Tomorrow is St Valentine’s Day, and while romance is often marketed to the young, it may actually matter more than ever after 60.
By this stage of life, many of us have lived through careers, raised families, faced losses, health scares, and big life changes.
Romance is no longer about grand gestures, it’s about connection, comfort, laughter, and love.
This year my wife doesn’t want to go out, no busy restaurants, no set menus, no noise.
Instead, she’s asked me to cook a special meal and turn our home into a date.
And honestly, that feels about right.
At this stage of life, romance isn’t about showing the world. It’s about making space for each other.
A home date means, cooking Sharon her favourite meal.
Which is relatively uncomplicated, she loves a perfectly cooked sirloin steak , and of course the most important part, a lovely glass of red.
A table set with candles and a red rose, music we both love evoking memories of our blossoming love, all those years ago.
Mobile phones banned,conversation without any distractions.
After 60, romance becomes less about impressing and more about connection, comfort, and intention. It’s about choosing each other, again and again, in small, meaningful ways.
So tomorrow night, I’ll light a candle, cook her favourite meal, and we’ll stay in.
They damage quality, reputation, client confidence, project timelines, and team morale.
In manufacturing, processing, and construction contracting, a single bad subcontractor or third-party provider can destroy a profitable project.
This is why every sub-contractor, consultant, or professional service provider must be selected, appointed, and managed using a structured evaluation process.
1. Before You Appoint Anyone
Before sourcing or appointing any subcontractor, supplier, or professional service provider, you must have:
A Clearly Defined Scope of Work
This should include:
Exactly what they are responsible for
What they must deliver
How their performance will be measured
Detailed Specifications in Writing
Contracts must include:
Quality standards
Output expectations
Compliance with regulations
Deadlines and milestones
Clear expectations prevent disputes, delays, and underperformance.
2. Role & Responsibility Clarity
Every subcontractor or third party must have:
A clearly defined role
Specific tasks listed
One appointed Project / Job Manager
All communication and instructions go through that manager – no exceptions.
This prevents:
Confusion
Blame shifting
Scope creep
Cost overruns
3. Standards & Compliance
All subcontractors and third parties must meet:
Industry workmanship standards
Health & safety requirements
Regulatory compliance
Insurance and licensing requirements
These standards must be communicated before any work starts, not after problems appear.
When we talk about “healthy” carbohydrates, we are looking for Low Glycaemic Index (GI) foods. These release energy slowly, keeping your blood sugar stable and your heart happy. Here are some of the best you can find in any UK supermarket:
Pearl Barley
The “forgotten” British superfood. It has one of the lowest GI scores of any grain (around 22-25), meaning it won’t cause sugar spikes.
Why for 60+: It’s packed with beta-glucan which helps lower cholesterol.
Ease & Enjoyment: Throw a handful into a slow-cooked lamb stew or use it to make a “Barley Risotto.”
Porridge Oats (Jumbo or Rolled)
A British breakfast classic for a reason. Avoid the “instant” sachets with added sugar; stick to the traditional bags.
Why for 60+: High in soluble fibre, which is vital for digestive health and keeping you feeling full until lunch.
Ease & Enjoyment: Top with a handful of blueberries for an antioxidant boost.
New Potatoes (with the skins on)
You don’t have to give up potatoes! New potatoes (like Jersey Royals or Charlotte) have a lower GI than large baking potatoes.
Why for 60+: Keeping the skin on provides essential Vitamin C and potassium, which helps manage blood pressure.
Ease & Enjoyment: Simply boil and serve with a little mint and olive oil instead of butter.
Lentils (Red, Green, or Puy)
Lentils are “double-duty” carbs because they are also high in protein, which helps maintain muscle mass as we age.
Why for 60+: They are incredibly soft and easy to digest when cooked well.
Ease & Enjoyment: Red lentils “melt” into soups (like a classic Dahl), making them perfect for a light, warming lunch.
Wholewheat Pasta
White pasta turns to sugar quickly in the body. Wholewheat (brown) pasta contains the entire grain, including the fibre-rich outer layer.
Why for 60+: The extra fibre helps prevent the “sluggish” feeling after a big meal.
Ease & Enjoyment: If you find the texture a bit “nutty,” try a 50/50 mix with white pasta until you get used to it.
Chickpeas
Whether in a tin or as hummus, chickpeas are a powerhouse of slow-release energy.
Why for 60+: Great for bone health as they contain calcium and magnesium.
Ease & Enjoyment: Roast them in the oven with a little paprika for a crunchy, healthy snack.
Bulghur Wheat
Commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, but widely available in the UK (often near the couscous).
Why for 60+: It’s less processed than couscous or white rice, meaning it keeps your energy levels steady for longer.
Ease & Enjoyment: Use it as a base for a cold summer salad with lots of parsley and lemon.
Rye or Granary Bread
Swap the white sliced loaf for a dense Rye or a “seeded” granary bread from the bakery.
Why for 60+: Rye bread is particularly good for gut health and regular digestion.
Ease & Enjoyment: Toasted rye with mashed avocado and a poached egg is a perfect “luxury” brunch.
Quinoa (Pronounced Keen-wah)
Now a staple in UK shops, this “grain” is actually a seed.
Why for 60+: It is a “complete protein,” containing all nine essential amino acids—rare for a plant food!
Ease & Enjoyment: It cooks in just 12-15 minutes. Use it instead of rice with a stir-fry.
Sweet Potatoes
A great alternative to the standard “old” potato.
Why for 60+: They are very high in Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), which is excellent for maintaining eye health.
Ease & Enjoyment: Cut into wedges and bake with a drizzle of olive oil for a delicious side dish.
Remember balanced meals with healthy carbs and fats are always important, even more so as we age and want to stay active, full of energy and have lots of fun.
I hope this is of interest, I have had a few recipes sent to me, which I am going to cook utilising my not so expert skills.
Please share pictures of some of your creations and recipes.
This post was supposed to be a follow on from last week, how my weekly planner was working, short answer it’s not, all my plans were changed, hospital appointments for our daughter, weather, and last minute requests from clients.
So, we will see if my considered laid out plans for next week, already scribbled on planner will work, I will keep you updated.
Sunday was a big day in the Kerton household, football fans may be aware of the rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth.
On the South Coast it’s a big deal, so at 12pm on Sunday ( I still like a 3pm kick off on a Saturday), I was sat in front of our television poised to enjoy a Southampton victory.
It doesn’t matter who the opposition is, I am always convinced we will win, even if we’ve been on a six match losing run.
Maybe it’s foolish optimism, but it is what a supporters life is all about.For the record, the score was 1-1 but we should have won (for any Pompey fans I’m only joking).
Being a supporter of a sports team, whatever the sport, is a complicated relationship.
Sport is meant to be fun, and playing it certainly was for me when I was younger, especially football, which I was reasonably good at on my day.
Supporting a football team, however, is something else entirely.
It’s emotional, It’s irrational, and at times, I’m fairly sure it’s not entirely healthy.
It started with my father… and confusion
My father was a lovely man in so many ways, but he was strange in one way, because!
He supported both Southampton and Portsmouth.
Even now, I find this completely baffling.
He lived in Swanmore, a village almost perfectly placed between the two cities. He lost his father at just 14 years old, and by his own account would go to matches with different uncles or friends, sometimes to The Dell, sometimes to Fratton Park.
Over time, he became fond of players rather than clubs.
To him:
Jimmy Dickinson was the best player he had ever seen
Terry Paine was the finest crosser of a ball, and should have played far more for England
Club loyalty, as we understand it today, wasn’t quite the same then. It was about heroes, moments, memories.
Becoming a Saints supporter, whether I liked it or not
My dad, grandad and grandmother started taking me to The Dell when I was about six years old.
That was it, the decision was made, fate sealed. This is where my journey as a Southampton supporter began, not through logic or choice, but through family, habit, and repetition.
And once football gets into you at that age, it never really leaves.
What does being a supporter actually mean?
Being a supporter means different things to different people.
Some go to every game. Some go occasionally. Some watch on TV. Some listen on the radio. Some follow obsessively online.
But nearly all of us invest far more than time or money,we invest emotion.
Call me mad, but a good or bad result can genuinely affect:
My mood
My outlook
My patience
My optimism
And yes, sometimes my decision-making for the week ahead.
I’m convinced I’ve been more generous, more forgiving, and more optimistic on a Monday morning because Matt Le Tissier scored an unbelievable goal on Saturday.
I may even have given pay rises to people who didn’t deserve them.
(I’m not saying it definitely happened… but I’m not denying it either.)
Why do we put ourselves through it?
Supporting a football team, especially one like Southampton, teaches you many things:
Loyalty without guarantees
Hope in the face of logic
Acceptance of disappointment
Occasional moments of pure, unfiltered joy (1976 FA Cup winners).
And those moments, make it all worthwhile.
A last-minute goal, a derby win, a season where everything clicks, a player who becomes a legend.
They stay with you far longer than the defeats.
Football, ageing, and perspective
As we get older, something changes, we still care deeply, but perhaps with more perspective.
We’ve seen relegations, promotions, heartbreak, miracles.
We’ve learned that football mirrors life:
You don’t always get what you deserve
The journey matters more than the result
Loyalty doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it gives meaning
And yet… I still check the score far too often, still feel that lift or drop in the stomach. I still let it influence my weekend mood, some habits die hard.
So… joy or punishment?
The honest answer?
Both,
Supporting Southampton FC has given me:
Frustration
Disappointment
Questionable weekends
But it’s also given me:
Shared experiences
Family memories
Stories
Identity
Belonging
And at this stage of life, that matters.
Final thought
Football isn’t just football,It’s memory, connection, routine, emotion.
And if occasionally it ruins your weekend, or improves your mood enough to hand out undeserved pay rises — so be it.
ROPHO – Life, Balance & Doing Our Best with What We’ve Got
I’ll start with a confession, I love the idea of a weekly plan, I like writing one, I like how organised it makes me feel.
I am also very good at not sticking to it.
If you’ve ever created a beautifully structured week, only to abandon it by Tuesday lunchtime, you’re in good company.
Why weekly plans so often fail (especially later in life)
Weekly plans usually fail for one simple reason:
They assume life will behave itself.
At this stage of life, it rarely does.
Energy changes, appointments appear, family needs time, health has a say, motivation comes and goes.
So instead of scrapping planning altogether, I’m trying something different for 2026.
Not a rigid plan.
A framework.
From “perfect week” to “good enough week”
My old weekly plans looked something like this:
Work blocks perfectly aligned
Exercise every other day
Time set aside for creativity
Social time clearly defined
Rest scheduled (but usually ignored)
On paper, it was ideal.
In reality, it was exhausting, and quietly disappointing when I didn’t follow it.
So, I’m rebuilding my weekly plan with one guiding principle:
Support life don’t fight it.
The new approach: gentle structure, flexible reality
Here’s what I’m working towards for 2026 — not as rules, but as intentions.
📅 A Simple Weekly Template
Not hour-by-hour. Just broad blocks.
Morning / Afternoon / Evening That’s often enough.
The goal isn’t precision, it’s awareness.
❤️ Relationship & Family Time
If it’s not lightly protected, it gets squeezed out.
That doesn’t mean formal “appointments”, but:
shared meals
walks
conversations without distraction
being present, not just nearby
🏃 Movement & Health
Not “training plans”. Not targets.
Just regular movement:
walking
light resistance
stretching
fresh air
Enough to keep energy, strength, and confidence ticking along.
You can adapt these depending on your fitness levels and time availability etc.
🎨 Hobbies & Creativity
This is the one that often disappears first.
Writing. Reading. Learning. Thinking.
And yet, this is often what gives the most satisfaction.
Even short, regular sessions count.
😌 Rest, Reflection & Reset
Treating this seriously, but not obsessively.
Creative energy is strongest some days, weaker others. The plan needs to allow for both.
Progress over pressure.
This is not “doing nothing”. It’s recovery.
Time without input, time without productivity, time to notice how things actually feel.
This is where balance quietly returns.
What I’ve stopped doing
I’ve stopped trying to plan every day perfectly.
Instead, I’m asking one simple question each week:
Does this week include a bit of exercise, connection, purpose, enjoyment and rest?
If the answer is mostly yes, that’s a good week.
A gentle reminder (for you and me)
You don’t need:
a colour-coded planner
a life overhaul
a new version of yourself
You need:
kindness
consistency
flexibility
And permission to adjust as you go.
If you’d like to try this too…
You don’t have to copy my approach.
But you might like to consider:
one anchor for health
one anchor for relationships
one anchor for enjoyment
one anchor for purpose
That’s enough.
Before the next post…
Here are three gentle questions you might want to reflect on this week:
🖊 What part of your week do you most look forward to, and why? 🖊 What drains you more than it should? 🖊 What would a “good enough” week actually look like for you?
Not perfect. Just supportive.
Coming next:
“One Intention Per Week, Why This Works Better Than Big Goals”
We’ll look at:
why small intentions stick
how to avoid self-criticism
and how consistency quietly builds confidence
You’re not alone in balancing work, life, love, health, purpose and time.
Most of us in our sixties are still figuring it out.
And that’s not failure, that’s life.
We figure it out together.
Below a snippet of the template I’ve created if you would like to give it a try subscribe and I will send you a PDF copy
SIMPLE WEEKLY LIFE BALANCE TEMPLATE
(Google Docs friendly / printable / calm)
How to use this template (very important)
This is not a timetable. It’s a framework, something to support life, not control it.
Fill it in lightly. Pencil mentality.
MY WEEK AT A GLANCE
Week of: ___________________________
One word I’d like this week to feel like: ___________________________
2025 has been a year of ups and downs, as most years tend to be.
Some weeks felt organised, meaningful, and even productive.
Others… well… let’s just say “planned” wasn’t the word I’d use.
For ROPHO, the year ahead excites me.
I’m looking forward to many hours researching, writing, learning, and hopefully helping others like me, people in later life still trying to get this balance thing right.
In my business life my earliest mentor and the person I learnt the most from had many wise sayings (his words) this one was one of his favourites, which he repeated consistently.
Plan, plan, then plan some more.
But in my personal life?
Let’s just say I’m more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants than I’d like to admit.
I tend to “go with the flow,” do whatever my wife wants (although she may strongly object to that description!).
I’m either all in on work or disappear from the world,
or all in on life and let everything else slip.
Sixty-something years in, I’m better, definitely better,
but there is massive room for improvement.
And that’s part of the purpose of ROPHO:
Not teaching perfection.
Not preaching.
But exploring life balances together, openly, honestly, with humour and grace.
Review of 2025 Personal Life
The good – a special trip to Marmaris Turkey for my wife’s twin sisters 60th Birthday, neither are experienced traveller’s.
It was in fact one of her sister’s first overseas holiday for 30 years.
It was amazing I have not laughed as much for a very long time, whether it was a boat trip or a shopping expedition, it was hilarious.
Our granddaughter’s 21st Birthday party (How did that happen?)
Theatre trip to Tina the musical with daughter and granddaughter, much better than expected.
Family trips, meals, etc.
This list isn’t exhaustive just list the things you had fun doing big and small memories made.
Creating a Personal Plan That Fits Later Life
Business plans I can do in my sleep.
Personal plans? Never really done one written down, always in my head.
So, this year I thought I would give it a go (currently working on changing my business plan guide into an easy to understand ebook. Free to subscribers)
But being older requires a different style of planning — flexible, compassionate, human.
Life comes with surprises, health considerations, energy levels that change week to week, family needs, and moments that matter more than schedules.
So rather than a rigid life calendar, I’m building a Living Personal Plan for 2026.
A plan built around what really matters:
Time
Connection
Health
Joy
Curiosity
Adventure
Rest
Let’s start with what’s already on the horizon.
Things We Already Have Planned
Holidays
Relaxation. Adventure. Warm evenings. New food. Bare feet on warm sand.
As we get older, time away feels even more precious, it resets the soul.
We have a big one booked, Thailand, December 2026.
It was postponed due to our daughter’s cancer diagnosis, but it’s still there waiting for us.
We chose Thailand because:
We have explored a lot of Europe and some Caribbean Islands, we wanted to sample a part of Asia at this time of our life.
The mix of beaches, culture, food & scenery is perfect
Our kids loved it and recommended it
A blend of lazy pool days + exploring temples & markets sounds ideal
We’ll also look at a European break mid-year (April–June)
Plus, some weekend breaks, just enough to keep the joy flowing.
Having something to look forward to matters, psychologically much more than we admit.
Most importantly, future memories in the making.
Special Occasions
Wedding anniversaries
Significant birthdays
Family gatherings
And for many of us, grandchild milestones, we are blessed, we have six with another due in May.
These are anchors in the year, events that remind us why life balance is worth improving.
Health Appointments
We can’t ignore this part of ageing.
I have an annual pacemaker pacing clinic appointment, non-negotiable.
Yours may be check-ups, screenings, routine tests, physio, yearly MOT’s for the body.
Let’s acknowledge them, not dread them.
Health isn’t a background detail anymore; it’s the secret to longevity as I am regularly reminded by our loving daughters.
So… Weekly or Monthly Plans?
Here’s the tricky question I’m sitting with:
Do I plan monthly for flexibility…
or weekly for accountability?
Because, confession time, I have tried a weekly plan.
And it never goes how I imagine.
(If you relate, you’re in the right place.)
In my next post, I’ll break down my weekly plan, honestly, not perfectly, and how I’m adapting it for a healthier, happier 2026.
A plan that includes:
Time with my wife (real time, not “in the same room scrolling” time)
Personal projects & hobbies
Exercise or movement
Social connection
Business/ROPHO creativity
Rest
“No guilt” days
Because balance isn’t 50/50.
It’s knowing when to swing one way, and when to swing back.
Before the next post…
Here are 3 gentle reflection questions for you:
🖊 What do you already have booked in 2026 that excites you?
🖊 Which personal habits slipped this year, and how could you restart them lightly?
🖊 What one simple change would make your life feel just a little more balanced?
