A personal look back at the last decade, and plans for the next decade

The 2010 decade saw massive changes in our household and family group. Children now all married, becoming grandparents. Dad passing, and Lisa and I moving from full time running a business to semi-retirement. Over the last three years we've stepped down from three (including Dad's) to 2 (including a business premises) to one - where we hope to be stable for this decade and beyond. And with that stepping down comes a great deal of simplification, of getting rid of things (though we are still stuffed here), and of paying off various loans so that we've got a lifestyle we can be comfortable with.

I wrote up notes for the above and as I did so overlooked "health". We've both had issues in the ten years and indeed neither of us enters 2020 as healthy as we entered 2010; inevitably these things crop up with the passing of time and the move to old age. I already have a senior railcard, and get my senior bus card later this year. I hope we have some buses left to use it on!

Driving / mileage I said a couple of years back that I've "dropped from 30,000 to 3,000 miles a year". It's more like 1,000 now - to all intents and purposes limited to local trips using an electric car. My walking has been severely curtailed as it's now tiring and infrequent; disconnected public transport makes use of that very wasteful indeed of time. For example, I spent all day away from home for a meeting (of one hour) 35 miles away in November.

2010 was the year that a handful of us passed a significant milestone in our quest for an appropriate train service for Melksham. We moved from being primarily a protest group with the requirement to raise profile to a partnership group where we worked with the rail industry and local government. And the TransWilts CRP^▸ was so successful during the decade that the initial goal was achieved, and it moved on. It was heartbreaking to part company with them in 2018, but they now have a paid professional staff with the training I lacked, and unencumbered by my conflicts of interest. I continue to work closely with the Melksham Rail Development Group - except it's renamed the Melksham Rail USER Group now as we actually have a lot of train users.

Some things don't change all that much ... this Coffee Shop forum has been remarkably stable over the years, no small thanks to the admin and moderator team, and is set (with updated) for the next decade. What has changed here is the number of dear long term friends made, and the widening of Membership so that at almost any rail gathering in the South West there are likely to be some members present. It's a very useful way of positively liaising across interested parties.

TravelWatch SouthWest is another positive liaison influence. It meets twice a year to network and inform groups all the way from Gloucestershire and the Solent to Penzance, and between times to network, suggest, advise and consult. I was honoured to be approached to join their board, and indeed I was re-elected for a further three year period in November. I do feel very much the junior member there - I do not have the technical knowledge, experience or ability to sort out things far ahead like is needed in transport advocacy, but yet I have contacts and can (and have) helped keep TWSW^» busy - we had to put the "FULL" sign up for the last general meeting, such is the demand, but want to make sure that every group that wishes (and we can find) can routinely attend.

I was also elected to the National board of RailFuture last summer, but just for one year. Their election process is a protracted one, and I'm not standing for a further term. I continue to support their aims wholeheartedly.

Our "Business Accommodation" (hotel) closed a couple of years back, but we remain open for IT courses – now with just Python and Tcl formally on the books. Happy to provide legacy training in other languages such as Perl, but I now consider myself one of the active retired. And, yes, I do some contract work still – keeping my hand in, if you like.

The "Well House Collection" - a Museum for Melksham - ran in the smaller training room, but has now moved to (and taken over) the larger room. Visitors are welcome at any reasonable time we're around by appointment.

Lisa and I had never taken more than 2 weeks away prior to last year... and indeed Lisa especially tended to be looking forward to be getting home by the end of any break. But last year we pushed the boat out (almost literally – took a cruise) for the whole month of September, and this time we were not "dying to get home". While we remain active, we have an eye open to take other opportunities; a huge thank you to Justin for looking after Billy and what were (at the time) our places - plural. Think it worked for everyone.

"Lisa and Graham" was a relationship that friends and contacts doubted would last when we met in 1996. Hmmm ... the last ten years has proven those doubting people ever more wrong, not that we remain in that same Newsgroup circle - or indeed that it remains very much in existence. And barring the ravages of time which are bound to take one or both of us eventually, we'll still be strong, in love and loving each other, and together when I write in 2030. But yet, time does pass; there's a hole in our hearts, and a tear in my eye when my mind turns to our "Gyp" who passed at the very start of May. Yet she's still with us in spirit, as is Dad and others who have passed during the decade.

I am going to move on. As ever (it seems) I have a list a mile long. In fact, I wonder how I ever had the time to do a job. Happy new decade, everyone.