 years as (what used to be every schoolboy's dream job) a train driver. There with his wife and daughter he seemed a lovely man heading for a well-deserved retirement.

At my check up on my corneal transplant, the good news was the eye was fine; the bad news I failed the eyesight test, I guess I'll be hearing from the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority who will strip me of my right to drive, so it'll be walking, public transport and taxis hereon. It's a bit of a shock but pretty small beer compared with what many have to suffer - and with a dodgy eye condition I got to 70 before giving up the sacred automobile, a pernicious killing machine that's wrecking the planet.

So to every action there's an equal and opposite reaction (extra).