In rough chronological order:
- Sport: swimming, rugby and javelin throwing (at school – to county [state] level). Then rugby union for Musselburgh and London Irish RUFCs. Now I just watch rugby on the TV, and my exercise is confined to dog walking and horizontal jogging.
- Scouting…….for girls (not recently though!)
- Reading avidly: initially classical SF (Bradbury, Asimov etc), now almost anything – I’ve just finished re-reading all 20 volumes of the Patrick O’Brian series and am in the middle of re-reading all James Elroy’s books (the best crime writer ever, IMO)
- Drinking: I’ve been through beer and whisky phases. Now I drink (and collect) wine, almost exclusively – I have about 4000 bottles cellared. No need to buy wine in retirement!
- Family: my ‘raison d’etre’ – Pauline, Kate-lass, Andrew-lad, Charlotte-lass, I love them all.
- Creative writing (more recently): I got grade A (distinction) in the Open University Creative Writing course in 2012, where apparently my strongest suit was considered poetry – yes, it shocked me too!! I am currently doing the final edit of a newly completed novel.