A Retirement Blog by Caree Risover

There were memories of pre-retirement days this week when I suddenly woke up to the realisation that Christmas was fast creeping up on us and there was rather a lot of mundane stuff to get through in readiness for our various visitors. I am pleased to report, however, that there must be something about years of working to court timetables, because everything has pretty much slotted into place: the study is decorated and refurbished; the menus are planned and ingredients purchased; the house has finally been cleaned; the beds are made and finally, this evening, the tree has been decorated. I confess that 8pm on Christmas Eve might have been the latest ever in the history of the Risover household  for the adornment of the tree but it is now done and all to the tune of Jingle Bells and Let it Snow. It took until Monday to feel anything like normal again after being knocked out for what feels like most of December. However, I am pleased to report that I returned to Pilates and ...

We have been back at home for 10 days and save for a slow walk to the Parish Council's noticeboard which now comes under my charge , I have not been out. Indeed I spent the first 4 days in bed, which has to be some kind of record for me exceeding, I suspect, even the time spent there with measles in my childhood.  The last time I recall being knocked sideways by a cold like this one, it originated abroad too, in that case by way of present from Baku in Azerbaijan. Whilst I would normally consider myself to be a fit and healthy specimen of humanity, unfortunately it seems that I must concede that such immunity as I possess is of no effect against foreign viruses. This has caused a slight hiccup to plans for December, as we have stripped our study ready to decorate. We are now on a very tight schedule to complete the job so that the books, paper and other paraphernalia now spread all over our living and dining rooms, can be safely returned, together with the new furni...

Before we left for India we went to see the new James Bond film, " Spectre ." I am not always a fan of 007 films but I did enjoy this one, especially as it drew various ends from previous films together and at the same time was full of all the high points that make a good Bond movie, not least the humour. I'm not sure if you are meant to laugh out loud at some of the antics but our cinema audience certainly did. I am reliably informed that Daniel Craig is the Bond actor with more Martinis per film than kisses, and perhaps that added to Spectre's appeal. The daily newspapers in India clearly suggested a huge fan base for the films there although it seems that  Indian audiences are not treated  to the whole film as Bond's passionate embraces have been reduced by 50% in order to ascribe to it the equivalent of our 12A certificate.  Also some of the language which, compared to many films, I did not find too offensive, has been altered. Thus in India, ...

It is hard to do justice in describing the attraction of India. It is a country where vibrancy hits you in the face and makes your head reel. More than 1.35 billion people, many dressed in a brightly coloured sari or salwar kameez, a vast array of wildlife, magnificent temples and wonderful scenery. There's constant background noise whether of people, birds, machines or honking horns. Every direction you look there is something that catches your eye, so different to home that you are entranced, captivated and amazed. Camels help pull loads or plough fields; monkeys chatter on street corners; whole families travel on one motor-cycle or alternatively pile into a vehicle with friends too and like everywhere in the world, women work hard whilst men operate the gadgets. Everything is different and very much happening right in front of you with people bathing in tubs off the highway, sleeping on the steps of the mosque or beside the road; eating their meals ...

A few weeks ago I wrote a post which I headed, " Is Travelling Really Brutal? " I can now confirm, sincerely, that it is. Into my fifth day of bed rest following our return from India on Wednesday, I am suffering from the rewards of travel: a foreign common cold or influenza virus, I assume, and for which I have no inbuilt immunity. Forget the typhoid, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis and other inoculations with which we protect ourselves in order to travel; perhaps what I really ought to have had was a flu jab. Mister E had his and has fought his affliction with considerably more success than me. When I visited our surgery, I received a typhoid booster and declined the offer of an injection against rabies. I guess the tell tale signs were there in Delhi when I began to suffer from a sore throat. However, in a city now notorious for the worst air pollution in the world, the itchy throat, red eyes and sneezing all seemed at one with breathing in the a...

In these harrowing times of explosions, shootings, war and terrorism, it is easy to carry the miseries of the world on your shoulders. Add climate change and sustainability to the mix and the problems of the planet weigh heavily. It has therefore been a relief to become Parish Clerk and realise that what keeps the local community and fellow citizens awake at night is not always the prospect of invading ISIL warriors nor even of strange beings from Mars, but rather: The turning off of street lighting after midnight; Dogs fouling on public footpaths; Drivers speeding or illegally parking their motor cars. It is good to get a local perspective on the issues of our time.