Tag Archives: career change

Time to Plant a Tree

17 Replies

Sunday tea was a simple affair – roasted vegetables, Cornish pasties, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. The gravy was made from granules.The puddings and pasties were bought in. All I needed to do was cut up some vegetables.

The vegetables were leeks, brussels, sweet potato, carrot and parsnip. With a banana at breakfast, beans on toast for lunch and a pear in the evening that gives me eight portions of fruit and veg today. It might not have been exciting, but it was healthy.

It sounds simple, but as I mentioned before, it’s not quite so simple with arthritis. Even cutting vegetables becomes tricky when you have no grip. I will have to examine ways of coping with this new problem. I’ve already been buying pre-cut vegetables for various things, but that won’t work for roasted vegetables as they don’t come cut into the right size.

It was, to be honest, a bit of a shock, but worse things happen. It doesn’t seem as bad now as it did a few hours ago.

I’m just watching The Real Marigold Hotel – Henry Blofeld (yes, his father went to Eton with Ian Fleming so it is possible that he shares his name with the famous Bond villain) and Paul Chuckle are exploring the facilities of an Indian retirement community. It includes flats with rounded edges where walls meet (so that falling geriatrics don’t injure themselves so badly) and a chauffeur driven golf buggy service. It is a worry that I’m seriously starting to think about things like this. It is time to start making adjustments.

This is a worrying thought, as it’s an admission that I’m getting old. I’m also thinking that it’s time to begin looking for a bungalow.

I just looked up career development, as I still have five years before I can officially retire and, despite everything, I live in hope of something good happening. I might even have another ten or fifteen years to work if I find a job that involves sitting.

I was surprised to find this question when Googling – Is it too late to start a career at 25? Too late at 25? Someone answered by saying you could still start a new career at 75. That was good to hear, though I’m not sure I really believe it. However, the link also contained this quote, which I knew, but had forgotten. I seem to forget more things these days.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Figs at Wilford Mencap Garden

Figs at Wilford Mencap Garden

 

 

 

 

Ebay or not Ebay…

21 Replies

I didn’t post yesterday. You may not have noticed, but if you did, I apologise.

This was mainly due to hypnosis and poor time management; I spent so much time looking at Ebay that my brain started to shut things out in self-defence.  By the time I’d finished I was late, functioning on half a brain and feeling depressed. So I switched off and watched TV.

It was a learning exercise rather than a pleasure, as I have been examining the possibility of returning to the antiques trade. I have been given two opinions – one, from a person I trust, is that Ebay is the best place to sell and that quality pieces do best. The other, from someone I also trust, is that Ebay is the best place to sell and that average to low quality items sell best.

From that I deduce that Ebay is the best place to sell.

As to what sells best, I have always felt that the best selling items are always the ones sold by other people.

I’m also feeling slightly shell-shocked by the number of “rare”, “scarce” and “original” items being offered for sale. For one thing, I know much of the stuff isn’t rare, and some of it clearly isn’t original either when you look at the photos. The truth is that although I may have lost touch with prices I can still (mostly) remember everything else.

If you can push a button and see 20 more “rare” items I have news for the sellers – they aren’t rare.

There’s a suspicion at the back of my mind that if an estate agent, an Ebay seller and a mass murderer wanted to marry into my family I’d probably be happiest with the murderer.

However, beggars can’t be choosers, and if Ebay does the business I will have to sign up. Shops are expensive, markets are sensitive to weather and antique fairs require early starts. So greed and idleness are conspiring to make me into an Ebay seller again – how can I resist such powerful forces?.