From Joints to Geraniums – How Gardening Saved Bernard Michael Rochford’s Retirement

When I was an osteopath, I had a waiting list longer than my driveway and two sets of hands that never stopped moving.

Now I have weeds.

I’m Bernard Michael Rochford, former osteopath, backyard BBQer, and—somewhat reluctantly—full-time gardener.

I didn’t choose gardening at first. It kind of… crept in. It began with a few pots of herbs outside the kitchen door. Nothing ambitious. Just basil, thyme, and one sad tomato plant that looked like it needed a hug.

But then I retired.

And the soil started calling me.

Now, instead of adjusting spines, I’m adjusting stakes for my climbing beans. Instead of writing referrals, I’m reading seed packets. And instead of helping people stand straighter, I’m trying to keep my tulips from drooping.

It turns out, Bernard Michael Rochford doesn’t do well sitting still.

There’s something beautiful about gardening. Something grounding—literally and figuratively. You get dirty. You sweat. You curse at snails. You celebrate tiny green sprouts like they’re grandchildren.

My wife says I talk to the plants. I deny it. But between you and me? I do. I don’t expect them to talk back. But if my parsley ever asks how my day was, I’ll be ready.

Gardening has become my therapy. It has the same rhythm osteopathy once gave me: quiet observation, small adjustments, patience. You can’t rush a back. You can’t rush a seed. Both need time, attention, and the right conditions to grow.

These days, I’m known in the street not as Bernard Michael Rochford, the osteo, but as “that guy with the citrus.” I’ve got lemons the size of cricket balls and a lime tree that’s clearly showing off.

I even have a compost bin now. I feel morally superior just owning one.

So if you’re wondering what a former osteopath does with his time—just know that Bernard Michael Rochford is out back, in gumboots, talking to a zucchini and loving every minute of it.

Until next season,
Bernard Michael Rochford
Spine Whisperer Turned Soil Whisperer