This was how my office was decorated when I arrived to blog at 4.30 this morning. That’s when I do my blogging nowadays, it gives me time to have a happy birthday – I’m 65 as my computer reminded me.

My mother, who is 30 years older than me, explained to me this year that I actually popped out at 2 pm not the 11.01 am my father claimed. She tells me that my father made it up that she broke the two minute silence because of giving birth to me. I’d like to think that my father was doing his GP surgery at 11 am and that he made his way down from Shaftesbury to Dorchester to watch me popping out.

We had a discussion about birthdays yesterday. Last year I had been in hospital having my prostate partially removed on my birthday. When I returned to my ward it was to a rousing version of “when I’m 64” from the ward staff.

I was 64 all year and now I’m 65. Stella, my partner pointed out I’m older a day older than I was yesterday. It doesn’t feel like that at all.

My parents talked about the OAP (the old age pension) so I’ve always though that 65 is the commencement of “old age”. Financially, I am not a state pensioner for two more years but in my heart I have attained my old age today! My friend Andy Young – along with Steve Webb – simplified the state pension but they didn’t move the state age back. They haven’t aged up top – nor I hope will I. I’ll take inspiration from my very lively Mum!

But state pensions happen to increase from time to time when Government’s have the guts to accept the findings of research and input from GAD. It’s always that we’re living longer and should be working longer too. The rise to 68 SPA is not till 2042-4 as it stands though I think we are due an update on recommendations some time soon. Andy reminds me that it should be 70 by now but luckily, no one is listening.

I’m working today and will spend time with my actuarial fraternity discussing how a collective pension fund matches maturity, when it can stay fully invested for growth and when it needs to have an eye to continuity. I am of course not an actuary but I have assumed that collectively we have an infinite time horizon and have no need to consider tontines (where the last person left alive scoops the pool).

Although I have to have a greater mind on being dead (being at 65  years “old”) I am not going to start de-risking my lifestyle any time soon, indeed I remind myself that an actuary like Andy Young is considerably more than 10 years my senior! If I can keep up with his pace today 0n 11/11/2036 – I will be happy.

It is time to wrap this birthday blog up and get on with thanking all the people on linked in who have left me congratulations for living this long. I don’t know many of them but I’m glad that they caught me in their algorithm. You need some consolation.

Outside it is getting brighter; it is a cold wet morning and the cormorants peer down on with a “waiting” look. They know I became old when the clock clicked past midnight.