Kitchen Garden Forum

Strewth...I'm back.

I can't remember the last time I managed to get back into this forum....it wouldn't let me in, wouldn't accept my old password or my new one, so in the end, I gave up in a fit of pique.
Don't know what happened today but here I am....

How is everyone? Hope you are all okay.

I have just retired. Since they changed the retirement ages, I was inbetween and my retirement age is 63...which was in May...but I don't receive the State Pension until November and had planned on working (school Kitchen) until Christmas.
Then I just had a thought or two.
My husband, Ken, has been retired a year now and I have spent the past 20 years or so looking after various people and latterly my dear Dad, who has Alzheimers. We had no choice but for him to go into a home last September because he had become a danger to himself. It has been a very stressfull five years..two bereavements, my husband was ill...now recovered thank goodness...and then I was at my Dad's every day.

Life is too short. Retire now, sod the pension. Time for me and Ken now, time to put myself first for a change.
So...here I am, and it feels very strange but I am happily getting used to freedom. I visit my dad in the mornings and the rest of the day is ours!

Welcome back and you're right!

Brilliant that you're back. Very sorry to hear of all your troubles but you have a positive attitude now (which I know can be very difficult to achieve sometimes). Well done you

Elaine wrote:Life is too short. Retire now, sod the pension. Time for me and Ken now, time to put myself first for a change.

Welcome back sounds like you've had one heck of a year...

I could retire now sod the pension, but at 24, I've got a way to go yet lol.

Dear Elaine, this has made my day, having you back on the forum....

Good luck to you and Ken, and make the most of every moment. Has Ken still got his motorbike?

Looking forward to reading your posts again.

Thank you everyone. Good to be back amongst friends.

Dear OH...so glad I made your day!
Yes, Ken still has his motorbike but hasn't been able to ride it for the last three years. Now he has arthritis in his shoulders, apehanger handlebars aren't exactly ideal. He is toying with parting with it....his daughter rides and wants it...and me being not so daft, am having nothing to do with it! Entirely Ken's decision, as he has had that beautiful bike much longer than the sixteen years he's known me.
Personally, I'm hoping he doesn't keep it. Much as I love the bike, I love Ken more and I don't really think he's up to riding it now. There has been so many fatal accidents with bikers this past year, all blokes "of a certain age", that, despite him being an excellent rider, I would be worried.

I got rid of all my bigger bikes a few years back and now just have a small British 250....although this does make one realize how fast the traffic is on the roads these days, i now get some lorries sitting right on my rear mudguard.

Nice to see you back, Elaine - quite like the old times.

As for retirement, you will soon wonder how you ever found time to go to work. I was lucky to be able to take early retirement nearly 30 years ago and have never been busier.

Good to have to have you back on the forum. These are precious years so enjoy them ! Everybody worries about how they will manage financially in retirement but the sheer pleasure of having some enjoyable leisure for yourself soon puts these concerns into the background. Enjoy your first summer of leisure!

Oh to be able to ride a bike...
I cant even ride a push bike, never mind a motorbike... I have been toying with the idea of a 3 wheels chopper, but my wife would prefer a camper van... And since its her inheritance money, I guess I have to agree with her lol.
(noone we knew, an obscure relative who my wife didn't know existed until a copy of the will landed on our doormat. Kind of surreal. When something like that happens, you kind of hope its a rich oil lord or something leaving you £100,000 when in reality it's an old Spanish farmer leaving you £2500 lol)

Sorry, again I've gone off topic

Hi Elaine,
So glad to see you back with us all once again.
I retired myself recently as the pressures of work were more than I could cope with.
Sincerely,
JB.

Welcome back Elaine!

I saw the post & thought it was about Brexit!

Westi

There are two particularly nice things about being retired.
1. Going to bed on a Sunday night and knowing you don't have to get up at some ungodly hour on Monday morning to go to work.
2. Waking up on a frosty winter's morning, listening to the neighbours scraping the frost off their car windscreens to go to work, and being able to snuggle back down under the duvet.

Westi. Me too.

Primrose wrote:There are two particularly nice things about being retired.
1. Going to bed on a Sunday night and knowing you don't have to get up at some ungodly hour on Monday morning to go to work.
2. Waking up on a frosty winter's morning, listening to the neighbours scraping the frost off their car windscreens to go to work, and being able to snuggle back down under the duvet.

But you get fed up with those younger than yourself saying " It's alright for you, you have plenty of time, you're retired"