A Retirement Blog by Caree Risover

Life may be stress free in retirement but that still does not stop me getting angry or being grumpy. Indeed I think I should use this blog a little more often to let off steam, so to speak. Today my  anger is directed at those councils and their crews who insist on resurfacing roads by a method that seems to involve little more than throwing a pile of chippings all over them. At the same time they erect signs warning of a lack of road markings, risk of skidding and the need to travel at 20 mph. Now I won't say we weren't given warning that the main road adjacent to the access lanes from our village was to  be resurfaced today, but it is a route that I needed to travel in order to avoid a 5 mile detour on my journey to the gym. Naively I thought it would be okay but, and let me extend my anger still further, I had failed to take into account some of the other road users who would be travelling that road at the same time. That is to say the twerps travelling in the

There is a well known nursery rhyme that begins "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" Well here in retirement mine is growing very well and benefiting not only from the time I have been able to give it, but also a new spade.  Typical British weather in April means that conditions have varied daily but  have generally lent themselves to at least a couple of hours outside every day recently. There have been times when the temperature has been benign and I have worn shorts, and others, like today, when the wind has borne a chill and I have donned a fleece. I have decided to concentrate this year on getting my flower borders into order as opposed to spending hours tending a vast variety of vegetables from seed. Being at home has enabled me to seize the opportunities presented by the weather. It is very different  to working where one spends the week looking at the sun through an office window, only to find that it then rains most of the weeke

I am pleased to report that I have just completed the knitting of a cardigan for the youngest. This is something of an accomplishment as the last garment that I knitted for her, or indeed for anyone, was when she was only a few weeks old and it was understandably much smaller than my current piece of work. Having taken an 18 year break from knitting, it was therefore a novelty to pick up needles again in retirement and see if I could still make something decent enough to be worn. Sadly, however, I didn't quite finish it in time for the winter weather. The youngest was still delighted with it (or maybe she was being polite) and has even placed an order for this coming winter or, on reflection, 2017!

Skipton may not be most people's port of call for a marine supplier and chandler but in preparation for the forthcoming sailing season, Skipton is where we headed today and specifically the aptly named Pennine Marine. Wherever you look in Skipton you are conscious that the Pennine Hills very much surround you. We came away with a brand new outboard motor for the inflatable dinghy and, after it was stored safely in the boot, were able to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine for a wander along the canal and around the town. According to the thermometer in the car, the temperature was a very pleasant 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit). I think it was one of those days which you could perhaps sum up as "making hay while the sun shines" and yes Mister E even cut the grass when we got home. Little did I realise that retirement and farming would have so much in common.

M y accountant has drawn my attention to a report published by Aviva . Not only does it stress that we tend to underestimate our life-expectancy but also that savers are likely to live longer than non-savers.  I suppose it is just as well that it is not the other way round or there would presumably be a real problem for non-savers when their funds run out. At face value it is, of course, strange that there should be a correlation between saving and life term. I assume however that those who save also live a healthier life generally than those who don't, perhaps predicated by their wealth or alternatively by deliberate life choices in all areas. Pre-disposition or choices; nature or nurture; family values or education; innate intelligence or robust common-sense.  No doubt scientists will find a gene that governs both traits in due course. In the meantime, just point me in the direction of a piggy bank.

This week I have discovered a downside to retirement and it is called "hay fever." Now it is not that I haven't suffered in the past but, at home this week surrounded by Spring flowers and a constant breeze, I have well and truly succumbed. Kicking myself for planting all those hyacinth bulbs in the autumn, they do nonetheless look stunning in their pastel shades of blue and pink. However, my eyes, nose and throat are paying the price for their beauty. Fortunately it is not yet sufficient to want to cut myself off in an air conditioned office in the middle of town surrounded by brick walls and tarmac. 

We have just returned from a flying visit to Scotland to supervise the lifting of  the boat out of the water for its annual bottom wash and ready for the application of anti-fouling and maybe even a polish to the topsides. To ensure that we were there on time, we decided to stay on board overnight. Some may describe this as a somewhat bold or even foolhardy decision bearing in mind the fact that the weather has appeared to regress over the weekend; we passed snow on the way there and freezing temperatures during the night. However, it made for a bracing walk this morning with some lovely views across the sea towards Arran. Also, having taken a direction I was unfamiliar with I came across a delightful row of what were once harbour workers' cottages but which are now used, it would seem, primarily as offices. The difference in climate between home and Troon was amplified by flowerbeds, prepared for annual bedding but as yet empty. Whereas the abundance of Sp