Banal but Busy

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I would like to be able to tell you that my failure to post here of late has been attributable to an adventure in a far off and exotic location. Unfortunately I am not very good at telling lies and instead must confess that I have been lured into the awful trap that I have been looking to avoid since retiring; the one labelled routine and commitment.

Twice weekly hospital visits to treat a longterm skin complaint have intervened, restricting our ability to "go with the flow" and causing a regular weekly pattern to emerge. Life has fallen into a regular cycle of exercise classes, Parish Council business and covering for absences at Save the Children's charity shop. My spare time has been whiled away in the garden or with a paint brush in hand if it has rained. Evenings have passed in a whirl of angry yelling at the television screen when yet another politician has come on to add to the appalling spin, populist innuendo and disgraceful arithmetic that has graced the ridiculous referendum campaign we now find ourselves in the midst of. 


Here I am avowed to a life of novelty and adventure and I have just had two packed weeks of everyday repetitiveness broken only by a visit to the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park at Grewelthorpe near Ripon. It is open for just a few weeks every year when the rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom, and is a really beautiful and colourful destination. However, a half day amongst shrubs and statues is insufficient to properly challenge an adrenalin-seeking retiree or to save me from a fortnight of drudgery.

Now I don't want to sound ungrateful. My garden is looking tidier than at any time in the recent past; the hall ceiling is glowing in brilliant white emulsion; paperwork is up to date; I've found plenty of people to chat to and my abdominal muscles may even be the strongest they have ever been, but it is now time to schedule a list of challenges for the bucket list. Retirement is only days away from its two year anniversary and cannot be allowed to drift mundanely into tedium.




Comments

Jane said…
I am also just a couple of weeks away from being retired for 2 years. The only repetition I have at the moment is making dinner. My daughter still lives with me and for some reason expects me to be here cooking every night. Once she is on her own (oh when oh when will that be???) I hope to be a bit more spontaneous and will pick up a meal now and then or make a big pot of something that will sustain me for several days!
16 June 2016 at 21:54
Caree Risover said…
Mister E is the main cook in our house, so after reading your comment I am fervently hoping that he is not waiting silently for me to move out! But yes I agree, sometimes the uniformity of regular meal times can feel just a little too regulated although at least our generation generally doesn't serve up roast meat and two veg twice a day.
16 June 2016 at 23:06
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