I had two hours to convince her we should meet again

genuinely interested in her. She is smart, beautiful, career-minded and owns her own business. The icing on the cake is just how beautiful she is.

I did wonder if my age put her off. I hoped she’d see how young and active I am.

I knew early on that I wanted to see her again, and I was determined not to hoodwink her or pretend I was anything I wasn’t. This felt too important.

It just felt we were on the same wavelength, which meant a lot to me. You can meet a gorgeous woman but, if you don’t connect, it won’t work. Karin and I seemed to have a lot in common.

We both love living by the coast. You can’t beat waking up in the morning and looking out to sea. It’s so tranquil and therapeutic.

I’m really active and love dancing, squash and walking. I can also turn my hand to sailing and used to ski and scuba dive.

Since my last relationship broke up a year ago, my grandsons have been the love of my life. I’m very close to my family — my sister is constantly telling me to stop spending time with them and find love. But I’ve been a little let down by internet dating.

The internet makes dating easier in one respect, but it can also be demoralising. I think to succeed, you have to be photogenic, which I don’t think I am!

When I asked Karin if she’d like to meet up again, I was delighted she immediately offered to give me her number. That said, I still wasn’t sure, as I know women can say that to get away!

So, when she texted me later to say she had had a lovely time, I was really pleased.

All in all, it was a great evening. I had been to the restaurant before and had my favourite dishes. The only disappointment was when Karin told me her taxi was booked for 10.30pm, as I could have stayed much longer.

We’ve been in contact since. She’s persuaded me to go swimming in the sea, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I texted her to tell her how much she’d inspired me.

And I’m happy to report that Karin and I are going out for dinner next week. LIKED: She is the whole package. REGRETS? None. COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee.

VERDICT: 9/10