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First let me apologise for the absence of any recent blogs, which was entirely due to a longish stay, over 6 weeks, in hospital. However, I'm back and hopelessly out of date on the majority of things happening around the world; not that I've missed all the despondency, gloom and dreary news during that time.

It goes without saying that I was well cared for by the doctors and nursing staff at the hospital, to which I offer my thanks for all their support and help over a difficult period. I'd also like to thank my friends for their visits, support, help and for being there. they've been instrumental in helping me to get back on my feet and home. Thanks to one and all!

All in all I have to make changes in most areas of my life, which will be interesting for me, although I'll accept it might be very tedious to you. Be that as it may, the one area I've managed to ignore for most of my adult life has been exercise, this now needs to change. Having to exercise, if I'm brutally honest, is a royal pain in the butt. When I was in my teens to early twenties I used to pump iron, or weight training as it's more correctly termed. My insane desire to be the terminator ended in tears, yes grown men do cry, when I slipped a disc in my back.

Anyway, the plan is to become involved in Nordic walking, which ties in with my love of walking. Nope I'm not going to get all competitive, but I will be using a stopwatch to time myself; it'll indicate how fit I'm becoming. Wish me luck!

Of this past few weeks news stories, the one about the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had me in fits of giggles due to his reliance on a discredited 'happiness' barometer. It seems that he's determined to measure how happy the Brits are. This would normally happen at Christmas time, when the British love of the pantomime season kicks off in all its awful glory. Attending a British pantomime is one of 'those' quintessential British events, whereby eccentricity is governed by the amount of god awful bad jokes that make you laugh, or stare at the ceiling in complete disbelief. Much of this has to do with men dressing as women, and women dressing as men and women. I can't say that I'm any fan of pantomime but it does have its moments.

Now, the American, who came up with this ridiculous idea of a 'happiness barometer', has disowned it. I would suspect due to the impossibility of how you define and measure such a subjective emotion. 'But 'Dave' thinks you can and I've no doubt that will start with the royal wedding between Wills and Kate. O my word, I can see it now, millions of Brits glued to their TVs watching a very public spectacle, enthralled by the 'glamour' of it all. Happily I will miss the event as I much better things to do with my time than watch a load of good for nothings, subserviently bowing to a national institution that has long past its sell by date. Yes the event will bring a smile to millions of Brits; after all they'll have another long weekend off, coming immediately after the four day break for Easter. Polls taken after the wedding will no doubt show that the Brits are a very happy and contented lot!