It's been a bit of a while - turns out that this being retired malarkey takes up all of your time (who'dathought?).....
So, since my last missive, and now that I consider that I am a fully paid up retired person, what pearls of wisdom and sparkling insights have I unearthed? Quite simply they are:-
1. What's work?
Despite my expectations that there would be a huge sense of dislocation for me (especially after being with the same company for over 40 years), my fears that I had become somewhat institutionalised were entirely unfounded. I've not thought about work, I've not missed the responsibility (I've certainly not missed the stress, the commuting or the politics!) and the fact that the budget that I now look after has a considerably fewer number of zeros on the end compared to the accounts I was responsible for while in work matters not one jot. In light of this remarkably smooth transition into retirement, from my next blog onwards, I will endeavour to stop referring to my previous life at work - that was then and this is now.
2. I Like Doing What I Want To Do
Within reason (and the reach of my pocket), the freedom to do the things that I want, when I want (take in a movie in the afternoon, wander down to the seafront for a coffee, go out for lunch with my GLW) is hugely liberating and enjoyable. Although I managed to pack in a fair few activities when I was working, I was always conscious of the fact that I had to pick and choose what I was able to do and I often had to make hard choices about missing things that Jacqui and I both wanted to do.
3. There's A Lot To Do
In addition to the stuff that I've been meaning to do for the past few years (mainly related to re-decorating and repairing various parts of the house - which has moved on leaps and bounds in the past 3 months), I've been sticking my nose in to a number of things. I'm now a member of the local film club (which shows a varied - in all senses of the term! - selection of independent and foreign films), I've started helping at the Town Shed (see http://www.broadstairstownshed.org.uk/ for an explanation of what this is), I've signed up for a guitar making course which starts in September (don't hold your breath - the classes are only once a week, so it is likely to be a good couple of years before I get to the finished product), I'm giving guitar lessons to two of my neighbours and to an acquaintance who I met at one of gigs and I'm just about to start with my first crack at home brewing. And, of course, we are trying (and, on the whole, succeeding) to keep up the "Fun Fridays" routine that we started when I dropped down to 4 days a week working back in October last year.
4. It's All Good
Yep - it pretty much is. Looking back, I almost feel annoyed with myself for having taken the whole "my work is important to me, and defines part of who I am" schtick. While I can understand how, in certain jobs (teaching, medicine and other essential services) that may well be the case, the 20-20 vision that I've now got from hindsight tells me that, for a lot of jobs in the big old corporate world, that's a complete bunch of old tosh. At least I have my health and (hopefully!) quite a few years left in the tank to enjoy the "all good" part.
So that's it from me for now (apart from a promise to check in a bit more regularly from here on in - honest guv!) - the next blog should feature reports from my brewing experiences, and I'll also be venturing back in to the world of breadmaking (tried it a couple of times back in April and just got it all wrong!! - time for a re-match methinks).
Before I sign off, a little update on the "What I've Been..." front
What I've Been Reading
Slowly working my way through the substantial pile of books I got for Christmas, and I've just finished "A Matter Of Life And Death - A History of Football in 100 Quotations" by Jim White. Informed, irreverent, insightful and very funny - if you have any interest in football (and, being a Charlton supporter, you could say that that is questionable), I can highly recommend it.
What I've Been Watching
Even more subtitled stuff - we've just finished a French drama called Disparu (Disappearance). Taut, twisting and with some great performances from the central characters (the parents of the teenager who has gone missing), and a wonderfully grumpy police detective. Catch it on catch up if you can.
What I've Been Listening To
Courtesy of the death of Dave Swarbick, I started to dip my toe into the rather substantial Fairport Convention pool - until two weeks ago, I can't recall having knowingly listened to a complete Fairport album. I started off with Liege and Lief - and having got much further. Blimey - what an album? I'll get on to the rest later, but I'm astonished that I'd not heard (or appreciated) this beforehand,
Till next time......
