So in six short weeks I am officially registered as a pensioner, have come under the care of the amputee clinic at the Douglas Bader Rehabilitation Centre of the Queen Mary’s Hospital Roehampton, and I am registered with a GP who is ensuring I get a thorough health screening  and that my general health is taken care of. One of the major reasons for coming here, therefore,  is well in hand and I can expect my first new leg in about a month. My doctors have promised me a second prosthesis after that to enable me to go beachcombing and swimming! Khao Lak – I’ll be back!

I have a pleasant 2-room furnished flat in West Dulwich in South East London. I have my pensioner’s travel card and I am coming to grips with London’s variable Internet service. It astounds me that in parts of London, and where I am living is one of them, that mobile Internet service – speed and reliability of connection – is worse than Moscow suburbs!

Being officially retired I have gravitated to a mentoring role at BSR Magazine which my son Saif now runs a couple of miles away from me, having very efficiently assumed control while I was ‘swanning’ around the pleasant climes of South East Asia and Arabia at the end of last year.

Having got the taste of travel back into my blood I am enthusiastic about our new product which will launch in March alongside the new issue of BSR-Russia – BSR Travel, an English language travel magazine.
Needless to say we are looking to recruit editors, contributors and photographers for both BSR-Russia and BSR-Travel. More importantly we are seeking to appoint an advertising manager for both publications so if anyone knows of anyone…. As we have proven over the last two years our team can be based anywhere – the power of the Internet allows us to produce a virtual online magazine with a virtual staff.

But it does take a certain kind of self disciplined, self-motivated individual to work away with only e-mail and Skype calls and chat to link them to the centre.

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