A Retirement Blog by Caree Risover

Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay The eldest, back on holiday from New Zealand succumbed to a flu-like virus then throat infection necessitating antibiotics a few days after landing in the UK. He has been rather ill and now Mister E appears to be suffering from many of the same symptoms. Man flu is always awful to be around but this is worse, far worse: it would floor a woman too! Illness is a nasty intrusion on a vacation but, from my own worktime experience, far from uncommon. I used to think that when I was dashing around pretending to be Super Woman the germs couldn't catch up with me. Immediately I sat down on that aeroplane or deck chair, however, they seized their opportunity and pounced.  Apparently there is actually some truth in my analysis and scientists have named the experience Leisure Sickness, although as yet its existence is only a hypothesis. When we exert ourselves in the workplace or even stress over the preparations for a holiday, do we produce...

I was overawed by the bluebells on our visit to Scotland at the end of April. Returning last week, I was, however, unsure what to expect. I certainly wasn't anticipating being treated to yet an even grander display. The cottage in which we stayed has a garden running down the hill to the Crinan Canal and sea loch beyond, with woodland on either side. I certainly do not seek to deceive when I say that garden was a sea of bluebells. As I hope my photographs show, it was a wonderful spectacle.  

Yes, our restoration project bobs on water! Logically we knew she would (after all the boat yard commissioned the engine at sea in September) but based on the premise that "seeing is believing," apprehension was certainly building until she was launched off and tied to a pontoon ready for us to board her on Wednesday. The new heads (toilet), gas piping , rewiring, and heating all work too. The replacement window seals and forehatch as well as sea cocks all appear water tight and that newly installed engine and propeller mean she positively glides through the water, although the intention is, of course, to use sail power. On the down side, the connection at the top of the mast leading from the wind vane to the cable connecting it to the instrument display appears to have corroded worse than was thought, preventing an electronic reading of the wind speed and direction. It looks like that might be yet another rewiring job to add to the list.  Ther...

Image by FuSuSu . from Pixabay  A study published by the Office for National Statistics with the earnest title Personal and Economic Well Being: What Matters Most to Our Life Satisfaction was given coverage by the mainstream media this week. Indeed and as a result of its contents the Guardian described retirees as "smelling the roses" especially if they are fit and in a longterm relationship. The ONS report confirms that retirement generally has a positive impact on life satisfaction. Liberated from the routine of work and commuting, we, perhaps not so surprisingly, spend more time on leisure activities particularly doing up our homes and eating out apparently. It all sounds a little self-indulgent but if you can't enjoy yourself in retirement what would have been the point in working all those years?  

We attended a tea party last weekend. To be more precise Mister E and I actually hosted the function which was a family gathering to mark the occasion of my mum's 85th birthday. Remember that period of your life from maybe mid teens to early thirties when there were so many reasons for celebrations, with birthdays marking accession to adulthood and of course friends marrying and even the odd baby's arrival. The next thirty years seemed a great deal quieter on the party front, exhausted with work and raising children, big birthdays were often buried in domesticity or acknowledged by weekends escapes rather than festive get-togethers.  With retirement, however, life regresses to that earlier time or perhaps is reborn in revelry. There certainly seem to be so many occasions worthy of popping the corks, beginning with the retirement day itself. This is then followed by plenty of big number birthdays and five year milestones, not to mention those giving access t...

Love it or hate it, business owners and key professionals have become accustomed to walking into rooms full of people and making small talk with strangers. It's the real life equivalent of Twitter or LinkedIn. Sometimes to ease the conversation and connections, games are played.  I recall one event where we had to stand up in turn and tell the room what we were looking for in the lowest number of words possible. That was an easy one for a divorce lawyer: "adultery"; it reduced the room to hysterics but I did get work referred as a result! Relieved of the obligation to network in retirement, I have been toying with deleting my LinkedIn profile. It does seem a brutal step to take, severing those historic connections and therefore the potential for reconnecting. Conversely, the deeper I get into retirement living, the deeper the divergence from the business world and the less important maintaining an online profile seems to be. Recently, however, an old c...

Indulge me, I am having another little rant. I understand that as we grow older, there is a tendency amongst those younger than ourselves to speak to us more slowly, louder and in a somewhat patronising manner. Fortunately, I have as yet had no direct experience except, on thinking about it, from the lady in the bank. She was indeed condescending when she enquired how I was coping with online banking! Rest assured I took great delight in telling her that I had first studied BASIC at a night class way back in 1981 (probably before she was born, although I did not say that) and had no difficulty in operating a computer. Doubtless, she thought I was referring to some kind of  elementary computing for dummies class, but, having met superciliousness with a dose of disdainful imperiousness, I felt vindicated and proceeded to forget the incident, until now. Forgive me, however, for I am straying away from the main purpose of today's tirade which I regret is directed once a...

Yesterday I made a day trip to London, meeting up with the youngest to visit the "Van Gogh and Britain" exhibition at the Tate. It was a long day but spending time with the youngest who struggles to get home these days and seeing what was an excellent art display made it worthwhile. Such is our excellent East Coast mainline train service that journey times between Northallerton and London Kings Cross are only two and a half hours. Fatigue aside, this means that a day return, where I arrived before midday and left at 9 pm, is eminently "do-able." Moreover and with a Senior railcard and an Advance Purchase ticket the cost is over £250 less than the unbelievable price of an Anytime Return fare! Arriving at the station with fifteen minutes to spare, it resembled a market day on the platform with crowds congregating, awaiting the arrival of the train. As I wandered through the throng, I was surprised just how many people I recognised from both my present ...