I have always been fit all my life. No broken bones ever, and only a couple of brief visits to hospital.

As I’m getting a bit older and encountering bits of me not working as well as once they did, I have to admit that being a good patient is not my strong point.

I’ve said here before that getting out and about around our lovely island with Rosie and Ted, my wire-haired fox terriers, is the best tonic - and music of course. I should really count my blessings and think more about others, as some friends of my age are a lot worse off.

My situation is obviously one shared by others, and I really like the TV show ‘Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing’, where the two friends and collaborators reflect on life after both had major heart problems.

They take fishing trips to various interesting and often beautiful locations where the discussion often starts and finishes with the challenges age brings.

The show is really well filmed with nature front and centre, and it is now in its eighth series.

They have an amusing character, Ted the Patterdale terrier, who shares their adventures, has the funniest smile, and often gets up to mischief along the way.

Being immersed in the natural world, combined with the clear affection and shared humour between Bob and Paul - despite Paul’s occasional frustration with Bob’s angling skills, or lack of them - is a winning formula for me.

I mention this because I have a lifelong friend, and from time to time we go out for tea and a couple of pints.

We have travelled to a few motorcycle races over the last few years, and our conversation often starts with a medical update. I’m sure we aren’t alone, but for me it emphasises the importance of friendship based on common interests and, of course, the importance of making the most of each day.

On the subject of TV, I thought I would have a look back at a long-running children’s show this week. I’m sure there will be others that you remember - feel free to get in touch with your favourites!

Were you, or even now are you still, a fan of Blue Peter? It is still on TV 67 years after it was first broadcast.

I was an avid fan. In fact, encouraged by my mother, I wrote to and received a reply from Val Singleton, who must have been my favourite presenter (is she really 88 now?). She was a regular presenter for 10 years between 1962 and 1972.

The longest-serving presenter was John Noakes, who was on the show for over twelve years. Who remembers some of the exploits he was involved in?

In 1977, he took on perhaps his most famous feat, climbing an unsecured, swaying ladder 169 feet up Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square with no safety harness — only a rope. The footage is legendary for how terrified he looked.

In 1973, at the famous St Moritz Olympic bobsleigh run - the oldest bobsleigh track in the world, comprising natural ice and reaching speeds over 80 mph - he was on board with an experienced driver. On the notorious Horseshoe Bend, one of the fastest and most difficult corners on the track, the bobsleigh overturned.

He was thrown from the sled and slid across the ice on his side and back, still wearing the old-style, very minimal protective gear. Despite cuts on his face and hands, he laughed it off and completed the filming.

Do you remember him climbing out of the cockpit of a Tiger Moth mid-flight and standing on the wing of the moving biplane? Again, with minimal safety gear for the era.

He completed a proper military-style parachute jump from a plane - despite complaining loudly on the ascent, he jumped anyway!

He also trained with the Royal Marines in gruelling military training: climbing ropes, wading through freezing water, and assault courses.

He struggled, but loved it! Other stunts undertaken by John Noakes included climbing chimneys and towers, hot-air balloon exploits, motor-racing and speed challenges, mountain and cliff climbing, and working with unpredictable animals including lions, seals, eagles and, of course, Shep, who often dragged him around or ignored commands live on air (’Get down, Shep!’).

John died in 2017 aged 83. In accordance with his wishes, half of his ashes were scattered by firework over the playing fields of his old school in West Yorkshire.

The third presenter at that time, between 1967 and 1978, was of course Peter Purves, remembered as the kind, steady ‘big brother’ figure on the show, often reassuring children when Noakes was being wild and Singleton was being organised and polished.

Now aged 86, Peter is perhaps best remembered for his special role caring for the Blue Peter dogs Petra, Patch and Shep.

Although not as much a daredevil as Noakes, he undertook Arctic survival training, climbing and abseiling, motorcycle obstacle courses and more.

As a fairly regular attender at Crufts dog shows over the years, I have seen him on a number of occasions in the role of very well-informed commentator.

Other presenters also undertook exciting stunts. Perhaps best known were Peter Duncan and, of course, Helen Skelton, who undertook a solo 2,010-mile kayak expedition along the Amazon; tightrope walking across Battersea Power Station; completing the Namibia Ultra Marathon in extreme heat; reaching the South Pole by ski and kite; a world-record slackline walk; long-distance cycling challenges; and solo desert and Arctic endurance expeditions.

As well as the famous and much-loved dogs on Blue Peter, the show also included cats, rabbits, hamsters, tortoises, birds and ponies.

There have been a number of other memorable incidents, including the 1969 studio visit by Lulu the baby elephant, who was clearly spooked as she refused to behave and tugged her handler.

The scene is repeated on TV from time to time, as is the segment with the Brownies demonstrating how to build a safe campfire, which ended with memorable scenes as they sang ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’.

In Millennium year, the Isle of Man Government organised a number of committees chaired by MHKs with community involvement under the title ‘Mann 2000’ to celebrate this special event. Was it really 25 years ago?

One of the most remembered events was the establishment of the Millennium Oakwood near the new hospital, where thousands of children from all the Island’s schools travelled to the site to plant acorns.

Involved in the exercise were 69 buses and minibuses, 10 coaches, six trams and three locomotives on Thursday, March 9.

The 6,500 children all wore brightly coloured bobble hats and the site was a sea of colour and excitement.

Afterward, they joined Michelle Grogan with the specially written Oakwood song and our Manx National Anthem.

Konnie Huq, the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter from 1997 to 2008, officially opened the Oakwood and set off a dramatic firework display. Were you or anyone you know there on that special day?