I’ve just been counting. I have 33 more days in which I will hve to go to work. Eight of them will be half days. I have always hated those half days, as it never feels worth going into work for half a day. It isn’t a bonus half day off, as the shop owner seems to think, it’s a day wasted by the intrusion of a half day at work. The worst thing about working in the shop has always been the rotas (he loves sitting in his office working out complicated things) and the fact that even a “full day” is only six hours long. I go to work to earn money. My ideal week would be four ten hour days and three days off. Or five ten hour days.
Instead, the best I manged was, was five six-hour days. I actually looked at fitting in a second job around that in the days I was more active but couldn’t find one that fitted.
It’s nearly seven in the evening now and the day seems to have passed with nothing much happening. The kids have both been in touch for Mother’s Day, as we now call Mothering Sunday. I always thought it ws the day when servants were given a day off to visit their mothers, all the stuff about “mother churches” is new to me. It’s good to learn new things, but it’s a shock to find that something you thought you knew isn’t true.
We are treating ourselves to beef today. It’s a joint that we bought for Christmas as a back up in case the turkey supply let us down. It didn’t. However, as we need freezer space we decided it was time to break out the beef. I expect that after a couple of meals and several days of sandwiches we will start to think of fish and vegetables again. We’ve drifted off our vegetarian influenced diet a bit. It’s not that we want meat, or that we don’t want vegetables, it’s just that I find it hard to cook, and to chop vegetables, whilst my hands are bad. Even the sweeping motion of buttering bread for sandwiches is hard work, though it is getting easier.


A friend of ours has recently had a little private celebration. He has been retired for a few years now and as his wife is retiring soon she has stopped making him ‘to do’ lists! However, I don’t think it has dawned on him yet that she has stopped writing the lists because she will be at home with him all the time – watching and advising! 😀
My husband is very pleased that I have never given him a list of jobs. I know he will only do what he wants to do and no more.
I like your attitude Clare. 🙂 My father, when he retired from work at 67, started advising my mother on household management. Tactfully, but firmly, she persuaded him to turn his attention to other projects. 🙂
Ha! Yes. I have had a little help like that since Richard retired but I resist it . 😊
I’m sure you do. 🙂
😀
It was our son Matthew who enlightened me about the etymology of Mother’s Day, which my mother dismissed as American commercial rubbish.
Fair comment – the original meaning of the festival, whichever one you adopt, is definitely buried under “commercial rubbish”.
I am looking forward to the posts on how much you miss the office when your retirement days stretch put before you. 🙂
People used to say to me when I retired, “I expect that you are much busier now.” They missed the whole point of retirement.
I need to move house. After that I intend to take it easy and not fall into the trap of doing too much.
Thirty days and counting. I can imagine. Actually I remember mine.
🙂 I imagine I will look back in time and wondered why I worried.
You will enjoy retirement, Simon. Hang in there. The time will pass quickly enough.
Looking at the list Julia has prepared, it isn’t retirement, it’s just working for someone different.
Retirement is being able to stay busy doing things that matter to you both at home.
What is important to me may not be the same as what is important to Julia. I will await developments. 🙂
Not long now!
No, Now that it’s going ahead I am becoming impatient. 🙂
I bet. Lovely to have a time in your life when you can focus on what’s important to you.
I’m hoping his is an accurate description of retirement. 🙂 Time will tell.
It will be an adjustment, but you have creative interests that will make life meaningful.
I’m sure that this time next year I will be wondering why I was apprehensive. 🙂