Newcastle University

I look forward in a way – well, put it this way, I’ve got a bit of a heart problem, and my mobility is affected to a certain extent. I can’t walk as far as I used to. But what I feel is that, in some ways my life is closing in a bit, I mean I can’t now travel abroad very much because I can’t get insurance. But I don’t fear getting older, I don’t fear getting into, say, my mid-80s – I’m in my mid-70s now – I don’t fear too much loss of mobility. The only thing I really fear is confusion. I wouldn’t like to develop alzheimers, like a close friend has done. Providing I’ve got my ability still to read, I can imagine being somewhat confined, and perhaps not being able to move around too much, providing I can still read I can still get a lot of joy in life. So I don’t fear getting older, I see it perhaps as an opportunity to read stuff that I haven’t read before!