I’m an ordinary bloke. I’m sane. I even have a certificate from my psychiatrist to prove it. He says I am making great progress.

My only problem is that I’m getting old. I discovered that getting old means a lot of things. Some are nice. I can chat up nice looking girls and they don’t feel threatened. I can pay for things with lots of small change, especially when there is a long queue behind me. They all mutter that it’s “only and old man”. It’s expected. I can forget peoples names as they don’t expect me to remember.

There is one downside though. I have become grumpy. Little things I used to laugh at are now irritating. I find myself shouting at the telly. Everyone and everything around me is there to annoy me.

I am getting it in the neck from Herself -”Ah! would you ever stop complaining”. So I decided to put my gripes on the Net. I don’t expect anyone to read them. It is purely a catharsis. Maybe though, there are other grumpy old men [or women] out there who might even agree with me?

I do have things that I like. Such as the following:

• Herself, Sandy the dog, my daughter and grandchildren [but not necessarily in that order]
• My garden
• Supping cups of coffee outside my local coffee shop on a Summers day
• Walking in the woods
• Listening to good music
• The odd pint of stout
• And of course a good book

Dislikes….

• The Government [weapons of mass corruption]
• George W Bush
• Hypocrisy
• The stupid legal setup in this country [especially regarding motoring]
• My Former Employers
• The American corruption of Irish culture and society