I have always quite irrationally prided myself on my good health, for I have only occasionally had to take a day off work when I have had a cold.

So I was quite offended by my doctor who, when we ran into each other in the street one day, took one look at me and told me that I was definitely overweight and that if I did not make an effort to lose some weight, I could expect to have a heart attack before very long. He added that, like many middle-aged men, I led a completely sedentary life: I sat behind my office desk during the day and relaxed in my armchair in the evening with my eyes firmly fixed on the television set.

It was true that I had been getting fatter, but this had not worried me much, for I simply attributed it to the fact that I was getting older.

My doctor advised me to go on a diet immediately, so I tried cutting down on fattening foods, such as potatoes and butter, but without any visible signs of success, for my trouble is that I am very fond of my food and besides, my wife is an excellent cook. I then decided that it was all a question of exercise, and for this year’s holiday, I was determined to go somewhere which was conducive to taking exercise and not to our usual seaside resort, where one is tempted to simply go down to the beach and lie in the sun. (In other words – L.G. Alexander and Catherine Wilson).