The Retirement Thread

[Dave7]

Good morning from a very cold and frosty Coventry, early morning supermarket run shortly, I've got a windscreen to defrost in a while.

Fortunately mine is in the garage which has an auto door so I open it, drive out and close it. Seemed an extravagance when I got it but it has more than paid for itself.

 

[Dirk]

Morning all from frosty Minehead.

Yay! Tis Fish Friday
Visited the new house in Watchet yesterday to discuss a few things with the vendors. Everything seems to be properly back on track now and they are looking for a completion date around the end of January - phew!
Stayed overnight with our mates in Minehead and will be treating them to lunch today before setting off back over Exmoor later.

 

[mikeIow]

I will admit the thought of retiring is quite daunting really and as much as I'm looking forward to it, (I think?) the thought of having no regimented regime fills me with utter dread.

When COVID struck and I was furloughed for two months, I was lost, utterly lost Okay, everything was either shut or locked down so not really a true reflection, but I lost any interest in even getting out of bed. Well, that's not strictly true, I was still getting up the same time as if I was going to work, having breakfast and then going back to bed again.

I'm 64 in February and I've been in full time employment since I was sixteen, so it's gonna be a huge shakeup which I guess I'm just going to have to deal with somehow?

The real sad fact, I enjoy my job and the people I work with, but after having spinal surgery back in July it made me think life. I had four prolapsed discs which meant I was only able to walk a few yards before my leg went numb and I starting to drag my right foot. On the flip side, no problem riding my bike at all???

I'm pleased to say that the op was a 100% success, even if I had to pay private for it (don't get me started on that one!!) But it made me rethink that life is too short and you never know what is around the corner?

What is your social life like now? What do you enjoy away from work?
One trick with retirement might be to spend the next few months working on that.
Doesn’t have to be highbrow earth-shattering stuff: we like quizzes, and whilst I would broadly agree with “don’t watch daytime TV”, we are not averse to a teatime series of the Chase & Richard Osmans House of Games. Even Tipping Point from time to time!

You also say you enjoy your job and workmates: could you ease down by going part time?

PaulSB has a decent routine above, but that’s a lot of cycling: even this time of year?

I’m more a fair weather cyclist….& haven’t managed to ease myself into any regular cycle group (been a busy year with MiL passing away, helping MrsMikeIOW deal with that).

Another vote for Our Welsh Dragon’s advice: aside from one or two ‘ceremonial’ occasions, I also stopped wearing a watch the day I stopped working for the monthly wage. Always have a phone to fill that role when needed.

I wrote a list of high level topics of things we wanted to do: Holidays/Family/DIY/Cycling/Entertainment/Crafts/Garden/Learning, etc. It turned into a spreadsheet, and alongside each I would write specific activities/tasks.
For example, alongside Entertainment might be WeeklyPubQuiz/PhantomOfOpera/ComedyGigs(done quite a few)/Festivals/Books(list them)
For me, that was a good way to start planning for the time, but now I’m over 18months in, I don’t look at it very often. It is a nice way to check you are progressing with things🤷‍♂️

Oh yes, we also bought a whiteboard for the kitchen. Technically looks like pale planks so it isn’t as stark as work ones 😉. We have a rolling week shown down one side of what is coming up. We use an online diary system (Cozi, others are available like google), but for checks over lunch, it is easier to see op things written down. Works well for us.

& relax into it. Retirement is a marathon, not a sprint 😎👍

 

[Sterlo]

Fortunately mine is in the garage which has an auto door so I open it, drive out and close it. Seemed an extravagance when I got it but it has more than paid for itself.

Might start putting mine in the garage, I'll just have to clear an old dryer, dishwasher and freezer plus the ladder will have to go somewhere, not to mention 4 bikes and assorted other crap. Isn't that what garages were meant for?

 

[AlanW]

What is your social life like now? What do you enjoy away from work?
One trick with retirement might be to spend the next few months working on that.
Doesn’t have to be highbrow earth-shattering stuff: we like quizzes, and whilst I would broadly agree with “don’t watch daytime TV”, we are not averse to a teatime series of the Chase & Richard Osmans House of Games. Even Tipping Point from time to time!

You also say you enjoy your job and workmates: could you ease down by going part time?

PaulSB has a decent routine above, but that’s a lot of cycling: even this time of year?

I’m more a fair weather cyclist….& haven’t managed to ease myself into any regular cycle group (been a busy year with MiL passing away, helping MrsMikeIOW deal with that).

Another vote for Our Welsh Dragon’s advice: aside from one or two ‘ceremonial’ occasions, I also stopped wearing a watch the day I stopped working for the monthly wage. Always have a phone to fill that role when needed.

I wrote a list of high level topics of things we wanted to do: Holidays/Family/DIY/Cycling/Entertainment/Crafts/Garden/Learning, etc. It turned into a spreadsheet, and alongside each I would write specific activities/tasks.
For example, alongside Entertainment might be WeeklyPubQuiz/PhantomOfOpera/ComedyGigs(done quite a few)/Festivals/Books(list them)
For me, that was a good way to start planning for the time, but now I’m over 18months in, I don’t look at it very often. It is a nice way to check you are progressing with things🤷‍♂️

Oh yes, we also bought a whiteboard for the kitchen. Technically looks like pale planks so it isn’t as stark as work ones 😉. We have a rolling week shown down one side of what is coming up. We use an online diary system (Cozi, others are available like google), but for checks over lunch, it is easier to see op things written down. Works well for us.

& relax into it. Retirement is a marathon, not a sprint 😎👍

Other than work and riding my bike, I don't do a fat lot else to be honest, very sad I know!

I work in the very busy and hectic events side of the buiness for the AA, in my current role as Planning and Production manager, unfortunately there is not an option to reduce my hours. However, the door has been left open for me to return as a zero hours worker and work on events as and when required and of course to suit me.

I do perfectly understand that I need to expand my interests and look at other avenues to explore. I've already contacted Severn Valley Railway about doing some volunteer work with them next year, so that's an option. So too is joining the local outdoor bowls club, this is within just a couple of miles from home. I do enjoy walking so joining the local rambling club is another avenue to explore maybe?

My wife is younger than me and she still has a good few years before she can even think about retirement, so I'm going to be home alone and left to my own devices. To be honest, that never ends well, as I tend to go shopping for all things cycling related.......

 

[AlanW]

Fortunately mine is in the garage which has an auto door so I open it, drive out and close it. Seemed an extravagance when I got it but it has more than paid for itself.

After the house broken into last September for the sole purpose of finding the car keys in order to nick the car, the replacement car is now garaged every night!

To be honest, it's a bit of a PIA most of the time, but this time of year its great!!!

 

[Mo1959]

That was hard work walking through the fresh snow. Enjoyed it though.

 

[welsh dragon]

Oh, I thought it was big cars, small d***s

I was trying to be polite unlike you

 

[Mo1959]

I was trying to be polite unlike you

I'm never polite!

 

[welsh dragon]

My grandsons has parked at the bottom of the lane. It's far to icey to drive up. He will have to put his hat and gloves on and walk up

 

[Mo1959]

I don't think I'll bother with the car either.

 

[pawl]

I don't think I'll bother with the car either.

View attachment 671367

Go on you know you want to Temperature here according to weather forecast no higher than minus 1 c Was intending to have a turbo session in the garage this morning No chance To cold 🥶

 

[Juan Kog]

Go on you know you want to Temperature here according to weather forecast no higher than minus 1 c Was intending to have a turbo session in the garage this morning No chance To cold 🥶

No excuse just pedal faster

 

[PaulSB]

PaulSB has a decent routine above, but that’s a lot of cycling: even this time of year?

Three of us meet on a regular basis to either road or gravel ride. In winter the ride together is +/- 50 but I have a 12 mile round trip to the meet point so I usually get 60ish. Realistically we probably manage an average of 2 rides a week in winter so 120/150 miles a week as we sometimes find a third. Weather has stopped riding for the last 10 days. In summer the distances increase so we will hit 150/200 week.

Illness, injury, holidays etc. have reduced the mileage this year as we've each had difficulties of one sort or another. Think I'm down by +/-2000 miles and way off my climbing as my climbing buddy had four months off injured.

C'est la vie.

 

[PaulSB]

That was hard work walking through the fresh snow. Enjoyed it though.


View attachment 671365

Glad I'm not a sheep........