Merry Christmas One and All

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We are working hard at simplifying our family meet-up for Christmas this year. It’s all going well so far and, once we’ve pulled it together and then recovered, I’ll be back here in a couple of weeks to discuss events with you. In the meantime, I wish all my visitors to this blog (frequent or not) a peaceful and happy Christmas and a contented New Year.
Until 2019.....


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So much is written about the post-work bucket list that as you approach retirement, you inevitably feel that you should have one. A tick list of 100 things to see and do before you die. You don't even have to think up your own any more, the Internet is full of them. Glance through them if you will and you quickly get the impression that retirement must be full of adrenalin rushed grandparents throwing themselves out of aeroplanes or climbing Kilimanjaro.
Indeed the eldest recently sent a book to Mister E and me entitled "101 Coolest Things to Do in Great Britain." Now it is a good read and has some, shall we say, "interesting ideas" but for those that hold the most appeal I can honestly say that I've already been there, done them, got the photographs. There are others that wild horses wouldn't drag me to. It may be cool, but somehow Mister E and I attending Bestival is beyond even the most vivid of imaginations.
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Mister E and I may be retired but we still enjoy being pampered now and again; who says you have to be working hard to deserve a treat?

Yesterday offered one of those occasions when we were spoiled with a train trip on board the Northern Belle, previously operated and restored by the Venice Simplon Orient Express.


It was a day for lounging back in a plush seat, eating and drinking everything put in front of us (and there was quite a quantity) whilst watching the scenery glide serenely past. The luxury of our surroundings and the attentive service from uniformed staff all added to the sense of occasion and enjoyment.



We were entertained by wandering musicians and a magician on our figure of eight route around County Durham and North Yorkshire, ending up eventually back where we started at Darlington Station. Just like my retirement so far really; there is no obvious destination but the journey getting there is immensely pleasurable.
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One of the exciting opportunities in retirement is the potential to become embroiled in other people's projects especially, in my case, Mister E's. 
As I made reference recently, he has been flushing out our central heating system and so, unsurprisingly I have been enlisted as a plumber's mate. Initially this involved no more than online research with a view to making what were dismissed as unhelpful suggestions. This was followed fairly quickly by providing copious mugs of tea together with motivational phrases like, "I think we should call a real plumber out."
Ultimately, however, I gained promotion to manual assistant and was deployed to watch for drips and then, after Mister E was satisfied he'd drained it, to help lever a radiator away from its connection pipes.
Surely by now I should know better, so I won't even ask you to guess which one of us it was who got sprayed in black sludge along with the wall and carpet and despite the protective cover on the…
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It's funny how life marks itself out in eras and ever since I had children they have frequently been the determining factors for such. So we have had nappy years, nursery days, primary school periods etc..
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Now, however, that era too has come to an end marked by a formal UCL graduation ceremony on Monday and our own family celebrations on the London Eye and at pre- and post-ceremony meals. 

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Nestbuilding on Mister E's part has continued unabated since the messy incident with the radiator. In fact it would be fair to say that heat radiates throughout the house as I type and for which I am truly grateful as the sun may be shining during the day but temperatures are plummeting at night; indeed it was only 3.5 degrees when I awoke this morning, not helped by a stiff northerly breeze.
However Mister E has hardly seemed to notice the cool air as he has toiled continuously and added to his achievements the fixing of a leaking shower and the felling of various dead trees and hedging that have failed to survive the long damp winter.
He has been so immersed that I decided to chance my luck in asking him to fix a broken drawer which even an appentice like myself could see required the insertion of new tacks or staples. He willingly took up the staple gun like a cudgel and attacked the drawer as I stood by appreciatively noting his handiwork. 
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Postcard from Chez Nous

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Dear All, We are having a wonderful time here at Chez Nous. The scenery is fantastic and the weather sublime. Wish you were here. Love from Caree and Mister E x
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A Mobile Holiday

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I may be ambivalent about caravans and camper vans but I honestly can't visualise the idea of a mobile holiday anymore.
Recently I ran into a former work-colleague, clutching her iPhone. As it was mid-week the meeting was unexpected, but she explained that she and her mobile phone were taking a few days off together.
Remember those days? Checking and dealing with e-mails before breakfast and exiting the room when a call came in, to respond to urgent business. Worst of all, we did it to make life easier on our return to the office.

I'm far enough into retirement now that it reads back like some kind of horror story. More so because I only returned from a sojourn in the Lake District a couple of weeks ago, after holidaying in the moment (to quote from my last blog entry). The solitude of the high fells was bliss and I never heard a mobile phone ring all week. After all it is we who need to holiday, not our telephones. 
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There's been much speculation of late about the U.K. crashing out of the E.U. without a deal and the ensuing chaos that will inevitably follow. The various press reports have included stark warnings amongst other things about food shortages and whilst Dominic Raab, the Brexit Minister, may have sought to reassure everyone that ingredients for the BLT sandwich will still be readily available, the technical notices issued by the government today did little to assauge concerns.
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Self Definition

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I have been musing for sometime about how we are defined by both ourselves and society and how easy it is to gain our self-identity from the job that we do. My thoughts on this were provoked still further by the discussion, to which I contributed, in the comments that followed the blog entry across on Satisfying Retirement entitled "5 Things a Retired Person Learns about Life after Work."
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Embracing Autumn

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Unless you were fortunate enough to have outdoor employment or are spending retirement closeted away, life post-work is inevitably more cognisant of the changing seasons.
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When I was working, I had a tendency to ignore the progress of the seasons, to batten down and continue, oblivious to the changing elements, cocooned from the outside by four walls with a pile of files to concentrate on and distract.

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Indeed the eldest recently sent a book to Mister E and me entitled "101 Coolest Things to Do in Great Britain." Now it is a good read and has some, shall we say, "interesting ideas" but for those that hold the most appeal I can honestly say that I've already been there, done them, got the photographs. There are others that wild horses wouldn't drag me to. It may be cool, but somehow Mister E and I attending Bestival is beyond even the most vivid of imaginations.
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Unless you were fortunate enough to have outdoor employment or are spending retirement closeted away, life post-work is inevitably more cognisant of the changing seasons.
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Yoga yesterday heralded another session for personal growth when our lifestyle guru steered us into an imaginary garden and encouraged us to nurture seeds of positivity rather than weeds or negative thoughts.
She urged us to connect an adjective expressing a commendation for ourselves to the words: "I am."
I'm not sure that it was her intention but by the end of the session I had awarded myself numerous accolades, some of which I am far too modest to list, but otherwise I can share that I am: happy, healthy, loved, relaxed....
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Restoration Project 5

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It's been a little while since I last posted a blog entry about our restoration efforts but after returning from what I anticipate will be our last trip to the boatyard this calendar year, it seems an appropriate time to bring you up to date.
The new bright red engine and associated mechanical parts (note my lack of technical detail) were finally commissioned in September when the boat was launched off, passed her float test and returned to the yard so that we could continue working on her.

The gas cooker has been rehung, the gas locker properly vented and the topsides have  been repolished and minor defects on the deck reglassed. The new toilet, an automatic bilge pump and the replacement seacocks have all been fitted too.
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We ar…
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I have been musing for sometime about how we are defined by both ourselves and society and how easy it is to gain our self-identity from the job that we do. My thoughts on this were provoked still further by the discussion, to which I contributed, in the comments that followed the blog entry across on Satisfying Retirement entitled "5 Things a Retired Person Learns about Life after Work."
Ask a career housewife what she does and the stereotypical value of paid work is reinforced when she replies: "Oh, I don't work; I'm just a housewife."
Similarly, a person carrying out unpaid voluntary work can be inclined to say: "I don't work either, I'm just a volunteer."
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Cruise Views

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 So this is the entry which I promised in my last post, describing a brief but beautiful trip to the Adriatic. The youngest and I made the trip together (Mister E prefers his time on the high seas in small vessels, hence our restoration project).
We flew to and from Corfu Town and took in Koper (Slovenia), Venice (Italy), Split and Dubrovnik (Croatia) and finally Kotor (Montenegro). We chose the cruise based solely on the itinerary and  the fact that save for one sea day, the rest were all spent ashore.
They were all amazing destinations and I had only ever visited Venice before. The weather was splendid at 26 degrees or thereabouts all week with flat seas, blue sky and lots of sunshine. We also had the opportunity for some mother and daughter bonding; patience required on both sides!





So what was there not to like? Cruising, I'm afraid. Yes, I am beginning to understand where Mister E comes from, although sailing boats can be a little slow and uncomfortable in comparison. Nevertheles…
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