The wisdom of age

Yesterday, I went to the annual Christmas drinks organised by former members of the BBC Radio newsroom; sometimes characterised, with affection, as the Newsroom Old Gits do. The venue is, most suitably, an upstairs room in "old man's" pub in WC2, complete with sticky carpet, malodorous urinals and a Lithuanian barman. I had previously thought the pub was chosen because it provided some free nibbles, but later learned that a former Editor of News sends £30 a year to cover that. So the rationale for venue selection remains a puzzle...

There were some 20 attendees, with several over 70 and in good nick. Without attribution, I thought I'd share some of the key pieces of advice I picked up.

"Try not to fall down the stairs at Charing Cross Station"
"It's unwise to ignore a possible diagnosis of diabetes and keep drinking"
"Sell shares in breweries and pubs"