Fame, Fortune and Retirement in Bristol

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 To be honest the title of this blogpost is, shall we say, misleading although I would certainly count myself as fortunate to have spent two nights in Bristol this week.


It is a most attractive city and I say that despite the fact that every patch of grass we saw was totally scorched and for the most part attempts to keep flower borders watered and blooming had been abandoned. Tourists, however, flock to the harbour with its converted sheds now hosting eating, drinking, exhibitions, a cinema and museums including Brunel's SS Great Britain restored to its original Victorian splendour. 


There's also a wonderful old town area with a market and pedestrianised streets. 


As for Temple Meads Station with its crenellations - wow!

The purpose of my visit was not to seek fame, although I had been invited to speak at an inaugural event organised by Linkage Network to promote a retirement project in Bristol. Despite the searing heat, attendance at The Watershed on Wednesday evening exceeded expectations. It was wonderful to be able to pass my own experiences onto others about to take that big plunge into retirement.

There's a certain universality about the transition period and the fears that would-be retirees encounter. It was however still gratifying to hear so many people comment afterwards as to how my experience echoed their own current dilemmas and how useful they found my talk (very much a condensed version of the early part of this blog). I even received a round of applause at the end, suggesting either that I wasn't too bad or alternatively that the people of Bristol are very polite.
 
I'm only sorry that I live too far away to get involved in benefiting from the project, the aim of which is to create a social community for retired people in conjunction with various other organisations. I know that more events and speakers are planned, so if you are in that area do keep an ear open. It's a brilliant idea and I shall be keenly following its success, albeit from a distance.

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