Retirement is often a taboo subject amongst medical professionals. Many have dedicated a major part of their lives to the practice of medicine to the exclusion of anything else. The thought of empty days or lack of externally driven purpose is something that unsettles many who are approaching pensionable age. In reality such fears rarely materialise. The challenge of transition to a new phase of life is all the more poignant if ill health intervenes early, causing premature cessation of work.