One foot in the grave

“I don’t believe it” was the regular cry of Victor Meldrew the curmudgeonly star of the TV sitcom One Foot in the Grave. In my relative youth with, I like to think, my optimistic and easy going outlook on life, it was hard to believe that I could ever become anything like the irascible and at war with the world Victor Meldrew.

However, so it has transpired, as I enter the depths of middle age, I am now rapidly transforming into this character. I do in fact lay the blame for this with working for over a quarter of century in the NHS. From the very moment of arriving at work I seem to always face a relentless onslaught which leaves me completely frazzled by the time I am due to go home again. Therefore, I find myself on a short fuse and easily irritated outside work when things do not go according to plan.

Interestingly I have discovered that my irritations about life are very incongruous. For example, I enjoy many activities including encumbered driving along country roads, cycling, and walking my dog Rosie. However, when I am driving I get frustrated by cyclists blocking my path preventing me from making progress. When I am cycling I get annoyed by cars driving too fast and too close to me and also dog walkers not controlling their dog. And when I am walking the dog I am irked by cyclists speeding past and narrowly missing the dog! Horse riding would be a nightmare as I am sure cars, cyclists and dog walkers would all exasperate me. It is all too much and any form of recreation can be a minefield for annoyances.

I think I need my own island to escape to, Population 1.