Well I have achieved my goal.

15 weeks ago I was in hospital having had my second major operation in the space of two months. Now I am just finishing a two week cruise onboard the Celebrity Eclipse, after touring the Baltic Sea having visited Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

This cruise was booked last October when we were on the same ship cruising around the Canaries when I was in the best of health – or so I thought – and celebrating the end of my first year of being retired with our new-found friends from the USA. How things can change in such a short space of time.

Once I had left hospital and started my recuperation my goal was to get on this cruise ship and be well enough to enjoy the holiday. Tick. Achieved!

It is certainly true that I am nowhere near 100% fit again. I am still coming to terms with having my own portable bladder. Whilst it does have advantages like I don’t have to get up in the night to go to the loo it does have numerous disadvantages as well.

I have to drink copious amounts of water to keep things running smoothly. Water was never my first choice of drink – and never will be, especially when, at the same time, I have had to cut down on my first choice, coffee. However this means that I have to either be constantly close to a loo or wear a leg bag which is not altogether comfortable – especially when getting full. In time I’m sure that I will get used to it but, until then, it remains an inconvenience that I have to deal with.

My gammy leg is much better than it was. Having visited the consultant a month ago and been given the choice of either another major operation or cope with it, the decision to cope was quite easy. In fact the consultant would only consider doing the surgery if things were so bad that I couldn’t cope. The more I walk on it and exercise it the better it appears to be. However, ‘doing’ distance or anything fast, is still not an option, nor will it ever be (note to myself – remember to cancel my application to run the London Marathon next year).

We are now heading for our last stop on the cruise, Copenhagen, then it’s two days at sea to pack, or rather for my wife to pack, and we shall be back at Southampton.

Although I’ve not been off the ship that much I have really enjoyed the chance to read a number of books, something I never seem to have time for, feast on lots of good food and relax.

Now I shall have to think the next target to put on my recovery list.

Is this proof that, having been a teacher for so many years, I just can’t live without targets?