I can’t say I’d ever given anything more than a fleeting thought to what I qualify as the successes in my life. But recently I’ve been asked on two separate occasions what I consider to be my greatest achievements, and, having taken some time to think about the reply, I’ve been surprised to realise what I find I think they are, and quite how far down the list anything work related comes.

I would normally say these are in no particular order but this time, actually, they are.

Success Number 1

Putting the fact that, thanks to some inexplicable combination of good luck, muddling through and hoping for the best, I and my late husband managed to raise two remarkable, kind, wise, thoughtful, strong, decent humans - who have each themselves become wonderful mothers in the past year - in the number 1 slot was a no-brainer.

That has always, and will always, be the single greatest achievement of my life.

Success Number 2

That they’re still talking to me in spite of all the monumental mess-ups I made along the way, is not only a success but, frankly, a miracle.

Success Number 3

I realise it seems strange to put this in the number three slot bearing in mind the fact that we separated, (it was a surprise to me that it was as high up my list) but I consider my relationship with my husband to be the next of my life successes.

Meeting as a teenager (me) and a 21 year old (him) and navigating a relationship through nearly five years of dating, over 30 years of marriage and a final six years of supportive, loving friendship (something that was the bedrock of all those previous years) is something I’ve come to recognise as a success (thanks in no small part to some very excellent counselling).

I read somewhere that just because a record of a symphony is scratched at the end, doesn’t make it any less of a beautiful piece of music. Things between us undoubtedly got more than a bit scratchy at times, but the marriage and family we had, and the relationship we rebuilt after our separation are beautiful successes I have learnt to be proud of.

Success number 4

My husband’s death was utterly shocking and distressingly destabilising in so many ways.

That I’ve managed to regain my footing without my life-long best friend and greatest supporter, that I’ve supported my girls through the loss of their very much-loved father, and that we have not just hung on together, but grown, as a family unit (something I pay gratefully appreciative credit to my two wonderful sons-in-law for playing a vital part in) is an unwanted but heart-brokenly acknowledged success.

Success number 5

I haven’t lived in many houses in my life - the one I grew up in, the one my husband owned when we first married, our long-time family home and the little house where I am now) but three of those are houses I have made into happy, comfortable, welcoming homes (my mum was responsible for doing the same with the first one).

I have decorated and furnished - and in the case of the house where we lived for nearly three decades, re-decorated, and re-furnished several times - them, and always held their doors wide open to family and friends who I have loved, and continue to love, hosting.

I have even, with help from a succession of much more expertly green-fingered advisors, managed to create and (mostly) keep alive two, very different, but equally welcoming and enjoyable gardens.

My view of my house and garden as I write this

Success number 6

This next success makes it into the number 6 slot with a hefty helping of good luck.

I have had a career with more than its fair share of successes along the way. Which considering my only career strategy for the longest time (possibly always, now I come to think of it) was to say “yes I can do that” knowing perfectly well I couldn’t, meant there was no certainty that would be the outcome without the intervention of the aforementioned luck.

I have been lucky enough to lead the editorial teams on a number of magazines, but the one I consider my greatest success - and challenge - was Woman’s Weekly, where I spent ten, generally hugely happy, fulfilling and readership-building years.

The farewell cover my team created for me when I left Woman’s Weekly

I’ve been lucky enough to have produced and presented on both radio and TV, though I temper my qualification of those as successes with the knowledge that I could probably have done more if I’d been more focussed on pursuing work, rather than hoping it would come my way.

And I’ve benefitted from people far more successful than me taking a chance on giving me jobs I genuinely wasn’t sufficiently qualified to do.

I suppose my greatest career success has been proving, to them and myself, that actually I could more than rise to the challenge.

Success Number 7

This follows on directly from the previous listing but is a success that’s still a work in progress.

On the good days I’ll allow myself to accept that I’m not making too bad a job of post-work life. I don’t consider myself to be retired yet, but clearly I’m not working full-time (nor want to be) any more.

Since leaving Woman’s Weekly, I’ve created and launched These Are The Heydays and built it into a wonderful and engaged community.

I’ve written a blog and a newsletter every week, pretty much without fail (other than one or two holiday breaks) and met and written about dozens of wonderful Heydayers.

Who knows where this stage of my working journey will take me, or what successes it might hold. But I’m looking forward to finding out.

Successes Numbers 8 & 9

These come as a pair in recognition of their focus on success as a result of teamwork.

As part of the brilliant band of women running the Women of the Year Lunch and Awards, I have shone a much deserved spotlight on the extraordinary achievements of amazing women and honoured their remarkable endeavours and successes.

Working with my experienced and dedicated colleagues on the board of the International Longevity Centre, I’ve played a small part in focussing attention on, and hopefully beginning to change the narrative around the challenges and rewards of ageing.