One of the UK's most distinguished economists, Sir Alan Peacock is also a nonagenarian. As an academic and former civil servant he is well placed to analyze the costs and benefits of retirement, and the courses of action that we can take in anticipation of a lengthening lifespan. In trying to make sense of old age by writing of his later life and memoirs; he views life's travails with a wry and clear-eyed detachment. Unafraid to grasp the realities of the decline of physical independence he steers us through medical practice, bureaucracy and "healthspeak" as well as loss and bereavement. His often light-hearted personal anecdotes reveal a serious point, one being that the ageing also assume a growing responsibility for the aged.