Take a day off work to garden ? -

[Nature's Babe]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ning-leave
as if gardening is not work too !

[Jude]

Gardening is work, of course, but it can be so therapeutic. I had a day off last week with a heavy cold, felt rotten and didn't want to pass it on to my elderly clients. Pottered over to my plot with the dog, 'just for a look'. 2 hours and a bit of tidying up later I felt great!!

[peter]

As an office worker gardening is most definitely not work for me and I do take days off just to do stuff at my allotment.

[oldherbaceous]

I do gardening all week, "well in between getting spoilt by my customers", and get paid for the pleasure.

[Nature's Babe]

Yes OH, it's definitely pleasurable work, though it does require some work and knowledge on our part to supply the crops particular needs

[Primrose]

Can be hard work, but is probably an activity with multiple benefits - keep fit, "thinking time" when you're preoccupied with something and nature watching, not to mention the benefit of growing your own, saving money and enjoying fresh fruit & vegetables.

[peter]

What Primrose said.

[Ricard with an H]

This is a very interesting subject because i'm retired, it's all work divided by what I want to do and what I have to do.

Work I have to do is work, work I want to do is relaxing until the work I have to do attracts so much attention that the work I find relaxing becomes work.



Makes sense to me.

[oldherbaceous]

Well it doesn't make sense to me, but it did make me smile.

[Westi]

Can't wait to retire - I don't mind what work it is I do on lottie it is outside & chugs along at my pace, although I know what Richard is saying.

Bad news though if they keep raising the pension age I could be still wandering around work with my zimmer frame, whereas if I had been able to get to lottie more I would be stronger & fitter & not costing the NHS as much.

Westi

[Jude]

Richard and Westi,
very much with both of you there! Soooo much wanting to retire, 60 this year but still another 2 and a half to go before state pension pays more than my part-time job. Only other pension will pay diddly-squat. There was a downside to having a child at 45! Still, she keeps me young, or so I keep telling myself.

[Ricard with an H]

My life-style and where I live is a dream come true, I must have done something right to have deserved so much. I'm not cash rich, peace, lovely surroundings, coast location and the freedom to please myself.

Pleasing myself is a problem.

I don't have a decent days work in me so all the work that needs doing just to keep the ship tidy and functioning tends to stack up. Right now i'm repairing windows when I should have planted 25 kilos of daffs plus other bulbs and I have onion and garlic on it's way. If I don't do the windows, and I should have done them when it was dry during summer, the window timbers will suffer. The barn outer walls need washing down to get rid of bird-poo and algae.

Grass continually needs cutting, I still haven't cleared this years dead growth from the banks nor have I readied my raised beds for the onion and garlic.

Whilst i'm beating myself up trying to keep the outside tidy the dust and cobwebs are gathering inside and get worse and worse if I don't vacuum regularly. A dog is a lovely companion but adds a little to the chores.

Cutting wood on a regular basis over the last twelve months means my log store of around 4 cubic metres is full, it hasn't been easy during a wet summer, burning wood has become very fashionable but expensive to buy in prepared logs. Wood burning is for rich folks or those with a strong back.

Some days I just go to the beach with my dog, then I get home and wish I had done whatever next is in the queue.

I just noticed all the skirting-boards are looking grubby but I have to plant those daffs this weekend.

Life is good.

[Nature's Babe]

It was fun reading all your comments, Westi your zimmer frame one made me laugh out loud, hugs.
I count myself very fortunate in that I was able to retire early with visions of more free time, but I found myself busier than ever. My partner still works so most care of house and large garden falls to me - then as these days both parents work I found myself doing the school run for grandchildren and helping out in other ways. When my elderly mum was no longer able to care for herself I became a full time carer for ten years, both my brothers are abroad, so no support there. I just about managed to squeeze in some me time writing my poetry and haiku on the run. As I believe in being active in community rather than moaning about problems and injustices I am now on the steering group for our local Transition movement, and facilitating with others the co ordination of a local groups in forming a neighbourhood plan, We are also working towards community resilience to address the problems of peak oil, unemployment low wages rising prices, ecomomic decline and climate change. This involves the community working with local agriculture and others towards local food security, assessing local rescources and needs to provide local energy security, working with local community and businesss to support carbon reduction and increase local jobs and sustainability and much more - obiously can't do all that alone - the steering group is more an enabling and facilitating and collaberative role. The one advantage of retirement I guess is that we can choose what we give our time and attention to - and yes I still write my poetry on the run, and I always carry a notebook so inspiration is not lost.

[Ricard with an H]

I count myself very fortunate in that I was able to retire early with visions of more free time, but I found myself busier than ever. My partner still works so most care of house and large garden falls to me .

Same here, even though I am 70 this year I did retire early because of failing hips. My partner works and has to live away four/five days a weeks and I don't want her coming home to work, rather to enjoy what I managed to achieve.

I've always found it difficult to relax when there is work to do so I effectively beat myself up when i'm supposed to be enjoying.

I wouldn't be happy in a small suburban garden, not enough to do so i'd probably take on work for those who can't manage. What am I talking about, I can't manage.

What about these alliums and daffodil bulbs

I have to wash the outside fridge-freezer first.

[Monika]

NB and Ricard, I know the feeling - I was lucky enough to be able to retire at 50 and can't imagine now (25 years later) how I ever had time to go to work at all! Obviously, one does slow down, but it's great to be able to garden when the sun shines or, at least, when it's not raining! When I was out of the house for 11 hours a day, gardening really had to take its turn after looking after the family, cleaning the house and all the other bits a mother and housewife has to do ...

I certainly also feel a jolly side healthier without the daily commute and struggling with problems. Nothing beats a good day on the allotment.